The Sun.
London, England, 1844-10-01 00:00:00

but he has acted, with reference to the accounts of
the receipts and disbursements of these funds, as if he
were interested in preventing an investigation into their
integrity. For nearly twenty years they had remained
unaudited. This alone, when discovered by the parish-
ioners, was calculated to excite suspicion. The legal ex-
istence of a select vestry in that parish was questioned ;
the neglect of the select vestry to perform the duties
which pertained to it, was beyond all doubt. The
unaudited accounts', of the churchwardens for nearly
20 years ; the deplorable state of dilapidation of the
parish church, one of the most beautiful edifices in Lon-
don, the chef d'oeuvre of Sir Christopher Wren ; and
the salaries of lecturer, organist, and other servants of
the church, unpaid for two years—these glaring proofs
of neglect showed that the self-constituted " select" body
had proved their incompetency to promote the welfare
of the church, and to protect the interests of the
parishioners. When, therefore, the demand for
an audit of the accounts became loud and ge-
neral—when the parishioners urged their reason-
able claims to a fair statement of the way in
which the large sums which had passed into
the hands of their churchwarden, Mr. Alder-
man Gibbs, had been appropriated ; and asked that
this satisfaction should be attained by the whole of
the accounts, with the vouchers, being placed in the
hands of a competent and disinterested accountant,
whose report should be conclusive—we do maintain
that Mr. Alderman Gibbs owed it no less to himself
than to the parishioners of St. Stephen's, Walbrook,
whose pecuniary interests were involved, and to his fel-
low-citizens generally, who had an obvious interest
in his reputation, as one of their magistrates, to sub-
mit his accounts to a full and fair scrutiny. He has
thought it consistent with his duty to himself, in his
private and public relations, to decline to do so. He at ,
length rendered an account, it is true, extending over
nearly twenty years, including multifarious items.
This account was audited by the " select ;" but the
examination of vouchers was dispensed with. The
Alderman-churchwarden refused to allow any pa-
rishioner, not being one of the " select," the slightest
satisfaction. He has thus given occasion for grave
suspicion that his accounts, so long withheld,
would not bear the light. The question of
their correctness has been made the subject of
a Chancery suit, as the only means of compelling
the Alderman to produce the vouchers, and other
documents, to attest their correctness. That the
Court of Aldermen had no discretion between elect-
ing Alderman Wood or Alderman Gibbs, may be an
excuse for their choice of the latter. But how humi-
liating must be this consideration to every one who
regards the character of the Chief Magistrate as likely
to influence the public estimation in which the Cor-
poration should be held, and the confidence which the
administration of the immense revenues intrusted to
its administration, should inspire ! There will be the
usual civic pageant on the coming 9th of November;
there will be the: usual pigmy court at the Mansion-
house during the coming civic year ; and the Mayor
will bear the title of " Lord," and will be addressed
as " Right Honourable." Fah!
" Worth makes the man ; the want of it the fellow ;
The rest is nought but leather and prunella."
Mr. Alderman Gibbs' right to the respect and con-
fidence of his fellow-citizens, and of the public ge-
nerally, has been placed in abeyance by his own
acts. He would, for once in his life, have acted
wisely had he voluntarily postponed his claims to the
office of Chief Magistrate until that right had been
established. He has taken a different course. After
his election by the Aldermen had been announced to
the Common Ball, " he left the Hall," the reports state,
"by a private door," without addressing the Livery,
as is usual. In this there was more of caution than
of courage. We hope before the day of the grand
inauguration banquet, the award of the Master in
Chancery will show that nothing worse than obstinacy
is imputable to the Lord Mayor elect.

POLICE INTELLIGENCE.
(YESTERDAY.)

MANSIOiV-HOUSE.
Yesterday a meagre shabby-looking fellow, in a dark
green coat, who stated his name to be Edward Roberts,
was brought before Sir P. Laurie, in the custody of John
Mitchell, City policeman 579, charged with having stolen
a clock, value 41. 10s., in the house of Mr. Simpson,
licensed victualler, in Feachurch-street.
As clock robberies have been greatly in fashion of late
in the City, several sufferers attended, at the suggestion
of the officer.

Mr. Simpson, o wner of the Red Lion public-house.
Fenchurch-street, stated that on Saturday, the 28th of
September, the prisoner walked into the house, with a
bag in his hand, and had something to drink in the par-
lour, after which he left the house. Witness, however,
having observed that the bag he carried appeared to be
more bulky as he went out than it was when he entered,
followed him, and found the parlour clock in the bag in
his possession.
Sir P. LAURIE—What de you say to-this charge, pri-
soner ? Prisoner--1 admit I took it. I have a wife and
six children in great distress, and I really did not know
what to do.
Sir P. LAURIE—T suppose you merely took the clock
in order that you might be brought before a magistrate
to make known your unfortunate situation ? Prisoner—
Yes, Sir.
Sir P. LAURIE—And you confess that you stole it ?
Prisoner—l do. I Arel so pushed I did not know what I
was about really.
Sir P. LAURIE—Very well. Let us hear what the
policeman says.
Mitchell, the policeman, stated that when he took the
charge from Mr. Si caisson the prisoner had about him a
large piece of wire, which no doubt had been used by
him to make the bag look bulky as he entered the house,
that no suspicion mi ght be caused on his departure.
Sir PhITER LAURI S (to the prisoner)—This was rather
an ingenious thought: to strike you in your distress.
Prisoner—l found that piece of wire on Saturday in
Friday-street quite promiscuously.
The proprietor of the White Hart public-house in
Upper Thames-stresst, stated that a person, whom he
believed to be the p risoner, came into the house with a
blue bag, and calling for a glass of stout, paid for it and
took it into the parlour, requesting the newspaper at the
same time. There -eras no other person in the parlour.
After some time the party came out of the parlour and
handed the newspaper into the bar, saying that he ob •
served the witness w as very busy, as really was the ease.
The clock was missed immediately after the departure of
the visitor.
Sir PETER LAURI Cs---What do you say to this charge,
prisoner ? Was it the distress of your wife and family
that brought down this clock also ? Prisoner—l don't
know, Sir, of taking any other clock than Mr. Simpson's.
Sir PETER Lilian a (to the second complainant)—Are
you sure the prisoner ris the man ? Complainant—l can-
not swear to his identity, but I think ho is the person.
The landlord of as *other public-house stated that two
men walked into his. parlour one day, one of whom he
believed to be the prisoner, and after having remained
for a short while di sported. Ono :of them came to the
bar and had a pint o f porter, a glass of ginger beer, and
three-halfpenny wosrth of gin, which he mixed together,
outside the bar, as a. medicine, no doubt for the purpose
of engaging the attention of the barmaid, observing to
her at the same tire le, that it was " rum physic, wasn't
it ?" When the cli )ck was missed a bandbox was found
in a corner of the r DOM, which no doubt occupied the
place in a bag they carried, which was afterwards filled
with the clock.

......._ ..__ ._____
It appeared from tho statement of the policeman that
in ono week five do cks ,had been stolen out of public•

houses.

Prisoner—l can give most respectable references to
prove that lama rt ispectable man. I know nothing of
these charges.
Sir P. LATTRIE—Bit you confess-that iyou stole Mr.
Simpson's clock ? Prisoner--I confess I took that, but
my distress—
Sir P. LAURIE—I understand what your object is,
You think, by pleading guilty to that charge, and
making a pitiable representation and appeal to the jury,
to get off with a sligl it punishment and a good deal of
sympathy. But Ish all disappoint you in that expecta-
tion. I believe you to be a most experienced and dan-
gerous thief, and I shall take all the cases which may
be brought up against: you to-morrow, to which day I
remand you, in order to spoil your chance of escape at
the Central Criminal Court.
The police said they were convinced, from the descrip-
tion which had been given by many other publicans, who
had been robbed of their clocks, of the person who had
committed the plunder, that the prisoner was the thief.
It was further mentioned that the person suspected of
most of the robberies of the kind sometimes wore a blue
frock.—The prisoner w'as remanded till this day.
A young woman of comely appearance, named Eliza-
beth Vickery, who had. taken a quantity of laudanum
some days ago, for the purpose of destroying herself, and
who had been in a dazigeroes condition in consequence
of the attempt, was brought up for examination.
Sir P. LAURIE—Why did you make this attempt upon
your life? Prisoner—Because I %vas in great trouble.
Sir P. LAURIE—I stopped the mania for drowning at
Blackfriars-bridge by resolute measures, and I trust I
shall be able to stop the mania for poisoning. There is
now a young woman in'. St. Bartholomew's Hospital who
will be brought beforei me at Guildhall, upon a similar
charge. I shall commit her for trial as soon as she is
well enough to be placed at the bar, and to-morrow I
shall commit you for trial, after I have heard the evi-
dence of the surgeon who applied the stomach pump.
The prisoner was remanded accordingly.
A woman, named Maria King, who frequently has
amused herself by breaking windows, was brought up
on a charge of a similar kind. She frisked into the bar
sitrropuEbrllit of
L supportingiußlE-. haey rswehlf
y.
anl smiled upon the Alderman, and it was quite evident
that she -expected merely a few days' exemption from
the
-- did you do this mis-
chief ? Prisoner (sinirking)—rm sure I can't say.
Sir PETER LAURIE Well,
you must go to prison for
fourteen days. Prisoner—Very well, Sir, I shall go
(tossing her head).
Sir PETER LAURIE--I wish it to be known, and I
don't think a better opportunity can occur for making it
known, that in all cases of this description I consider it
necessary to order that the smallest amount of diet con-
sistent with the preservation of life should be adininis-
tered.—(Great laughter.) Prisoner—What do you mean
by that, eh?
Sir PETER LAURIE--I mean that you"shan't get fat
by breaking windows ; that's all.—(Laughter.)
The prisoner, who was thunderstruck at the idea of
this abridgement of the comforts of her usual place of re-
tirement, moved off in the custody of the policeman,
sorrowful it not repentant,