The Sun.
London, England, 1844-08-23 00:00:00

MARLBOROUGH-STREET.

John Smith and James Clindon, young men dressed
in very fashionable style, were chargel with attempting
to pick pockets. From the numerous robberies that
have lately been committed by picking the pockets of
ladies and gentlemen passing through the Quadrant two
additional beadles have been placed there, at the expense
of the housekeepers, to prevent the continuance of these
depredations. Yesterday afternoon, between four and
five o'clock, the prisoners were seen acting in concert
attempting to pick the pockets of two gentlemen in pass
ing by ; they did not, however, succeed in extracting
anything. Seeing that the officer was about to appre-
hend them they endeavoured to escape, but were even-
tually secured.

Mr. ITAapwwx—Are the prisoners known to the
police?—lnspector Russell, of the C division—They
have both been repeatedly convicted at this Court as
reputed thieves.

Mr. HA RDWICK—I commit them both for two months
to hard labour in the new Westminster Bridewell.
The prisoner Smith—This is the most shameful treat-
ment for real gentlemen ; our dress 'll prove that.
Leitch, the gaoler, removed the prisoners by force to
the lock-up cell.
.lames Juddenham, a carman, and Alfred Walher, alias
Ribbins, who gave his address, at No. 302, Strand, and
described himself as " Bug destroyer to her Majesty,"
were charged on suspicion of being concerned in the fol-
lowing extensive robbery of Bank notes and sovereigns
from the mansion of the Earl of Harrowby in G rosvenor-
square.

Yesterday afternoon, between two and three o'clock,
the housekeeper of the Earl left home, and on her re-
turn in the evening missed from a workbox on a table
in her room, Bank of England notes of the following
amount :-3001, 501., 20/., DU, two of 51, and fifty-six
sovereigns._ _ _

Information was immediately given at the station-
house of the C division, in Vine-street, Piccadilly, and a
strict inquiry was instantly set on foot by Inspector
Aggs, from which resulted the apprehension of the ac-
cused under circumstances of strong suspicion, both of
them having been employed on the premises.
Some of the witnesses not being in attendance, the
further hearing of the case was postponed.

DEATH OF A REMARKABLE

CHARACTER.

On Saturday morning, a remarkable character, well
known to all classes of our citizens by the name of
"Dr. Syntax," but whose proper patronymic was
' John Shirreff, died in the Royal Infirmary.
He had been missing from the streets for the
last six or seven _ weeks, indisposition having
seized him, the result of a severe cold, which,
to some extent, had also confined him to his
house during a portion of last winter. This
strange and eccentric individual, for twenty-five
years, had managed to cut a strange figure in the
metropolis, and although his peculiarities displayed
much of the monomaniac., there was a harmlessness
and innocence about him which made him a general
favourite. In early 14', l;e had berm a eierk in rLe
City Cess office, and it was while in this sitteitHn
that his mental aberration first maiire•eed itse
For the last qtrirter of a een ury lie iiev.;_eo,l his
time to frequenting all public places, more pa, ticn-
larly the University and City Churches. In the
College, by the favour of the Professors, he had a free
right of access to all the leeture-rooms, and it was ~is
h. ust more ,11,1:1 a hui:(ll,2l cour,,es,)f
lectures. Like all half-witted persons, he had his tale
to tell of persecution and oppression, endured at the
hands of mysterious enemies, and the same notion in-
duced the feeling that, notwithstanding his knowledge
of the medical science, these same enemies had con-
spired to deprive him of his license as an M.D., long a
favourite object of his ambition. A desire to show
them that they had not altogether crushed him,
seemed to be a ruling motive for his celebrated Sun-
day exhibitions. Dressed with the most scrupulous
care and cleanliness, in an antiquated costume of a
semi-military character, with Hessian boots, he was
to be seen every Sunday stalking through the streets
at a rapid p ice, with his stick over his shoulder. His
appearance was rendered still more grotesque by his
wearing a deep green shade over his eyes with a pair
of unusually large green spectacles poised near the
extremity of his nose. He was sure to plant himself
in the principal seat of the front gallery of one of the
City Churches, where he made himself still more con-
spicuous by standing up, sometimes sketching the
portrait of the preacher while the rest of the congre-
gation were composedly attending to the sermon.
The High Church was his favourite resort for this
purpose, and happy man was he when he could con-
trive to secure his position without molestation in the
seat of royalty. On the Sunday following the Town
Council's resolution not to attend the High Church,
the Doctor coolly and consequentially took possession
of the empty seat, as he himself said, " to set the ma •
gistrates an example." He always stood during the
singing of the psalms, and he had an idea that he, and
not the precentor, led the congregation in this part of
Divine worship. He kept neither the time nor the
tune of the precentor; so that his discordant per-
formances had a painfully ludicrous character.
Several years ago, on account of the marked conspi-
cuousness of his behaviour, he was ejected from St.
George's Church, and this was an affront which he
never forgave, or ceased to enlarge upon, when re-
lating the malicious doings of his persecutors.
As a sketcher of portraits, he used alai to attend
the meetings of the Town Council, the Presbytery,
the General Assembly, and the Parliament House.
Many of these sketches possessed considerable merit.
Though he never followed any*occupation by which
he could gain a livelihood (with the exception of an
eighteen months' connexion with a London newspaper),
it is satisfactory to know that his wants were pro-
vided for by the united linerality of a few.benevolent
citizens, who gave him liberty to purchase to a cer-
tain extent weekly. He inhabited alone a good house,
but meanly furnished, attending to all his household
concerns without any assistance. It was by dint of
no little manceuvering that he was prevailed on to
quit his own house, and he did not know that he had
been taken to the Infirmary till some days after his
removal. His death was hastened by his dogged re-
fusal to take the medicine prescribed by his attendants,
under dread of poison, and after lingering ten days he
expired early on Saturday morning. He was, we
believe, a native of the Borders, and alma sixty-nine
years of age.—Edinburgh Advertiser of Tuesday.

ALARMING AFFRAY IN EALFRON

(From the Glasgow Chronicle of Wednesday.)
On Saturday night kit an outrage of a most
daring character was perpetrated in the vicinity of
Balfron, which alarmed the whole country for miles
round, and for a time placed the lives of two persons
in imminent jeopardy. It appears that there is a
road now in course of formation between Blane toll
and Gartmore, at which upwards of two hundred
Irish labourers are employed. These men are gene-
rally paid weekly; and on Saturday afternoon last,
as usual, after receiving their wages, they proceeded
to occupy most of the public-houses in Balfron,
where they continued drinking till an early hour on
Sunday morning. Of this number, two men named
M'Cormick—an uncle and a nephew—who were sub-
contractors on the line, both powerful athletic fellows,
went into the toll-house at Kepculloch, where they
remained fuddling until the night was far' advanced.
Latterly, the toll-keeper refused to supply them with
any more liquor, and they took their departure in
rather an excited state. After a short time, however
(the house having been locked up and secured), the
uncle and nephew returned, and were refused ad-
mittance, when they, without any ceremony, de-
liberately smashed in the window of the toll-house,
and, having effected an entrance in this way, they at-
tacked the toll-keeper, and nearly killed him in the
presence of the police -officer of the district and a
farm servant, who were in the house, but who were
afraid to attempt rendering any assistance, in case
their own lives should be forfeited. The M'Cormicks
having perpetrated this outrage, made their escape.
An alarm, however, was quickly conveyed to Bal-
Iron, and ultimately nine or ten special constables
were collected, who at once went in search for the
delinquents, and succeeded in tracing them to a farm-
house on Auchentroig estate, where they were ac-
customed to lodge. By this time it was after mid-
night, and very dark. On reaching the farm-house
the constables apprehended the elder M'Cormick, but
the officer who accompanied the force foolishly re-
frained from putting handcuffs upon him, and, while
others of the men proceeded to search for the nephew,
the old man seized hold of the pickaxe that lay con-
venient to him, and with it aimed a deadly blow at
M'Lane, excise-officer in Balfron, who, it seem=, had
joined the party, which took effect upon his forehead,
and stretched him nearly lifeless on the ground. On
this the force of specials took flight and ran for their
lives, and on reaching Balfron alarmed the whole dis-
trict. A party of from forty to fifty weavers and
other inhabitraats then turned out and marched to the
scene of action, where they found Mr. M'Lane, not
dead, but severely cut on the head, and both the
M'Cormicks fled. Information was next dispatched to
Stirling, whence Mr. Sconce, fiscal for the county,
accompanied by officers, arrived on the Sunday, and
on being informed, of the circumstances, that gentle-
man suspected that the M'Corinicks, wbo carried
with them from 40/. to 501. of the men's wages, had
made across the country for -Helensburgh, on their
way to Ireland, of which country they are natives.
Mr. Sconce, on this understanding, proceeded direct
to Greenock, where he was fortunate enough to ap-
prehen I the two bliickguards, with the assistance of
John Blair, the efficient criminal officer of Balfron,
on Monday last, just as they were stepping on board
the Belfast steamer. Yesterday the M.'Cormick's
were safely lodged in Stirling gaol, to await their
trial for the offences above mentioned. We are happy,
to learn that, although still in a most distressing con-
dition, M'Lane and the tollman are considered almost
out of danger.