The Sun.
London, England, 1857-05-20 00:00:00

POLICE INTELLIGENCE—May 19.

CLERKENWELL.—James Cahill, 39, a respectably
dressed man, late a messenger at the Admiralty office,
Somerset House, and Mary Josephine Cahill, hie wife,
were charged on remand, before Mr. Corrie, by Inspector
Duigan and police-constable Hasset, of the E division,
with obtaining by false and fraudulent pretences the
sum of 2501. from Alexander Duncan, of No. 6, Chad-
wood-street, Tachbrook-street, Pimlico, gentleman, under
the plea of. obtaining him a situation in the Admit-shy.
The facts of this remarkable case were related very fully
in our columns this day week. Yesterday, a gentleman
from the office of the shlicitpr for the Admiralty attend-
ed for the prosecution ; Mr. J. Leech, jun., from the
office of Johnstone, Farquhar, and Leech, to watch the
case on behalf of Mr. Duncan ; and a solicitor, for the
defence.

Mr. Alexander Duncan was then sworn and said—ln
the month of January last I placed an advertisement in
the Morning Post newspaper, offering a douceur of from
2001. to 3001., if a respectable and good situation could
be obtained legitimately for me. On the 2d of that
month I received the following letter, written in a
female's handwriting, and bearing the Camden-town
post mark:—

"Jan. 2.

"Sir,—Permit me to say, in reply to your adverdse-
ment, that by Monday next I trust to be able to ensure an
appointment in London, which may perhaps suit your
views.—L. G."

After that I received another letter, desiring me to com-
municate by letter to the above initials, and to address
to a hairdresser's shop in Park-street, Regent's-park.
Accordingly I wrote, and asked to be favoured with the
particulars, and the result was the following letter :

"Monday afternoon.
" Sir, Tho appointment which I referred to in my last
is one Of the highest branches of the Civil Service in Lon-
don, salary 3001. per year, with a' yearly increase of 151.,
and the salaries there vary from 6001. to 7001. per year.
A gentleman whom I had appointed holds the position at
present, but is obliged to resign in consequence of ill health,
and I am promised the vacancy for another friend of mine.
A douceur of 5001. will be required should you consider
this suitable. Send your age, &c., and address to

L. G.

" 106, Park•street, Gloucester-Gate."
I answered that letter, and asked for an interview, but
I beard nothing more of the matter until I received this
letter :

" Monday Evening, Jan. 24.
"Sir,—As a lady I cannot grant you an interview, nor
would I, on any account, employ a third person in this
affair. I however propose a course.which perhaps you will
(as I do) consider equally as secure to both parties. I will
give in your name for the situation referred to, and, if
successful, I would require you to have left at Park-street,
before one o'clock on the day after you receive your
official appointment from government, half the douceur
in a letter, addressed as usual, in respect of which I would
see you at my own residence when we should arrange as
to the payment of the remaining half. There is, lam
informed, generally from ten to fifteen days between the
date of the appointment and the day named to join • if,
therefore, you do not keep punctually the first pare of the
arrangement I would use all my influence to prevent you
taking office. By this course no injury would accrue to
others. Should you agree to carry out the arrangement
let me have your name and address in full as soon as pos-
sible, for the man in power is at progent in town. lay
friend resigns immediately, so there is no time to be lost.
I shall send for your answer on Thursday afternoon, which
I beg will be decisive.
" Yours, &c., " L. G."

I wrote in reply, accepting the terms proposed ; and
on the 29th received what appeared to me a very satis-
factory reply :

" Wednesday.
" Sir,—Since my last note to you, I find that I shall be
able to have you appointed next week, and I will thank
yon for a few lines by return of post, saying if you will ba
in town.

" Yours, &e., " L. G.
On the 31st of the same month the following note was
sent :

"Sir,—l regret having mentioned last week, as it must
be again pat off for some time longer. I cannot ascartaizi
sooner than Monday or Tuesday next the precise timea
may take, but will let you know the moment do.—
Yours, L. G."

Some other communications passed between us, and
then I received this letter by post :
" Sir,—l only received your letter of the 14th last night.
I regret to have to tell you that I think it better to allow
matters to remain as they are for another month or six
weeks; and for this reason : there are many clerks who
were engaged temporarily during the war, but now being
dismissed, and I feel that if my friend resigned just now
one of these might get his appointment, and you would have
much longer to wait. My servant on his return from
Park-street last evening informed me that you had been
there and pressed very much for my address, which was
not quite right for you to do. It is not necessary that you
should remain in London ; whereveryour address is given
Government will forward your appointment to ; but, if in
the country, you must let me see how you would propose
making the first payment.—Yours, &c., L. G."
Nothing much was done after this for some time (ex
*apt nay receiving a letter from the same party caution—
ing me to be careful, and informing me that 11 it was
discovered proceedings might be taken against both of
us) until March 20, when the follo wing not4reached me :
" Sir, —I should wish you to get to London by the 2d or
3d next month, when from the promises made to mel have
no doubt I shall base this affair decided successfully.
Your address in London had better be from private lodg-
ings, or some friend's residence, than an hotel.—Yours. ko.

G.',
A few days after that, I received a letter written on
official paper, and sealed with the Admiralty seal, appoint-
ing me to a second clerkship in the storekeepers' depart-
ment of the Admiralty. The appointment purported to
be signed by the Secretary of the Admiralty, Mr
Thomas Phinn. That letter came that night, and the
next I enclosed 2501. in bank notes, and left them
at Park-street, as directed. On the following day I re-
ceived a letter in the same handwriting, and signed
"Louise de Gerand," requesting to see me at No. 9,
Gloucester-terrace, Regent's-park. Upon proceeding
there I found that I had been duped, and that the house
was occupied by the Earl of Hopetoun. On the follow-
ing day I received the following note written in a man's
kand, and which bore the Southampton postmark :
(Here follows the note signed "Thomas Painn," pub-
lished last week).
Some other evidence having been given, the prisoners
were again remanded.
Bail was asked to be taken, but Mr. Collie declined
to accept it.
The solicitor for the prisoners said 3401. was taken
from them, and asked that some of it might be given up,
but Mr. Corrie declined to make the order.
The female prisoner was suffering from bad health.

THAMES.---EXTRAORDINARY CHARGE OF ARSON...—
Joseph Phiaman and Rachel Phiaman, bis wife, were
charged with setting fire to their dwelling-house, with
intent to defraud the Sun Insurance-office. The prisoners
were German Jews, occupying the shop, back parlour,
and front kitchen, at No. 57, Cable-street, Wellelose-
squlre, where Phiaman carried on business as a barber.
John King, a tinplate-worker, living at Ratcliff-high-
way, said that last FridayPbiaman showed him a receipt
for a premium paid to the Sun-office, insuring 1001., and
that he meant to set fire to his premises on Sunday even-
ing. Witness informed the police, and on Sunday called
on the prisoner, went down to the kitchen, and saw a
quantity of wood and coals laid ou the fire-grate, from
which lines communicated with all parts of the room,
and on these lines were suspended linen and clothes.
The lines communicated also with some rage on the
dresser. The male prisoner asked what he thought of
it, and he said, " You know your business best ; but
Satan himself could not do it better.' The prisoners shut
np their shop and went out soon after eight o'clock.
They returned between nine and ten, and witce s, on
going to the house, found that the kitchen fire had been
lighted. Phiaman told hitn the coals would not burn, and
that he meant to put off setting fire to the place till the
following afternoon. Witness called again next day, saw
the woman brandishing lighted rags about in the kitchen,
and while he was upstairs with her husband a dense
smoke ascended from below, and the kitchen was on fire.
The firemen, who were on the alert, were quickly at the
house, and the fire was extinguished.
This strange story was mainly confirmed by other wit-
nesses, and a police-constable who had watched the pre-
mises stated that the kitchen dresser was burnt, and the
gas pipes burnt down, and that the prisoner's furniture
did not seem worth more than eight or nine pounds. This
witness also said that the doors had been closed before
the place was set on fire, that a suffocating smoke rushed
up the stairs, and that he met a man who rodged in the
upper part of the house running out of the passage carry-
ing his chitdren. He considered that if the fire had
taken place in the night everybody in the house would
have perished in five minutes. Prisoner told him that
his wife had the policy of insurance.

Mr, Sella sail notice must be served on the prisoners
to produce it, and remanded them till Saturday.

BOW-STREET.—TICKET OFFICES.—An application
for advice was made to Mr. Jardine, by a gentleman
whose name was not mentioned, as to the mode of en-
forcing a warranty against a person keeping what is
called an ‘,`Opera-ticket office," adjoining the Royal
Italian Opera, Lyceum.
The applicant bad purchased the box at the "office"
fn question, under the belief that the place had been
opened in connection with the theatre,—that it was,
in short, an authorised box-office. He asked on what
evening the " Trovatore" would be performed, and on
the office keeper's positive assurance that ,it would be
played on Tuesday (last evening) gave three guineas
for a box for that night. He had since ascertained
that the opera for that night was "La 'rraviata ; "
that the office was entirely unconnected with the the-
atre, and that he had been charged 50 per cent. more
than the fair price. He did not complain of being
cheated in the price, but he thought the representa-
tion that the " Trovature " was to be played was a
pretence for which be ought to have a remedy. He
had demanded the return cf the money, which had
been refused.
Mr. Jardine did not think he bad any power to
compel the man to return the money. 'The applicant
had only a civil remedy. The wan was certaiely
bound to return the money, and probably it he (the,
worthy magistrate) sent a policeman to tell him co,
he might-give back the money without compelling.
the applicant to take legal proceedings. ,
A. constable accordingly went with the applicant
to the ticket-office, and the proprietor, on hearing
the magistrate's opinion, returned the price of the
box.

LETTERB FOR LISBON, PERNAMBUCO, BAHIA AND RIO
DE JANEIRO.—Yesterday a written notice was posted in
the Great-hall of the General Post-office, in St. Martin's-
le Grand, by order of the Postmaster-General, which
was as follows :—" Ship letter bags._Mails will be
made up for Lisbon, Pernambuco,Bahia, and Rio de
Janeiro, for transmission by the steamer Petropolis, to
leave Southampton on the 24th instant (Sunday next).
t —General Post-office, May 19, 1857."