The Sun.
London, England, 1859-05-23 00:00:00

POLICE INTELLIUENCE—May 21

MANSION-HOUSE.—William Collins was
charged with stealing a gold hunting watch, value
£45, the property of Mr. T. W. Swinburne, a gen-
tleman residing in Hertfordshire.
The prosecutor said—Yesterday afternoon I was
passing with a friend from the Blackwall Railway
station along Fenchurch-street, when I found it
impossible to pass further on account of a crowd
collected at a fire, and was about to turn through a
narrow lane when a man touched me on the shoul-
der, and nodding across the road said, " A man has
got your watch ; he is over there." I crossed the
road immediately, and looking about saw the pri,
soner following close behind another man, to whom
he seemed to be in the act of passing something,
but I could not see what. I said to my friend, " I
will follow these men," which seemed to frighten
the prisoner, for after walking a few paces he put
down my watch on the pavement, and then looking
into my face asked me what I wanted with him. I
seized him with one hand, and endeavoured to pick
up the watch with the other, but while I was stoop-
ing for the watch he got away, and ran off as fast
as he could. I came up with him in Mark-lane,
just as he was stopped by a policeman and taken
into custody. He denied that he had ever had the
watch, but when he got to the station house he said
that some one had put it into his pocket.
After some corroborative evidence the prisoner
was committed for trial.

GUILDHALL.—Mr. Wm. Howard and his son,
toy manufacturers, of 62, Barbican, were summoned
for assulting a carman in the employ of the South-
Eastern Railway Company.
Samuel Charles Brampton said—l am a porter in
the service of the South-Eastern Railway Company.
On the 2d of the present month I took a box to the
defendants' house. I placed it on the counter, and
retained my hold of it while I made a demand for
2s. 4d. for the carriage. There was a label on the
box, directing that it should be forwarded by the
luggage-van train. Mr. Howard refused to pay
the amount, and on my saying I must take the box
back he said I should not, and called his son to
assist him to take it from me. In the
struggle for the box the cord round it cut
my hand severely, and that is the assault I com-
plain of. This is not the first time I have had a
bother with the defendants about the payment of
the carriage for parcels.
Cross-examined—The defendant refused to pay
because he thought the charge ought not to have
been more than ls. 6d. I brought the box from the
London-bridge station. Mr. Howard, jun., signed
the delivery-book, which I produce.
Mr. De Jersey (for the defendants)—We contend
that the parcel was actually delivered, and the
company had their remedy against the defendants
for refusing to pay.
Sir P. Laurie—That is the difficulty I see in
this case. It is a nice point to determine whether
fhb box was delivered or not. The company's ser-
vant clearly did not intend to part with the posses-
sion of it without the money ; but, on the other
hand, he has taken a receipt for the delivery, and
the refusal to pay may, to a certain extent, be jus-
tified by the error in the charge.
Mr. Howard, sen.—The fact is, sir, this parcel
was directed to go by the luggage-van train, which
would cost about ls. 3d. or Is. 6d., but the company
thought proper to convey it by passenger train,
and to charge for it at the increased rate for pas-
senger luggage, which I, of course, objected to pay.
Sir P. Laurie—This is quite a new case,- for I
never heard of such a point being raised before. I
would recommend you, Mr. Howard, to pay the
charge demanded and proceed against the company
to recover the excess.

Mr. Howard—l would rather not, sir, for I had
a similar dispute with the South• Eastern Railway
Company in August last, and protested against the
charges. I, however, paid them, and then tried to
recover the excess, and it was three months before
I succeeded, and then not until I had threatened to
write to the Times about it.

Sir P. Laurie—l think the defendant was wrong
in this case, but I should like to consider it further
before giving my decision.
Mr. Martin—The defendant had no right to
question the charge made by the company.
Mr. De Jersey—He had every right, for the com-
pany published a scale of charges from which they
ought not to depart ; and if they do we have a
most undoubted right to dispute them.
Sir P. Laurie—ls it legal as well as customary
for carmen to take parcels back when they cannot
get the money for them ?
Mr. Reece—Most unquestionably, sir, as the com-
pany .have a lien upon all parcels until the carriage
is paid. This is the first case of the kind we have
ever had.

Sir. P. Laurie—l will give my decision on Wed-
nesday next. _

The summons was adjourned accordingly.

MARYLEB ONE.—A young man named John
Dignan was charged with having been concerned
with another in knocking down and robbing of 12s.
James Ray, of 8, Little North-street, Lisson-grove.
The evidence went to show that on March 12th
last prosecutor was passing along Capland-street,
Marylebone, in the evening, when he suddenly re-
ceived a tremendous blow from the prisoner which
knocked him down and stunned him, and, while
lying bleeding upon the ground, the sum above
alluded was stolen from his trousers' pocket by the
prisoner and his companion named White : the pri-
soner then escaped, but White was taken by Ser-
geant Boden, 11 D, and after an examination at this
court he was committed. The jury found him guilty
and the sentence passed upon him was four years'
penal servitude. The police had, ever since the out-
rage, been in quest of the prisoner, and he was
ultimately captured by 237 D. A former conviction
was now proved against him by Cattermull, 38 D.
It was also shown that prosecutor was so much in-
jured by the violence of the blows inflicted upon
him by the prisoner as to render it necessary for
him to be conveyed at once to the dispensary, of
which he remained an out-patient for some weeks.
The prisoner. who declined making any defence
at present, was committed by Mr. Long for trial.

WESTMINSTER.—Wm. Groves, a rough look-
ing fellow, was charged as follows :
Collis, 268 B, said that at half-past one o'clock
that morning he was on duty in Cranley-mews, and
thought he heard some one in the gardens of On-
slow-square, Brompton, close by. He stood still for
a moment, and then distinctly heard footsteps in
one of the gardens. He called a brother constable,
and having been raised to the top of _the wall
turned on" his lantern, and saw the prisoner over
in the garden against the wall. Immediately
his rattle
seeing witness the prisoner made his escape over on
n an
adjoining wall, and on witness springing
he was captured by another constable.
pri-
soner's pocket he found a stick, and in thne the
garden
a rope, which together were used for burglarious
purposes. Witness found on the prisoner, besides
some matches, a knife, string, and several pawn-
brokers' duplicates. He gave a false address.
Christopher Martin, 33 B, said, that morning he
went to Onslow-square, and found by tracing the
prisoner's footmarks that he had been in the gar-
dens of no less than 11 houses—six in Sidney-place,
and five in Onslow-square. A back window of the
house in the garden of which Collis saw the pri-
soner was thrown wide open. There were no marks
of violence upon any portion of it, and the probabi-
lity was that prisoner, finding it unfastened, had
opened it, and was about to get into the house when,
hearing Collis coming, he endeavoured to secrete
himself, and afterwards to make his escape.
George Sowerby, 113 B, hearing a rattle sprung,
watched the prisoner, and saw him leave the area
of No. 2, Onslow-square, upon which he took him
into custody.
The prisoner was remanded till Wednesday.
A pawnbroker's ticket having been found on the
prisoner relating to a shirt, and as he was strongly
suspected to have been concerned in other burglaries
which have been committed in the neighbourhood,
no time was lost in going to the pawnbroker's and
examining the article in question. The result was
that a woman of bad character named Fogherty
was taken into custody, charged with being con-
cerned with Groves in another offence, the shirt
gae
being part of the proceeds of a burglary, and the
woman having pawned it.
She was also remanded.

The long dresses which our ladies are now
wearing, and which one is sorry to see employed in sweep-
ing the filth of the streets, bring to recollection the follow.
ing passage in the "Citizen of the World" Nay, he
ventures to affirm that a train may often bring a lady into
the most critical circumstances, for should a fellow, says
he, offer to come up to ravish a kiss, and the lady attempt
to avoid it, in retiring she must necessarily tread upon her
train, and thus fall fairly upon her back, by which means
every one knows—her clothes may be spoiled.' " The
image must have tickled Goldsmith's fancy for it 16 re-
peated w No. 2 of the "Bee."--.BlNetin.