The Sun.
London, England, 1844-09-16 00:00:00

CLERKENWELL.

A few days ago a woman named Stephens was
charged at this Court with presenting a begging
letter to Inspector Barton, of the G division, who
took her and her two children under his care, with a
view to benefit them in case the distress which she
pretended to be labouring under was founded in fact.
On the following day she and her children were in-
troduced to Mr. Combe, and her tale exciting much
sympathy, she was given over to the charge of the
parish officers of Islington, that a full investigation
into all the circumstances detailed in her begging
letter might be made. The case, as one of distress,
was duly inserted in the morning papers, and fairly
represented, and as is usual in such matters,
the eyes of many benevolent individuals were
drawn thereto, and subscriptions to be applied to
her use have been sent anonymously to Mr.
Combe. One sum of 51., from D. N., is requested to
be acknowledged as received in the newspapers ; but
the humane donor will, on application to the above
worthy Magistrate, receive that sum back again, or
cause it to be appropriated to a better purpose, it
having been ascertained beyond doubt that the
woman is utterly undeserving of protection—that she
was drunk when her husband died, and that she has
been a disgrace and outcast of society, deceiving every
one that would befriend her ever since.

Mr. COMBE, in a feeling address to the defendant,
said that he would not, if he could avoid it, have any-
thing more to do with her, and left her with Mr.
Hicks, the relieving overseer of Islington, to be passed
to her own parish, believed to be Whitechapel.
On Saturday Mr. John Nicholls, a gas-fitter, re-
siding at 14, Leather-lane, was charged on an infor-
mation with having defrauded the City of London
Gaslight and Coke Company. The information was
founded on the 57th of George 111., c. 23, sec. 17.
The penalty was laid at 201., and 1/. for every day
during which it should be proved the fraud existed.
The Court was crowded with professional and other
gentlemen, and much interest was manifested in the
proceedings. Mr. HaW96, father of the Hon. Mem-
ber for Lambeth, was on the bench.
Mr. Clarkson was for the prosecution, and Mr.
Charnock appeared as counsel for the defence.
Mr. Clarkson said he had been informed that a sys-
tem had been resorted to of late, in order to defraud
gas companies, which was so ingenious in its nature,
and so difficult of detection, that if not at once put a
stop to, they would be ruined in a very short time.
There were two modes of supplying gas, one by con-
tract and the other by meter. Public-houses were
generally supplied by the latter. Now, it was mani-
fest that if by any means the gas could be turned
from passing through the meter, the Company had
no means whatever of knowing how much had been
consumed.
The gas-meter was then placed on the table and its
construction explained, which was necessary to under-
stand the alleged offence. Two tubes communicated
with it, the one conducting the gas from the main
pipe into it, whence by machinery the number of
cubical feet of gas was told on the index outside. The
other tube conveyed the gas away from the meter and
ramified it into miaor ones, distributing the gas all
over the establishment. In fact, it was in some re-
spects like the human heart, supposing the first-men-
tioned tube to be the pulmonary artery, and the latter
the aorta. The fraud was alleged to have been com-
mitted by cutting away portions of both tubes so as
to prevent communication with the meter, and placing
between them a short tube which communicated with
both, lying on the top of the meter. The tube is
called a " Jerry."
The first witness called was Mr. E. Newbold. He
deposed that, in April last, he kept the Coach and
Horses beershop in Cross-street, Ilatton-garden, and
subsequently the Grapes, in Smithfield. On Saturday,
the 23d of March, a few days before he became land-
lord of the Coach and Horses, the defendant was intro-
duced to him, by a man named Sullivan, as a gas-fitter.
The defendant came on the 28th, but the meter and
pipes had been then erected, and the inspector of the
gas-works had been there. Defendant went down to the
cellar where the meter was, and returning after some
time told witness it would be all right, and that the pipes
and meter wanted to have a little job done to them,
which he would do, " but it must be taken into ac-
count." The defendant came a few days after, and
having been in the cellar for some time, came back,
saying he would complete the little job with the pipes.
Witness went out, and on coming home in the even-
ing saw in the cellar Hammond, the prisoner's ap-
prentice. The next day Nicholls came again, ob-
tained a candle, went down to the cellar, and when
he came up told witness he had now done the little
job, and that it was all right. The day after he came
again, and asked witness how the gas burned ? Wit-
ness answered very well. He then asked if he had
looked at the meter. Witness said he knew no more
about the meter than the meter did about him. He
said "Just go and look at it." Witness did go and
look at it, and saw the jerry. On returning, witness
said, " What the d-1 is that you have got there, the
gas does not go into the meter at all ?" Nicholls said
" Never mind, it is
all right." Witness said he
wanted an explanation, but he left and gave none.
When prisoner went away witness took off the jerry
and made the pipes communicate with the meter as
before. He hid the jerry first in his drawer and then
in the cellar. At the latter end of May or the begin-
ning of June he gave the jerry up to Mr. Butler, su-
perintendent of the gas comp
s ayany.ing he wanted to
The defendant
had repeatedl asked him for it,
make one of the same pattern, but witness refused to
give it up. At one time Nicholls said to him that gas
companies would be very well satisfied if they were
paid for half of the gas that was consumed.
Cross-examined—Could not tell how many public-
houses he had kept.
Could not say, but he had kept
forty-nine. Nicholls sued him in the Sheriff's Court
for gas-fittings, and obtained a verdict for 191. against
him. It was after Nicholls brought the action wit-
ness communicated with the gas company.
William Hunt, a potmau at the Twelve Bolls iu

Bride-lane, was. next examined—Was potman to
Newbold. Nich oils came into the bar about that
time, and said to Newbold, " Well, governor, how
does your meter get on?" Newbold said, " Take a
candle and go• and look." Newbold looked at it after,
and said, " 'What the d—l do you call that ? It's not
in the meter• at all." Nicholls had a pint of porter
and went away, and Newbold went into the cellar
immediately afterwards with a screwdriver and
brought up the jerry in his hand. Heard Nicholls
say that h.e had put 47,000 cubic feet of gas back for
one indivi dual. Heard Newbold refuse to give the
jerry up Ito Nicholls when the latter asked for it.
Mr. Cjbarnock having cross-examined this wit-
ness, bu t without in the least degree shaking his tes-
timony., addressed the bench on behalf of his client.
He rel;,ed on the suspicious character of Newbold,—
on the extreme unlikelihood of a respectable
tradesman committing so grave an offence without
any prospect of advantage,—on the length of time
that had, elapsed between the period of the alleged of-
fence ar id the prosecution,—on the probability of New-
bold be ing entirely actuated by vindictive motives, in
conseq aence of having lost the suit in the Sheriff's
Court, and on the supposition that Newbold, who was
alone the gainer by the fraud, did it himself, or had
it don e by some other person.
Ja! nes Hammond, the defendant's apprentice, de-
posed . to having been sent for by Newbold to do
some thing to his-gas-pipes, at the Coach and Horses,
and i 'mind the pipes had been broken at the meter.
New.bold came down, and said, " Have you done
that ?'" Witness said, " How did you break it ?"
Newtb old then pulled a " jerry" from his pocket and
said„ "I broke it screwing this on; what do you
think of it ?" Witness asked him where he got it,
and b e said he found it in the cellar. Witness knew
that :it had been on before, for it smelt of gas. Wit-
ness 1 •efused to put it on, and said he would send his
maste r. When witness told Mr. Nicholls he said
that 1 witness had acted very properly in not putting
it on.

r. Clarkson again addressed the bench.
111 r. COMBE said, though he placed no reliance on
Newl )old's testimony per se, yet, confirmed as it was
by 11 unt, a perfectly disinterested witness, he ?felt
it his duty to convict, and would fine the defendant in
the ft) .11 penalty of 201. and costs.
111 v . Charnock gave notice that he should appeal
from the decision.
UNION-HALL.

Sal 'ah Drew, the Wifeofan—;ged man, the pro.
prietc.r of a circulating library, in Castle-street,
Soutbtwark, was brought before Mr. Cottingham for
re-examination, charged with administering a quan-
tity of arsenic to her husband, with intent to destroy
him.

The principsl object, in remanding the prisoner,
was for the purpose of giving Policeman 67 L an
opportunity of discovering where the arsenic was
purchs tsed.

The. MAGISTRATE now inquired whether the seller
of the article was found ?—Mr. James, the solicitor
for the prosecution, replied in the negative, and said
that his client still exhibited great unwillingness to
appear against the prisoner, a feeling in which he was
joined by his children.
Mr. COTTING lIAM said that the charge against the
prisoner was of so serious a character that he could
not listen to such a suggestion as that just made; that
it was his bouna ten duty to send the case for investi-
gation before a higher tribunal, and for that purpose
should commit t he prisoner.
The MAGHTB, ATE said that in the interval of the trial,
should it be as rtained where the arsenic was bought,
evidence of the -fact might be adduced before the grand
jury when the indictment was preferred against her.
During the time the prisoner was at the bar she
trembled very much, and seemed to be labouring
under the pal sy. When told that she was to be com-
mitted she wept bitterly, and was obliged to be sup-
ported out of the dock.