The Sun.
London, England, 1868-01-10 00:00:00

LAW AND POLICE.

TIMM mg CREDIBILITY OF A WITNESS. —At the
MiddleseX Sessions, two men took their trial, before Me
Payne, on a charge of robbery from the shop of a photo:.
grapher named Daniel Brown. The principal witness
against them was the photographer's wife, who entered
the shop as they were making off with the stolen pro-
perty. The defence was concluded, and the jury
were about considering their verdict, when Mr.
Ribton, who defended the prisoners, asked leave to
re-examine the lady, as he had only just received
very material information. This was granted,
and Mr. Ribton then put a few questions to Mrs.
Brown, which drew from her the statement that, on the
day following the explosion at Clerkenwell, she saw near
the Broad.street station four men with bags, from which
were produced pistols, revolvers, ammunition, and bsttles
of liquid." This information bad been offered to the
police, but as they had not thought proper to use it, Mr.
Ribton submitted that the veracity of the witness was, at
least, a matter of doubt. The jury, however, convicted
one of the men and acquitted the other.
THE CLERKENWELL EXPLOSION FUND.—ALLEGED
SWINDLING.—At the Mansion House, Edward Foxwell
was charged with obtaining money under false pretencea,
and with intent to cheat and defraud. It appeared that
the defendant, being employedjto write an account of the
recent municipal elections in the City of London, for the
City Press, became thus acquainted with several promi-
nent gentlemen. He used this acquaintance to solicit
subscriptions on behalf of the City Press Relief Fund for
the Clerkenwell sufferers. There was no such fund, and
the prisoner had given no account of the moneys received.
The defence, as far as any was made, was that the defen-
dant meant at some future time to pay in the money
towards the fund. He was, however, committed for trial.
ALLEGED CRUELTY TO A PARISH Giae.--At the Wands-
worth Police-court, Mr. Wales, one of the relieving
officers of the Greenwich Union, applied for a summons
against a mistress for ill-using a servant girl. He stated
that the guardians had placed a parish girl with a lady
residing at Battersea. The girl, who was 15 years of age,
stayed in the place nine months, but returned the other
day in the same clothes given her by the guardians, in a
dirty condition, and covered with bruises. She said her
mistress had ill-treated her. The magistrate asked if
there was corroborative evidence, and, being answered in
the negative, said it should be obtained before a summons
was taken out.
PROCEEDINGS UNDER THE FACTORY ACT AT LONGTON.
—The magistrates at Longton have been occupied in
hearing several cases under the Factory Act. In the first
case Messrs. Sampson, Bridgwood, and Sons, manufac-
turers, were charged with employing a child, named Fanny
Boughey, without having obtained a certificate from the
schoolmaster that the child had attended school the pre
vious week, as required by the Act. It appeared, how-
ever, that, though the defendants had not received,
the child had obtained a certificate, and it shewed
that she had attended school very regularly. The
magistrates, on hearing this, dismissed the case.
Several other cases were remanded, because the
child, in each case, had been employed by a workman and
not by the defendants. Defeudants were then further
charged with not keeping an alphabetical index of the
names of all the children and young persons employed, as
required by the Act. The magistrates, after some con-
sideration, ruled that this provision was not compulsory,
and no penalty was attached to the provision, which was
simply directory. The case was therefore dismissed.
PIRATING PUOTOGRAPHS.—At the Birmingham Police-
court a man named Robson, a wholesale photographer,
carrying on business at the Green Lanes, near Birming-
ham, was summoned by Messrs. Graves, of London, on a
charge of pirating registered photographs. Having reason
to suppose that pirated copies of their photographs were
being disposed of wholesale, Messrs. Graves sent a young
man named Cattermole to Birmingham. On the pretence
of desiring to purchase, he got introduced to Robson, who
sold him copies of several pictures the property of Mr.
Graves. The defence set up was that the pictures sold
were photographs of engravings, not copies of the com-
plainants' photographs. The bench, however, were satis-
fied with the evidence for the prosecution, and fined the
defendant 265—that is, 25 each in thirteen cases—with
the option of going to prison for twenty-six months.
CHARGE OF ARSON AGAINST A SERVANT GIRL.—At
Barnsley, a girl, named Mary Gargill, has been charged
with setting fire to two bed-rooms in the house of her
mistress. Miss Victoria Howson said that she resided with
her mother, who had a farm at Wombwell, and onSunday,
the 29th of December, she was left at home with the pri-
soner, who was their servant, whilst the other members of
the family went to church in the evening. Shortly after
the family had gone she heard a crash, and went out and
got several neighbours to return with her. On returning
they saw a light in two of the rooms. Several other wit-
nesses were called, who stated that on going upstairs they
found the beds in two of the rooms on fin. The prisoner
carried up water, and did all she could to put out the fire.
She was committed for trial.
THE SELF-ACCUSATION OF MURDER. -At Wigan,
Thomas Harrison, or Horrocks, of Manchester, who made
the confession, on Sunday evening, at the theatre, of
having murdered his wife, has again been brought up for
examination. Mr. Chief-constable Simm stated that he
had made inquiries into the matter. The result was that
it was found the prisoner, who appears to be a religious
monomaniac, had a wife and five children living in a state
of the greatest destitution in Manchester, and was in the
habit of leaving them in the most abject poverty whilst he
roamed about the country "preaching and lecturing•
His worship, in discharging the prisoner, recommended
him to go home and support his family decently, and the
fellow assented. He was thereupon set at liberty, and at
once left the town.

The Lord Provost of Glasgow has resigned the
office of vice-chairman of the Glasgow and South-Western
Railway. _

HER MAJESTY'S THEATRE.—The reconstruction
of Her Majesty's Theatre has already commenced. The
foundations of the old building are being cleared out to
make way for the new structure, which, it is said, will
covver the whole space extending between Charles street
on the north, Pall-mall on the south, and the Haymarket
and Waterloo-place respectively east and west. Every
effort will be made to construct a sumptuous opera-house,
which shall be the boast of Europe for its completeness as
regards operatic requirements and security as regards the
safety of the public.

FIRE AT MILLWALL. —A destructive fire broke
out on Thursday morning at Millwall. It originated in
the extensive works carried on by Messrs. Pontifex and
Wood, whitelead manufacturers, which had a river
frontage of several hundred feet, the premises
covering a large area. The flames spread with
terrible fury, and ascended high into the air,
lighting up all the shipping in the river and docks.
By the time the fire-engines reached the spot the greater
portion of the works were in flames. Three of the brigade
land steam-engines were at once brought into active play,
and on the arrival of the steam floating-engine from South-
wark Bridge it was moored alongside the wharf, and its
hose was conveyed ashore to the burning buildings. It
was not till nearly five o'clock that the fire was extin
guished. Captain Shaw gave in his official report :
" The whitelead works of two floors high, 200 ft. long, and
60ft. wide, about two-thirds destroyed, the engine-house
nearly burned out, and the roof of boiler-house damaged
by fire." The extent of insurances on the works destroyed
are at present unknown.

- _
FLIGHT OF THE LIVERPOOL " HE..4J) CENTRE" TO
AMERICA.—Several weeks since a man named Chambers
was arrested in Liverpool on suspicion of being concerned
in the murder of Sergeant Brett at Manchester. The
arrest was regarded by the police as of an important
character, as Chambers was looked upon as one of the
most dangerous men the police had to contend with in
connection with Fenianism. After his arrest in Liverpool
he was conveyed to Manchester, and, with others, was
brought before Mr. Fowler, but the evidence against him
was so incomplete that he was discharged from custody,
and went back to Liverpool. On his return he visited his
old haunts, and though the police knew that he was the
"moving spirit " in local Fenianism, they were unable to
bring direct and conclusive charges against him. A strict
surveillance, however, surrounded him, and, finding, pro-
bably, that under existing circumstances he could not well
promulgate his republican ideas, he left the Mersey a few
days since for America.
THE ROYAL VISIT TO LIVERPOOL.—The ball given
by the Mayor of Liverpool to the Royal visitors at Knows-
ley was on a scale of unusual splendour. The preparati ar6
were most elaborate. The Town Hail contains a magni ti•
cent suite of rooms, including a fine ballroom, but on t:.i3
occasion a temporary corridor had been erected communi-
cating with the New Exchange News-room, which is ad•
mirably adapted for occasions of this kind. The room is
of large dimensions—it is square in form, lofty, and
surmounted by a beautiful dome, the effect of which, when
lighted up, is extremely fine. In fact, it formed a ball-
room which, for available space for dancing and general
accessories, is • not often equalled. One of the galleries
overlooking the main hall had been fitted up as a drawinc,
room for the especial use of the Royal party, and a
beautiful dais had likewise been erected for their accom-
modation on the south side of the ballroom. The suite of
rooms in the Town Hall was set aside for receptions,
drawing-rooms, and refreshments. The Royal party con-
sisted of Prince Arthur, Prince and Princess Christian,
Princess Henriette of Schleswig-Holstein and suite, and
a number of other distinguished guests from Knowsley.
They arrived shortly after ten o'clock, and were received
by the Mayor. There was an exceedingly large attendance.
The invitations issuea.numbeie_l nearly