The Sun.
London, England, 1859-06-29 00:00:00

POLICE

!E—June 28.

MARYLEBONE.—CHARGE OF FRAUDULENTLY
OBTAINING AIONEY.—A respectably-dressed man,
who gave ',his name William Johnson, but refused
to give his address, was placed at the bar before
Mr. Broughton, charged with having, by false and
fraudulent representations, obtained money. The
prosecutors in the case were Messrs. Fieldson and
Lacy, proprietors of the Marylebone Mercury, the
office of which is iu North-street, Manchester-
square.
Mr. Rice, from the office of Mr. Johnson, soli-
citor, High-street, attended for the prisoner.
It appeared from the evidence that on the pre-
vious day, between twelve and one o'clock, the pri-
soner called upon Mr. Dale, china and glass dealer,
50, Crawford-street, stating that he was employed
to obtain advertisements for the paper above al-
luded to, and that if he advertised in the Mercury,
which had an extensive circulation, it might be-
nefit him materially in his trade, inasmuch as by a
new arrangement the front page would display, in
prominent characters, a copy of the cards of all
tradesmen by whom the publication might be
patronised. Mr. Dale paid to the prisoner 3s. upon
an understanding that he was to have his advertise-
ment inserted, and to receive a paper regularly for
twelve months. (A receipt which the prisoner gave
was produced.) The prisoner was taken into cus-
tody by Home, 351 A, after he had "tried on" the
same game at No. 33, Baker-street, Portman-square ;
he then said he was sorry for what he had done,
and expressed a hope that he would not be prose-
cuted if he gave back the money, which he was
ready to do.
Mr. Pett, chief clerk in tho establishment, proved
that the prisoner was not known to the firm, and
said that the proprietors of the paper had no inten-
tion whatever of making any alteration as named
by him (prisoner).
The only answer which Mr. Rice had to make on
behalf of his client was that he intended to hand
over Mr. Dale's money to the prosecutors ; he
would not, however, contend that prisoner was in
their employ.
Mr. Pett said he had reason to belive that the
system of fraud had been carried on to some extent,
and in order to afford time for further inquiry, the
prisoner was remanded till to-morrow (this day)
week.

LAMBETIL—SERIOUS CHARGE OF ARSON AND
ATTEMPTED SUICIDE.—Ann Bryant, a girl of 15
years of age, servant to Mrs. Neve, who occupies
apartments at No. 4, Alfred-place, Camberwell New-
road, was placed at the bar before Mr. Elliott,
charged on suspicion with setting fire to a house,
and destroying a bed and other articles of property,
belonging to Miss Hubbard, and also with attempt-
ing to commit suicide by throwing herself out of the
first-floor window.

Mrs. Ann Elizabeth Neve deposed that she was a
milliner, and had a shop in Newington-causeway,
and also occupied apartments at the house of Miss
Hubbard, at 4, Alfred-place, Camberwell New-road.
The prisoner was in her service, and was principally
engaged in nursing her baby at her lodgings, where
witness's mother also resided. On her return last
night she found that there had been a fire at the
house, and that the prisoner had narrowly escaped
from destruction. From information and personal
examination, she found that the place had been on
fire at different places at the same time. She strongly
suspected the prisoner with having caused it, and her
conduct on the following morning so strengthened
her suspicions that she gave her into custody.
Mr. George Dewins deposed that he was on a visit
at the house of his relative, Miss Hubbard ; and that
on the night before, about 11 o'clock, when going to
bed, he saw a bonnet-box which was placed on a
shelf, with several others, on fire, and, without
giving any alarm, he procured some water and ex-
tinguished it. He then went into his bedroom,
where he found the bed on fire, and the room filled
with smoke to suffocation. He, in consequence,
called out for water, and having thrown a quantity
over the bed, had the latter removed into the
garden.
Mr. Elliott—Had the bed been much burnt ?
Witness—Very much, as well as the bed clothes.
The toilet-cover of the dressing-table was also very
much burnt, though it was some distance from the
bed ; and a chest of drawers, also separated from
both the bed and the dressing-table, was very much
scorched and injured, The witness further said
that had he not gone up stairs at the opportune
moment he had, the house must, in a very short
time indeed, have been in flames. In conclusion,
the witness said that on that morning, about six
o'clock, he was alarmed by the cries of the prisoner,
who had jumped from a window 15 feet high, and
who had no doubt hurt herself a good deal, but
broke no bones.

Emma Wa-•ren, a servant to Miss Hubbard, said

that about half-past 10 she was in the room occu-
pied by the last witness, and turned down the bed-
clothes, aid at that time all was safe.
Mr. Elliott—Did you take a candle up with you ?
Witness—Yes, sir ; but I placed it carefully on
the top of the drawers when I went to turn down
the bed. When I went down to my own room, the
prisoner came to me for a light, and I gave her one,
and told her to go to her own apartment.
Mr. Elliott—Do you know whether she went up
stairs after that ?
Witness—l cannot say, sir.
Police-constable, 402 P, said that on that morn-
ing be was sent for to take the prisoner into custody,
and on examining the house, it was perfectly clear
to him that the fire was not accidental. The pri-
soner admitted to him that she had been up stairs
on the night before without a light, but on getting.
there she struck a match, and got a light. She fur-
ther said she was tired of her life, and that was the
reason she threw herself out of the window.
Mrs. Ncve said the prisoner had no business
whatever to go up stairs at such an hour, and added
that but for the fortunate circumstance of Mr.
Dewins going up stairs at the moment, the result
might have been most serious, as her mother and
child were in bed at the time.
The prisoner, who appeared rather a simple-
looking girl, but rather full-grown for her age,
seemed to treat the matter with apparent indiffe-
rence, and havino•i' received the usual caution, was
asked if she v., ished to say anything to the charge,
when she replied she knew nothing about the cause
of the fire.
She was remanded for a week.

THAMES.—EXTENSIVE SYSTEM OF ROBBERY.
—Stephen Gower and George Preotney, late in the
employ. of Mr. James Thomas Taylor, ship biscuit
baker. 124, Cock-hill, Ratcliff, and Robert Groom
and Henry Bradley, labourers, were brought up on
remand, the two first charged with stealing five tons
of meal tailed middlings, for the manufacture of ship
biscuit, and the others with feloniously receiving
the property, they well knowing it to be stolen.
Mr. Self, who presided on the beach, said he did
not mean to say that Bradley had acted with that
caution which ought to mark the steps of every
honest man in his dealings with the other prisoners,
but he thought upon the whole, that in a case of
this serious nature, where the evidence against
Bradley was rather weak, he should be consulting
the interests of justice and the good of the commu-
nity by admitting Bradley as a witness for the
Crown on his promise to tell the whole truth.
Bradley—l will do so, sir. I wish to state all I
kmysv of the, affair.

Mr. SelL asked the police if Bradley could be
depended uppn if he was discharged and called as a
witness ; and upon the constables engaged in the
case answering in the affirmative, he was ordered
to leave the dock and wait till he was called.

It appeared that Prestney had been in the em-
ploy of Mr. Taylor since November last, and Gower
since March. For the last six months Mr. Taylor
had been continually missing flour and meal used
by him in his business as a ship biscuit manufac-
turer, and he believed the greater part of it was
taken from his premises with the knowledge and
consent of Prestney and Gower, with the assistance
of Groom and Bradley. There were relays of men
working might and day in the prosecutor's manu-
factory. Gower was in the practice of waiting upon
his master in his sleeping-room every morning at
six, and asking' for the keys of the front-door and
shop-door to let the people into work, and Gower
was then relieved by Prestney. About this time
the two men, Gower and Prestney, were in the
practice of making up sacks of flour and meal and
removing them, at all convenient times, to neigh-
bouring public-houses and beer-shops, where the
prisoners were in the habit of calling. On several
occasions the prisoners were in company at the
Duke of Wellington public-house in Brook•street,
about 300 yards from the prosecutor's house, and
bags and sacks of "fine middlings" were brought
there on several occasions by Prestney and Gower,
deposited in the skittle-ground for a short time, and
then taken away in trucks and barrows by Groom
and Bradley. The frequent call:, and movements
of the four men aroused the suspicions of Mr. Robt.
Hone, a very respectable man, the landlord of the
Duke of -Wellington, who spoke to the police on
the subject, and the constables in and about Rat-
cliff were ordered to be on the alert. On Thursday
morning last Prestney brought a sack about three-
parts full of " fine middlings.' to the Duke of Wel-
lington, and put it on a tub in front of the bar. He
then asked George Charles, a boy serving in the
bar, whose suspicions had been aroused, if any of
his Mates were in the house. The lad pointed to
Gower; who was in the lobby of the house and had
entered it a few minutes previously. Prestney and
Gower were soon joined by Groom and Bradley,
and the boy went upstairs to his master, Mr. Hone,
and told him what was going on. Mr. Hone desired
the lad to fetch a police-constable immediately. Mr.,

Hone went down stairs, and Gower asked permis- FROM THE
sion for the sack of meal to be placed in the skittle-
ground, which was granted. Gower then Efted the
sack of meal on to Groom's back, and he carried it
into the skittle-ground and left it there. French •
and Harris, two police-constables, Nos. 250 and 383
K, were looking after the prisoners all day under
the directions of Mr. Hone and Mr. Taylor, and
the sack of meal was closely watched. A few
minutes past three o'clock the same afternoon
Groom and Bradley called at the Duke of Welling-
ton, and the boy Charles pointed them out to his
master as the two men who were in the practice of
coming to the house with the biscuit baker's men,
and who had, on four or five occasions, carried away
sacks of meal from the house. All the prisoners
were taken into custody in the course of the same
day. Gower and Groom had given him two glasses
of ale for carrying the sack of meal from the baker's
warehouse to the public-house. At the station-house,
on Friday, Gower said he did not carry the sack of
meal to the public-house on Thursday morning, and
that it was George, meaning Prestney, who took it.
Prestney denied having done anything of the sort,
and said he knew nothing of the transaction.
Henry Bradley, the approver, after being duly'
cautioned, said that last Sunday fortnight Groom
waited upon him at his house, 40, London-street,
Ratcliff, and told him to be at the Duke of Wel-
lington, in Brook-street, on the following morning
at six o'clock. He went to the public-house at the
appointed time, and in 10 minutes saw Gower enter
with a sack of meal on his back, and put it on a
cask. Gower asked him if he had seen Groom, to
which he replied, " No, I have not seen him to-day,
but he told me to be here." Gower then left the
house, and returned with another sack of meal.
Soon afterwards Groom arrived at -the Duke of
Wellington, and he went out with him and hired a

truck. The sacks, each three-parts full of meal, were
put upon the truck and conveyed to the house of a
corn and flour dealer in Cable-street. Directly after-
wards Gower joined them, and they went into a
public-hoirse in Cannon-street, St. George-in-the-
East, and had something to drink. Groom paid wit-
ness 2s. 6d. for the job. A morning or two after-
wards Groom employed him in taking another sack
of meal from the skittle-ground of the Duke of
Wellington to the same corn dealer. On Tuesday
last Groom employed him again on a similar job.
He had nothing to do with the last sack of meal re-
moved from Mr. Taylor's premises.
Gower here said—That man is selling us. When
we were all locked up together, I said I was never
in such a place before. Bradley said, " I have
been here many times. My name is not Bradley,
my name is Greeley. I have given a wrong ad-
dress."
Mr. Selfe questioned Bradley, who said he had
given a wrong address by mistake, and that the
name of his forefathers was upon a tombstone in
Lewisham churchyard.
Mr. Selfe—l don't want to know about your
forefathers or the tombstone. Is your name Gree-
ley or Bradley ?
Witness—My name is Bradley.
Mr. Charles Cochrane, a corn and flour dealer,
carrying on an extensive business in Cable-street,
Weliclose-square, said he did not know any of the
men before the Court except Groom, of whom he
he had been in the practice of buying old ships'
stores. He had lately purchased several cochels of
biscuit-meal of the prisoner Groom, and gave him
Bs. per cwt. for it. He thought it was old ships'
stores. The biscuit meal had been shown to Mr.
Taylor, who identified it as his property, and of
course the meal was restored to him immediately.
The prisoners said they would reserve their de-
fence, and
Mr. Selfe, at a late hour of the day, after a long
investigation, committed them for trial.
Mr. Taylor, who was labouring under some little
excitement in consequence of his heavy losses, ap-
plied for a warrant against another man in his em-
ploy, for embezzling a large sum of money and
robbing him.
Mr. Selfe—You don't require a warrant. Give
him into the custody of the police.

WAND SWORTH.—RicE DISTILLING.—Mr.
Fredk. Field Whitehurst and Mr. Felix Halliday,
occupiers of the Latchnere Distillery, Battersea,
appeared before Mr. Ingham to answer summonses
for using abusive and insulting words to Mr. Ed-
ward Gill, whereby a breach of the peace might
have been occasioned.

The case appeared to excite considerable interest,
for the court was crowded by a number of persons
anxious to hear the proceedings.
Mr. Lewis, sen., attended for the complainant,
and Mr. Whiteliurst for the defendants.
Although both cases occurred at the same time,
the hearing of them together was objected to, and
the summons against Mr. Whitehurst was first
called.

Mr. Lewis proceeded to state the case, from which
it appeared that the complainant was proprietor of
the distillery in the Latchmere•road, Battersea-
fields, and had let it to the defendant at a large
rental, under an agreement that he should repair
and keep the plant in order. In consequence of that
agreement he, was called to the premises almost daily
about the repairs, and he had been subject to a great
annoyance by the use of insulting and abusive lan-
guage to him, and to such an 'extent that he was
alu ost afraid to go there. It was only a few days
ago that the complainant was examining some
manure upon his own land, when a hose was pointed
at him from the premises, and he was drenched
with water.

Mr. Whitehurst thought the statement ought to
refer only to the date in the summons, namely, the
17th inst. With respect to the water, his clients
knew nothing whatever about it, and they deeply
regretted that it should have taken place.
Mr. Lewis said it was part of the proceedings
arising out of this matter.
Mr. Whitehurst said he would repeat that his
clients had no knowledge of it.
The complainant was then sworn, and repeated
what had been stated by his attorney. He added
that, on the day in question, he saw both defendants
standing together on the footway in the Latchmere-
road. Mr. Whitehurst first asked him what he in-
tended to do about the leaky waste-vat, and he re-
plied, "Let me have the number of the vat, as I wish
the gentleman who erected it to repair it." Witness
then inquired what day it could be examined. The
defendant made no answer, but Mr. Halliday took
up the conversation, and said, " How came you to
be such a fool to have an agreement with
us that we can kick you off the premises in a
moment's notice, like a dunghill ?" The other
defendant then said, " How came you to fit up an
experimental mash tub, and come on a Sunday and
steal the sulphuric acid to work it with ?" Witness
denied that he took the acid, or did anything to
them. The defendant (Whitehurst) said he did,
and that no one but a blackguard like him would
do it. The defendant was in a violent rage, and
slapped his hand with his fist close to witness's nose.
The defendant also charged him with telling Mr.
Halliday, within a week after they took the pre-
mises, that if he proceeded with the experiments
he would be a ruined man. Witness denied the
charge, and Halliday called him a liar. Witness
believed he went in danger of his life from Mr.
Whitehurst.
In cross-examination the witness denied that he
was ever in the service of the defendants. He had
received money from them for assisting them in the
business. He was under an engagement with
Messrs. Watney, the distillers. The defendants
were rice distillers by a patent process. Witness
was a grain distiller before the defendants took the
premises. •
Some other questions were put about the busi-
ness carried on by Messrs. Watney, when
Mr. Watney, who was present, rose and asked
his worship to protect his interest, and not allow
their firm to be brought into question.
_ _

Mr. Lewis said it Was not the desire of the com-
plainant that they should proceed any further, if
the defendants would consent to enter into recog-
nisances to keep the peace.
Mr. Whitehurst thought there was no offence
within the meaning of the act, and that the words
were only those which would be used between busi-
ness parties in the excitement of the moment.
There was not the smallest desire on the part of
his clients to injure Mr. Gill. In future he should
have access to the premises without molestation,
and he hoped his worship would not subject them
to the stigma of binding over.

Mr. In ham did not think Mr. Gill need be under
any fear of his life suffering from the defendants, but
he thought the words that had been used wore cal-
culated to create a breach of the peace. He should
not bind the parties over, but deal with the case
under the Police Act.
Mr. Felix Halliday was then sworn as a witness
for the defendants, and admitted the use of some of
the language, but denied the greater portion. He
said when the complainant came up they told him
he had been doing things prejudicial to them, and
trying to injure the business. The complainant
said that Watneys were going to show them what
they could do, and that they (the defendants)
would find out that they (Watneys) could more
spirits cheaper than they could, and that they
wanted to smash their patent.
Mr. Ingham said ho had no doubt the com-
plainant was insulting when there, and that his
words were very ironical. He recommended the
parties to settle the matter amicably.
Mr. Whitehurst then made an apology, to the
effect that if any words of a disrespectful nature
fell from the lips of the defendants in the heat of
passion, they wore very sorry for it,
The summonses were then dißtnissed.
Mr. Ingham refused to allow the complainant
any COStSI 45 ho had y avoked the defendants.

'B OF

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