The Sun.
London, England, 1844-02-24 00:00:00

CLERKENWELL.

Win. Green was charged on suspicion of breaking into the
premises of Mr. Evans, a boot and shoe-maker, residing in
Paddington-street, Marylebone, and stealing therefrom pro-
perty to a considerable amount ; also on suspicion of being
concerned with Wm. Thompson and Anne Thompson, who
stand committed, in several other robberies.

Mr. Wolff appeared for the prisoner Green.
The evidence adduced went to prove that Green had dis-
posed of a pair of the boots stolen from Mr. Evans, in whose
employment the prisoner was up to the day preceding that
on which the burglary was committed. In the house of
Thompson were found a large number of pawnbrokers' du-
plicates, relating to articles pledged by Green, and several of
which were identified as having been stolen from a furnished,
but unoccupied, house in Stoke IsTewington.—Remanded.
OMNIBUS RACING.—Joseph Parfait and John Cray, drivers
of the Metropolitan stage carriages 3,292 and 10 were
charged with furious driving by Doctor Smith, a gentleman
residing in Verulam-buildings, Gray's Inn.
It appeared from the evidence of the Doctor, and of other
witnesses, that on Saturday last the prisoners drove their
respective omnibusses at full gallop down the narrow part of
Gray's Inn-lane. The Doctor was driving towards them in a
phaeton, which was only saved from being smashed to atoms
by one of the omnibuses coming in contact with a donkey-
cart, which was driven in upon the pavement. Cray was,
however, much more culpable, as he began the race.
Mr. GREENWOOD said it was a mercy they had not killed
somebody in that crowded and narrow thoroughfare. He
would send Cray to prison for three weeks, and hard labour ;
and Parfait should pay a tine of 21.
Sarah Evans was charged with carrying and conveying
thirty-six packages of foreign manufactured tobacco, value
41. 3s. Bd., which had been unshipped without paying the
regular Custom fees. The penalty was laid at 100/.
The prisoner is well known to the Excise. On the pre-
vious evening she was met in Gray's Inn-road, by Davis and
Patten, officers of the Custom-house, carrying the tobacco,
and accompanied by a man, who ran away when he saw the
officers. They took her into custody, and she said a man had
given her the tobacco to carry.
Mr. Cornell, Queen's Appraiser, proved that the tobacco,
which had come from Berlin, had not paid the Customs fees.
The prisoner was fined 1001., Mr. GREENWOOD telling her
she was at liberty to appeal to the Board of Excise, who
would probably mitigate the penalty if she could bring for-
ward any extenuating circumstances.
William Hughes, and Jane Hughes, his wife, were charged
with refusing to perform the work assigned them in the Hol-
born union workhouse.
prelvt iaopups ean
irgehdtfrtohme
ptrhi es
oenveirdse nce,
weret
andamt
ittt
endi naes o' cde lsotci
tku
toen
pthe
r
to the Holborn union workhouse. They had their bed, and
breakfast in the morning; but when offered half a pound of
coir to pick, they refused to do anything, although re-
peatedly asked.
The male prisoner stated that himself and his wife had
been living on charity since December last. They were na-
tives of Liverpool. Hughes made some statements regard-
ing his treatment in the workhouse, which turned out to be
untrue. Most of their time since their arrival in London has
been spent in the asylums for the refuge of the destitute.
Mr. COMBE asked the prisoners if they would go back to
the workhouse and perform the work assigned to them, but
they doggedly refused. The worthy Magistrate sent them to
prison for fourteen days.
MARLBOROUGH-STREET.

Mr HAnnwicx begs to acknowledge with thanks the re-
ceipt of the following note and contents :—" Sir—l have
enclosed the half of a 51. Bank of England note, for the poor-
box of your office. If you will be kind enough to acknow-
ledge it through the press, I will then send you the other
half—Yours, obediently, Z. E. D. Thursday."
Also the sum of 51. from Miss Mary Brown.
Henry Jones. a'powerful young man, between 25 and 30
years of age, was charged with attempting to break into some
stables in Smith's-yard, Grant Windmill-street, Haymarket,
belonging to Mr. Christopher Munsey Lucas, of Regent-
street, furrier.

Police-constable No. 123 C, stated that between eight and
nine the previous evening, as he was going his rounds, he
found the prisoner at Mr. Lucas's stable door, in the act of
forcing it open with a crowbar. He directly rushed upon
him and secured him, with the crowbar in his hand. There
were marks on the stable-door where the, crowbar had been
used, and a padlock securing it had been forced off and was
lying at the prisoner's feet. Another man was iv company
with the prisoner, but he made his escape on witness entering
the mews.
Mr. ILturewicK asked if the prisoner was known ?
The prisoner vehemently declared that he had never before
been in custody.
Police-constable No. 113 of the C the prisoner
had been known to the police for some time past, and was a
desperate character.. About two years ago he was tried and
convicted of felony at the Central Criminal Court, and in Ja-
nuary last he was committed from this Court for au exten-
sive robbery in the neighbourhood of Golden-square.
Wilks, the gaoler, said the prisoner had also been charged
with stealing a great quantity of type.
Mr. HARDWICK said he would consider how he should
dispose of the case.
UNION-HALL.

CHARGE OF EMBEZZLEUENT.— William Prior, a collector
in the employ of Messrs. Payne and Slee, vinegar-makers
Church-street, Horselydown, was charged with embezzling
divers sums, the property of his employers. From the evi-
dence it appeared that the prisoner enjoyed a salary of 2501.
per annum from the above firm, and he was usually employed
as collector and traveller. It was his duty to pay over the
various amounts he received of customers on the day follow-
ing that on which he received them. Within the
last few days it was discovered that he had received
two sums amounting to 31. Is., which he had not accounted
for, and, on a further examination into his accounts, other
defalcations were discovered. Two cases against the prisoner
were gone into ; but, as there are several others, he was
remanded.

Suorm-rixo.—James English, a fashionably-dressed young
man, was charged with shoplifting,
The prisoner was in the habit of calling at the shop
of Mr. Ling, the linendraper of High-street, and
purchasing various kinds of fancy ribbon, which he said
was for the purpose of decorating horses' heads. On the
preceding day, a large quantity of ribbon having been
missed, and suspicion resting on the prisoner, he was watched,
and discovered in the act of stealing a roll of ribbon, which
was found in his possession. Although the prisoner's appear-
ance did not indicate that he was a common thief, yet as it
was insinuated that he was known as a person of that de-
scription, the Magistrate remanded him, in order that inquiries
might be made about
GREENWICH.
Wednesday police-constable E. Vincent, 131 11, applied
to Mr. Jeremy, at the opening of the Court, to ask the Ma-
gistrate's advice as to what course he should pursue under
the following circumstances :
He said the woman Dickenson had been in his custody from
the day after the murder until she was committed under the
Coroner's warrant to Newgate, on Monday evening last, when
she was accompanied by her husband and two of the parish
officers of St. Paul, Deptford. After taking a heartrending
farewell of his wife, they again entered the coach which
had brought them to town, and proceeded over Blackfriars-
bridge, on their return, when Mr. Dickenson said, " If he
had known it had come to this, he would have stopped it ;
he would have put an end to his misery, and that he had
something that would soon do it." Upon this statement
witness remarked that he must search him, when the
wretched man drew a paper from his pocket, upon which was
written—" My dear Sarah, I would sooner suffer death
rather than you should go to Newgate. I have got a razor
with me, which I will give to you, or I will finish what you
have left undone." They proceeded on until passing the
Brighton railway, in the Kent-road, when it was remarked
what a change would be effected in that spot in twenty
years. Dickenson answered that he should not live to see
any changes of the sort. They arrived about eleven o'clock
at the house where the frightful affair had taken place, and
on entering the room he demanded him to give up a razor
which he suspected he had about him. Dickenson said he
had left it at George's, meaning his brother. He then said

he would search him, upon which Dickenson drew the razor
from his pocket, saying, " Oh, what have I done in giving
you that paper. I wish you would return or destroy it, as it
will be evidence against my wife." Witness said no it will
rwt, but most likely be the cause of saving your own life.
He pulled the razor out of his pocket with the utmost re-
luctance, saving that his life had been saved for that night.
He then left him somewhat composed.
Mr. JEREMY said the contents of the paper were more a
threat to his wife than himself, and directed the offi-
cer to go immediately to Newgate, and linform the
Governor of the circumstances, so that directions might be
given to the turnkeys that Dickenson should not be ad-
mitted into the presence of his wife except in the presence
of two turnkeys, as from what had transpired he appre-
hended that-violence might be attempted.
- HAMMERSMITH.
Wednesday a young man named Charles Hochley, a harness-
maker, residing near Hammersmith-terrace, appeared before
Mr. Paynter, the sitting magistrate, on summons, charging
him with having on the 13th instant improperly fired a gun
loaded with ball, in a public thoroughfare, whereby he had
endangered the life of a lady named Booth.
The defendant pleaded guilty to firing the gun, but denied
that he was aware that he had done injury to any person.
Mrs. Booth, who was accompanied by the Rev. Mr. Parrin,
one of the curates of Hammersmith, stated that she was the
wife of Major Booth, and resided at No. 20, St. Peter's-
square, Hammersmith. On the day in question she was
standing about twelve o'clock in the back drawing-room,
when she felt herself struck by something, but she could not
at the time tell what. Presently, however, she discovered
that one of the panes of glass in the window had been per-
forated by some round substance, and she afterwards found
a musket-ball in the room, which she had no doubt was the
missile that struck her. She had no idea that the defendant
had fired the gun intentionally to do her harm.
Robert Stone, a boy living in British School-house-lane,
Chiswick, which is at the back of the houses in St. Peter's-
square, deposed to seeing the defendant fire the gun twice in
the lane. He fired it at a piece of paper stuck against a tree
as a target, and the first time loaded the gun with shot, but
the second time put in a ball.
Police-constable Earthy, T 103, deposed, that on the last
witness pointing out to him the direction in which the de-
fendant fired the gun, he found it was directed towards the
residence of Major Booth. He had also examined the win-
dow, and had found that the frame was also shattered by
the ball.

Mr. PAINTER said this was a case in which he felt the
highest penalty the law allowed ought to be inflicted.
Mrs. Booth requested that the defendant might not be se-
verely punished, as she was convinced his conduct was quite
unintentional.

Mr. PAINTER consented, under those circumstances, to
mitigate the fine to 20s. and costs, or twenty-one days' im-
prisonment.
The defendant immediately paid the fine, and was dis-
charged.

RAILWAY REFORM.
One of the most important inquiries into a practical
grievance, which, though felt by all, presses most severely
on the poor and working classes, is about to be submitted
to the House of Commons by Mr. Wallace, the Member for
Greenock, on the 29th inst. We allude to that Gentleman's
motion for the appointment of a Commission of Inquiry into
the entire working of the railway system of this country.
The spirit of the present age is against the existence of all
monopolies—the struggle of the present day is between mono-
poly and free trade ; and we can but wonder that a monopoly
so prejudicial to the best interest of this country, so galling
in its exercise to the poorer classes, and so injurious to the
trading interest, by the heavy charges made on all descrip-
tion of merchandise, as is so clearly demonstrated in
the pamphlet entitled " Railway Reform," should have been
suffered to exist up to the present time. Should the
system proposed in this pamphlet be adopted, an immense
benefit would be conferred on all classes. By this plan the
charges would be reduced to one-sixth of their present aver-
age rate, and thus the manifold advantages of railway tra-
velling be placed within the reach of the poorest. classes in
the kingdom. So great a reform could have no more fitting
advocate than the man whose indomitable perseverance and
energetic talent carried into effect Mr. R. Hill's plan of Post-
ydfeuiele
ele
necessary-,
s s
atohnevr7i convinced
Legislature
dt hwaht
which
office Reform. For the achievement of that great work this
carryo
ec
ffh
oa
rrta
wilttne o bee
thatn Inroegnf
0.
ornGmehnsi
ost
part
country is indebted to Mr. Wallace, and from the well-known
on la
br a nvt tooli feel
is certain to confer on all classes such great benefit without in-
jury to the interest of those who have embarked their capital
in these undertakings.