The Sun.
London, England, 1857-01-09 00:00:00

Mr. Field—We must Gave summonses for the bank
clerl

Commissioner--If you establish one case, you can
use the evidence in that for other cases of a similar kind.

Mr. Linklater—There is no objection whatever to that
courie.

Commissioner—Let the meeting be fixed for Monday
week, at 11 o'clock,

CENTRAL CRIMINAL COURT, Jan. 8.

OLD COURT.

(Before Mr. Baron Martin and Mr. Justice Willes.)

John Compton, 23, a genteel-looking young man, who
was described as a shoemaker, bat who, it appeared, was
a constable in the D division of police, was indicted for
a burglary in the dwelling-house of John Lee Benham,
and stealing money to the amount of 361., his property.
Mr. Bodkin and Mr. Clerk conducted the prosecution
on behalf of the Treasury ; the prisoner was defended
by Mr. Sleigh.
The following evidence was adduced :
Mr. John Lee Benham deposed that he carried on
the business of an ironmonger with two partners i❑
Wigrnore-street, and a portio❑ of the premises was in
Weibeck-street. In December last he was about to
have a house in Welbeck-street thrown into his pre-
mises, and labourers were engaged for that purpose on
the 10th of December, and a communication had been
opened between the new house and the premises that
were occupied by witness. Witness and his family
and servants went to bed at about 11 o'clock at night on
the 10th of December, and the premises were all at that
time properly secured. About 4 o'clock on the follow-
ing morning he was awoke by a ringing at his bell, and
he looked out of the window and saw a policeman, who
turned out to be the prisoner, and on his going down
stairs he found the Welbeck-street door open, and the
prisoner standing outside in his uniform. As he was
going down stairs he heard the prisoner say to another
policeman, who was with him, " Don't leave, or I'll
ro)ort you." Witness and the prisoner then went down
to the basement, and found a basket belonging to one of
the workmen on the floor, and he took possession of it,
and the prisoner carried the basket and went up an un-
finished staircase, which rather excited witness's suspi-
cion. This staircase communicated with the new pre-
mises in Welbeck-street. Witness and the prisoner
looked over the house, but he did not at the time discover
that anything had been stolen, and he made an observa-
tion to that effect to the prisoner, and he was about to
show the prisoner out, when he suggested that they
should look in a small counting-house, where there was
a desk that belonged to his son. Upon examining this
desk it had evidently been disturbed, but as witness was
not at that time aware that any money was kept in it
he repeated that nothing was gone, and the prisoner then
called his attention to a diawer that had evidently been
broken open, and also to two empty portmonnaies that
were lying o❑ a chair. Witness did not direct the pri-
soner to any of the places that he examined, but he went
to them of his own accord. Witness thought at this
time that a small sum of money only had bee❑ taken
from the drawers, and he went with the prisoner to the
door, where the other policeman was waiting, and they
went away. He afterwards ascertained that the pre-
mises had been entered by a window that abutted upon
a mews at the back of Welheck-street.
Thomas Knight, a sergeant of the D division, said, on
the morning of the 11th Dec. he was engaged in look-
ing after the men on their beats, and he saw the prisoner
about one o'clock, and he saw nothing more of
him until a few minutes before 3, when he asked him for
a penny for the widow of a late constable. The whole
of the force usually subscribed a penny in such cases.
Tie prisoner said he did not think he had a penny, but
he afterwards pulled oce from his coat pockets, and at
the same said he was not short of a shilling either, and
he pulled out a pocket-book, and witness saw that it
was full of large silver. Witness observed that he had
plenty of money, and the prisoner asked him if he would
have half-a-crown to drink his health. Witness told
him he did not want his money, and was about t• walk
away when the prisoner dropped half-a.-crown into his
pocket, and he took it out and threw it on the pavement,
and asked him why he took such a liberty with him as
to put the money into his pocket, and he ought to
report him for it ; he at the same time ordered the pri-
soner to leave his beat at 4 o'clock, and go to the station
on reserve. He saw the prisoner at Mr. Benham's house
about 4 o'clock, with his lamp on, and he repeated his
or lers to go is the station, and he said he bad foand a
door open, and witness ordered him to arouse the
inmates and bring the report to him at the station as
soon as he could. The prisoner did not get to the
station till just before 5 o'clock, and he was in a very
confused and excited state, and, in answer to inquiries
witness made of him, he said that Mr. Benham's house
had been entered, and that some drawers had been
broken open, and also a cashbox. He was very con-
fused, and appeared hardly able to stand ; and witness
took him before the inspector, to whom he repeated the
statement he had made before. Witnebs was this

about to leave the station, and the prisoner followed
him. He went home, and about 9 o'clock, in conse-
quence of some information he received, he went, in
company with Inspector Mackrell, to the prisoner's
lodging in Little Weymouth-street, He was not
at home at the time, but he came in in about
five minutes, and Mr. Mackrell told him that a bur-
glary had been committed on Mr. Benham's, and
that he was suspected, and that he had come to
search the lodgings. The prisoner said he had no
money but what he worked hard for, and that he
and his wife had a severe quarrel, and that he
took out all the money with him. The inspector was
about to search him, when the prisoner pulled out the
p ,cketeook witness had seen during the night. There
was then a, silver in it, but the prisoner said it con-
tained a 51. note, and a note for that amount was found
in it. Witness a-ked him what he had done with all the
silver he saw at 3 o'clock, and he said he had changed
it for Si. note at Mr. Carruthers' publichouse, in Buis-
trode-street. Ten shillings in silver were found in the
prisoner's trousers pock,-t, and witness saw Mr. Mack-
rell find three pawnbrokers' duplicates in the prisoner's
room. The prisoner was then taken to the police sta-
tion, and remained in the inspector's room the whole of
that day. On the following morning the prisoner was
taken to the police court, and as they were g,,ing along
he saw the wife of a constable looking out of a window,
and he swung up his hands towards her and said, " All
serene, old girl, I'll get over this all right." Witness
said to him, " Don't be too sanguine, Compton ; there
is more against you than you expect." He replied,
" You have not found that gold, Knight ; that licked
you." The prisoner's pay was 18s. 71d. per week, and
he also worked at his trade as a shoemaker, but his duty
as a policeman would not allow him to do much.

Mr. Sleigh, at the close of the case for the prosecu-
tion, made a very earnest address to the jury on behalf
of the prisoner.
Mr. Baron Martin having summed up the whole of
the evidence with great care and impartiality,
The jury r -tired to consider their verdict, and in a
few minutes they returned into court and tumid the pri
goner Guilty.
The learned Judge, in passing sentence, said he entirely

concurred in the verdict of the jury, and be thought
there could be no doubt in the mind of any one who had
heard the evidence that the prisoner, and no other per-
son had committed the burglary, and the fact that
he had never attempted to give any explanation
how he became possessed of the money that was seen
upon him appeared to him to be alone quite con-
clusive of the fact. Under what circumstances, then,
was the crime committed ? He was a man paid by
the public to protect them, and they were heavily
taxed to pay such men as he, and they had a right at
least to expect to receive that protection ; but when
they found such a man actually committing plunder on
those whom it was his duty to protect it was a very
heinous offence indeed and if the capital punishment had
not been abolished he would most assuredly have been
executed. The law looked upon the crime of burglary
under any circumstances with abhorence, and the hours
during which the offence could alone he committed—
namely, between 9 at night and 6in the morning—
showed that the intention of the law was to protect peo-
ple from being disturbed in their beds by acts of this de•
scription, and when the crime was committed by a person
in the position of the prisoner it was of the most aggra-
vated character, and he therefore felt bound to inflict on
him the full punishment, which was that he be trans-
ported fur life.