The Sun.
London, England, 1844-09-18 00:00:00

CENTRAL CRIMINAL COURT

OLD COURT.
(Before the RECORDER.)
Henry Howard, 25, described in the calendar as a
tailor, was indicted for a burglary in the dwelling-
house of William Frederick Shoebridge, and stealing
a silver spoon and other articles, his property.
It appeared from the evidence that the prosecutor
is a surgeon, and resides in the Old Kent-road. On
the night of the 28th August, the family retired to
bed leaving the premises properly secured, and the
next morning it was discovered that some person had
entered the house by means of a back window, and
the articles in question were stolen from the surgery.
About nine o'clock in the morning after the robbery
was discovered, the prisoner went to the shop of a
pawnbroker in Tooley-street, and offered part of the
stolen property for sale, and on his being questioned,
he said he had picked it up in the New-cut. Not be-
lieving this story, the pawnbroker sent for a police-
man, and gave the prisoner in charge, but as he was
conveying him to the station-house, the prisoner con-
trived to give him the slip, and he was not appre-
hended for three or four days afterwards.
The prisoner, in his defence, asserted that he was
not the man who ran away, and declared that he
knew nothing about the robbery.
The jury returned a verdict of Guilty ; and the
prisoner was also proved to have been convicted of
felony in 1836, and sentenced to seven years' trans-
portation.
There was another charge of burglary against the
prisoner, which it appeared was committed at the
next house to the prosecutor in the former case, and
which must have been perpetrated about the same
time. The Recorder, however, expressed his opinion
that it was not necessary to go into the evidence in

this case.
The prisoner was sentenced to be transported for
ten years.
William 'Windsor, 18, a well-known young thief,
was indicted for stealing, from the person of Lydia
Crouch a purse, containing silver moneys, the pro-
perty of her husband.
Mr. Charnock defended the prisoner.
It appeared, from the evidence, that the prosecutor
was passing along Garden-row, in the middle of the
day, on the 21st of August, when the prisoner, who
was accompanied by three other young men, went
up to her, and contrived, in a most adroit manner, to
lift up her gown and take the purse from her pocket.
The robbery was effected in so dexterous a manner that
Mrs. Crouch was not at all aware of her loss, and the
prisoner would have escaped with his booty, but the
transaction was fortunately observed by a very intel-
ligent lad, named Henry Hughes, who is in the ser-
vice of Mr. Folkard, a pawnbroker, at the corner of
Garden-row, and he gave notice to the prosecutrix of
what had happened, and called for a policeman. The
prisoner and his companions ran off and escaped, but
he was taken into custody the next day, and was posi-
tively sworn to as being the person who committed
the robbery.
The jury returned a verdict of Guilty; and a pre-
vious conviction for felony was also formally proved
against the prisoner.
The RECORD= sentenced him to be transported
for ten years.
John Sproule, 39, pleaded Guilty to an indictment,
charging him with stealing a silver spoon and fork,
the property of W. Mackinnon, Esq.
He was sentenced to be kept to hard labour for

twelve months.
In the course of the day the grand jury came into
Court, and returned a true bill against William Ross
Touchet, for feloniously shooting at Thomas Smith,
with intent to murder him.
The Recorder rose soon after live o'clock.

POLICE INTELLIGENCE.
(YESTERDAY.)
BOW-STREET.
Emily Brockwell was brought up for final exami-
nation, charged with stealing 1001. in gold, the pro-
perty of Mr. William Cunningham.
Mr. 'Wooller defended the prisoner.
Mrs. Margaret Cunningham stated that she was the
wife of the prosecutor, and rented the top floor of
Mr. Fairbrother's house, in Bow-street. On last
Friday she had 100 sovereigns in her room, in a bead
purse, inside a velvet bag, which was placed in a
drawer in the front sitting-room. On Friday morn-
ing last, on going to the drawer, she missed the bag.
On discovering her loss, she questioned the prisoner,
who was servant to Mr. Farebrother. She said she
was sorry for the loss, but she knew nothing about
it. A policeman was called into the house, and shortly
afterwards the prisoner came up stairs, with a printed
cotton bag in her hand. She said she had found the
bag in the water-closet. On opening it, it was dis-
covered to contain 1001. 10s. Witness asked the pri-
soner if Mrs. Fairbrother knew anything of it, and she
said that she did not. The prisoner had access to the
room in which the money was deposited.
Cross-examined by Mr. Wooller—Witness had said
to the prisoner that she would give 201. if she could
get the money back. She did this to induce the pri-
soner to tell her all she knew about the matter.

Mr. JARDINB directed this to be entered very care-
fully on the deposition.
The officer who took the prisoner into custody
questioned her, and she said she had bought a pair of
stays, for which she paid 3s. 6d., in Cross-court.
Ann Reynolds, of No. 7, Cross-court, deposed that
the prisoner purchased a pair of stays at her shop on
the 9th of September. She paid Bs. 6d. for them.
She paid for them with a sovereign.
Mr. Wooller contended that the offer of 20/. had
taken the case out of the magistrate's jurisdiction.
Mr. JARDISS said he had directed this to be care-
fully entered on the depositions, and he should leave
the point for the higher Court to decide.
John Brock well here stepped forward, and said he
was the father of the prisoner, and had given her a
sovereign a fortnight ago.
Mr. JAIMINS said that could be stated on the trial.
The prisoner was then committed to Newgate for
trial.

QUEEN-SQUARE.

Yesterday Catherine Stuart, the woman charged at
this Court, on Monday, with the most revolting cruelty
to three young children, the particulars of which
were fully detailed in our last, underwent another
lengthened examination.
The case had been remanded in order to procure
the attendance of Clarissa Tyler, the eldest child,
who had been kept out of the way. She was yester-
day present, but much altered for the better, since her
appearance at this Court when the warrant was issued.
On the accused being brought in from the cells,
Clarissa Tyler, aged thirteen, was put into the
witness-box and sworn. She was evidently intimi-
dated, and gave her evidence with much apparent
unwillingness, the following being her answers to the
interrogatories put to her by the Clerk :—I live with
my father, at No. 7, Broadway, Westminster. My
mother has been dead some years. Prisoner has lived
with my father some time, and had care of us children
when he was out. My father, the prisoner, myself,
and my little brother and sister, all lived together in
the same room. My father came home to his meals
always, and sometimes I dined with them, and some-
times the other children did. At other times we used
to dine when they had done. Sometimes I have had
the same food as they. I complained of the food I
had, but not lately. It was sheep's paunch. It was
only once I complained of sheep's paunch.
The girl's brother, a coal-porter, stood forward and
assured the Magistrate that she was afraid to speak
the truth in the prisoner's presence.
The examination was continued, the girl answering
with even more reluctance than before, the answers
being almost extorted from her :—lt was only once
that I complained of having sheep's pauncl. I had it,
and sl did my little brother and sister. I did not dis-
like it. I complained to a person in the house. I
never complained that it was nasty, but I didn't much
like it. Prisoner gave us the paunch to eat. She
and my father had sone of it for dinner at the same
time. Prisoner was kind to me when she was sober.
I came here to complain of her because she gave me a
black eye; first she kicked me on the eyes as I was in
bed, and then she came with her double fists. I don't
know why she kicked or struck me. She said nothing
to me before she did it. She did not complain that
I had done anything wrong. She has beaten me before,
but not to mark me. I can't tell what she beat me
for then, she didn't say. My father saw me when he
came home after I had had th 6 black eye, but I don't
know that he said anything. When I came here I did
say I had no flesh upon my bones. I showed my
back at that time, and said I had not had proper or
sufficient food. I suppose I had not had what was
proper.
Mr. BURRELL having inquired whether the accused
wished to put any questions to the witness, she re-
plied she did, and said, " Now, Clarissa, you know
that we frequently haven't had food to eat ourselves—
haven't we all gone without, your father and all of
us ?" Witness—After a considerable pause, replied,
" Sometimes we have, I can't say."
Prisoner—When wo had meat didn't you always
have some ?
A longer pause than before succeeded the inquiry.
Witness—You never kept us without—not always.
When you had some, we had.
Two or three unimportant questions were then put
by the prisoner, which the girl answered readily.
Mrs. Jane Hopkins, who resided in the same house
as the accused, frequently heard the children's screams
and had endeavoured to get at them, but the room
door was always locked. She had frequently heard
the little boy crying for food, and gave it bread and
butter. If it had more given by her than it could
eat, the child was afraid to take it up stairs, but hid it
behind the street-door. The children always com-
plained of great ill-usage, and the hair was pulled off
their heads by handfulls.
Annette Wilson saw prisoner throw scalding broth
over Clarissa Tyler's head and shoulders, and the child
screamed with pain and ran down stairs. She heard
prisoner say that if the girl cane in there again she
would jump upon her.
Mr. BURRELL inquired the girl Clarissa's appear-
ance before the prisoner absconded ? Witness replied
that she was literally starved, her bones almost forced
themselves through her skin, and she could not walk
upright nor straight from weakness. Witness added,
that Clarissa always told her she was turned out of
doors at meal times.

Mr. BURRELL—Was the prisoner in the habit of
drinking ? Witness—l never remember to have seen
her perfectly sober.
Mr. BURRELL (to the prisoner)—Should you like
to ask the witness any question ? Prisoner—Oh no,
I'd rather not, she has quite frightened me.
Mr. BURRELL recalled the last witness, and asked
if this cruel treatment was practised in the presence
of the father, or whether he joined in it ? Witness—
It was generally when he was out. I never saw him
join in it.
Caroline Tyler, aged. 10 years, was then put in the
witness-box, and said—Prisoner used to beat us very
much, and I have complained to Mrs. Cooper of it,
but she used to beat my sister Clarissa a great deal
more than she did me, and she used to pull her hair
out of her bead. She gave my sister and little bro-
ther anti me salted bread and butter. She always had
the same. We never had any meat. My father and
mother (the prisoner) had meat, but we had not.
_ _

Sometimes we had a little broth made of pieces o
_ _

meat. My father frequently saw mother beating us,
but he didn't say anything. My father was gone to

work when we had our meals.

Prisoner—Don't you know that the reason was
because we didn't know when he would come home ?
Why don't you speak, dear ?
The child burst out crying.
Prisoner, finding the girl would not give any
answer, changed her tone, and exclaimed " You have
been standing there false swearing yourself."
The whole of the evidence having been read over,
Mr. BURRELL asked prisoner whether she had any-

thing to say ? Prisoner said she owned having been
in the habit of taking a little drink now and then, but
this was altogether a got-up story against her by
Tyler's family, whom she never could satisfy. N o
person had ever seen her ill-use the children.
Mr. BURRELL—YOU locked the door when you
committed these violences. You have been guilty of
gross brutality, and I shall commit you for trial for
these cruel assaults. I will take good bail—two
sureties in 1001. each, if you can procure them.
The witnesses were then bound over to prosecute.