The Sun.
London, England, 1868-04-25 00:00:00

WESTMINSTER.

A CHILD OF MISFORTUNE.—Virgo James Min-
chin, an exceedingly well-spoken and superior-
looking boy of 14 years of age, was charged with
begging.

William Wadrupp, a mendicity officer, said that
he saw defendant running last eveuiug alongside of
a gentleman in Taelibrook-street. lie was carry-
ing a box of lucifer matches in his hand, but was
begging.

Mr. Arnold—Has he any friend here ?
Officer.—He has neither father nor mother, but
there is a person here who has had charge of him for
years.

A very respectable woman stepped forward and
said—He is a poor orphan. I have had charge of
him since he was eight years of age. I have brought
him up by my needle, and he has never yet wanted
fur anything.

Mr. Arnold—Are you related to him.
Woman—Not in the least. I was housekeeper
to his father, who was a gentleman, and when he
died I took the poor boy because he had nowhere
to go.

Mr. Arnold—Has be no relations?
Woman—lie has two brothers at sea, and two
sisters abroad.

Mr. Arnold (to defendant)—What do you say
to the charge of begging ?
Boy—l was very hard up.

Woman—Very hard up. This is language be
he has picked up in the street.

Mr. Arnold—Has he ever done this before?

Woman—Never; and last night was the first that
he was ever from under my roof. I have maintained
him in credit with a little assistance I have received
from one of his relatives.

Mr. Arnold—Has he ever done anything for a
living ? _

Woman—lie has had two or three little places,
but he cannot keep them, poor child. Ile is weak
of intellects . If you will kindly let him go now I
will see that he does not get into any further
trouble.

Mr. Arnold discharged him and handed him over
to her care.

THAMES.

ROBBFEY BY SEPX.ANTS.—Thomas Skelton Hay,
aged 48 years, foreman ; and George Sansotn, 33,
carman, were brought before Mr. Paget, charged
with stealing 14 cwt. of linseed oil, and one cask
containing about five cwt. of lard oil, the property
of Mr. Howson R. Foulgcr and Co., oil and
colourmen, of Seven-star-alley, Ratcliff. _

Mr. Samuel Poynter, a barrister of the Middle
Temple, instructed by Messrs. Morris, Storie,
Thompson, and Co., solicitors, conducted the pro-
secution, and opened a very serious charge against
the prisoners of robbing their employers of oil to a
very large amount. In one day, the 13th of the
present month, oil valued at £,lO was removed by
the agency of the prisoners from Mr. Foulger's
premises, and sold by a man named Clarke
to Mr. George Murree Smith for £35, for
and on account of the firm of Maddigan and Co.
Donald M'Kay, a police constable, 275 IC, ascer-
tained that no such firm as Maddigan and Co. was
in existence, and that the oil belonged to the pro-
secutors. Mr. Smith, who behaved well in the
matter, gave such information to the prosecutors as
led to the apprehension of the prisoners, and the
discovery of an extensive system of plunder on their
part. The business professing to be that of Maddigan
and Co. was carried on at 72, Tarling-street, St.
George-in-the-East, where a man named Charles
Freeman, in the service of Mr. Smith, left a
cask and demanded Bs. for it, according to the
custom of the oil trade. The cask was one of
those which had contained a portion of the oil
sold to Mr. Smith, and was returned in the
usual way of trade. Sansom, who received
the cask, said that it ought not to have
been brought to Tarling-street at all, and told Free-
man to roll it down the yard as quickly as possible.
Sansom paid the money for the returned cask, and
it afterwards found its way to Messrs. Foulger's
premises. The invoice for the oil delivered to Mr.
Smith was proved to be in the handwriting of Bay,
and it was stated that the check given in payment
for the oil had passed through the hands of
Sansom.

Mr. Howson Rutherford Foulgcr, in partnership
with his brother, said that Hay bad been a foreman
in his employ ten years and Sansom carman for
some time, and neither had any authority to remove
oil from the premises and sell it without his
sanction.

Mr. Poynter bald that Clarke was not forthcom-
ing, and asked for a remand to enable M'Kay to
produce him and to prove other cased against the
prisoner.