The Sun.
London, England, 1857-05-28 00:00:00

POLICE INTELLIGENCE—May 27.

WESTMINSTER—THE PRESENT LAW or DIVORCE.
—C. Cannon, a very respectable-looking middle-aged
man, described as a law-writer, was charged with hay-
iog violently assaulted Ann, his wife, a womau whose
slatternly and dissipated appearance, unimproved by a
severe black eye, denoted a person commonly addicted
to drink.

Complainant said that she had been married to the
defendant upwards of 20 years. On the previous night
she was with her husband in Princes-street, Westmin-
ster, when he gave their little boy 6d. to buy some
bread ; but as she did not exactly want bread at that
moment, she stooped to take it away from the child,
when her husband struck her a blow on the eye with his
stick which knocked her down, and he then kicked her.
He fractured two or three of her ribs some weeks ago.
The policeman proved a portion of the assault.
The defendant said that his was a most pitiable con-
dition. He wished to maintain his wife and family in
credit and respectability, but she was so notorious a
drunkard, that she was not sober one day in the week.
He entreated the magistrate to send to his home, and
he would find that chairs, tables, cups and saucers, and
ever % thing be had possessed had been disposed of to pro-
cure drink.' Whenever he took off a dirty shirt she
Lumediately sold it, and he had to replace it with a new
one. After squandering a sovereign which he bad given
btr for the family, she came to him for 6d. to buy bread,
and he had no sooner given it to one of the children
when she attempted to take it away from him to get
more gin with, when, maddened by her disgraceful con-
duct, be forgot himself and struck her.
Complainant, who, in consequence of her noisy inter-
ruption, had been ordered to leave the court, was re-
called by the magistrate, but was found in a public-house
iu the neighbourhood, instead of remaining in attendance
in the waiting-room. She coolly admitted that she got
urunk sometimes.

It was proved by the police-sheet she was frequently
seen in a state of intoxication, but was sober on Tuesday
night.
Mr. Arnold confessed that he had great difficulty in
knowing-how to act in this case. The present defective
state of the law did not enable poor persons to obtain a
separation, which could be done by the rich, or the de-
fendant wou:d certainly be entitled to be removed from
the society of such a woman as the complainant, and she
from his violence, provoked as it might be by her miscon-
duct. Until some power was given to magistrates, or
other tribunals, to separate persons in thehumbler walks
of lffe, there was no chance of putting an end to such
cases as the present, which, sooner or later, terminate in
fatal results.

Defendant was ordered to find bail till the police made
further inquiries.
THE PAVILION AT CREMORNE NOT A BUILDING.—A
short time ago Mr. T. B. Simpson, the proprietor of
Cremorne, was summoned by Mr. Biachcroft, the dis-
trict surveyor of St. Luke, Chelsea, for erecting a large
pavilion, to be used as a theatre for marionettes, magic,
&c., on his grounds, without first giving notice of it as a
building.
The whole question turned upon whether it was a
building within the meaning of the act. Mr. Life, on
the part of Mr. Simpson, contended that, though artisti-
cally got up, care had been taken that it should nut at-
tach to the freehold, to effect which she whole of the
upright., which were merely covered vith canvass, were
fastened with nuts and screws to the flooring, and could
be taken down in sections, and removed in a couple of
days to any other part of the ground. Mr Arnold went
to look at it, and the matter was finaly adjourned until
yesterday.

Mr. Arnold, after quoting at some .ength various sec-
tions of the Act of Parliament, which gives no definition
of what shall form a buiiding, and which Seems to show
that although every building shall be a structure, every
structure shall not be deemed to be a building, said that,
looking at all the provisions of the act referring to the
question, a building must mean a permanent structure—
permanent in its component parts, and not capable of
being taken down and put up again use the one in ques-
tion. The complaint was dismissed.

SOUTHWARK.—DESPERATE GAROTTE ROBERRY
—H. Webb, 25, hawker; 112. Howard, 20, porter; T.
Cook, 21, potman; Ann Tobin, `,16, an i Catherine
Brawn, 18, prostitutes, were charges with having com-
mitted a desperate garotte robber! in Disney-street,
Southwark.
Mr. Saul Lawrence, a clerk, of 36, Main-street, Aid-
gate, whose face was literally covered with bruises, and
who could hardly articulate, from the injury inflicted on
his throat, stated that about 8 o'cbck on the previous
evening he came over Blackfriars-bridge, when he met
two men, who asked him to treat them. He consented,
and accompanied them to a public house in the Mint.
As soon as they entered two other men came in, and
they seemed to know each other. Alter that the two
females came in, and he treated them all to what they
liked to drink. They did not sit down, but stood under
a kind of shed.
Mr. Seeker asked him to look round and see whether
any of those persons he treated were in Court.
Prosecutor, pointing to the dock, i-aid he thought he
could swear to Cocker, Webb, and the two females. The
two males he believed to be those he met near Black
friar's-bridge. He had at that time in his possession two
watches, a gold chain, and 13i. in gold, besides a gold
ring on his finger. Finding that he had had enough to
drink, and wishing to get rid of his company, he left the
premises. At that time Brown kept hold of his arm, and
as soon as he got out, some one suddenly seized him
him tightly by the throat from behind, nearly strangling
bim. He then heard the voices of several men, and he
struggled very hard for more than five minutes. Some
one then struck him a heavy blow on the head, and he
became insensible. When he was attacked, Catherine
Brown had hold of his arm. When he recovered himself
he was sitting on a door step, covered with blood from
wounds on his face. Part of his waistcoat was torn
away, and he missed his watches, money and rings. He
had, however, a portion of his guard chain in his hand
and a coat belonging to one of the men with whom he
struggled.
_Ann Cronin said she lodged in Sidney-street, and she
knew all the prisoners by sight. - About half-past eight
on the previous night she saw the prosecutor in the
Black Bull pu ,lie-house. Cook and three other men were
with him, as well as Brown and another female. About
11 o'clock she passed the house again, when she saw the
prosecutor being knocked about and Brown running
away. A moment or two afterwards she saw the prose-
cutor lying insensible in the gutter. Believing that he
had been murdered, she went and fetched a police con-
stable, and on their return the prosecutor, was sitting on
the step of a door, with his hands up, covered with blood.
While the four men were attacking the prosecutor, she
heard one of them say, "He'll best us." Another replied,
"No, he won't." She could swear to Cook being one of
those men.
Mr.
she
r. Seekera
w the awedmen whetherat
ta
any alarm
when
She replied that she was afraid. She, however, went
after a constable, whom she met in Red-cross-street. As
soon as the pro-ecietor partially recovered, he said he did
ckthsehe prosecutor hadma made
el
not care much about any of the property except the ring,
which bad been his mother's.
Sergeant Turpin said that if the prisoners were re-
manded he believed he should be able to obtain further
evidence against them, and apprehend another party
connected with the outrage and robbery.
Mr. Seeker accordingly remanded them.
ROBBERY OF 501. BY A DAUGHTER.—Margaret Rant, a
diesipsted-looking female, 35 years of age, was charged
with having stolen 501. in Bank of England notes, and
15a., the property of her father, an aged man, named
John Mahony, a watchman, residing at 50, Commercial
place, Lambeth.

The prosecutor stated that owing to the death of the
prisoner's husband some time ago, he allowed her to live
with him and keep his house. In the early part of April
last he bad, locked np in a box in his bedroom, 501. in
Bank of England notes, and about 15s. in silver. On the
104 h inst. his daughter went away, and not coming back
again, be went to his box, and found that it bad been
opened, and all the money was gone. He examined the
box, and ascertained that the nails of the lock had been
withdrawn and put back again. He immediately gave
information to the police, and saw nothing of her until
the previous evening, when she was in custody at the
Stones•end police-station. However, all his money, which
was has bard earnings for years, was gone.
Police-constable 259 Ist, said that from information he
received be went into a low lodging-house in Kent-
Street, and found the prisoner with her little boy. When
he told her she was charged with steali❑g 501. from her
father, she said " Somebody assaulted me and robbed me
of it." He cautioned her and took her into custody. She
was searched at the police station, but nothing was
found on her.

Ia answer to the charge the prisoner achaowiedgt4