The Sun.
London, England, 1857-02-03 00:00:00

CENTRAL CRIMINAL COURT.—Feb. 2.

Abraham Missenden and Thomas. Tomkins surren-
dered to take their trial for stealing a heifer, value
the property of William Gibson.
Mr. Robinson prosecuted ; Mr. Sleigh defended Tom-
kins, and Mr. I'ttbton defended the other prisoner.
The case occupied the Court for several hours, hut
the facts lay in a narrow compass. The prisoner Ms-
' senden, it appeared, was an extensive cable salesman,
residing at Water Eaton, near Eletchley, arid the pr.,se-
cutor was a fernier 14,-, Kingebury, near Harrow, and it
appeared that on tho B,:h of November he had
a heifer grazing in one of his &Hs, and she was
missed on the f Ilovving morning. The prisoner
Tomkins was employed by Missenden as a dr,:yer,
and it appeared that on the 13th of November,
which was Kingston fair day, he was emiliyed to drive
a number of cattle from the Harrow station to the fair,
and these cattle were placed to pasture in a fiell belong.
jug to a person named Beecham, near Kingston, and
when the drove was rernpved to Kingston the heifer in
question was found with the other beasts, and it was
eventually sell at Kingston fair, the animal having been
driven there by the prisoner Tomkine, both prisoners
having been concerned in the sale.
The defence set up in behalf of Tomkins was, that he
had merely acted under the orders of his master, anti Mr.
Ribton, on behalf of the other prisoner, urged that there
was nothing to show that he had been at all concerned
in stealing the animal, and that it had get among his
own beasts by accident.
A drover lad, who was engaged to drive a portion of
the eattle that belonged to Missenden, was c,11,:1 as a
witness on his behalf, and he stated that on the morning
of the 9th November he found one more beast in t'le
drove than he hal pieced in the field to pasture on the
previous night.
The Recorder summed up the evidence with great
minuteness, and the jury retired abou'. 6 o'clock.
deliberation nearly two hours, when
theTyhreeytuscreureend intoi court and put some questions to the
learned judge as to certain points of the evidence, and
then again retired to their room. At ten o'clock they
were again brought into the court, and they then stated
that they had agreed so far as Tomkins was concerned,
and their verdict was that he was guilty upon the second
count of receiving the heifer, knowing it to have been
stolen.
The Recorder then inquired of the jury whether there
was any reasonable probability of their agreeing upon a
verdict as to the other prisoner ?

The Foreman said they were not at present ail of ore
opinion, but be thought that in about an hour they might
agree.
The Recorder said, that a'tbough it was late be would
willingly wait another hour, if they were likely to come
to a decision within that period.
The jury then again withdrew, and at five minu'es
past 11 they again Caine into court, and upon the Re-
corder inquiring it they bad agreed upon their verdict as
to the prisoner Missenden, they stated' that they ha 4
not, and there was no likelihood of their doing eo.
The Recorder said that under these circumstances he
had no alternative but to adjourn the Court to the fol-
lowing morning.
The Foreman of the jury said that he really felt very
ill, and he wished to know whether he was to be kept
without food or nourishment of any kind for so many
hours

The Recorder said he was very sorry that the jury
should be so inconvenienced, but the law gave him no
alternative. If there was any chance of their agreeing
be would wait any reasonable time. _ _

The Foreman said he did not think there was any
chance of their coming to a decision. Ten of the jury
were of one opinion ; but all the arguments used by them
only appeared to convince the other two that they were
in the right.
The Recorder F aid he bad no right, by law, to do
more than to ask if they had agreed upon their verdict,
and as they were not likely to agree, the case must be
adjourned.
The jury were then locked up for the night.

NEW COURT.
(Before the Common Sergeant.)
Henry Myatt, 29, clerk, was indicted for embezzling
Mims of money belonging to John James Noyes, his
master, amounting in the whole to about 601.
Mr. Giffard prosecuted.
The prosecutor is a tea-dealir in Finsbury, and pri-
soner had been hie travillir for five years, at a salary of
11. 4s. weekly and 31. a month. The conn.-ction which
prisoner had the management of was amongst coffee-
house-keepers, and the sums in question had been paid
to him on account of his master. The prisoner had alio
in several instances robbed the prosecutor of parcili of
grocery, by bringing home fictitious orders.
The jury found the prisoner guilty, and he was sen-
tenced to 12 months' imprisonment.

George Hall. a boy 13 years of age, pleaded guilty to
having unlawfully wounded Mobs Wolff.
It appeared that prisoner bad insulted prosecutor, a
man grown, who boxsd his ears for so doing, whereupon
he stabbed him in two places, the latter wound inflic.ed
being prevented from entering the abdomen by the inter-
vention of the short rib.
The Common Sergeant said that the case was a very
bad one, and the only thing in the prisoner's favour was
his estreme youth, otherwise the sentence would have
been very severe, as the Court was determined to do all
in its power to check the practice of using the knife.
Sentence, 3 months' imprisonment and hard labour.

THE WEATHER IN THE BALTI4I.--St. Petersburg, Jan.
28 : The roadstead at Revel was yesterday again frozen
over. Temperature, 11 deg. frost, with snow storms.
—Hamburg, Jan. 31 : No change in the weather. Last
night 11 deg. frost. Wind S.E. The Elbe is full of
drift ice, more particularly off Stade.—Cuxhaven, Jan,
20 : There is much ice in the fairway. Wind, a.m. E.,
very light. Tempera.ure 4 deg. frost, p.m. 3 deg. frost,
wind S.W. light.—Elsfleth, Jan. 29 : The Weser is fell
of drift ice.—Vegesack, Jan. 29 : There is much drift,
ice off this place.—Bremen, Jan. 31 : There is much
drift ice in the river. Wind S.S.W. Brake, Jan. 29 :
The Weser, off this place, is full of heavy drift ice. '

POLICE INTELI,IGENCE—Feb. 2.

SAdtiler, a country
traveller, in the employ of Messrs. Crowden and Gar-
rod, carrying on lin,in,-s as brushmakers and general
merchants, at No. 6,..:Ea1c0n-street, City, was cbarg€.d
with embezzling betwt:en 3001. and 4001.
The prisoner was remanded.

SOW-STREET'.—John Spurgeon and Arthur Wont'.
moss, two shabbily—dressed, middle-aged men, who de-
scribed themselves as attorneys' clerks out of employ,
were cbarge.l before Mr. Hail with being concerned in
obtaining 30s. from Mr. Leidman, attorneys' account
agent, Chancery-lane, by means of a forged promissory
❑ote.

Spurgeon said ho had acted in the belief that the state.
merits of Wood moss were true and the promissory note
was genuine. The other prisoners made no defence.
They were committed for trial.
Mr. Superintendent Durkin attended to inform his
worship that a meeting of the unemployed had been held
that day in Smithfield, from which about 70 men had
proceeded to St. Giles's parochial-office to apply for re-
lief. Some of these had been offered relief in the house,
others had been told that their cases would be inquired
into, and some had been offered work. He believed that
some were not satisfied, and would shortly apply to this
court.

- .
Mr. Hall directed that the relieving officer be requested
to attend at the game time.

A few minutes afterwards about 30 men, dressed for
the most part ae bricklayers and labourero, presented
themselves at the court. Mr. Ranklie, the relieving
officer, was already in attendance.
Tue first to address the magi-trate was a stupid-look-
ing man, who spoke in a confused and incoherent man-
ner, and seemed scarcely to understand why he attended
except that a speaker at the meeting had asked him to
go first to the office, and then to that court and report
progress to him (the speaker at the meeting) the follow-
ing day.
Mr. Ranlain—Tnis man has been told that he will be
visited within half an hour. We must ascertain that he
lives where he gives his address. He will then be re-
lieved. .

Mr. Hall did not see what more the relieving officer
could do. He had not the absolute control of the parish
funds' and so he must make inquiries before he took
upon himself to expend them.
The applicant left the court satisfied.
The next applica4t admitted that he had been offered
admission to the house and had refused. He wanted to
know whether he was obliged to break up his little
borne?

Mr. Hall—lt is of no use to argue with me, because
I am bound by the law as well as you. I havfe may
power to make them take you into the house. If you
don't choose to go in, I can do nothing.
Mr. Ranklin said the majority of these men had
never applied before. Had they done so that morning,
most of them, in all probability, would have received
outdoor relief, but they carne in a body, after being at
the meeting, when no time was left for inquiry. If they
did not like to enter the house, let them call again next
day, and most likely they would be relieved.
Several others came forward and stated their cases,
which were precisely similar to the above. Those who
bad been offered admission to the workhouse, and had
refused, were somewhat clamorous, and had to be ex-
pelled. The others were satisfied with the statement
that their cases would ho inquired into.
After about half-a-dozen had addressed his worship,
the remainder not desiring to do so,
Mr. Hall observed that he saw no ground for suppos-
ing there had been any unwillingness to relieve these
men, and
The court was then cleared.

MARLBOROUGH-STREET.—Frederick A. Cope,
Gosney, Thomas Edwards, and James Newland.
four fashionably dressed young men, were brought before
Mr. Bingham, charged with being drunk and disorderly.
S
e
iusPn Police-constable lat i
attention
een morningnA-gct
isionontonsh tweaai
r,ab,
idhe
;IthowBt,r3:l
scetCi
oriesygndt acdattotu,elndt
t:tyi
hhtu
ehi:nat
fourwßatmaeb sgooeiu,
inttkt tp-h isiaytt
defendants,lcr half-past
oep otafs twst 3twthu:ohr
when
vrwieirceiensshabitants he went up and begged of them to desist.
They refused to do so, and said they were gentlemen and
would do just as they liked. He again begged of them to
go away, but all to no purpose, and the defendant Gosney
persisted in shouting, saying be was born making a noise,
and a noise in the worn he must snake as long as he lived.
Witness then attempted to take them into custody, when
the defendant Ceps, with his fiat, streak hint a violent
blow in the face. The other defendants also made a
great resistance, but eventually, with the assistance of
other constables, they were lodged in the stationhouse.
Witness added that the whole of the defendants were
drunk.
The defendants gave a general denial to the charge,
arid complained that the police knocked them about most
brutally, in proof of which they exhibited bruises, and a
collar covered with blood was shown to the t)octrt by
Gosney.
The constable said the streets were very slippery, and
the prisoners were too drunk to walk without getting a
fall now and then, which accounted for their bruises.
Mr. Bingham thought the charge fully proved, and
fined them 20s. each.

MARYLEBONE.—An extraordinary degree of ex•
citement was caused in Northurnberlandestreet, in front
of the entrance to the Marylebone Workhouse, in con•
sequence of the assemblage of between 500 and 600 men
who had congregated at the gates of the establishment
demanding relief, and their conduct was of so violent
and menacing a description as to compel Mr. Tubbs,
the relieving officer, to cause it to be made known to
them through some of the officers under him that if
they did not depart peaceably the police would instantly
be sent for to remove them. Upon this intimation
the men, after consulting for a few minutes with two or
three of the leaders of the party, wended their way, fel.
lowed by an immense crowd of persons, to the entrance
of this ciurt, which was thereby so completely blocked
up as to prevent the possibility of those who were wait-
kg to be admitted upon other cases in connection with
night charges, &c., from entering therein. Mr. Fell, the
chief clerk, communicated this fact to Mr. Broughton,
who desired Mr. Franklin, the chief usher, to admit a
few of the men only, which he did. The principal spokes-
man in the affair was a young man rained Crabbe.
Among those admitted was one who carried a banner,
hoisted high over his head, and upon which was wri,tm
in legible characters, " Peace and order is our motto ;
there are 150,000 men out of work in London and the
districts, whose wives and families are starving. Shame,
shame I"

The 111agistrate remarked that the banner bore upon
the faes of it a falsehood ; no such number as that indi•
cited, nor anything like it, could be out of employ in
London and its immediate vicinity. That a great deal
of distress, however, existed there was no doubt.
Cribbe and two of the others said that they went to
the workhouse with many others on Thursday last, with
an understanding on the previous day that a rota of the
board was to be in attendance, in order that their com-
plaints might be made known by them, but that they
went and did not see the members of the board.

Mr. Tubbs said that he had made known to the Board
of Guardians all that had taken p!atte at this court on
Wednesday last, when numerous cornpl tints were made,
the than Crabbe being at the heal of the party ; and
that the rota present, atter hearing the whole of the facts,
passed a resolution to the effect that they had full confi-
dence in him (Mr. Tubb,), and that they left the matter
in his hands, being satisfied that be, in the exercise of
his discret,on, woull sot properly in the responsible
situation which he htli. Mr. Tubbs added that
on Thursday last he relieved no fewer than [2,053,
and on the next Saturday 2,200. Many of tae
appl:cants who were strong, single men had been
offered work, but they refused to perform it, and it
woull really be a robbery on the ratepayers to give
assistance to such persons, more es.peoially when they
came mixed up with such a large body of others to snake a
claim upon the parish. Such a state of things prevented
him (Mr. Tubbs) from transacting properly his business
at the house. With regard to seeing and relieving parties
well known to be i❑ distress, and who came to rec, ive
money at his house regularly, the interruption to his
business since the present movement was great in the ex•
treme. If the men, who had c nue in a body to the court,
with their banner held up, as it' had been stated, parad-
ing through the streets, would attend at the workhouse
on the re xt morning (this day) their cases would be in•
dividually gone int
Mr. Broughton remarked that be was extremely sorry
that so much distress Existed among the working classes
at the present inclement season, and advised the men to
go to the workhouse at the time appointed by Mr. Tubbs,
and conduct themselves there in a civil and peaceable
manner.

Mr. Tubbs said that in the event of their acting up to
his Worship's advice relief would be *.ff,,rded, more espe-
cially to those who had wives and families.
The large assembly then quietly dispersed from the
precincts of the court, and Mr. Broughton proceeded
with the ordinary busine3s of the day.

THAMES.—John Rann, an ablebodied reap, aged 49
(as stated in the police-sheet, but who did not look so
ell), was brought before Mr. Yardley, charged with
begging. The prisoner was described as a labourer, of
No. 6, Love-la, e, Shad wtll.
John Bivand, a police constable, No. 17 K, stated that
he saw the prisoner and 12 or 13 others each carrying a
new shovel, soliciting idols in Stepney. The prisoner
went into a butcher's shop in Bedford-street, while Lis
companions surrounded the house, and the master of the
shsp gave Lim a penny. Ile then took the prisoner
into co,tody.

Yardley said this was the commencement of the
week, and the prisoner bad been very properly taken
into custody. If the prisoner and his companions went
about in large bodies soliciting alms, or singly, they
were liable to be committed to prison as rogues and
vagabonds. The conduct of the prisoner was very
much aipgravated by his going about with others in a
body. That looked very'rnuch like intimidation, and a
person who would refuse to give alms when solicited by
one man would most likely, when 12 or thirteen stir-
, rounded him, submit to force. He would tell the pri-
, aoner, and through him his fellow-men, that proceedings
like those could not be tolerated ; and that if he found
that large bodies of men went about soliciting alms,
armed with shoitels, or any other implement of trade, be
would punish them severely, and commit them for a long
term to the House of Correction and to hard labour on
the treadmill. The magistrate, observing the prisoner
about to speak, said he knew what he was going to ay.
He knew there was a good deal of distrev, consequent
principally on the want of employment, in existence.
Some of that distress was inevitable, and a good deal of
it was caused by the improvidence of the labouring
classes, who would not lay by for a rainy dax, He had
only to say that any repetition of thi9 would be aeverely

pu,ished. He then ordered the rut of the prisoner's
c he. ca,q,..d,
of th a,iva..ced tram tile. hack GI
r.liThcv were all Ibc ed men, ad on Mr. Yard-3'
piritiri4 out the i.'ro ar:d
that they wero c utithd to parochial 'Ad, they said th:?3,
had applied for relief to the r4ieving otßoa.,i of pariehts
t,) which they btllnged, and it was refused. °Lie cf
them, a p•urig countryman, however, admitted that he
had been ,fiered admittance into a workhouse, which he
had refused, because he of ly wa!Aed relief for a short
time.

Mr. Yardley—You woull rather go into a workhouse
than into a prison ? _ _

The young man—No, I wool i not. I wool.] prefer a
prison to a workhou,e at any time.
Mr. Yardly said the man was talk;ng nonsense. It
was no disgrace for a man who was in di4rtss to seek
and receive parochial relief, and it Wai his right; but to
commit a breach of the Itw was disgraceful. People
would readily empl iy men who from temporary distress
ur onier causes were obliged to seek parish relief, but
people would employ gaolbirds.
The young man—lf you go into the Mosaic law--
Mr. Yardley—Nonsense, man. I am not going to
enter into a discussion with you upon the Mosaic law ;
but I tell you this, that I will not alhw peopls to to
intimidated ; and the newt wan I rouoht before me who
goes about with others in gangs shall be c3rnmitted to
the House of Correction, and be kept to hard labour
for a long tarn. The magistrate then directed Mr.
Livingston, the chief usher of the court, to give tLe
unmarried men of the gang a quartern loaf each, and
the married men two haves each, and direced them to
apply again to the relieving officers of the parishes to
which they belonged, and if they were not properly
relieved according to law they could wait on him again
and he wool] intercede for them.

Soon after a deputation of unemployed labourers en-
tered the court and asked for relet. They said they
were "society men," but did not explain to what
society they beloeged. They were out of employ and
destitute.

Denny, an officer of the court, said there were upwarcls
of 100 men seeking relief in the avenues of the court.
The passage was crowded with them.
Livingston, the chief usher, said he believed thee•
were not less than 150 men seeking relief.
Mr. Yardley was very sorry to find there was so
much destitution, and hoped the working classes would
be patient, for he believed better times were com►ng,
a►id that business would revive. He also hoped that
boards of guardians and relieving officers would do their
duty with prmnotitude and l►berality in times of exi-
geuey, and prevent these frequent appeals to magistrates,
whose court ought not to be converted into offices for
the relief of the poor. The magistrates had ►►o officers
to make inquiries into the truth of the numerous cases
of destitutio❑ presented before them. He felt much frsr
the distressed individuals who were constantly relating
their destitute condition, but it was impossible for him
to investigate a tithe of the cases daily brought under
his n )tice.i Mr. Yardley then desirel Livingston to pro-
vide himself with 51. worth of silver and relieve the un-
employed labourers with 61. or ls. each, and to close
the outer doors of the court, for if it became known in
the neighbourhood that he was relieving unemployed
men there would be 2,000 or 3,000 persons in about the
court very Boon.

LAMBETH,—About half-past four o'clock last even-
ing a number of persons—it was said about 150 in oum-
her—marched in a body from Lambeth Workhouse to
the entrance of this court and requested to be shown
before the sitting magistrate. As on a former occasion,
they were desired by request of the magistrate to send a
deputation, instead of appearing in a body. They did so,
and in a few moments three of the party made their ap-
pearance. One of them got into the witness-box, and
handed to the magistrate a paper similar iu substance to
tbat presented on a firmer day, after doing which he
proceeded to say that he accompanied a party of about
150 persons to Lambeth Workhouse to ask for relief,
and it having been refused them they came to appeal to
his Worship to know what they should do.
Mr. Elliot said that on a former application of a si-
milar sort he had seat an officer to the worknoue to re-
quest that relief might he given thorn agreeably to the
regulations of the guardians ; but on that occasion they
refused to a Tept ih,-; relief offend them, and went away.
He should now stud an officer with themno make the
same request, and that was all he weld do.
Inspector Armsworth, of the 14 division, said he was
at Lambeth Workhouse jut before, when the perAcn in
the witness-b. x, who gave the name of Newton, made
an application for relief for himself and others, and was
uffered an order for the admissiOn of himself and family
into the workhouse, but this he refused.
Mr. Elliott (to the applicant).—Why did you refuse
this 1

Newton—Because I don't want to go into the house.
Mr. Armsworth further said that the parish officers
offered to attend to the case of all the applicants, pro-
vided they were at the workhouse before 12 on the fol-
lowing (this) day.
Mr. Elliot, on hearing this, said it was the business of
the parish, and he could no farther interfere in the mat-
ter, and the parties then retired and marched off.
Mr. James Rogers, the well-known comedian at the
Olympic Theatre, waited on Mr. Elliott, and handed to
his Worship the such of 13s. 4d., with the following
note :

" Sir,—Allow me to present to the poor-box the enclosed
13s. 4d., being the amount I received for performing at
Windsor Castro on Wednesday evening Ist,
" I am, Sir, your obedient servant.

" Elliott, Esq." " JANIES ROGERS.
Mr. Rogers requested hio Worship would, with his
usual kinlness, acknowledge his small donation in the
uival way, upon which gr. Elliott said he would give a
receipt for it ; but Mr. Rogers replied that that Was not
necessary.