The Sun.
London, England, 1859-01-05 00:00:00

POLICE INTELLIGENCE.—Jan. 4.

GUILDHALL.— George Gibson was brought
up, on remand, charged with being concerned with
three other men in the burglary and robbery com-
mitted at the residence of Mrs. Humphreys, at
Stamford-hill, on the 25th of April, 1856, on which
occasion the thieves tied the servant in a chair and
the mistress in her bed, and with threats of the
most violent character compelled them to silence
while they ransacked the house of money, plate,
and jewellery to the value of about £2,000.
Mr. Lewis, jun., appeared for the prosecution,
and Mr. Beard for the defence.

Eliza Cook, the servant to Mrs. Humphreys, was
recalled.

Alderman Humphery—Did you know that your
mistress kept so much money (900 sovereigns) in
the house ?

Witness—No, sir ; I do not know that any one
else did. My mistress had no visitors except Mr.
Rush, her solicitor.
Alderman Humphery—Did your mistress receive
any dividends?
Witness—Yes, sir.
Alderman Humphery—lt is very strange ; some
one must have known what money was in the
house, and from whom the burglars must have
obtained the information.
Mr. Lewis—That was shown at the trial of
Fleckart, who was convicted of being concerned in
this robbery, at the July sessions, 1856, and sen-
tence of death was recorded against him.

Mr. Beard—But that has since been commuted
to seven years' transportation.
Mr. Lewis—lt appeared on the trial that a dis-
charged servant gave the thieves every information.
After leaving Mrs. Humphreys' service she married
a man named Slark, who escaped to America, and
a great quantity of the property has since been
traced to him.

Alderman Humphery—What time in the morn-
ing was it when the servant's hands and feet were
tied ?

Eliza Cook—lt was a little before eight o'clock.
It was quite daylight at the time. I went down
stairs at six o'clock, but I was not tied until about
two hours after.

Alderman Humphery—What were you doing al
that time ?

Witness—Sitting still.
Alderman Humphery—Did you not scream ?
Witness—Yes ; when I was first seized on enter-
ing the parlour at 6 o'clock, but not afterwards, for
I had a man by my side and another in front of me,
with a knife at my throat, and they were threaten-
ing to kill me II made any noise.
Alderman Humphery—Who tied your feet ?
Witness—A man very much resembling the pri-
soner, and his mask fell off while he was doing it.
I still believe the prisoner is the man.
Alderman Humphery—ls Mrs. Humphreys'
house detached ?

Witness—Partly so, sir. It is situate at the
corner of a street.

Alderman Humphery—That is material, as it is
probable the men were seen leaving the house.
Mr. Lewis—We have evidence that the four men
were seen close to the house within a few minutes
after they left it.
Witness, cross-examined by Mr. Beard—When
the prisoner's mask fell off he did not replace it for
about two minutes. I have not seen him since un-
til I was brought here to identify him. The pri-
soner and several others were brought out of the
cells, and I recognized the prisoner. He was not
pointed out to me. I will not swear positively that
he is the man, but I believe him to be so.

Re-examined—During the whole of the two
minutes that the mask was off his face he was in
front of me tying my legs.
Alderman Humphery—Did he speak to you ?
Witness—Yes ; he asked me where the money
was, and I said I did not know. I heard the pri-
soner's voice this morning, but I should not like to
say I could recognize it after so long an interval.
Alderman Humphory.—What sort of masks did
the men wear ?

Witness—One had a red handkerchief tied over
his face, but the prisoner had a black mask which
concealed the whole of his face.

George Holmes, a painter, said—ln April, 1856,
I «as living at Clapton. On the morning of the
25th of that month, at about a quarter to 8 o'clock,
I met four men coming from Stamford-hill, and
going in the direction of the Lea River. They were
walking two and two, and appeared in a hurry.
The first two wore red handkerchiefs round their
necks. The remaining two came round the corner
of the street in a sort of half run. I noticed them
because I thought one of them was very like a man
who was working with me at the time. The pri-
soner very much resembles one of the two short
men whom I saw hurrying after the first two. Di-
rectly I saw the prisoner among several other pri-
soners I recognised him. It is my belief he is one of
the four men I met on the 25th of April, 1856. I
identified Fleckart at the trial, and he was con-
victed.

Cross-examined—l was coming out of Spring-
field, and the four men were going into it. I have
looked at many thousands of faces since, and have
not been able to recognise the one I beiteve the pri-
soner to be until now.

Re-examined—l heard of the robbery within 20
minutes after, and I gave Inspector Langdon a de-
scription of the men.

Alderman liumphery—Has any of the property
been found ?

Mr. Lewis—Only a gold watch, which was found
in the possession of a warder at Dartmoor, who was
tried for receiving it, knowing it to have been

stolen, and acquitted. A large share of the pro-
perty was traced to Slark, from whom the warder
received the watch.
Thomas Wilson was then called and said—l am
in the service of Mr. Thornhill, who lived at Cham-
pion-place, Upper Clapton, in April, 1856. About
20 minutes to 8 o'clock on the morning of the 25th
of that month I saw four men coming down the
street which leads direct from the house where the
burglary was committed. The two taller men were
walking in advance of the other two, and they all
walked in a hurrying sort of way. I identified
Fleckart as one of the first two, and the prisoner's
height and general stature very much resemble that
of the shorter man of the other two •

Cross-examined—l can only say the prisoner re-
sembles one of the men, but I have no belief that he
is one of the men.

Re-examined—My belief is that he is one of the
men, but I will not swear to it.

Alderman Humphery—How long after seeing
the men was it when you heard of the robbery ?
Witness—About a quarter of an hour or 20
minutes.

Alderman Humphery—Did you take any pains
to follow them ?

Witness—No, sir; I did not trouble myself
about it, as I heard so many persons talking about
it. I afterwards gave a description of the men to
Inspector Langdon P
Alderman Humphery—But I should have
thought, when you heard that such a serious rob-
bery had been committed, and had seen the men
only a few minutes previously, you would have
endeavoured to follow them.

Witness (with great effrontery)—l had my
master's business to attend to.

Alderman Humphery—But in such an important

case, where the lives of two women had been so
seriously threatened, and so large an amount of
property taken, your master's business ought not to
have prevented you in securing the men.
Witness (impudently)—My master's business is
just as important.
Patrick Kelly said—l am a detective officer
belonging to the Birmingham police. I know the
prisoner. I arrested him in 1852 on the charge of
stealing a horse and cart and a set of harness. He
was tried, convicted and sentenced to 10 years'
transportation.
Alderman Humphery—ls that term expired ?

Mr. Lewis—No, sir; but he was libericted on a
ticket-of-leave. If he had served the whole term
he would not be discharged until 1862.
Alderman Humphery—lt is these ticket-of-leave
men who do all the mischief.

Witness—l produce a copy of the prisoner's
conviction. lie was tried in the name of Elliott.

Inspector Foulger, of the city force, said—l have
written to Dartmoor, and find that the prisoner was
discharged April, 1850, from the Stirling Castle
convict ship, which has since been broken up and
all its officer's transferred to Lewes Gaol.

Inspector Langdon, of the N division, said—l
find that the prisoner and Slark, who has gone to
America with, as we believe, a large portion of the
property, were discharged together from the Stir-
ling Castle.
Alderman Humphery—lt will be important to
have the date of their discharge, for if it did not
take place until after the robbery it would be quite
clear the prisoner was not in it.
Mr. Lewis—l have now to ask you for A. remand,
sir, to complete the case.
Mr. Beard—Really, sir, this case has been
brought up here so frequently, I must ask you not
to remand the prisoner again.
Alderman Humphery—He is committed to take
his trial on another charge of warehouse-breaking,
so he cannot suffer any hardship through being
remanded.

Prisoner—l hope you will not remand me again,
sir. I have been remanded five weeks already.
Alderman Humphery—And will be, I dare say,
a great many more.
Mr. Lewis—The prosecution ought not to be
hurried in a case of this kind, and I cannot com-
plete it without another remand.
Prisoner.—You did not say so when you defended
me on the other charge. Then you wanted the
magistrate to deal summarily with me, or discharge
me; but now you are pressing the case all you can
against me.
Mr. Lewis—You are in very good hands.

Alderman Humphery—l have no doubt you feel
it rather an awkward thing to have the same
solicitor who defended you on the former charge
prosecuting you on this.
Alderman Humphery then remanded the pri-
soner for a week, and then inquired if the ticket-
of-leave system was still resorted to.
Inspector Foulger said it was to a very great
extent.

Alderman Humphery expressed great surprise
that a system fraught with so many evils should
still be pursued. He could not understand the
policy which suggested. such a system, and he felt
assured that if its supporters had seen, as he had
that day, seven persons charged with the most
daring robberies, and heard the evidence that five
of them were ticket-of-leave men, they would see
the fallacy of it at once.

BOW-STREET.—A man of most repulsive
aspect, who said his name was George Atkins, was
brought up on remand on a charge of highway rob-
bery with violence. _

The prosecutor, a tradesman named Greene,
stated that on the night of Christmas-eve, as he
was going through Parliament-street, a little after
midnight, a woman addressed him and asked him
to give her something to drink. He declined and
went on. He turned into Cannon-row, when he
was almost immediately attacked by the prisoner,
who came upon him from behind, seized him by
the throat with so severe a pressure that he felt
half suffocated, and pressed his knees against
witness's loins. Witness struggled with his assail-
ant till the latter was compelled to relax his hold a
little, so that he was able to call for help. He then
perceived that while the man was holding him
the woman was rifling his pockets. He afterwards
missed his watch, worth £5, and his purse, con-
taining £9 10s. in gold and 9s. in silver. During
the struggle he was thrown to.the ground, but re-
covered his feet, and detained the woman, having
caught hold of her by the lower jaw. Several
persons came to his assistance, but some bystander
advised him to let the woman go; he did so, and
she escaped. The man ran away, but was followed
and taken by policeman Robson, 89 A.
The prisoner, who made no defence, was formally
committed; but

Mr. Jardine ordered him to be brought up again
on a future day, as some further evidence was ex-
pected.
James Thorpe, a well-dressed young man, who
said he was a draper, was charged with obtaining
money under false pretences.
John Eno, a butler, now in service in a family in
Duke-street, Grosvenor-square, stated that about a
fortnight ago, being then out of place, he advertised
for a situation. Ho received a letter desiring him
to call on an agent near Bloomsbury-square. While
waiting at the agent's office he got into conversation
with a person whom he described as a " dapper
little man." This person stated that he was also
waiting to see the agent about a situation, though
he did not care much about it, as he had some
money, and was thinking of taking a public-house.
As the agent did not appear he left, and was after-
wards accosted by the " dapper little man," who
induced him to go to several public-houses. They
were joined by two strangers, one of whom said that
he had just come into a legacy of £670, and meant
to stay in town to spend the odd £7O, and then
return to the country and settle on a farm. The
other stranger was the prisoner. He played at
skittles with these persons, and lost £2. He then
staked his watch for £5, and lost it. He went
home, accompanied by the prisoner, to whom he
paid the £5, and who then returned him the watch.
He then went to the Deposit Bank, where he had
an account, and drew £5O, with which he returned
to the public-house, played skittles again with the
prisoner and the other men, and lost his £5O and
all the loose cash he had at his command at the
time, making altogether £6l. When he went away
the prisoner accompanied him a short distance, and
advised him not to return, observing, " I am afraid
we have got into bad company. lam a valet ; if
ever you see me with my master, don't speak to me
about this affair." Witness was afterwards advised
to give all the parties into custody, but did not see
any of them till he met the prisoner in the street
that day, and then gave'him in charge. He would
give the others in custody if he could find them.
Mr. Jardine said he would not advise him to do
so, or they might bring actions against him for false
imprisonment. There was no false pretence what-
ever, and the constable had acted very imprudently
in taking the charge without inquiry by which he
might, get himself into trouble. The prisoner must
be discharged. --
MARYLEBONE.—A woman named Esther
Griggs was charged with throwing her infant child
out of a first-floor window.

Sergeant Simmonds, 20 D, said,—At half•past
one o'clock this morning, while on duty in East-
street, Manchester-square, I heard a female voice
exclaim, " Oh, my children ! save my children !" I
went to the house No. 71, whence the cries pro-
ceeded, and the landlord opened the door. I went
up-stairs, accompanied by two other constables, and
while making our way to the first-floor front room
I heard the smashing of glass. I knocked at the
door, which I found was fastened, And. said, " Open
it ' • the police are here." The prisoner, who was
in her nightdress, exclaiming, " Save my children!"
and at length, after stumbling over something, let
me and my brother officer in. When we entered
we found the room in total darkness, and it was
only by the aid of our lanterns that we could dis-
tinguish anything in the room. On the bed there
was a child five years old, and another three years
of age by her side. Everything in the place was
in great confusion. The prisoner told me that she
had been dreaming that her little boy had said the
house was on fire, and that what she had done was
with the view of preventing her children from
being burnt to death. I have no doubt (added
witness) that if I and the other constable had not
gone to the room all three of the children would
have been flung into the street.
Humphreys, 189 heard the breaking of
glass, and saw what I imagined to be a bundle
come out of the windofv, but on taking it up I
found it to be a female infant. There was blood
running from its temple, and it was insensible. I
took it to the infirmary.
Pollard, 314 D—l heard loud cries of "Oh ! save
my children !" and when I was in her room she
said, " Has anybody caught my baby, Lizzy ?"
One of the little bovs,three years old, and who was
clinging to his mother, had blood upon his clothes.
He had upon his breast some marks which ap-
peared to have been caused by cuts from glass. The
sergeant left me to take care of the prisoner while
he went for her husband. She told me she had no
wish to hurt any of her children, and that it was
all through a dream.
Mr. Henry Tyrwhitt Smith, surgeon at the
Marylcbone Infirmary, said that when the infant
was brought to him, soon after one in the morning,
he found, upon examining it, that it was suffering
from concussion of the brain. It was quite insen-
sible.

Dir. Broughton—Do you consider it to be in
danger now P

Witness—Decidedly so. The parietal bone i$

broken, and death might ensue in the event of an
) effusion of blood on the brain.

Mr. Lewis submitted to the magistrate that there
had been no attempt to murder the infant. The
prisoner had always evinced a kindly feeling to-
wards her children, and he hoped that the magis-
trate would allow the husband to have her under
his care during the temporary remand which, of
course, would take place. The dream under which
the act was committed showed that she had not at
the time any consciousness of what she was doing.
Mr. Broughton remanded the prisoner.

HEALTH OF LONDON DURING THE

WEEK.

(From the Registrar-General's Report.)

The Return of Births and Deaths in London,
issued by authority of the Registrar-General for
the week ending Saturday, January 1, states the
total number of deaths registered in the metropo-
litan districts in the last week of the year was
1,494. In the ten years, 1848-57 the average num-
ber of deaths in the weeks corresponding with last
week was 1,215; but as the deaths in the return for
last week occurred in a population which had in-
creased, they should be compared. with the average
after it is raised proportionally to the increase, a
correction which will make it 1,446. The compari-
son shows that the deaths of last Week exceeded
by 48 the number which the rate of mortality as
derived from the fifty-second week of previous years
would have produced. •
If the deaths in London last week had been ac-
cording to " the healthy rate" of mortality derived
from certain selected English districts in the last
quarter of the year, they would have been 765 ;
and the excess above this point which the
true number exhibits is 729, and represents what
may be termed the unnatural part of the morta-

lity-.
Fatal cases of diseases of the zymotic class num-
bered last week 400 ; the corrected average for
corresponding weeks being only 208. Measles,
scarlantina, whooping cough, and typhus all exhi-
bit an increase on sonic previous weeks. Scarla-
tina was fatal in 135 cases. Five of these occurred
in the Kensington Town sub-district ; 6 in that of
Christchurch, Marylebone ; 5 in Kentish Town ; 7
in Poplar. This disease continued very fatal in the
Pancras district. Measles carried off 53 children ;
it prevails chiefly in the north and central district-%
Whooping cough carried off 61 children ' • 8 of these
in the east sub-district of Islington. Of the 52
deaths from typhus, one occurred in Butcher-row,
Deptford, in a family consisting of ten persons, of
whom seven have been attacked by the disease.
The premises are described as being in a filthy
condition. Last week the deaths from bronchitis
were 167, the average being 134 ; and those from
pneumonia (inflammation of the lungs) were 122,
the average being 106.
Nineteen women died last week from diseases in-
cidental to child-bearing. Three persons died from
intemperance. The deaths of one man and three
women (widows) occurred at the age of 90 years
and upwards ; their respective ages as registered-
-90, 93, 95, and 100 years. But the Registrar be- '
lieves there is good ground for questioning the alleged
age of the centenarian.
Last week the births of 981 boys and 1,013 girls,
in all 1,994 children, were registered in London.
In the ten corresponding weeks of the years 1848-57
the average number was .1,541.
At the Royal Observatory, Greenwich, the:mean
height of the barometer in the week was 29.744 in.
On the last two days the mean reading was above
30 in. The barometrical readings varied from 29.15
in. to 30.15 in. The mean temperature of the week
was 41.4 degs., which is 4.4 degs. above the average
of the same week in 43 years (as determined by Mr.
Glaisher). The mean daily temperature was above
the average throughout the week. The highest
temperature was 49.8 degs., and occurred on Sun-
day the 26th ult. The lowest was 31.9 degv., and
occurred en Thursday. The range of the week was
therefore 17.9 degs. The mean daily range was 8
degs. The range of temperature on Friday was
ohly 4.5 degs. The difference between the mean
dew-point temperature and air temperature was 3
deg. The mean degree of humidity of the air was
88 ; on Thursday and Friday the humidity was 98,
almost the point of complete saturation. The mean
temperature of the water of the Thames was 41.8
deg. The wind blew generally from the south-
west. On Sunday, evening lightning was seen ;
and on that day rain fell to the amount of 9.16 in.
The total in the week was 0.22 in.

FROM THE GAZETTE OF LAST NIGHT.

REDUCTION OF THE NATIONAL DEBT.

The Lords Commissioners of her Majesty's Treasury,
having certified to the Commissioners for the Reduction of
the National Debt, that there was no surplusage of actual
Revenue, over the actual expenditure of the United King-
dom of Great Britain and Ireland, for the year ended the
30th September, 1858,
The Commissioners for the Reduction of the National
Debt hereby give notice that no sum will be applied by
them on account of the sinking fund, under the provisions
of the Act 10 Geo. IV., cap. 27, between the 6th day of
January, 1859, and the 31st day of March, 1859.
National Debt Office, Ist January, 1859.
A. Y. SPEARMAN, Comptroller. General.

WINDSOR CASTLE, DEC. 30.
The Queen was this day pleased to confer the honour of
Knighthood upon Mordaunt Lawson `Volts, Esq., Judge
of the Supreme Court at Calcutta.
BOARD OF TRADE, WHITEHALL, JAN. 3.
The Right. Honourable the Lords of the Committee of
Privy Council for Trade and Plantations have received,
through the Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs, a copy
of a despatch from her Majesty's Consul at Bordeaux, an•
nouncing that all vessels arriving at the port of Pauillac,
at the mouth of the river Gironde, are required to hoist a
yellow flag, which is to be kept flying until the vessel has
been repot ted to the sanitary authority of the port.
BOARD OF TRADE, WHITEHALL, JAN 3.

The Right Honourable the Lords of the Committee of
Privy Council for Trade and Plantations have received in-
formation from her Majesty's Consul-General in Cuba, that
the port of Tarza, on the south side of the Island of Cuba;
has been opened to foreign commerce.