The Sun.
London, England, 1844-10-07 00:00:00

UNION-HALL.

Wm. Johnson, a young man of genteel appearance,
was brought -.up on remand from Wednesday, charged
with stealing several silver spoons and other silver
articles from different coffee-houses and taverns in
the metropoli s. Owing to the publicity given to the
charge agairvit the prisoner on Wednesday, on which
occasion he took two silver table-spoons from the
house of Mrs. Hubbard, a pastrycook in the Wal-
worth-road, :and substituted two metal ones in their
places, the c.t .urt was literally crammed with tavern
and hotel-kos,pers from different parts of the town.
Mr. Jone s., the proprietor of the Three Tuns tavern,
St. Margarot Southwark, stated that on Satur-
day, the 21st ult., the prisoner walked into his coffee-
room, order I a reast partridge for dinner, and talked
very familial rly about his acquaintance with some
wealthy hop merchants in the Borough. He then
countermand ed the'order for a partridge, and ordered
a mutton-chi and having taken some sherry negus,
left the hoc Lse, and soon after his departure a silver
spoon, a sail t spoon, together with a silver mustard-
pot and spov n, were missed. Mr. Jones had no doubt
as to the prlsoner's identity.
The land lord of the Golden Cross, Charing-cross,
stated that fthe prisoner dined at that house on Thurs-
day ; he h:u I dinner in the coffee-room' and when he
was gone ts vo silver spoons were found to be missing.
The prop rietor of the St. Paul's Hotel, St. Paul's
Churehyard, stated that six weeks ago the prisoner
dined and bad tea there, and having paid his bill he
left the coS.ie-room. He had, however, scarcely left
the house when a silver sugar-basin and tongs and
tea-spoon were missed ; but he got clear off, although
pursued by one of the waiters.
The land lord of the Ship Hotel, Charing-cross,
stated that :about a week ago the prisoner called there
and had a glass of gin-and-water in the coffee-room,
and that he decamped with a silver table-spoon, a
salt-spoon, and a tea-spoon, which latter article he
had with bi s gin and water.
The proprietor of the pastry-cook's shop at the
corner of Gracechurch-street, identified the prisoner
as having bad a bason of soup in the refreshment-
room, and Laving paid for the same, it was discovered
that he heel taken two large silver spoons, leaving in
their plates; two metal ones very similar to them in
appearance.
Mr. COTTINGHAM said three cases out of the num-
ber should be selected upon which to prosecute the
prisoner, wlho was asked if he wished to say anything
in answer to the numerous charges alleged against
him. The prisoner merely said he should leave the
case in the -hands of his solicitor.
Policemim 166 M stated that the prisoner was an
old offendew ; that about twelve months ago he was in
his custody on charges of a similar description ; that
he was con victed at the Surrey Sessions of stealing
various articles of plate from the Hummums, and sen-
tenced to six months' imprisonment.
The pris oner was then committed, but he will be
brought up' again on Wednesday next.
Mr. Joseph Ashford, landlord of the Queen's Head,
Green-lane, Tottenham, was charged with wilfully
breaking the panel of a third-class carriage belong-
ing to the Brighton Railroad Company.
Robert Sutton, guard, in the employ of the Com-
pany, state.d that the defendant came from Croydon in
the Brighton train on the preceding night, and that
when they arrived at the terminus he commenced
hammering away at the panel of the carriage with a
stick until he did damage to the extent of 10s.
The defendant being called on to answer the
charge, said it was very important to the public that
all the circumstances of the complaint should be
known : on the preceding night he arrived by the
half-past nine o'clock train at the terminus. The
tickets were collected from the passengers, and he
wanted to get out in order to meet the stage at the
Flower Tot to take him to Tottenham. The door of
the carriage, however, was kept closed for upwards of
ten minutes after their arrival, and he admitted that
he knocked with his stick to get out ; that he did not
strike with more violence than was necessary to make
the persons hear, and owing to the detention he
lost the stage, and was compelled to walk home,
where he did not arrive until past one o'clock in the
morning.
Mr. COTTINGIIAM inquired as to the cause of
such a detention after the arrival of the train
at the terminus ? The superintendent said that they
were obliged to wait until a Croydon train, which
was about to start, was got out of the. way. The
superintendent added that great force must have been
used to break and damage the panel of the carriage
in the way it was, and that the defendant's arm was
seen thrust out of the window striking away at the
side of the carriage.
Mr. COTTINGHAM was astonished to hear that a
passenger should have been kept locked in for such a
length of time after the arrival of the train and the
collection of the tickets ;. but it was the duty of the
Company to have seen that there was no impediment
at the terminus on the arrival of the train, and not to
have put many of the passengers to the inconvenience
of being detained for such a length of time. If any
unavoidable accident over which the Company had no
control had occurred, then there would be an excuse
for such a detention, but in this instance bad manage-
ment was apparent on the arrival of the train. The
magistrate added that the damage done to the car-
riage being proved, the defendant was bound to pay
for it, but he (the magistrate) must say that it was
with reluctance he compelled him to do so.