The Sun.
London, England, 1844-01-25 00:00:00

VICE-CILJNCEI?I' COURT, Jun. 24.

His Honour the Vice-Chaneellor of England was occupied
the whole day with the further arguments in the part heard
case of Farmer v. Farmer. The case had not concluded when
the Court rose.

MIDDLESEX SESSIONS.

(Before Mr. WALESBY, Chairman, and a Bench of Ma-

gistrates.)
DISGRACEFUL CONDUCT OF A POLICEMAN.—George
Pilhington and William Gilbertson were indicted for
assaulting, in the execution of their duty as police con-
stables, William Brooks and William Wiseman, on the
15th of October, 1843.

Mr. BALLANTINE appeared for the defendants, and
called the attention of the Court to the name of Jane
Griffiths being on the back of the indictment, who was
not in attendance. He suspected the police had kept
her back.

The Learned CnAIRMAN ordered the woman's recog-
nizance to be estreated.

William Brooks, police constable K 364, was then
called, and stated that he was on duty in Vinegar-lane,
Shadwell, on the sth of October, between eleven and
twelve o'clock at night, when he saw the defendants in a
state of intoxication, and creating a disturbance. Pil-
kington was given into custody• by Jane Griffiths, and
he was very violent, and bit witness's finger in two
places. Gilbertson endeavoured to rescue Pilkington,
and was also taken to the station-house.

Cross-examined—He had not taken means to bring
Griffiths here to-day. He had not seen her since the
last sessions. She is a brothel keeper, and has two
houses. There was a mob round the defendants, and two
or three girls there. 'r he men did not complain of an
attempt having been made to rob them that he could
recollect. Ile did not remember that they wished to
give the woman Griffiths into custody. Had taken
others into custody at Mrs. Griffiths's, and the case was
dismissed. Will not swear that he did not have some-
thing comfortable with Mrs. Griffiths—(after much hesi-
tation)—to his knowledge he did not drink with her.
The CHAIRMAN—You are doing yourself more harm
by giving these evasive answers than by confessing the
truth. I warn you that it may be my duty to report
the way in which you give your evidence to the Com-
missioners, and, therefore, you had better speak the
truth. It is not for a policeman on his beat to drink
with a brothel-keeper, but that is not so bad as perjury.
Cross•examination continued—Witness might have
drank with Mrs. Griffiths when off duty sometimes.
He could not tell how often, or where he drank with her.
Mr. BALLANTINE—You must, or I will apply to have
you committed.
The CHAIRMAN (to the policeman)—Was it so often
that you cannot tell,?
Brooks reluctantly—lt might have been once or twice
in the Back-road.
The CHAIRMAN—I don't know whether you are in-
different about remaining in the police force ; but
I have already warned you, that you are placed in great
jeopardy. You are not giving your evidence at all like
an honest man.
Mr. BALLANTINE—He cannot do so, Sir. These
industrious honest men at the bar, were in frightful
jeopardy, by the evidence of this fellow, who might be
expected to protect instead of destroying our property
and liberty.
Cross-examination resumed—Did not see the de-
fendants surrounded by prostitutes. Don't know how
many times Mrs. Griffiths had been in custody for felony.
Had often been called into her house, but never passed

the night there.
By the COURT—He had made no attempt to see
her, to inform her to be in attendance for the last month.
The CHAIRMAN—I feel bound to report your case to
the Commissioners, and shall give the necessary instruc-
tions to the inspector on duty-.
William Wiseman, K 156, was called, and his evi-
dence negatived nearly all the chief points of Brooks'

testimony.
Mr. BALLANTINE said he had a complete objection to
the case, but he was unwilling to stop the examination
of the witnesses, as he thought it was right their evi-
dence should go forth to the world for the benefit and
safety of the public.
After a brief discussion, the jury, under the direction
of the Learned Chairman, acquitted both the defendants

POLICE INTELLIGENCE.
(YESTERDAY.)
BO W-STREET.
Yesterday afternoon a fashionably-dressed young man, named
George Butler, of No. 1, Glengall-place, Old Kent-road,
but who is known in the theatrical world as Mr. Wentworth,
and whoa ppeared lately at Covent-garden Theatre in the cha-
racter of Hamlet, on the occasion of Mr. Wallack's benefit,
was brought up before Mr. Twy ford, on a warrant charged
with writing a threatening letter to Mr. George Wells, a clerk
in the Admiralty-office.
The complainant stated that the defendant had been in the
habit of visiting at his father's house, but latterly an estrange-
ment had taken place, in consequence of a critique in the Lra
newspaper upon the defendant's performance, which defendant
had taken it into his head that the complainant had written ;
and on the 15th inst. the defendant sent a letter to the com-
plainant, which concluded by saying that if the complainant
renewed hid strictures upon defendant in the Era, he would do
what his fingers had long itched for—namely, give the com-
plainant a downright horse-whipping. The complainant re-
plied to this letter, and told the defendant that if such threats
were repeated he would place the matter in the hands of his
lawyer. On Thursday last the defendant called at the Admi-
ralty-office, and told the complainant that unless he contradicted
in the next week's Era what he had written, he should give
him the threatened horsewhipping. Upon this the complainant
obtained a peace-warrant against him.
The defendant admitted that what the complainant had
stated was true, but he could not enter into his reasons for
sending the letter, as he was prevented from doing so by respect
for the complainant's parents. He was, however, willing to
enter into his recognisances to keep the peace towards Mr.
Wells.
Mr. TWVFORD then ordered the defendant to enter into his
own recognisance', and find bail in two sureties of 20/. each to
keep the peace for three months.
Captain Harvey Tuckett offered himself, and was accepted
as the defendant's bail.
LAMBETH-STREET.
Yesterday, while the depositions in a case of felony were
being read over by the chief clerk, Cook, the gaoler, entered
the Court in a hurried manner, and, addressing Mr. Henry,
said that a poor woman, who had been waiting ie the passage
to see his Worship, had suddenly dropped to the ground, to all
appearance lifeless. He had assisted her into the air, in the
hope that it would relieve her from her temporary weakness,
but she remained insensible so long, and her pulse being scarcely
perceptible, that he feared she was really dying, and therefore
felt it necessary to take his Worship's advice as to what he
should do with her.
Mr. Hew RS' instantly directed that a medical man should be
sent for, and that every attention should be paid to the poor
woman. In a short time after Mr. Liddle, one of the parish
surgeons of Whitechapel, arrived; but previous to his coming
some hot brandy and water had been administered to the poor
creature, which so far recovered her that she was enabled to
speak rather faintly, and, in reply to a question put to her, she
declared she had not tasted a morsel of any kind of food from
eight o'clock on fhe morning of the day before (Tuesday), and
that her stomach in consequence became so weak, that she
thought every moment would be her last. Mr. Liddle, on exa-
mining her, directed that she should be at once removed to the
workhouse and put into a warm bed, and the poor creature was
taken away in a cab.
Mr. Hughes, the relieving officer of Whitechapel, who was
present, and who had sent for restoratives for the poor woman,
and also a cab to have her conveyed to the workhouse, subse-
quently stated that on Thursday or Friday night last, the poor
woman had been taken to the workhouse by a policeman, who
found her in a state of destitution in the street, and he (Mr.
Hughes) instantly gave her an order for her admission to the
workhouse. He subsequently learned from her that she was a
native of Staffordshire, that the parish authorities of the place
where she resided had passed her children to either Limehouse
or Poplar,. and that they were at present at Norwood, in
Surrey. She also said that her object in coming to town from
Staffordshire was the hope of being able to see her children.
A decent looking man, whose name did not transpire, ap-
plied to the Magistrate for his assistanceio getting back a great
variety of property of which he had been robbed by a cabman
with the connivance of his wife. The applicant briefly stated
that, on going home on Tuesday night, he discovered that his
house was stripped of everything it contained, and that his wife
had also disappeared.
applicant
Cook, the gaoler, here said he recollected the
coming to this Court some months ago for advice, and it then
appeared that his wife had drawn 601. or 701. out of the
savings bank without his knowledge, and eloped with a young
man, a lodger of theirs. It also appeared that she had pur-
chased a horse and cab for her paramour out of the money,
and lived with him as his wife. The applicant, notwithstanding
this, took her back, and it seemed, from what he had been able
to learn from him outside, that she was again gone to the
cabman.
The applicant acknowledged that this was all perfectly true,
and said that the young fellow had behaved with base ingra-
titude towards him in taking away his wife and property, as he
had, in the first instance, taken him into his house from motives
of charity.
It was here discovered that the transaction took place in the
district of Worship-street, and that the goods were in the
hands of the Thames police, and the applicant was referred to
either of those Courts.
WORSHIP-STREET.
Yesterday, a famer, named Thomas Slap, resident at Hen-
don, Middlesex, attended before Mr. Bingham, the sitting ma-
gistrate, to answer a charge of cruelty, which consisted m his
allowing a horse to be used in a state wholly unfit for work of
an kind.
111 r. Thomas, secretary to the Society for the Prevention of
Cruelty to Animals, attended to prosecute the case, which was
admitted by all who witnessed it to be tine of the very worst
aver brought to this Court.
Some of tho police of the G division had been called upon
by passengers in the street to notice the miserable condition
of the horse in a cart, which bore the name of " T. Ship,
farmer, Hendon." There were two horses suffering from
very extensive sores, and one of the wretched animals had
actually fallen to the ground from excesive pain and ex-
haustion. The police took the driver into custody, and
brought him, with the suffering horses and the cart, to this
Court. Mr. Bingham, the Magistrate then sitting, could
hardly believe that auy person would be so inhuman as to em-
ploy animate in the condition then mentioned, and being in-
formed that the horses and cart were then at the door, said
he would himself go and look at them. The officers of the
Court assured him that it was a sight almost too disgusting to
look at. He went out, however, and had ocular proof that the
statement had not been overcharged. The horses had every
appearance of having been used with the harness eating into
their old sores, until they had fallen into a condition too disgust-
ing to be further described.
Mr. BINGHAM, after an examination of the driver, ordered
the farmer himself, the owner of the horses, to be brought be-
ore him.
William Hall, the carter, was now made a witness against
his master, and stated that he drove the horses from Hendon
on Monday night, and they were then in just the same con-
dition as when he was taken by the police on Tuesday.
The defendant said that he had not meant to have the horses
used until they got well, but he forgot to tell his foreman so on
Monday night. He could not deny that he had neglected to
give any directions to his servant upon the subject.
pay the highest penalty
Mr. BINGHAM said that he had never met with a worse
case since he had been on the bench as a magistrate, and he
should certainly impose the full penalty under the statute.
ionf
g4Tsoh as
afdoi defendant nandc
ih am. on washtr
se then
and
to p
ordereday alsto the costs of the proceed-
ings

THAMES POLICE,

A poor woman, named Ann Bavell, came before Mr. Bro-
derip, on Tuesday, and staled that she had been suddenly re-
duced to great distress by a calamity which had recently
befallen her. Her son, who had lately returned from sea, paid
her a visit, and she invited him to remain for a night in her
room, and made up a bed for him. During the night a box of
lucifer matches in her boy's trousers' pocket exploded, and set
fire to the bed he was sleeping on, and before either of them
awoke the flames had communicated to the furniture in the
a,l3'

.partment, and they narrowly escaped being burnt alive. The
fire was extinguished by the inmates of the dwelling, but her
little stock of furniture was destroyed or rendered useless, and
she was reduced to great distress by the accident.
Mr. BRODERIP directed Blaby, the chief usher, to make in-
quiries, and if he found the applicar.t to be a deserving person,
he would apply some of the funds of the poor-box to relieve
the case.

Yesterday Blaby reported that the facts were as stated by the
applicant, and that she was a very industrious and deserving
woman. _ . . .

Mr. BRoDERIP directed the usher to re-furnish her apart-
ment and relieve her wants, and the poor woman departed with
expressions of the most grateful acknowledgment to the magis-
trate for his kindness.