The Sun.
London, England, 1850-09-17 00:00:00

CENTRAL CRIMINAL COURT.
OLD COURT.

William Saunders surienderad to take his trial
upon the charge of stealing a purse, containing 11
sovereigns, 8 half-sovereigns, and a foreign gold coin,
the property of William Henry Aldis.
Mr. Cockle prosecuted, and Mr. Ballantine de-
fended the prisoner.
The prosecutor deposed that he was an eating-
house-keeper, carrying on business in Fore-street,
Cripplegate, and in February last the prisoner and a
female came to his shop and had some refreshment,
and his waiter subsequently told him that the pri-
soner wanted to speak to him. He shortly after-
wards had some conversation with the prisoner, who
told him that' he knew an old gentleman who wanted
to take a business of some description for his nephew,
who was entitled to a fortune of 2,0001., and he asked
him if he would be inclined to dispose of his busi-
ness. Witness told him that he should have no ob-
jection to do so if he could get money enough for it,
and he said he should require 3501. The prisoner
said that amount would be no object, and he then
arranged that he should bring " the old gentle-
man the next day to have some further con-
versation upon the subject of taking the
business. Accordingly, on the following day, the
prisoner came again, accompanied by a man named
Anderson (who was convicted at a former session),
and they adjourned to a neighbouring public -house,
where Anderson made the most minute inquisies re-
specting the business, and in the course of the conver-
sation the prisoner said, that if any arrangement was
concluded for taking it he should expect to have 101.
for introducing the " old gentleman." Anderson also
said that his nephew, for whom he wanted the busi-
ness, resided at Dover, and that he was about to be
married, and upon this witness suggested that .the
nephew should come up to town and see the nature of
the business, and whether he would like it or not ;
but Anderson in reply said that it all rested with him
and his aunt. Another appointment was then made
for the following Monday, at the Albion public-house,
in the Blackfriars-road, and after he had been there
a short time the prisoner came in, and he produced a
letter from the pretended nephew at Dover, and read
from it to the following effect
" Dear Uncle,—l am pleased that you have taken
the business for me. I should not like any business
so well as that of an eating-house. I have mentioned
the matter to my intended, Miss Watson, and she is
quite agreeable also."
The prisoner then said that the nephew could Mot get
up to town that day, but it was all right; and shortly
afterwards Anderson came in, and he said that since
he had received the letter from his nephew, his niece
had come up for the purpose of buying the wadding
dress, and his nephew would be up by the seven
o'clock train. Anderson then said he could not stop
any longer at that time, but he would meet bite at
the same place at seven o'clock in the evening. At
that time he saw Anderson again, and they convenled
together upon the subject of the business for about
half an hour, when Saunders and another man join ed
them, and in a short time a man came in, and a sixth
man entered the room at the same time and sat down
by him. The first man then began to talk a parcel
of nonsense, and eventually challenged any ono in the
room to throw a weight with him for a wager, and
Saunders said he would do so, end during the
conversation the man pulled from his pocket
what appeared to be a number of sovereigns,
and he said he had been selling some
cows for his mother. They all then went to -a beer-
shop in Webber-row, where Saunders an d the
drunken man played at skittles, and the former ap-
psared to win a considerable sum of money. When
this had b-en going on some time, Saunders asked
him to play with him, observing that he might as well
have 51. of bis money as not. Witness reused to
play, and told the prisoner that if he played w.th any
one, it should be a sober man who knew what he was
about. The play continued for some time, and at
length all the parties began "larking," and got round
him, and trod on his toes, and pushed him, and he saw
his purse in the prisoner's hand, and immediately
afterwards he and Anderson, and two of the °tie er men
left the skittle-ground, and the sixth man st sod in
front of him, and hindered him from following them,
and told him he would take them where he could find
them, and haaccompanied him to two or three public-
houses in the Blackfriars-road for that purpoua He
subsequently went to the skittle-ground, accorn panied
by a police sergeant, and upon making a search he
found his purse, emptied of its contents, tucked in
behind some boards.

The prosecutor was cross-examined at some length
by Mr. BALLANTINE, and it appeared that the pri-
soner had undergone two examinations before the
magistrates upon the charge, and that he was, even-
tually set at liberty, and a bill was then preferred
against him, jointly with Anderson, before the: grand
jury. It also appeared that the prisoner had given
notice to the prosecutor of his intention to app ear and
take his trial, and that when he was made a•Nare in
the first instance that the prosecutor charged Urn with
being concerned in the robbery, he went to his house,
accompanied by a policeman, and asked him 'now he
dared to make such a charge against him, and 'that, if
there was any foundation for it, he had bettor give
him into custody.
Mr. BALLANTINE made an ingenious defence for
the prisoner, and contended that there was not suffi-
cient evidence to connect him with the robbery, and
he called three or four witnesses, who gave him a
good character, and represented that he got his living
in a respectable manner. _ _ _

The COMMON SERGEANT summed up, and the jury,
after some considerable deliberation, said they th ought
there was a good deal of suspicion in the case; but, as
there appeared to be some doubt, they would give the
prisoner the benefit of it, and they then returned a
verdict of Not Guilty.

NEW COURT.
(Before Mr. RUSSELL GURNEY.)

William Derbyshire, 19, upholsterer, and George
Derbyshire, 23, upholsterer, pleaded guilty to an in-
dictment for obtaining goods by false pretences from
several tradesmen, amounting in value to above 1001.
Mr. Clarkson appeared for the prisoners.
It appeared that the prisoners, who had a shop at
Hammersmith, in May last, went to a Mr. Bradbeer,
of the Curtain-road, and a Mr. Cutbill, of Holywell-
street, Shoreditch, and representing that they had
some gentlemen's houses to furnish, obtained some
tables, chairs, and other articles of furniture to a
large amount, for which they gave bills, and no
sooner had they been obtained than' they were sent
to an auction-room, and the prisoners left the shop.
Mr. CLARKSON, on behalf of the prisoners, urged
in mitigation of sentence the prisoners' preiious.good
character and their distressed circumstances when the
offence was committed.

Mr. GURNEY said the case was a very proper one
to prosecute, but as the prisoners had pleaded guilty,
and had already been two months in prison, the sen-
tence would be comparatively slight. They were
then sentenced to four months imprisonment.
The cases tried during the day were quite devoid
of interest.

POLICE INTELLIGENCE.
MANSION-HOUSE.

A cabman, named John Smith, was brought before
Alderman Gibbs, charged with having refused to
convey Mr. Nicholls, of Bethlehem Hospital, under
the following circumstances.
The defendant had not paid the slightest attention
to two summonses which had been served upon him,
calling upon him to answer the complaint, and was
therefore taken into custody for the offence.

Mr. Nicholls said—On Tuesday last I went to the
cab-stand in Lower Thames-street, upon landing from
a steam-vessel, and getting into a disengaged cab, of
which the defendant was the driver, desired him to
drive me to Bethlehem Hospital. " What are you
going to give me for carrying you ?" said he,to me.
That you shall know," said I, " when you have
arrived at your destination." He then said if I did
not bargain to give him half-a-crown he would not
take me, as he had been all day without a job. The fare
is not more than is., or at most ls. 4d. I expostulated
with him, but it was useless. 'He refused positively
to drive me for less than that sum, and I have no
doubt would have insisted upon receiving the half-
crown at once, if I had yielded to the extortion. I
got out, of course, and insisted upon seeing his badge,
and I asked him three times to let me look at it,
before he opened the lower part of his waistcoat to
show it to me.

Alderman GlBBS—These are two serious charges
against you, defendant. What have you to say ?
Defendant—ln the first place as to my badge, I
always wear it 23 I do now, on the third button, so
that everybody as likes may look at it. So he's wrong
there. Then, as to my refusing to take him, there
was a gentleman called four of us cabs at one moment,
and in went the complainant into mine. So I told
the gentleman as civil as could be that I was hired,
and I begged of him to come out, as I had been with-
out a job all day, and I expected to get better paid by
the other party. Well, he did get out, and then he
took the number of my cab.
Mr. Nicholls said that not one word of what bad
just been stated had been uttered upon the occasion,
and that if such an appeal had been made to him, it
would have undoubtedly succeeded, provided there
had been any foundation for it.
Alderman Guns—This is an increasing evil. The
moment a cabman finds that he has but a short way
to go he refuses to stir, because his chance of impos-
ing upon his customer is not so tempting as a long
fare would present. The defendant in treating my
summons with contempt meant to weary out the gen-
tleman whom he refusel to carry, and he concealed
his badge with the view of adding to the difficulty of
arriving at a satisfactory issue. I must try wbat I
can do to prevent such outrageous conduct, and fine
the defendant 405., or one month's imprisonment in
Bridewell.
Mr. Joseph Paragweicua, a foreigner, was brought

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