The Sun.
London, England, 1821-10-18 00:00:00

POLICE INtELLIGENCE.

GUILDHALL.
MELANCHOLYCNSE.—Just at the close of ti; a business at
this Justice-rooM, before -Alderman SCHOLEY, yesterday, a
map of very respectable appearance, . and a boy about 13 years
of age, his" son, were brought lain by Lanham, one of the street
keepers of the Ward of Castle'-flaynard, who had apprehended
them that morning under the following circumstances, which
were detail-aim evidence by Mr. James Hedges, boot and shoe-
maker, No. 92, Dorsetstreet, Salisbury-square,. and a lad of
the name of James Howard; his errand-boy.
About half-past twelve o'clock yesterday morning, the young-
est prisoner (the son) came to Mr. Hedges's shop, and brought
a note to the folloWing effect • • •
" Mr. Hedges, step directly, to the Chapter Coffee-house, Pa-
ternoster-row, to Measure a gentleman for boots. You are re-
commended."

Mr. Hedges inquired if the gentleman was waiting, and being
told by the boy that he was, desired him to go back ,and say he
would be there immediately.- -Mr. Hedges accordingly set off
to the ceffeehouse, but scarcely had he gone above 5 or. I(/' mi-
nutes When the elder prisoner (the father) came running
the shop, apparently in great haste, said he had been senteby
Mr. Hedges from the Chapter coffeehouse, for two pair ofbiiots
for the gentleman to try On, and described the pairs hOriante4
to be the pair hanging at the door, - and the-pair had the
paper over the top& Howard, the shopboy, being told by 'Mr.
Hedges's little girl that his master was gone to,the coffeehouse to
measure a gentleman, let the prisoner have boots ; but havT
ing.some suspicion that he might not hoedone right, as the
man was quite a stranger, ran out to fAlOw him to the coffee-
house. In his way thither he met)* master, who, having
learned that no such note had been stint to him from the Chap-
ter coffeehouse, was hastening hou,,ie with strong.suspicions iu
his mind that some such trick(s::robbery was intended him.—
" I have given. the man the twelSair of boots you sent for, Sir,"
said the lad, give_
breathless.' " I sent no man," replied the
master, with equal haste.. .'short explanation took place, and
they parted instantly; each taking separate ways in the hope of
overtaking the thief. Howard very fortunately, got sight of the
prisoners in Earl-street, Blackfriars, raised the cry of stop thief;
pursued them into Bennet's-hill, where (-',anham, who was
at his own door, stopped them, and took them both into
custody, the father -having the two pair of boots in a hand-
bag, on his shoulder. •Canham produced the property, two
pair of new jockey boots, worth 44 shillings a pair.
The elder pnsoner, who said the boy with him was his son,
acknowledged the whole guilt of the transaction, and begged
that his child might not be detained, as he himself alone was
in fault. He was by trade a bookbinder, but employmentbeing
scarce, he had latterly been doing a little trade as a milkman ;
he had an ailing wife And six children, -of whom the boy
with him was the eldest but-one, and earnestly entreated mercy
for the sake of his - fami/y, alleging that this was his first and
only offence.

Mr. Hedges hunianely joined in this request, expressing his
willingness to forego prosecuting, if the Magistrate should think
proper io overlook the offence;

Mr. Alderman Scuot.tY observed, that the interest of the
public demanded that a case of this nature should not be passed
over with impunity, without the strongest possible circum-
stances appearing on 'the prisoner's, behalf. He had scarcely
ever witnessed so shocking a case as this—of a man, the father
of a family, training up his child in the very, high road to the
gallows. The crime itself was of a nature so heinous, and on
the other hand the consequences 0 dreadful to the man's fa-
mily, if his story was true, that ,he (the Alderman) would not
decide immediately what it might be proper'for him to do in the
case. He therefore directed both the prisoners father and son,
to be brought up again on Saturday ; Mr. Hedges undertaking
in the interim to make full inquiry into the character,.circum-
stances, and situation of the family.
The elder prisoner (the father) gave his name and address,
both of which we suppress for the present, until it shall be as- i
certained whether or not he is at all deserving of the mercy lie
implores.

THAMES POLICE.
DEFRAUDING TIIE REVSN u}:.--Two `ca. were investi-
gated yesterday at this office, of a curious nature; inasmuch as
they were designated by the Solicitor of the Customs as the
result of a conspiracy to defraud 'the Revenue. ' The first was
that of a lighterman, named W' ilkinsou, who was brought up
on a charge that he, having been employed to 'convey three
casks of Guinea ;.,/rain from the London Docks, on board of a
vessel called the Georgellensina, to be shipped for Amster-
dam, had contrived to empty the contents of the Casks, and sub-
stitute dirt arid cinders. The second was a similar charge
against a mariner, named Joseph Marsden, who was accused
of having practised a like fraud with regard to a quantity of
nux vomica, amounting to 6,6961 b. The duty on nux voinica
is 2s. fid. the pound ; the original cost is only one penny. The
charge in, both instances was made by the master lighterman to
whom the trust of conveying the goods from the London-docks
on board of the respective vessels had been given. A question
thence arose, and • was in part discussed, whether the lighter-
man under such trust could represent the actual owner of •the
propertyt and in that .charaeter prosecute the prismserikkosTiley
were advised by the Magistrate not to enter upon the considera-
tion oflegal points without legal 'assistance, and the prisoners
were both remanded. _
M ARYLE goNT, -orFicE. •
To ST ACE-COACH PROPRIETORS.—Yesterday an inform-
ation came on to be heard at this office before Mr. Gait's' yr ns,
the sitting Magistrate, against,Mr. Wm. Tollett, proprietor of
one of the Uxbridge Coaches, for carrying more passengers than
is allowed by Act of Parliament, and for placing a portmanteau
on the coachman's footboard, contrary to the statute. •
The informer, Biers, stated that on the 28th of September,
he saw the coach in question passing- through Oxford-street,
with seven outside passengers (the act only allowing five.)
There was also a portmanteau ahnut a yard long, and eighteen
inches in circumference, on the foot-board of the coachman,
standing upright. This also is contrary to the act.
The defendant, Mr. Tollett, observed, that it was a very hard
case with respect to the portmanteau, which might have been
placed there by the passenger to whom it belonged ; and if the
coachman was always to refuse carrying trifling and light hug_
gage on the outside, at times they would have no passengers at
all. Besides, in the present instance, the' portmanteau might
have been placed in the boot, but through its length projected
from it.

(This the informer denied, and said it was entirely out.)
The defendant resumed, and observed that the act was in-
tended to prevent carrying luggage on the roof so as to prevent
danger ; and there was a gentleman present, who Would aver
that no danger was apprehended or possible.
The gentleman, a passenger on the coach, corroborated this
statement.

Mr. Gitirrrrus said it certainly was a hard case with re-
spect to the portmanteau, but the act was imperative, and only
allowed the Magistrate to mitigate the penalty from WI. to
The defendant was accordingly convicted in that sum on each
information.

Two draymen, in the employ of illesc:!s. Calvert, brewers,
were each fined lOs. for • riding on the fore-horses of the drays
through AlarylebOne.

_
BOW-STREET.
FORGED CHEClCS.—Yesterday•Henry Thompson, charged
with uttering forged checks on the house of Messrs. Jones,
Lloyd, and Co., Lothbury, bankers, was brought •up for re-
examination before Sir RICHARD BIRNIE. This case has
cited considerable interest, and during the examination the
office was excessively crowded ; no - less than five Magistrate*
Jresided on the bench. The deposition 01' the cashier fo Messrs.
ones and Lloyd was taken ; and he deposed to the fact of
there being no account kept by his -employers with a per Sen
of the name of Henry C. Lloyd, by whom the checks uttered to
Messrs. Pontex, Hook; and Thomas, a detail of the cireuni-
stances attendant on which was inserted on the former examin-
ation, purported to be drawn. Prisoner declined saying any
thing in ins. defence : he .nrpeared ia-s. very despondi44gstate,o,
He was fully committed. -

' • UNION-HALL.
Yesterday Christopher Watton, a young man -about. 21 years
of age, was brought before the Sitting Magistrate, C. (L%ll.Alq-
iitits, Esq., and -- KING, Esq., charged on suspicion of
having stolen a trunk from the back of a Gentleman's carriage.
One of the horse }patrol who scour the Kent-road stated, that
:it- about seven o'clock in the evening, as he was going along
that road, near the. Lord Nelson public-house, he observed the
prisoner lying in the ditch on the left hand side. Upon going
over he saw that it was something more than accident that had
brought the person-to that situation, and that if lie had fallen,
a large.trunk must: have fallen with him. He immediately
took the prisoner into custody, and found that the straps of the
trunk had been cut. The trunk was, however, in. every other
respect uninjured, and . the property of • the owner perfectly
secure. -

Several persOns who had been robbed of trunks-tittended the
office amongst them was Harry Leech, the celebrated Dwarf,
whose friends cry him up at the fairs round the metropolis, as
" the most wonderful of all God's creatures." This extraor-
dinary little being, having succeeded, after some effbrts, in
making himself visible to The Magistrate, stated, that. he had
sustained a heavy loss of the same kind. He had lost on Wed-
nesday last in the evening, at 6 o'clock, a trunk from-the back
of his chaise,' to which it had been secured with straps. In
the trunk, besides clothes and other thincrs of value,, was the
sum of 141.

Air. Brown, one of the clowns of Ast/ey's Theatre4, also ap-
peared to ascertain whether he had - any claim to the trunk Cr
not, having lost a trunk through the tictinty of some of the
dra,rsmen with whom that road abounds.
'l he trunk, which iS covered with an oil cloth, has not, how-
ever, been recognized. It lies at the.office.—The prisoner was
remanded.