The Sun.
London, England, 1868-12-12 00:00:00

WESTMINSTER.

BENEFIT SOCIETIES AND THEIR HARDSHIPS.—A
very respectable-looking, middle aged man besought
the magistrate's aivice and assistance under the
following circumstances :

Applicant said that he had for eleven years been
a member of on Old Fellows Benefit Society, held
in Flood-street, Chelsea, but was now unfortu-
nately deprived of one of the advantages, for
which members contributed. By the rules of the
society a member, upon the death of his wife, was
entitled to £7 for funeral expenses, and it was
with respect to this that he was an aggrieved party.
His wife died on the 22J of October, in consequence
of which the society refused to pay the money.
Had she died on the 24th they would have paid
him.
Mr. Self inquired how that arose ?

Applicant said that a few mouths ago, in conse
quence of being out of work, he fell into arrears o:
subscriptions, but received nothing at the time 0:
his application, and had never received auy previ
ous benefit during the many years that he had con
tributed to the fund.

Mr. Selfe--I do not very clearly understand you.
You said something about had your wife lived
longer the money would have been paid.
Applicant—Yes—had she lived two days longer.
Mr. Selfe—llow is that ? If you were ineligible
on the 22d for the benefit, how could your condi•
tion have been improved on the 24th ?

Applicant explained that in consequence of
having fallen into arrears he was suspended for a
time from the benefits, although the arrears were
paid, and that suspension ceased on the 24th.
Mr. Selfe—lt is rather a harsh case. Have you
au arbitration clause in your rules?
Applicant—Yes, we have.
_ _

Mr. Selfe—Then you must appeal to arbitra-
tion. Go and see Mr. Tidd Pratt ; he will give
you the best of counsel.

THAMES.

HORSE AND CART ROBBERY.-MOrriS Meyers,
aged 30, of 30, Mount-strect, Whitechapel, cigar
maker; George Stephens, age 1 57, of 82, Church-
street, Whitechapel, labourer ; and Frederick
Jeffries, aged 30, of 51, Bedford-street, Commer-
cial-road, porter, were brought before Mr. Paget
charged with being concerned with Richard Storey,
a carman, in stealing a horse and cart and 24 bags
of cochineal, value £5OO, the property of Mr. W.
Hartley, bonded carman, of Lower Thames-street.
The robbery was committed on the 23d ult. The
carman, Storey, who has been twice on remand at
this court, is at large on his own recognizances.
He was in charge of a horse and van, and 24 bags
of cochineal, which he ought to have drawn from
Spitalfields to Fresh Wharf, London-bridge. He
went out of his directroute to a coffee-shop in German-
street, and while drinking tea the horse and van were
driven away. On the same night the horse and van
were found at Westham, in Essex. The cochineal
was gone, and a reward of £25 has since been
offered by Mr. Hartley for its recovery. Smart, a
City detective, Dunaway and Foster, detectives of
the 11 division, and another officer, now gave
evidence implicating the prisoners in the rob-
bery, and Mayers in also receiving, knowing
to be stolen, 31 bundles of bristles and 70 bundles
of men and boys' unmade clothing found in his
possession. It was also proved that the prisoners
had been frequently in company since the robbery of
the cochineal. The most important testimony was
given by Alfred Wiliiam Hall, who acted under the
directions of the police. He was formerly
a police constable, and is now working
at a wholesale druggist's in the City.
Meyers waited upon him on the 3d in-
stant, and alluded to the robbery of 24 bags of
cochineal. Meyers asked Hall if he would bring
any of it, to which he replied that he could, and
asked for a sample. Meyers brought a sample,
and Hall said he would buy three bags of it. One
was sent to Hall, who paid Meyers £3, and after-
wards £7 more. The other two bags of cochi-
neal had not been sent to Hall, but as the one
in his possession was worth £lB, he was
no loser by the transaction. Hall saw
Stephens and Jeffries in the course of the transac-
tion in which they all took part. A small quantity
of cochineal was found in Mayer's house, and
Dunaway found there thirty-one bundles of bristles
and seventy bundles of unmade clothing, which he
seized.

Mr Paget remanded the prisoners until Monday,
and Smart asked for a longer remand. He and his
brother officers wanted a week at least. The
magistrate said that Strong, the carman, was to ap-
pear before Mr. Benson on Monday, and an appli-
cation could be made to him to remand the pri-
soners for a week.