The Sun.
London, England, 1861-05-07 00:00:00

CENTRAL CRIMINAL COURT—(Thaa-niii).

OLD COURT.
(Before the Recorder,)
ROBBERY BY A SERVANT.

James Hogg and Caroline Hogg were indicted for steal•
ing twelve handkerchiefs, value £2, and divers other g9ods
to the value of £2OO, the property of John Brocklebank.
The male prison& pleaded guilty.
Mr. Sleigh said the prosecutor did not wish to press the
charge against the female. The prisoner had been in the
employ of the prosecutor, curing which time property was
lost to the amount of £5OO.

The Recorder asked if the property hid been given up.
The officer said it was in Court, ready to be restored.

The prisoner, on being asked why sentence should not
be passed upon him, said he had been led in by a friend
to accept some bills, and he took the property to meet them
when they became due.
The Recorder said it was a very serious offence, as it
appeared the prisoner had been ever since he had been in
the prosecutor's employ systematically robbing him. He
should, therefore, sentence him to three years' penal servi-
tude.

DANGEROUS RIFLE PRACTISING.

Mr. James Beasley surrendered to an indictment for mis-
demeanour, charging him with unlawfully keeping an en-
closed ground for the purpose of practising rifle shooting,
to the great danger and nuisance of the persons residing in
the neighbourhood.

Mr. Metcalf and Mr. Orridge prosecuted, and Mr. Lewis
appeared for the defendant.

Mr. Metcalf said the prosecution was instituted by the
Government, and their object was to protect the public from
injury. No one, of course, condemned the practice of rifle
shooting, and he was certain everybody sympathised with
the patriotic movement now on foot, but a line must be
drawn with respect to the ground taken for rifle practice,
it was thought the present was a proper course for Govern-
ment interference.

Mr. Alfred Brett—l reside at 5, Albert•villas, Old Ford,
Stratford-le-Bow. My house is at the back of the butt
erected by the defendant. It is an enclosure very near three
highways—the Victoria-road, the Victoria-park-road, and
the Albert-road. They all run along the back of the butt.
I have been in the army for nine years. I know the whistle
of a rifle bullet well. (Laughter.) On several occasions
I have been outside the enclosure, and had what I
consider very narrow escapes from the bullets
fired at the butt erected by the defendant. I have
frequently seen the bullets enter the public roadways.
Cross-examined by Mr. Sleigh—l have been an instruc-
tor of musketry. The flight of a rifle bullet would be about
half a mile. My house is about 40 yards from the butt. I
have known bullets come into the public thoroughfares on
many occasions. I don't think the report of the rifle could,
by any person familiar with the sound, be mistaken for the
whistle of the bullet. There are sand bags and faggots
about the butt.

Re-examined—l have known bullets enter the houses in
the Albert-road. There is nothing to prevent shots pass-
ing over the butt into the Victoria-park-road. The bullet
would range 600 yards over the Victoria-park-road. The
bullet would destroy life at about 800 or 1,000 yards.
Samuel Bartholomew—l live at No. 8, Albert-villas, Old
Ford. On the 3d of December, I heard the report of
rifle-shooting at the butt erected by Mr. Beasley.
The next morning a rifle bullet was picked up in my
bed .room. I went to Mr. Beasley about it, and he
returned to my house with me in company with another
gentleman. The gentleman said the bullet had been thrown
into his mom, to which I replied that it was impossible for
a person to throw a bullet through a venetian blind. There
was also a circular hole through a pane of glass in the win-
dow at which the blind hung.

Mrs. Batholomew, wife of the last witness, said—l heard
the report of a rifle on the 3d of December, immediately
after which I heard the breaking of glass. My son George
afterwards picked up a rifle bullet in our bedroom.

Cross-examined—l should think the bullet made a hole
in the wall about half an inch in depth.

George Bartholomew proved ho picked up the bullet, as
described by his mother.
Jonathan Butcher, a police sergeant, said that rifle
shooting had been carried on in defendant's ground for
some months previous to the 3d of Dec. He also said that 10
informed Mr. Beasley that a bullet had entered the bed
room of Mr. Bartholomew. Bullets had often passed over
his head, and on one occasion one entered the roadway a
very short distance from his feet.. He had found three
bullets in all, but he had, since he had been before the
magistrate lost two of them. He had known persons in a
state of intoxication firing at the butts erected by. Mr.
Beasley.

The Recorder—Whit made you think some of the men
were drunk ?

Witness—Well, because they could not walk straight
:Laughter.)

Mr. Lewis—How many could not walk straight ?
-Witness—Two or three.
Mr. Lewis—How many were there at the ground in all ?
Witness—l suppose about thirty.
Mr. Lewis—Do you mean to say that some of the gentle.
men in the rifle uniform were drunk ?
Witness—Yes.

Mr. Lewis—And your only reason for saying three were
drunk was that they could not walk straight ?

Witness—Yes.

Inspector Hennesy said—l have complained to Mr.
Beasley of the danger arising from firing at the rifle butt in
his enclosure. In September I was standing in the -Vic-
toria-park-road when a bullet passed over my head. I went
to the ground and found 30 or 40 persons firing at the short
range, and drinking ale. On the 28th of the same month Mr.
Beasley promised to make any alteration the police commis-
sioners desired, but I told him the commissioners would not
take the responsibility of making any suggestion, but if
Mr. Beasley would make his butt safe no proceedings
would be taken against him.
Abraham Quilter, Musketry Instructor to the Tower
Hamlets' Militia—l some time rented the butt erected by
Mr. Beasley. I gave it up because I did not consider it
safe to the public. It was afterwards raised some feet, but
it has since sunk, and is now about the same height it was
when I rented it.

Cross-examined—A skilled person could not fire at the
butt with any degree of certainty.

Mr. Lewis—Do you mean to say you could not hit the
target ?
Witness—l have great doubt about it.
Mr. Lewis—l should not like to be a target for you to
fire at.

Witness—Oh, no ; you would stand a very awkward
chance of getting the shot. (Laughter.)
Mr. Lewis—Yes, I should think so. What, do you think
General Hay would do if he saw persons practising- at the
butt ?

Witness—General Hay I Why he'd' run away and
never stop untill he got to Hytho agaii,. (Laughter.)
Capt. Boden said he had been employed examining the
butts erected for the practice of rifle shooting by the
volunteers. The butt in its present condition was no safe.
The danger could only be prevented by the range being
completely roofed over by a bullet proof material.
Mr. Swiss made a technical objection to the form of the
indictment which was overruled.

Counsel then retired to arrange the matter, as the only
thing they sought by the present proceedings was the pro-
tection of the public.
After an absence of about a quarter of an hour Mr.
Sleigh said he had arranged with his learned friend, that
his client should plead guilty, and be allowed to be dis-
charged on his own recognisances to appear when called
upon. He desired to take that opportunity of publicly
denying in the most positive terms on the part of several
gentlemen who were present, that there had ever been any
volunteers drunk while firing at the butt.
Mr. Metcalfe said it appeared to him that his learned
friend was now fixing it upon the volunteers. The witness
said there were other persons there as well.
The jury found the prisoner guilty.

The Recorder directed the defendant to enter into
recognisances to appear when called upon, at the same
time informing him, that if he made the place safe, he
would not be called up for judgment.

POLICE 11VT_ELLIGENCE.—( This say.)

MARLBOROUGH-STREET.

CHARGE OF FRAUD AGAINST THE SECRETARY OF A
BENEFIT SOCIETY.—James Munn, of 6, Blenheim-street,
Secretary to the West-end Boot-closers' Provident Society,
was charged before Mr. Tyrwhitt with defrauding Charles
Glover and others of various sums of money to the amount
of £2O, received by him for and on their account.
Mr. Edward Lewis, of Great Marlborough-street, ap-
peared for the defendant.
Mr. Charles Glover, of 57, Castle-street, said defendant
wxs the Secretary of the West-end Boot-closers' Provident
Society (unenrolled), and witness was a member. Defendant
was secretary of the society from July 1858 till March 5,
when he was dismissed. During the whole time defendant
was so employed the books of the society were not
examined ; but after he was dismissed they were
examined, and a deficiency was found to the
amount of more than £29. He wished to state that, on the
13th February, 1858, £ll 16s. balance being in hand, it was
agreed to lend it in small sums to the members, and it was
paid back and again lent, and it was through this the
defendant had the facility of acting as he had done.
Mr. Lewis said it was a very complicated affair, and de-
fondant was willing, if there was any deficiency, to pay
it back. At a meeting the previous night it was agreed
that six weeks should be given for the books to be gone
through, and yet the defendant had been given into cus •
tody.

Mr. Tyrwhitt said he should remand the defendant for a
week, and the books in the meantime could be looked over.
Ile would, however, take bail for the prisoner's reappear-
ance.
Bail was accepted.

We regret to hear that Mrs. Wollidge, after an
arduous and lengthenea career in the theatrical profession,
is, in consequence of a severe attack of paralysis, compelled
in her declining years to apply for the benefits of that ex-
cellent institution, the Dramatic College, to which, by
.her
talents as an actress for upwarde of is years) we consider
laorjnetly entitled,