The Sun.
London, England, 1868-07-06 00:00:00

CHARGE OF PERJURY.

A showily-dressed young woman, named Stagg,
surrendered to an indictment charging her with
having committed perjury.
The prisoner had, it appeared, been intimate, it
was stated, with a man named Stevens,
and she had taken proceedings against
him for the support of the, infant, of
which she said be was the father. The prose-
cutrix said the prisoner came to her and asked her
to swear that she had seen Stevens in her bedroom.
This the prosecutrix said she could not do, as it
was not true, when the prisoner turned round and

IA 1 that she would not swear that she had seen
Stavens in her (prosecutrix's) room. On the hearing
of the summons the prisoner was asked if she had not
made use of the threat to the prosecutrix, when she
swore she did not. The prosecutrix having corro-
borative evidence that the prisoner had made use
of the threat the present trial was the result.
Mr Lewis made a strong appeal for the prisoner,
and the jury, after a short deliberation, returned a
verdict of not guilty.
CHARGE OF ARSON.

The grand jury ignored the bill of indictment
preferred against William Norman for feloniously
and maliciously setting fire to his dwelling-house,
divers persons being therein.

Ihe trial of the two lads named Smith for the
murderous assault on Mrs. Nunn will in all proba-

bility take place on Wednesday,and that of Madame
Rachel on the following day.

LORD SHAFTESBURY AND HIS STEWARD.

Mr. Green applied to the court to allow the
recognisances of the Earl of Shaftesbury and also
those of the defendant to be discharged, intimating
at the same time that it was not the intention of the
prosecution to proceed any further with the
charge of embezzlement.—The Recorder, who ap-
peared surprised at the application, said at present
he certainly did not feel justified in acceding to the
request, and the matter must be brought before the
judges later in the session.

POLICE INTELLIGENCE.--THIS DAY.

MARLBOROUGH-STREET.

STREET PREACHING NUISANCE.—Two rough-
looking men,
named John Ferguson and Michael
Healey, were charged before Mr. Tyrwhitt with
drunk and disorderly conduct.
Benstead \\rebb, 112 C, said that at half-past 8
the previous night, he was at the corner of Thomas-
street, Oxford-street, where a crowd had assembled,
in consequence of a man preaching, when he saw
the two prisoners, who had walked from the Victory
public-house, and who were both drunk, force
their way into the crowd. Ferguson took off his
hat, and every time the preacher waved his hand
Ferguson imitated him by waving his hat, which
caused a great disturbance, and he had to take the
prisoners into custody with assistance.
Mr. Alfred Park Philpott, of No. 12, Edward-
street,
Portman-square, said that last night he ,
was passing along Oxford-street with his wife, and,
seeing a crowd collected in Thomas-street, ho
went up to ascertain the cause, when he found a
man was preaching, and, after being there about
two minutes, the prisoners went into the crowd,
and the police came up and told them to move on,
and 46 C took hold of one, 'and the other ran
away, and was caught by 112 C, and both of them
were taken into custody, but there was not the
slightest cause for doing so. He asked the police
why they took the prisoners, and they told him
to mind his own business ; and on his following to
the station the police said that if he did so they
would take him too. On the way to the station 46
C threw Ferguson, and the police behaved very
roughly to him. The prisoners were not drunk,
though they might, and probably were, sinful
people, and were of the class of people the preacher
might benefit.
Inspector Harrison said there were three gen-
tlemen present to support the police.
Mr. Henry Mitchell, of No. 168, Oxford-street,
opposite Thomas-street, said that yesterday even-
ing he heard a noise as usual on Sunday evening—
a sort of howling of a man's monstrous voice, he
more generally talking between two and three
hours, causing him to feel quite nervous. After
enduring the annoyance for several Sunday even-
ings he went down yesterday evening and asked
him to lower his voice. Seeing the police there,
he asked them if they could not remove the
preacher, and they said they could not, but that
they would report his complaint. The two prisoners
then came across the road and forced their way into
the crowd, and got in front of the preacher and
imitated him, and then there was a good deal of
excitement and the police removed the prisoners.
He had attended the court in the hope that some-
thing might be done to remove the nuisance.
Mr. Adrian Blaiser, of No. 5, Duke-street,
Grosvenor-square, said that he stopped a short time
to hear the preacher, and saw the two prisoners
came from the Victory publichouse, both of them
being intoxicated, but one more than the other, to
the other side. They then forced their way into
the crowd, and as soon as they got in made a row
by imitating the preacher's movements. The police
took them into custody, and then Mr. Philpott in-
terfered, and as soon as Ferguson found that.some
one was interfering in his behalf he became very

violent, though he had previously gone quietly.
The police said they would not hol I Ferguson so
tightly if he would go quietly, and Le did so, but
on Mr. Philpott again interfering, Le became vio-
lent again. He (witness) got assistmace for the
police, and saw them do no more than. necessary to
take the prisoner to the station.

Inspector Harrison said the }colic e had a great
deal of trouble in such cases througl persons inter-
fering who knew nothing about the matter.
Police-constable Loosley, 4G C„ said that he was
obliged to be a little rough with. Ferguson, as he
tried to choke him. It was all through Mr. Phil-
pott interference that Fergusion became violent,
and he would have gone quietly r had he not
done so.

Mr. James Hollis, of No. 283, Oxford-street,
complained of the great annoyance h. ?, had received,
in common with other inhabitants of .Oxford-street,
and said that he coull not on Suni.ay evenings oc-
cupy any of his rooms in comfort.
Tyrwhitt said it all arose from the preacher,
who howled forth and attracted peo7le who had
nothing better to do. Preaching was alp` ays tolerated
till it created an obstruction, and when. it did
so, it should be swept away, preachers and all,
by the police. There was no doubt that tl a preacher
had caused all the mischief in the presenu case. He
had no doubt, what between the howl rag of the
preacher and the bawling of the persons. collected,
it was a great nuisance, and was a goocli reason for
the police interfering. He believed bn.t for the un-
necessary interference of the witness (Philpott) the
p risoners would have gone quietly to the station,
the prisoners, taking advantage of his interference
on their behalf, most unnecessarily so, as he (Mr.
Tyrwhitt) thought. He did not believe the police
had illtreated the prisoners. He should discharge
Healey, and fine Ferguson ss.