The Sun.
London, England, 1859-01-22 00:00:00

POLICE INTELLIGENCE, eTa2l.

MANSION-HOUSE.—A woman calling herself
Ellen Gibson was brought before the Lord Mayor
upon a warrant which' charged her with having
" unlawfully, and for the purpose of. obtaining for
herself the money and effects of a certain deceased
seaman named William Gibson, given and made
certain false representations, well knowing the same
to be false, contrary to section 203 of the Merchant
Shipping Act, 1854."
Mr. Cumberland, who appeared for the prosecu-
tion, said—This is a prosecution by direction of the
Board of Trade, under the 203 d section of the Mer-
cantile Shipping Act, which contains very strin-
gent provisions against persons who endeavour
fraudulently to obtain from that board the wages
and effects of dbceased seamen. Under the Act in
question the Board of Trade are virtually made the
executors of deceased seamen, and therefore it is
absolutely necessary that they should be protected
from the acts of persons who fraudulently claim to
represent seamen.
The Lord Mayor—Do you wish that the case, if
proved to my satisfaction, should be sent to a higher
tribunal, or that I should deal with it summarily ?
Mr. Cumberland—l wish that it should be
summarily disposed of. The prisoner, on the 2d
of December la,st, went to the shipping office in
Hammet-street, Minories, and obtained a form of
claim which is sanctioned by the Board of
Trade for persons to fill up who wish to obtaln
the wages and effects of deceased seamen. She then
took it to an agent in the neighbourhood, who under
her directions filled it up with certain particulars.
In that paper, which will be produced, she signs
herself as the sister of the deceased seaman, Wm.
Gibson, a seaman on board a ship called the Sugars,
belonging to the port of London, who was lost on
board that ship. In that paper she describes herself
as the sister of this Wm. Gibson, and states that
none of his relations are living. Having got this
paper filled up, she presents it to the shipping-
master in Hammet-street, and claims the wages and
effects of Gibson. The shipping-master, in accord-
ance with the usual practice, sends the paper to the
Board of Trade, where it is examined, considered,
and kept a time, in order to allow inquiry to be
made. In the interval, before any decision was
come to, another claim reached the Board of Trade

from one John Gibson, who represented himself as
the father of Wm. Gibson, and it. then turned out
that the prisoner was not his sister at all—that she
had cohabited with him, and that the whole state-
ment in her claim was false. Upon that the Board
of Trade directed a prosecution against her, and
she was yesterday arrested under a warrant granted
by Sir R. W. Carden.
Mr. Evans, superintendent of Thames Police, said
—I yesterday took the prisoner into custody at the
Shipping-office, Hammet-street. I asked her if she
was Ellen Gibson, of 13, Glasshouse-street, and she
said she was. I said, " Was it you who made
a claim in respect to the wages and effects of Wm.
Gibson, deceased?" She replied, " Yes, I am." I
told her there appeared to be something wrong
about it, and I was directed to execute a warrant
charging her with having made false representa-
tions for the purpose of getting Gibson's wages and
effects. She said, " Who can prove that lam not
his sister ? " I then took he•.• into custody.
Mr. J. Gosnell, clerk in the shipping-office, said
—The form of claim produced was brought to me
by the prisoner on the 2d Dec. last, when she stated
that she was the only remaining relative, and sister
of the deceased seaman mentioned therein, and that
all his other relatives were dead. I afterwards trans-
mitted the form to the Board of Trade.
Prisoner—The deceased man was my brother. I
declare that that is the truth.
Mr. T. Hanks—l am an accountant. The prisoner
applied to me, and I filled up the form at her re-
quest,
she stating that she was the sister of the
deceased sailor. I remarked to her at the time,
"It's very ,Itrange you don't know where your
brother was bk.'rn ;'' and she replied that she left
home when young and did not know it. I filled up
the document at her 'lictation.
Mr. J. Gibson—l a:q a farmer at Falkar, in
Wigtonshire. I had a son n
;crled Wm. Gibson, who
was a sailor. The last vessel iii which he sailed was
the John Sugars. I heard of li!s death from the
captain. I received a letter from the Board of
Trade, and applied for his wages and eife,cts. The
prisoner is neither a daughter nor a daughter-in-
law of mine. To the best of my knowledge, my" lion
was never married.
Prisoner—My brother always told me from a
child that his father and mother and other relations,
except me, were dead.
The Lord Mayor—The question is, Arp you his
sister ?

Prisoner—My brother told me I was.
The Lord Mayor—Whom do you call your brother?
Prisoner—My brother William that died.
The Lord Mayor—Why, you were living in adul-
tery with the deceased. How can you call him
your brother ?
Prisoner—He always acted to me as a brother.

(Laughter.)
The Lord Mayor—lt appears you were living in
adultery with him. He gave you his notes, and you
obtained a part of his wages. You ought to have
been content with that, without attempting to claim
to be his sister.
Prisoner—l have nothing to say except what
my brother told me.
The Lord Mayor—He lived with you aci his wife.
J. C. Knight (detective officer)—The prisoner
has been here on a former occasion for robb:ug a
young man of a half•sovereign in Fenchurch-streftt.
The Lord Mayor—lt is very fortunate for you
that the Board of Trade; who are rightly prosecut-
ing this matter, for the protection of seamen, do not
compel me to send you to the Central Criminal
Court for trial. If they did so you would be subject
to four years' penal servitude, for it is one of the
gravest offences known to the law, that of persons
forging or assisting in forging documents for the
purpose of obtaining money or property. There is
no doubt that you have done that here, because the
accountant who filled up the document at your dic-
tation wrote what was untrue, he not knowing it
to be untrue, and you went to the office and pre-
sented it, and represented yourself as the sister of
the deceased when you were no relation to him.
Under these circumstances I am compelled to send
you to prison to be kept to hard labour for six ca-
lendar months. The kindness and consideration of
the Board of Trade have enabled me to pronounce
this lenient sentence. It is a very proper prosecu-
tion, and I am very glad that the Board of Trade
have taken it up.

Mr. Cumberland—The Board of Trade are com-
pelled to prosecute in these cases for their own pro-
tection, fir they arc in the constant habit of having
these fraudulent claims presented to them. I have
no doubt that the publicity of this case will have a
most beneficial effect.

The prisoner was then removed from the bar.
Thomas Gordon, Michael Maine, and Wm. Hig-
gins, privates in the First Battalion of Scots Fusilier
Guards, quartered in the Tower, were brought be-
fore the Lord Mayor and Mr. Alderman Cubitt, by
their Sergeant-Major, and finally examined upon
the charge of having violently assaulted Henry
Vining and Charles Wootton, on the 11th Dec. last.
Originally Gordon and Maine only were charged.
Vining then stated the circumstances connected
with the assault, but Wootton was unable to attend
being confined to his bed from the injuries he
had received. Higgins was snbsequently
charged, but Maine was absent upon that occa-
sion, he having in the interim been sent to the hos-
pital, on account of injuries he had received during
the affray. The prisoners were remanded from week
to week, and were now produced by their superior
officer.

C. Wootton said—l am a house decorator, and
live at 4, Salisbury-terrace, Lock's-fields. On the
night of Saturday, Dec. 11, I was passing over
London -bridge with the witness Vining, when I was
knocked down by one of three soldiers, to whom I
had not given the slightest provocation. Before I
could rise I was struck in the face by Maine. When
I got up Gordon struck me across the face with his
belt. I closed with him and we both fell down. I
again got up and Maine struck me a blow on the
head with his belt. I was again knocked down and
kicked in the body, but I do not know by whom.
The three soldiers were acting together. I was so
injured (the witness looked seriously ill), that I
have not been able to work since. My hat and that
of Vining were thrown over the parapet of the
bridge.
By the Lord Mayor—l do not think I was
knocked down intentionally in the first instance,
but it was the striking afterwards of which I com-
plain. I was seriously cut across the head and nose.
By Gordon—l did not say at the station-house
that I could not recognise any of you.
The Lord Mayor—Did you strike either of the
soldiers at all ?

Witness—Yes, after I had been struck and
knocked down.

The Lord Mayor—Before they used their belts,
or after ?

Witness—After they used their belts. Their
belts were off in a moment, and we were then
obliged to stand in our own defence.
3: Brett, a police-constable, said—When I got to
the spot I found Maine and Gordon putting on their
belts. The witness Vining was standing near Maine,
who turned round and calledWootton a filthy name,
and threatened to throw him over the bridge. I
told Maine that if he touched him I would knock
him down. _

Gordon, in answer to the charge, said—l never
touched anybody till I was knocked down. I have
been through the whole of the Crimean war, and
got this medal (pointing to a medal on his