The Sun.
London, England, 1861-08-13 00:00:00

THE SUN, LONDON, TUESDAY EVENING, AUGUST 13, 1861.

LAW INTELLIGENCE.—IThis Day.)

COURT OF BANKRUFEY.
(Before Mr. Commissioner Fne.)
THE COMMISSIONER'S LETTER TO LORD lALMERSTON ON

THE BANURUHTCY AND INSOLVE/CY BILL.

His Honour having announced yesterday his intention
to read to-day a letter he had written to he Right Hon.
Lord Palmerston, on the subject of the New Eankruptcy
and Insolvency Law, and soliciting the attendance of mem-
bers of the bar, press, and ethers interested, the court was
crowded to excess before 12 o'clock, although an hour pre-
viously it was generally understood that his Honour had,
for reasons he would explain, deferred the reading.
His Honour was in attendance before the time appointed,
and on the arrival of Mr. Bayley, to whom he had ad-
dressed himself on the previous day, briefly addressed the
gentlemen of the bar, &c., and now said that since he last
mentioned the subject he had had a conversation with a
gentleman, upon whose judgment he placed the greatest
confidence, and, in deferenceto his opinion, he should post-
pone the reading of the letter until; the re-assembling
of the legal world after the holidays. Those
gentlemen, therefore, who were there in anticipation of
hearing the letter read would, he was sure, be disap-
pointed; but disappointed only for a short time, for after
the vacation he should certainly read the letter. He ex-
pressed his regret that he hod caused the disappointment.
The Court gradually assumed its usual state of confasion
of tongues and voices generally experienced in these courts.
The cases were few and briefly disposed of.
A certificate meeting was held in the matter of William
Broddon, coal merchant, of the Holloway Coal Station
Depot. The accounts by Mr. F. B. Smart, Basinghall-
street, shows—Dr. to Cr., £678 ; assets about sufficient to
pay expenses.

His Honour granted a cerificate of the third class.
IN RE TA.LLIS.

This bankrupt, Lucenda 'Ulla, described as of Warwick-
square, &c., bookseller, applied for her certificate.
The accounts by Mr. Jamas Hutton, of Moorgate-street,
shows—Dr. to Cr., £1,706 ; to ditto holding security,
£986. Creditor—good debts, £258; doubtful, £27; pro-
perty, £164; property in the hands of creditors, £521;
deficiency, Ist Jan., 1860, £1,581. _ _ _

His Honour granted an immediate certificate of the third
class.

POLICE INTELLIGENCE.—(This Day.)

MARLBOROUGH-STREET.

THREATENING TO STAB A CONSTABLE AND A LAND-
LORD.— Phoebe Ricktts, a well-dressed female, was
charged as follows :

George Mott, 97 C, said—Last night I was in Grosvenor-
market, and was called by Mr. Camfield, a builder, to the
prisoner, who was making a great disturbance. I asked
her to go in-doors, and as she would not I was obliged to
take her into custody, when she took out a pair of scissors
and threatened to stab me, and struck me several times.

Mr. Wm. Camfield, builder, of Grosvenor-market, said
the prisoner caused a great disturbance, broke the
panels of the door, and also threatened to stab him with a
pair of scissors, and then struck him in the eye. She had
been drinking. _ _ .

Prisoner said she only broke the panels of the door to
get at her husband, who had locked her out.
_ _ _

...
Mr. Mansfield said of course he would do that if she got
drunk, and fined her 20s. or 21 days. _

ROBBERY WITH VIOLENCE.—Henry Covey, a rough-
looking fellow, was charged with stealing some money
from the person of Elizabeth Whitehead.
The prosecutrix, who is an " unfortunate," went into the
Black Horse public-house, Jermyn-street, with a com-
panion, and undid her pocket handkerchief, in which was
wrapped some money, nearly a pound, when the prisoner
made a snatch at it and made to the door. The prosecu-
trix's companion seized him and asked him to give the
money back, when he struck her a severe blow on the eye.
He was, however, secured and handed over to the police by
one of the hackney carriage attendants, having thrown the
money to his companions. _

Mr. Metcalfe—You heard them ?
Witness—Yes.

Mr. Mansfield said it was a most outrageous, ruffianly
robbery of these poor creatures, and committed the prisoner
for trial, ordering the constable to make inquiries whether
the prisoner had been previously convicted.

THE BETTING IN BRIDE-LANE.

GUILDHALL POLICE-COURT (THIS DAY),

Mr. Thomas Newcome, Philip Powter, Charles Wales,
Alfred Scarratt, and John Valentine Stanley were sum-
moned before Sir James Duke, at the instance of the City
Solicitor of the City Police, for obstructing one of the high-
ways of the City of London—viz., Bride-lane—and thereby
creating a nuisance. The latter two, Valentine and Stan-
ley, did not answer.

Mr. Sleigh said he appeared there that day, instructed by
the City Solicitor, to charge the defendants with obstruct-
ing one of the highways in the City, thereby im-
peding one of the public thoroughfareswand therefore
causing a nuisance. The defendants, in company
with many others, were in the habit of assem-
bling in Bride-lane for the purpose of betting on horse
racing, but the proceedings were not instituted against
them for carrying on their occupation as betting men be-
cause this was a free country and any one had the right to
do whatever he pleased providing he did not break the law.
The obstruction would have been the same had the defen-
dants assembled for the purpose of disseminating useful
information on politics, temperance, or religion, therefore,
the profession of the defendants would not act as a
prejudice against them on the present occasion.
The learned gentleman then cited several cases
as precedents and amongst these one of them
by Lord Tenterden, who decided that any person collecting
together a crowd of persons, to the annoyance of his neigh-
bour, was guilty of creating a nuisance. Another instance
of a prosecution for obstructing the highway, was that of a
person named Carlyle, in Fleet-street, in which a convic-
tion took place. He was not instructed to use harsh lan-
guage because the gentlemen summoned chose to engage
in the speculation of horse-racing, they had a perfect right
to enter into any profession they pleased. He would have
rejected any instructions to use language prejudicial to the
defendants as persons of respectability i but the point he had
to submitt was that the defendants by causing a great num-
ber of persons to assemble in Bride-lane, did create a nui-
sance. He therefore on the present occasion proposed to
call 1>;,,a;.-.g over of the defendants to meet the
charge at the Sessions.
Constable Trim 20, said, on 6th May last I was ap-
pointed to do duty with another constable (Hooper) in
Bride-lane. I had done duty there for eight months pre-
vious. I know the whole of the defendants. I first saw
Scarratt in Bride-lane on the 4th of July. On the 6th of

May, at noon, I saw Newcome, Powter, and Wales,
in Bride-lane. There were a great many persons

round each of them. They were all separated
from each other. The lane was occupied from about 10
yards from Fleet .street to the bottom by the defendants and
the persons around them. I have seen as many as 20
persons round each defendant at a time. I have seen as
many as 400 persons in the lane, and I should think there
was that number present on the day I have mentioned
The defendants were standing there with them betting.
Bets were very often made by parties around them.

Examination continued—They moved on when I told
them, but the crowd followed them. They did not stand
still in opposition to what I said. As the defendants
moved the crowd followed, but they did not leave the lane.
When they made their entries in their books I saw them
do so sometimes standing and sometimes walking.

Mr. Sleigh—Was the public thoroughfare obstructed ?
Witness—lt was.
Mr. Sleigh—So much so as to be difficult for passengers
who passed through?
Witness—Yes. Very much near the steps at the back
of the church. The defendants usually remained in the
lane from twelve to two. On Tuesday, the 7th of May, I
saw Newcome, Powter, and Wales in the lane. There
were others in the lane on that day. I should think on
that occasion there were about 500 persons present. The
defendants were making bets and talking to people. From
about a quarter to one till half-past the crowd" is the
greatest, so as to make it very difficult for passengers to
pass through at all.
We shall continue the report in our late edition.