The Sun.
London, England, 1845-12-12 00:00:00

BOW-STREET.

George Carman, a print and bookseller, in Great May's-
buildings, St. Martin's-lane, appeared before Mr. Jar-
dine, upon a summons issued under the Bth and 9th Vic.,
chap. 87, charged with knowingly harbouring and con-
cealing a quantity of prints that had been illegally
unshipped without paying the Customs' duty, to which
he pleaded not guilty.
Mr. Potbury, from the office of the solicitor to the
Customs, att. nded to prefer the complaint, and Mr.
Barry attended as counsel for the defendant.
Coleby Atkinson Davis. a Custom-house officer, stated,
that on Monday; November 3 about six o'clock in the
evening, he went to the defendant's house, No. 2, Great
May's-buildings, accompanied by Mr. Neale, from the
office of the Society for the Suppression of Vice, and
Sergeant Chadwick, F division, having a writ of assist-
ance that had been granted by the Board of Customs.
Tne defendant and a female were in the shop at the
time, and having told him his business, and showed him
the writ, the female took a ca-e from the table, and
being about to leave the room with it, he prevented her,
and found in it a quantity of the obscene prints pro-
duced.
Mr. Potbury said that the articles produced formed
only a portion of what had been seized, as it was usual
in the Court of Exchequer not even to bring forward
any samples.
Witness proceeded to say that he had searched the
shop, in the windows of which and under the table he
also found other prints of a similar description, making
in all one hundred and seventy, with other articles, all of
which he delivered up to Mr. Claridge, a locker at the
Customhouse. The prints were all of foreign manu-
facture.

In cross-examination the witness said that the writ
was invariably delivered up to the B•_ard after being
used.

Mr. Barry submitted that the witness could not give
evidence respecting the writ of assistance unless it was
produced, as tho contents of such an instrument could
not be otherwise known.
Witness, in continuation, said that he had seized what,
in his judgment, were foreign prints. One of the prints
was Chinese, and such as could not be manufactured in
this country ; nor did he think that any Englishman
would engrave what he found on blocks and copper. He
knew that the Society for the Suppression of Vice had
fail,d to convict the defendant for libel, and it was not
the reason why proceedings were adopted in the present
CAM

Confirmatory evidence being given of the seizure, and
objections being taken to the information and the /MP'
MOllB,

Mr. Potbury read a judgment of the Lord Chief Baron
in 1844, where the defendant had been fined for having a
quantity of spirits in an outhouse, and he submitted that
such should be the case respecting any other articles that
had not paid the duty.
Mr. Barry said it would be impossible to decide on
such cases before any magistrate at a police-court.
➢dr. JARDINE said that it was for the complainants to
show that the defendant had run the goods in question
without paying the duty ; and as it had not even been
proved that he had a guilty knowledge of the fact, he
considered he should have the benefit of such omission,
and ordered the case to be dismissed.

FORGERY.—Thomas Caike, aged 18, was charged with
uttering a forged cheque for 40L, with intent to defraud
Messrs. Drummond and Co., bankers.

Mr. Bush, solicitor to the Society of Bankers for the
Suppression of Frauds and Forgeries, conducted the
prosecution.
Mr. N'ealand, the cashier, stated, that about half-past
one o'clock the prisoner entered the counting-house and
presented the cheque produced, but upon looking at the
signature and referring to the book, he entertained a
suspicion that it was not genuine, in consequence 'lf
which he made a communication with Mr. Oliver, one of
the clerks, who kept the document until a constable
was sent for, and the prisoner was given into custody.
Witness had seen Mr. Edwards, the prisoner's uncle,
who kept an account with the firm, and by whom the
prisoner said he had been sent for a cheque-book, and
said the signature was not in his handwriting.
The constable who apprehended the prisoner proved
that, on comparing the end of the cheque with the
c unterfoil in the book which he
_found, they corre-
sponded in every particular.
Tiae prisoner was remanded.
A servant girl was charged with stealing two boxes,
containing some shirt studs, three pieces of silver coin,
and a glazier's diamond, the property of her master, a
plumber and glazier, lining in Princes-street, Red Lion-
square.

The prosecutor said that the prisoner came into his
service on Tuesday of last week, having an excellent
character from her former employer. On Thursday
evening she went out, and did not return. In the
course of the week ho missed the property in ques-
tion, and happening to meet her father on Monday,
he told- him what had occurred. On Tuesday the
father brought her to his house, when she said that she
had not taken the things, but gave no reason for ab
sconding. He then told her he would forgive her if she
gave up the stolen property, but she persisted in saying
that she had not taken anything, and he sent fur a
p3lii!eman to give her in charge. As soon as she saw
the policeman, she took from her breast the two boxes,
which contained the studs and the diamonds.
The p.)liceman took possession of them, and
took the prisoner in custody. In the course of the day
a boy who was now in Court came to his house, and
gave him a paper parcel cotaining threo old coins, which
witness had not missed.

The boy now catne forward, and said that the parcel
was given to him by a man who met him in the street,
and gave him a penny to take the parcel to the pro-
secutor's house.

Mr. HALL commented severely on the impropriety of
persons giving good characters with servants knowing
them to be false. He would not recommend the prose-
cutor to press the charge, as his having held out hopes
of forgiveness to the prisoner would be a sufficient reason
for a jury to acquit her.
The prosecutor said he did not wish to press the
charge; he only wanted to ncover his property.
The property was accordingly given up, and the pri-
soner discharged.
Mr. HALL observed that if the prosecutor could prove
that the persons who gave the girl the false character
did so knowingly, he could bring an action against them,
and would recover very heavy damages.
The prosecutor said he would certainly do so if he
found that they knew it to be false.