The Sun.
London, England, 1857-02-10 00:00:00

LAW INTELLIGENCE.-._Feb. 9.

COURT OF COMMON PLEAS.
LING V. CROKER-THE CRIM. CON. CASE.
At the sitting of the Court, Mr. F. I. Smith, on behalf
of the plaintiff, applied that the letters which had been
produced by the defendant's counsel should be impounded ;
but the Chief Justice said the application had better be
made to Mr. Justice Willes, in his private room. Subse-
quently, his lordship said that ho had consulted Mr. Jus-
tice Willes, and the, letters must remain in the hands of
the Associate, to await an application that might be made
on additional watorials.

COURT OF EXCHEQUER.
(Before the Lord Chief Baron and a Special Jury.)
_ CRISP V. SIR R. GILL.

This was an action, brought by the plaintiff, for slander,
the defence was, the words uttered were true: • -
Mr. Slado and Mr. Sanders appearedfor the plaintiff, and
Mr. Edwin James and Dar. Powell for the defence.
The plaintiff was a butcher, at Bath, and the defendant,
while on a visit to that town on the 16th of July, 1356,
bought some meat at the plaintiff's shop, amongst which
was a piece of neck of mutton, for which the defendant
paid, amounting to 18s. 91d. The meat purchased was
wrapped np in a clean cloth, and carried to his own car-
riage in his presence. Some days after the defendant called
anwd'its nit, `he presence of swami cuts-
' I meant to have been a
taotmthoresp, lmaiandteiffu'sseshop,
the orof
customer to your shop again: had you not taken upon your-
self to change my meat; you:extracted the lamb I bought
and put in a piece of mutton which I could note est.". The
defendant was told by the plaintiff's wife he had bought
mutton and not lamb, upon which he vralked -out of the
shop. The plaintiff met the defendant and csonuelaiated of
the manner in which he had endeavoured to rak2 away
his character, when the defendant used the gross aspres
eion, "D— you and your character as well," and it turned
out that he had followed the defendant to the public li-
brary ant abused him, saying, "If he called himself a
gentleman he was ashamed of it,"

During the trial some observations were made by the
learned counsel with regard to duelling. He said when a
man is insulted a duel would take place. -
The Lord Chief Baron said ho believed those days were
gone by, and it was an honour to the country it was so.
Mr. Slade said in former times a man who refused to
apologise for his impertinence was soundly horsewhipped„
Mr. Edwin James addressed the jary'for the defendant,
urging that the defendant was justified in the course he
had pursued. The publication of the slander complained
of Lad been done by the plaintiff himself by his abasing
him in the public library.
The Lord Chief Baron, in summing up, said if the defend-
ant used the words complained of bona fide, the defendant
was entitled to a verdict; on the other hand, if he ha I
acted maliciously, the plaintiff was entitled to a verdict.
The jury having retired, after an absence of three quar-
ters of an hour, returned a verdict for the defendant,
expressing a wish that each party ought to pay his own
costs.

The learned judge said the jury had nothing to do with
costs.

Verdict for defendant,

The other cases disposed of during the day presented no
Feature of real public interest.

POLICE INTELLIGENCE—Feb. 9.

MANSION-HOUSE. ALLEGED DIPROFER INTER-
FERENCE OF THE POLICE.—A gentleman whose name did
not transpire, complained to Mr, Alderman Wilson (who
sat for the Lord Mayor), of the interference of the police in
what he consith red to be an unjustifiable manner. He
stated that on Satur !ay evening, being on ,eLween his to
a
the
dinner party, he stopped in the ()poispat© o
space
Royal Exchange and Exchat ge-buildings, for the purpose
of having his boots cleaned, as there were several boys with
their brushes standing there. Just as ono of his boots was
finished, however, a policeman came up, who compelled all
the boys to move off, notwithstanding his remonstrances ;
and although one of the boys offered to cleanse the other
boot if complainant would go with him down a neighbour-
ing court, the policeman would not allow him to do so,
and complainant consequently was compelled to go away
with one boot clean and one ditty, which made him look
perfectly ridiculous. There was, he conceived, no grounds
for the policeman's interference, as the boys were stationed
on an open space where they offered no obstruction to
public traffic.
Alderman Wilson—Certainly not. Whore is the in-
spector ? Why was this boy sent away ?
Inspector Scott—The boys belonging to the schools are
allowed to stand there till four o'clock. Out of these other
boys some turn out to bo thieves occasionally, and so we
do not allow them to stand:
Alderman Wilson—That is just what they and I corn-
plain of. These boys try to earn an honest penny, but you
will not allow them to do so, and compel them to become
thieves. Ido not see why they should not be allowed to
clean boots in the streets as well as the Brigade boys; and
at all events, they might be allowed after six o'clock, when
did not; ler when I complained,
the Brigade boys are gone away. (To complainant)—Did
yocuetmakpeiatihneaatN
policeman'se,
Id
he told me I had better come here, as he was only carry-
ing out his instructions.
Alderman Wilson—There have been no such orders is-
sued from this Court, and even if a boy has just come out
of Holloway, that is no reason why he should not be al-
lowed to get his bread honestly in this way, and I think it
is exceedingly improper to prevent them. Has there been
a case of this kind before ?
Mr. Goodman (chief clerk)--No; this is the first case of
the kind.
Alderman Wilson—Well, I should like to see the police-
man, to tell him that when a boy is getting an honest liv-
ing, without obstructing any public thoroughfare, it is very
hard that he should be interfered with; and in this case
the matter is made worse, because it seems he actually
compelled a gentleman to go to a dinner party with one
boot cleaned and one dirty.
Inspector Scott—But these boys often get together in
groups of five or six, and then when a gentleman stops to
have his boots cleaned they sometimes pick his pocket of
his handkerchief.
Alderman Wilson—That is tt e gentleman's look-out.
Inspector Scott—l don't say that this boy was a thief,
but some of them are.
Alderman Wilson—Well, that is no reason why you
should punish those who are not. I am quite certain the
Lord Mayor has not issued such orders to the police, and
, after the
if the Police Commissioner has done so I should like you
to tell him what I have said.
Theinspector
complainant Scottsaid
then
h e wwoiutlhdd certainlyrew d°
thankings
alderman for his courtesy.

fifteenn am ed
months GeorgeGeorge
employed
Edward Selby, who
BOW-STREET.—POST-OFFICE ROBBERY,—A boy of
as sho, pboy
by Mr. Palmer, bookseller, and Post-office reeeivin ___
g house-
keeper, Lamb's Conduit-street, was brought before Mr.
Jardine, charged with stealing a registered letter contain-
habaodubtern yfoerarathoef alagset,
ing a half sovereign and 4s. in silver.
It appeared that on Saturday, at one o'clock, a parcel of
letters from Mr. Palmer's receiving-house reached. the Ge-
neral Post-office in the ordinary - course, and with a letter-
bill in the ordinary form ; . but in this letter-bill there ap-
peared an entry of one registered letter, which was not to
be found in the bundle. Another letter, not registered,
but apparently containing money, was wrapped in the bill.
Mr. Cole, inspector of letter-carriers, was instructed to
inquire into the matter, and found that the missincY letter
had been made up and registered by Mrs. Palmer, who was
very positive that it was safely wrapped up in the bill,
and placed in the bundle, which lay on the post-shelf till
the collector called for it. She had teen assisted to make
up the bundle by the prisoner. Mr. Cole, suspecting that
a child of 12 years of age was not unlikely to yield to such
a temptation, went in search of the prisoner, whom he
found at his father's house. The boy at first denied, but,
on being_ pressed, acknowledged that he had stolen the
letter. He bad been desired byMrs. P. to clear the box and
face up. the letters— i. e., place theniwith the face or super-
saription upwards. He did so, counted them, and told Mrs.
P. the number-13. Mrs. P. made out the bill, wrapped the
registered letter in it, and tied them up in thebundle. After
he had laid it on the post counter lie abstracted the re.