The Sun.
London, England, 1857-02-12 00:00:00

Mr. Metcalfe appeared for the prosecution; Mr. Horry
defended Pearson ; Kent was not defended.
On the26th of December, the prosecutor, a master
lightermau, at 12, Great Water-lane, gave the prisoner
Kent an order for the delivery to him of 28 boxes of
Cavendish tobacco from the London Docks, with in-
structions to take them forthwith to a Liverpool steamer
called the Laurie, then lying in the river, at such a dis-
tance from the docks as would have enabled him to have
reached her in about half an hour after he had received
the boxes. Redid not, however, go to the steamer until
the following morning, alleging as the reason that he
bad lost the tide on the preceding day ' • and when the
number of boxes shipped was compared with the order
one was missing. The officer of the steamer at once
called the prisoner's attention to that circumstance, ;hen
he exclaimed that he was done for, and said the box
which was absent must have been stolen from his barge
while he was temporarily absent from it. Evidence was
given that before proceeding to the docks Kent solicited
a person named Connoway to join with him in a tobacco
job, to put three or four pounds in his pocket, but he
refused, saying he got his living honestly. The prisoner
signed the reoeipt for the boxes in the name of Johnson.
It was shown that the prisoner Pearson had been en-
deavouring to sell tobacco answering the description of
that stolen, and when he was taken some fragments of
Cavendish were found in his pockets, some on a knife,
and on an ax's which he had in his possession. A wit-
ness who gave important evidence when the case was be-
fore the magistrate was not now in attendance, having
gone to Holland.
The jury found both prisoners guilty. Nothing was
known detrimental to Pearson's character, but Inspec-
tor Brydges, Thames Police, proved that Kent had been
for a long time associated with "river thieves" and con-
cerned in some extensive robberies.
Sentence deferred.
Henry Burrows, 50, Elizabeth Burrows, 27, and John
Henry Brown, 15, were indicted on Tuesday for having
stolen four silver tablespoons and other articles, the pro-
perty of Edward Miles, in his dwelling-place.
The prosecutor resides in Park-road, Dalston, and on
the 25th of January a basket of plate was missed from
one of his bedrooms. The same night Clark, 220 N,
and another constable named Cowen, went to a house,
No. 3, Devonshire-place, Shoreditch, where they found
the prisoners in a room, and upon information they had
received took them all three into custody. On looking
round the room the last-named officer noticed that one
of the flooring boards had been raised and not properly
fastened down, and on pulling it up he found a parcel
underneath, which contained some of the stolen silver
spoons, broken up. Burrows admitted that he and the
lad did the robbery, and said the woman knew nothing
about it. She lived with him as his wife.
A. lad named William Crockett, said he lived with his
father, a jeweller, at No. 2, Seward-street, Goswell-
street. On the day of this robbery the prisoner Brown
came to him, and said he wanted to see him down at a
coffee-house, in St. John's-road, and accordingly he met
him there at 6 o'clock. He asked him then to sell some
spoons for him, which he agreed to do, and they went
to Mr. Reeves, a refiner, in Gowell-street, where wit-
ness was known, having been in the habit of going there
on errands for his father. Mr. Reeves melted the spoons
down into a bar and then weighed it. It came to 3/. Os.
6d., at 4s. 9d. per ounce. Brown was waiting outside.
When he got the money, he returned with Brown to the
coffee-house, where Burrows was waiting for them. The
money was given to him, and witness was rewarded with
3s. lie admitted that he suspected something was
wrong in the matter. Some of the spoons were like
some now produced, those found under the floor at Bur-
rews's. The spoons which he took to the refiner's were
IToken wh©n he received them from Brown, and he told
Mr. Reeves that be wanted them melted for his father.
He had been en such errands before.

Mr. Reeves deposed that the last witness brought him
some broken spoons, saying be came from his father, and
he melted them as he requested. 11e had known the boy
and his father for years. When melted the spoons
weighed 12.15 dwt., and ho gave 43. 9J. per ounce,
which was a fair price.
The Assistant-Judge said nfiners should be very cau•
tious how they purchased broken•up spoons from boys,
or they would stand a good chance of being indicted ;
but in this case the refiner was acquainted with the boy
and his father, and had done business for him, as a jewel-
ler, which of course led him not to suspect anything
wrong.

The defence was this, that Brown met a stranger near
Bow-bridge, who asked him if he could sell some spoons.
Knowing rockett, and that he used to go to Reeves',
he said he could, and went in search of him. The spoons
were sold, and they met Burrows by accident, and he
(Brown) asked him to hold the money until he met the
man at an appointed place close by, as he was- afraid of
losing it. They saw the man, and gave him the money.
He then gave him a parcel to hold while he went down
the street for a minute, but as he did not return, he
went to Burrows's, where he lodged, and, finding more
spoons in the parcel, he was afraid he might be taken up,
so he forced a board in the floor and concealed the par-
cel there, and neither Burrows nor his wife knew any-
thing about it.

The jury found the woman not guilty, and the others
guilty.
The Assistant-Judge sentenced Burrows to 12 and
Brown to four months' hard labour.
The policeman produced two bars of silver, and asked
the court what he was to do with them. One was ad-

witted to be the produce of the spoons. Mr. Reeves said
the other was not, but the weight of the two corres-
ponded to the weight of the missing articles.
Mr. Reeves said one only was the produce of Mr.
Miles's property.
The Assistant• Judge said he had better leave it where
:t was, and the police had better give them both to Mr.
Ales. If Mr. Reeves was dissatisfied he could bring
his action.