The Sun.
London, England, 1845-11-01 00:00:00

LAMB.4..TH.

LOAN SOCIETIES. —A decent-looking female applied to
Mr. Henry for his advice under the following circumstances :
The applicant stated that some time ago she became se-
curity at a loan society in the Southwark Bridge-road for N.,
which the borrower was to pay by weekly instalments. The
payments were kept up until the sum borrowed was paidl all
but seven shillings, but the borrower having neglected to pay
the last instalment, she (the applicant) was served with a
writ of action for the whole of the 5/., though 4/. 13s. had
actually been paid. She had been told by the " lawyer" who
had served the writ upon her, that she was liable to the pay-
ment of the whole debt, and fearing that her furniture, for
which she had worked hard, would be swept away from her
for the debt and expenses, she wished to take his Worship's
advice as to what she had best do, and also to ask whether,
after she had tendered the seven shillings, which was all that
was left of the debt unpaid, she was liable to be proceeded
against ?
Mr. HMSTRY replied that the case was one in which he bad
no jurisdiction whatever, the loan society people having
chosen to proceed against her in another court; therefore he
could not give her any advice on the subject.
Mary and Caroline Carnming, sisters, and .law Benders:an, a
re/anon, who have been in custody for some days, charged with
being concerned in plundering Mr. Shaw, No. 11, Terrace, Wal-
worth.road, of property consisting of_plate, jewellery, and other
property, to the amount of nearly 7001., were again brought before
Mr. Norton for further examination.

Mr. Parry, barrister, attended for the prosecution; and Mr.
Games appeared on behalf of the prisoners.
The particulars of the case, as adduced In evidence, disclosed a
system of the most barefaced and reckless plunder and pawning
that has, perhaps, ever been brought under the notice of a court of
justice. The property produced, consisting of the most massive and
costly articles of plate, splendid diamond brooches, gold and silver
watches, &c., from the shop of Mr. Turner, pawnbroker, in the Wal-
worth-road, completely covered a large table, which is placed in
the centre of the Court for the accommodation of professional
gentlemen ; and it was considered a matter of surprise amongst
every disinterested person present, that Mr. Turner, or his shop..
men, should have taken in property in pawn of such immense
value, from persons of the prisoners' description. From the evi-
dence, it appeared that the prisoner, Mary Cumming, had formerly
been in the service of Mr. Shaw, and had been succeeded in her
situation by her sister Caroline. About 18 months ago the pri-
soner, Mary, commenced pawning articles of plate at the shop of
Mr. Turner, and she thence represented the property as be.
longing to Mr. Back, who, she said, was her uncle, and who
lived at 11, in the Terrace. The pawnings and their ft:-
queney increased, so that every article of plate, jewellery,
wearing apparel, &c., belonging to Mr. Shaw, roust have
frequently parsed through the hands of Mr. Turner's shop-
men. A chest of valuable plate belonging to Miss Calcraft,
and which was in the care of Mr. Shaw, had been plundered of its
contents, all of which had been pawned with Mr. Turner, redeemed,
with the interest paid, and pawned a second time. Some idea may
be formed of the extent to which these pawnings were carried on,
from the fact that during the last month articles which had been in
pawn for 1141. had been taken out, while others to the amount of
1231. were pledged. As much as 251. in one day was received
upon different articles, and a pair of silver candlesticks were re.
peatedly pawned in the morning and taken out again in the after-
noon, to be used at night, so that the sums received by the pawn-
broker for interest must have been enormous. The tickets of a
portion of the property, whiCh were given up by the prisoners, ex-
hibited upon the face of them the greatest possible carelessness on
the part of Mr. Turner's assistants, for not one of them bore the
address, which it was admitted had been given by the prisoners
when pawning.
In their cross.examlnation by Mr. Games, the son of Mr. Turner
and Mr. Turner's apprentice acknowledged that when first the pri-
soner Mary Cumming came to the shop she used to pledge plain
articles, such as wearing apparel usually worn by servants. When
the first commenced pledging the plate, she described it as the pro-
perty of her uncle, a Mr. Back, residing at No. 11, Terrace, close
by. They took it for granted that her story was true, and did
not subsequently ask her further questions. They did not take the
trouble at any titre, though the distance was net 900 yards from
their shop, to ascertain whether a Mr. Back resided at No. 11, on
the Terrace, nor had the difference of the last letter of the initials
on the plate they were constanty taking in, namely C, and that
which it,would have been if the property belonged to Mr. Back,
namely 13, ever struck them as at all suspicious. They also ad.
milted; that though the thlplicates produced were in their own
handwriting, they bad not inserted, as thelawrequired,theaddress
of the person pawning.

'‘ Mr. Turner, who was present, and seemed a good deal excited