The Sun.
London, England, 1868-04-25 00:00:00

LAW AND POLICE.

THE " ST. STEPHEN'S" MAGAZINE. —ln the Court of Ex-
chequer, before Mr. Baron Channell, the case of Bennett
v. Lewis was resumed. The plaintiff, a printer, sued the
defendant for £2OO. The defendant paid £l4O into court,
and alleged that that was a sufficient sum, as the magazine
was badly printed, and there was so great a delay in
getting it out the, instead of appearing on the Saturday
it was impossible to place it in the hands of the public
before Tuesday. The jury returned a verdict for the
plaintiff for £5l beyond the amount paid into court.

THE CASE OF SCALDING IN A CONVENT. —The charge
against a pupil teacher at a convent in Pimlico, for scald-
ing a child under three years old, has been tried at the
Middlesex Sessions. The defence of the accused, that
she placed the child at the edge of the copper to frighten
it, and had not the least idea or intention of its getting
into the boiling water, was accepted by the jury, who re-
turned a verdict of not guilty. The judge, in discharging the
prisoner, very properly reprimanded her for adopting such
a dangerous mode of punishing infants of 'so tender an
age.

EXTENSIVE ROBBERY OF TEA. —At the Middlesex Ses-
sions William Tilly, 27, and Bernard Craven, 34, were
charged with stealing 2001 b. weight of tea, value £4O, the
property of David Cruttenden, from a barge called the
Rosa, lying in the River T;iames. On the Ist of April a
quantity of tea was stolen from the barge in question.
About seven o'clock on the morning of the 2nd Tilly and
another hired a cart in Shadwell from a man named Fearn,
who sent one of his own men with it. By direction of
the hirers this latter man drove the cart to Millwall,
where the tea was loaded -nto it, Tilly being one of
those assisting to load the cart. A witness, named Collings,
a fireman, saw four men on land and two in a boat un-
loading something from the boat and taking it to the cart,
Craven being one of them, and at once give information to
the police. Craven was taken into custody the same day,
and made no answer to the charge. Tilly denied having
been near Shadwell on the morning in question, or having
hired a cart there. The jury returned a verdict of guilty
against both prisoners. Several previous convictions were
proved against Craven. Tilly was known as a companion

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of thieves. The Assistant-Judge sentenced Tilly to
eighteen months' imprisonment, with hard labour, and
Craven to seven years' penal servitude. _

FRIED DT A FIIIENDLY SOCIETY'S OFFICEItS.-At the
Worship-street Police court, Robert Welton, described as
a stonemason, was charged with embezzling certain sums
of money, the property of John Willis and others. It
seemed that the prisoner was elected secretary of a society
called the Friendly Society of Operative Stonemasons, and
for performing that office received a salary of 30s. quar-
terly. Richard llarlott, general secretary of the society,
stated that in April 1867 he was with the committee at
Bradford and Dolton, and an account (produced) was sent
to him by the prisoner in April 1867. It bore no entry of
any money having been sent to him on the 9th of April,
and he had not received any money from the Shore-
ditch branch of the society on the 9th of April.
He did not receive £5 on the 18th of June, as was
stated in the fortnightly account sent to him. In
consequence of not having received such money he
wrote to the prisoner respecting it, but he did not
receive any reply. The accused was remanded.—
William Ilockie, the treasurer of the same society, was
also charged with embenlement. James Wilks deposed
that prisoner was elected treasurer in May 1866, and his
duty as such treasurer was to keep a cheque-book and a
cash-book. The cheque-book should contain the entries
of all moneys paid by the members. The prisoner, as
treasurer, had a key of the cash-box, and Welton, the
secretary, had another key. Witness had seen it pro-
duced at the meetings, and had seen prisoner put in and
take out money, but on the 4th of March, after the
prisoner was discharged in consequence of some dis-
coveries made, the box was broken open, but no money
was found in it. He was also remanded.

THE BANKRUPTCY OF SIR MORTON PETo.—Before Vice-
Chancellor Stuart, the case of Fielding v. Goschen and
others came on for trial. In this case a motion was made,
which was in terms to dismiss the bill in the suit for want
of prosecution, but substantially for an order that the
assignees of Sir Morton Peto might be made parties to it.
The snit related to certain foreign concessions in which Sir
Morton Peto was interested. He was a defendant to the
suit, and had put in an answer to the bill, after which he
bad been declared a bankrupt. The plaintiffs had since
filed a replication in the cause, which it was now said must
be taken off the file for irregularity; and, further it was
contended that Sir Morton Peto's interest in ..he suit
having vested in his assignees, they, rnd not be, •vere the
proper parties to it. The Vice-Chancellor mad- :in order
directing the assignees to he added as parties ti, the suit
by a supplemental bill within one month from tliiB time,
and that the costs of the motion should be costs in the