The Sun.
London, England, 1861-12-31 00:00:00

John Clarke, 273 A, proved finding the complainant,
and defendant in the situation described, While
the witness was talking to the gentlemen the de-
fendant came up, and using bad language, threatened
to punch both their heads.

The defendant, in reply to the charge, said that
when he asked the gentleman if the woman (who
was not defendant's wife, although he had said so)
might ride on the box, he replied she might ride
inside with him; and when he afterwards gave de-
fendant a shilling, he said he would have given him
more if he had allowed her to do so. He declared
that the gentleman first struck him and knocked him
down.

Mr. Keily, in the most positive terms, denied the
whole of this statement, and asked if it was reason-
able to suppose that, after the defendant had said the
woman was his wife, he or any other gentleman
would have asked the husband to permit such a
thing.

A—witness was called for the defendant who swore
to the truth of his account, but it was clearly proved
that he was not present.
Mr. Arnold observed that this was a case of most
flagrant misconduct, The defendant was flatly con-
tradicted by the constable, and had added to the
gross offence he had committed by suborning a man
to commit perjury on his behalf. If the defendant
could not conduct himself to a man having the ap-
pearance of being equally powerful, and ultimately
found to be superior to him in strength, what would
his conduct have been to any lady who might have
travelled with him ? It was so bad a case that he
should put the full penalty of the law in force against
the defendant by committing him, without a fine,
for two months to hard labour in the House of Cor-
rection, and, as it was quite clear that he was not a
fit person to be a public carriage driver, be should
revoke his license.

His badge and licence were immediately taken
frdm

WORSHIP-STREET. Louisa Duncan, a
miserable-looking woman of 26 or 27, was charged
with larceny.
Between three and four o'clock on Saturday the
prisoner walked into the shop of Mr. James
Beecher, a tailor in Spitalfields, and, taking up the
first thing that came to her hand, which happened
in this case to be a remnant of cotton print, ran oat
with it. Mr. Beecher followed, caught her, and
brought her back, and on the constable being sent
for the stolen property was found thrust into her
pocket. Under her arm, too, was a dress, which it
was then ascertained had likewise been stolen. As
she seemed to have a fancy for robbing this par-
ticular shop, she having been convicted in August
of stealing something from it and sentenced to
three months' imprisonment, the prosecutor gave
her in charge. As soon as she heard that she was
to be charged, she dropped down in a fit, or what
looked very much like one. On recovering from
this she was taken to Spitalfields station and locked
up in a cell, but she had not been long there when
Ross of the H division, on going round to look after
the prisoners, and opening her cell, was astonished
to find her stretched on her back on the floor, nearly
black in the face, and almost strangled by her shawl
which she had tied firmly round the throat. He
removed her from that cell and placed her in
another, when the prisoner spitefully kicked him.
In a very short time after she had been lodged in
the second cell some one called out she was killing
herself, and it was then found that she was trying
to strangle herself, and it was found necessary to
put an off constable near the cell, that he might
constantly watch her.
The prisoner now pleaded guilty, with an expres-
sion of regret, and Mr. Leigh sentenced her to
another term of a month in the House'of Correction,
with an entry on the commitment of her attempted
suicide, that she might be reasoned with and pro-
perly looked after.

LAMBETIL—Harry Smith, alias John Wil-
liams, and Thomas Morris, alias Edwards, notorious
thieves and burglars, were finally examined on a
charge of loitering with intent to commit burglaries,
with housebreaking implements in their possession.
The prisoners were noticed on the night of that day
week passing along Kennington-lane by Sergeant
Barrett and Constable Morton, detectives belonging
to the T. division, and those officers, suspecting their
object, followed them. Their suspicion was soon
confirmed, for they observed Smith, as he now
called himself, go up to a house, give a single knock,
and in a few moments apply a key to the lock. He
however walked away from the door and joined
his companion. As soon as he did so Morton went
to the door he had just left and found that there
was a key in the lock on the inside. It was that
which caused him to go away. The officers then
captured both and found upon Morris a bunch of
skeleton keys, some silent matches, a piece of candle,
and a formidable jemmy. Smith had nothing on
him. Making the most of this favourable circum-
stance he attempted to bully the officers. He talked
loudly about being a gentleman, and threatened
them with the most severe punishment if they
dared to apprehend him. Yesterday Police-con-
stable Moore, 312 P, was in attendance, and deposed
that he had Smith in custody in 1860 on a charge
of entering a dwellinghouse by means of skeleton
keys. For that offence he was tried at the Surrey
sessions and sentenced to 12 months' bard labour.
Other convictions were then proved against them.
Oakes, the gaoler, also deposed that on the 14th
of March last the prisoner Morris, who then gave
the name of Edwards, was convicted at this court
of robbing a lady of her purse, and was then sen-
tenced to four months hard labour.
Mr. Elliott sentenced both prisoners to three
months' hard labour.

DOUBLE EXECUTION AT WARWICK.

-.21n---.._,-----

WARWICK, MONDAY.
Wm. Beamish, convicted at the last assizes held
here before Mr. Justice Willes, on the 17th inst., of
the wilful murder of his wife, Betsy Beamish, by
poison ; and John Thompson, found guilty on the
following day of the wilful murder of Ann:Walker,
a woman with whom he cohabited, have just expi
ated their crimes upon the gallows in front of the
county gaol. _

Beaiish, who is 35 years of age, was by trade
a weaver, and in August last was living in Spencer-
street, Coventry. Ten or 12 years before he married
the deceased woman, by whom he had three chil-
dren, two of whom, Wm. Henry, aged 11, and
Lizzie, aged 4, are still living. The third, Emily,
aged 18 months, died from the effects of poison
shortly before the unfortunate expired from the
same cause. He had resided in Spencer street more
than seven years, and was a kind of " master-man,"
working looms in his own house, at which the de-
ceased; and a girl named Emma Statham were
all employed. The latter had been in the pri-
soner's service for about 12 months previous
to the 14th of August, and performed little
services about the house. On the day men-
tioned, prisoner left his house at six o'clock in the
morning to go to work in one of the factories in
the town, and at about half-past eight o'clock the
deceased woman and her three children, all of
whom were then in a good state of health, sat
down together to their breakfast. Before they had
finished the meal, all became sick, and they were
compelled to take to their beds. The two elder
children, however, became better about mid-day,
and ultimately entirely recovered; but the infant,
after considerable suffering, died on the following
day. The mother had frequent attacks of sickness,
and complained of a violent burning pain in her
chest and throat. These symptoms continued to
increase, and the unfortunate woman died during
the night of the 19th of August. After the wife's
death, some of her relations suspected foul play,
and one of her brothers remarked to the prisoner,
" Before my sister is put into the grave, I shall
want the child taken out," meaning the child that
was buried on the previous Sunday. Prisoner
seemed much 'alarmed at this threat, and frequently
said, " I'll let.you know the child shan't be taken
up—it shan't." A post mortem examination proved
beyond all question that Mrs.Beamish had died from
the effects of arsenic; and upon the body of the
child being exhumed the stomach presented a similar
appearance to that of the mother. Prisoner was
taken into custody, and it was discovered that he
had made several purchases of arsenic, and in one
of the pockets of a pair of his trousers an empty
paper which had contained arsenic was found
Immediately after his wife's death prisoner sug
gested that her pockets should be searched—a sug
gestion he repeated more than once before it wa
adopted. A paper was found in deceased purse
containing writing which prisoner said was his
wife's. The letter was addressed to her sister, and
hinted that the writer had committed suicide. It

r got in he would turn us all over, and then, swear-
ing all the time, he aimed at me several blows with
his fists. I avoided being hurt by holding up a par-
cel which I had with me. The woman then jumped
off the cab, and by dint of entreaty and force got
the defendant away and be remounted the box. I,
in order to detain him until the arrival of a consta-
ble, seized hold of the horse's head. The defendant,
then standing up, used his whip right and left, but
by changing my position as the cuts were made
under the horses head, and holding up the parcel I
was but little hurt. The defendant then jumped
down, using the most horrible expressions, and
commenced using his whip to me as 1 stood on
the pavement calling for the police. Finding it
was useless to wait any longer for assistance,
and considering it necessary to take prompt mea-
sures for my own security, I rushed upon de-
fendant (a tall powerful fellow), threw him, and
then held him down by the collar till the arrival of
a policeman.