The Sun.
London, England, 1832-10-03 00:00:00

MAR YLEB ONE.

Yesterday morning this office was crowded to
excess with persons anxious to witness the exami-
nation of Mary Ann Thompson, a young woman of
prepossessing appearance, and James Russell, a young
man about 19 years of age, who were brought be-
fore Mr. RAWIANSON, the Sitting Magistrate, the
former charged with uttering a 5/. Bank of England
note, knowing it to be forged, and the latter with
being her confederate in the crime.
Mr. Thomas Saunders, of No. 141, Oxford-street,
linen-draper, stated, that about 9 o'clock on the pre-
vious evening the female prisoner came into his shop
and purchased a shawl and two pair of stockings,
for which she tendered a 5/. note in payment, which
on examination he suspected was a bad one, and
sent his shopman to a next-door neighbour to ascer-
tain the fact, and on his return it was pronounced
to be a forgery. While he was gone witness ex-
pressed his suspicions to the prisoner, who replied,
,r If it is a bad one, I can get it changed by the per-
son who gave it to my husband." Witness then
asked her where her husband lived, and she re-
plied at No. 18, Windmill-street, Haymarket.
Witness offered to accompany her thither, and
said, that on receiving payment of the goods
he would return her the note. To which she
replied, " Oh, there's no occasion for your going ;"
and she then quitted the shop, leaving the note and
goods in his possession. Witness followed her, but,

s
previous to this, observing a young man, whep-
peared anxiously waiting for the prisoner, on the
opposite side of Oxford-street, he desired his shop-
man to watch him, while he followed the female.
On his way up Oxford-street, he met with a police-
man, to whom he related the circumstance, and
who joined witness in pursuit of the prisoner. When
they got into Regent-street, the policeman advised
witness, if he was sure of her identity, to give her
in charge, and witness accordingly went up and
again offered to accompany her to her husband; but
she refused to allow him to do so, saying, " I've
nothing of yours." He then asked her if she had
any more of them (alluding to the notes) about
her, when she answered in the negative; but on
their reaching the Quadrant, she said, " Now I'll
tell you the whole of the truth about it. I met
with a very nice old gentleman, who came up to me,
and caught hold of my shawl, saying, ' Hav'nt you
a thicker shawl, more suitable for the season that's
coming ?' I told him I had not. He then replied,
I'll give you one, but you must not pay mots than
20s. or 255. for it; at the same time taking a purse
out of his pocket, and giving me the note. I a;ked
him where I should see him again, to return him
the change, and he told me he would wait at the end
of the Quadrant, or if he was not there, I should
find him at the first public-house on the right-hand
side of Windmill-street." She said he was a stout
gentleman, about fifty years of age, and she should
know him again if she saw him. While this con-
versation was going on the policeman took the male
prisoner into custody, and they all proceeded toge-
ther to the public-house, but they could not find any
person answering the description of the female pri-
soner. The prisoners were then conveyed to the
station-house in Marylebone-lane.
Alfred Staff, shopman to Mr. Saunders, corro-
borated the principal part of the prosecutor's evi-
dence. He had watched the male prisoner.
Police-constable Robert Smith, D, 116, took the
prisoners into custody, and, on their way to the sta-
tion-house, Russell denied all knowledge of the fe-
male prisoner, and said he lived at Bethnal-green,
arid had been taking a walk round the Regent's and
Hyde-park, and was then proceeding borne. On
arriving at the station-house he found on the female
prisoner 12s. in silver, and on searching Russell he
discovered something bulky in his mouth. Mr.
inspector Hornsby desired him to open it, but he
refused to do so, and witness got a candle to look
down his throat; and after forcing the prisoner's
mouth open saw a roll of paper in it, which he sup-
posed to be forged notes, and on attempting to get
it out the prisoner swallowed it. The doctor
shortly afterwards came in, when an emetic was ad-
ministered to him, but it did not produce the de-
sired effect. Witness then produced the note which
was tendered to Mr. Saunders.

Mr. Joshua Freeman, an inspector of notes from
the Bank of England, stated that the note in ques-
tion was a forgery, and an exceedingly bad one in
all its parts.
The female prisoner, when called on for her de-
fence, st 11 persisted in her story, and said the reason
she would not let the prosecutor accompany her to
her husband's was that she did not wish to let him
know anything about it ; and Russell denied all
knowledge of Thompson, or of having any paper in
his mouth, but said he was only sucking a hollow
tooth, which he was in the habit of doing.
Mr. ItAwmiNsoN—Well, Thompson, ►t lies with
a Jury to believe your story, and I shall commit you
to Newgate for trial, and—
Mr. Freeman here interposed, and suggested the
propriety of remanding them till a future day, as in
all probability they had been guilty of various other
offences of the same nature.

Mr. RAWLINSON agreed with Mr. Freeman's view
of the matter, and they were ordered to be again
brought up on Saturday next for further examination.

THAMES POLICE OFFICE.

Yesterday Mr. Cording appeared again at the
Thames Police-office, on a new question of the liabi-
lity of pawnbrokers to make compensation to the
owners of pledges lost by fire. Mr. BALLANTINE
has already determined this question in the affirma-
tive, but on Monday Mr. BRODERIP gave a con-
trary decision. The present case came before Mr.
BALLANTINE on the application of a Mr. Thorney,
for the value of a gun which he had pledged with
the defendant.

On the part of Mr. Cording, a solicitor quoted
the clause of the Act of Parliament which has re-
ference to the liability of pawnbrokers, and observed,
that if the Magistrate decided against his client, he
would do so in defiance of the common law, which
had always held that if the baillee of property had
taken common and ordinary care of goods left in his
charge, he was not responsible for the same if lost.
This rule had been long acted upon.
Mr. BALLANTINE said this was not a bailment
under the common law, but under an express Act
of Parliament, the general tenour of which was,
that if a party applies to have his pledge bailed in
time, that is, before twelve months had expired, or
three months longer, if due notice be given, that it
should be given up on tendering the principal and
interest, which the owner of the gun proved lie
had done : what then did the Act say if the pro-
perty was lost ? Why, that the Justice should
award and allow reasonable satisfaction to the owner.
Finally, he adjudged Mr. Cording to pay the sum of
3/. 9,!. to the complainant as compensation for the
loss of his gun, and the costs.
The defendant's solicitor immediately gave notice
of appeal.
After the case was disposed of, Mr. BRODERIP,
who had listened to it, said that though he had the
very highest respect for Mr. Ballantine's decision,
he was still of opinion that no Magistrate was em-
powered to award compensation for losses by an
accidental fire. Upon that principle, which had
hitherto been acted upon by all Justices except Mr.
BAllantine, he should in future be guided, and re-
fuse as he had done applications for summonses.
Soon afterwards several poor men and women,
who have lost property by the fire, applied for sum-
monses against Mr. Cording, and Mr. BALLANTINE
said they might have them.