The Sun.
London, England, 1844-11-04 00:00:00

CENTRAL CRIMINAL COURT.

A special session of the above Court was held on
Saturday, in accordance with the provisions of the
Central Criminal Court Act, for the purpose of fixing
the days for holding the sessions in the ensuing year.
The Learned Judges who attended were the Lord
Chief Baron, Mr. Justice Patteson, Baron Alderson,
Mr. Justice Erskine, Mr. Justice Coltman, Mr. Justice
Wightman, Baron Mettle, Baron Rolfe, Mr. Justice
Cresswell, and Mr. Justice Coleridge. The Learned
Judges were ushered into Court by the Lord Mayor.
Mr. CLARK, the Clerk of Arraigns of the Central
Criminal Court, then said that the periods for hold-
ing the sessions for the ensuing year had been fixed
as follows, by order of the Court.
Mr. Baron ALDERSON said it was not the order of
the Court, but according to the terms of the Central
Criminal Court Act—the order of not less than eight
Judges.
Mr. CLARK suggested that the Learned Judges
formed a Court for this purpose.
Mr. Baron ALDBRSON intimated his opinion that
the term was not in accordance with the provisions of
the Act.

The form was then amended. The following list
of the periods for holding the sessions was next read :
1844.—Monday, Nov. 25; Monday, Dec. 16.
1845.—Monday, Jan. 6; Monday, Feb. 3 ; Mon-
day, March 3; Monday, April 7 ; Monday, May 12 ;
Monday, June 16 ; Monday, July 7 ; Monday,
August 18 : Monday, Sept. 15 ; Monday, Oct. 27.
The LORD CHIEF BARON then inquired, whether
there was any other business to transact, and
Mr. CLARK having replied in the negative, the
Court was adjourned to November 25.

POLICE INTELLIGENCE.
BOW-STREET.

A well-dressed man, named James William Poyntz,
was placed at the bar before Mr. Twyford, charged
with obtaining a gig from Mr. Holdman, a coach-
maker, and selling the same.
Mr. Samuel Holdman, of 128, Long-acre, stated
that about eleven years ago, he believed in January,
1833, the prisoner came to him and ordered a tilbury
to be built for him. Witness agreed to perform the
job, and the prisoner then said he wished to have a
vehicle which he might use until the tilbury was
finished. Witness said he could lend him a gig, and
the prisoner desired it might be sent to a livery-stable
in Marylebone, which was done accordingly, and
witness never heard of the prisoner or saw him again
until this morning. He heard, however, that he had
sold the gig for 15/., but the person who purchased it
was not present. The prisoner had called at wit-
ness's shop last evening, and said he wished to pur-
chase a vehicle, if Mr. Holdman would give him six
months' oredit. Witness was not at home, and
his clerk could give no answer, and the pri-
soner desired that if Mr. Holdman would agree
to his terms he would meet him at his (prisoner's)
agent's in the City. The address given was " Mr.
Wentnall's, 1, Angel-court, City." Witness went
there, and recognised the prisoner as the
.person who
had obtained the other gig. He entered into conver-
sation with him, and at length gave him into custody.
The prisoner, in his defence, declared that the gig
had been purchased by him and paid for.
TWYFORD said it was a very suspicious case,
but he must have the evidence of the person who pur-
chased the gig before the prisoner could be committed
for trial. He therefore remanded him until Wed-
nesday.

MARLBOROUGH-STREET.

started for Paris, but before she had arrivedTwoyoung country-looking girls came before Mr.
spent-n Hardwick
most of her money, owing to her inexperiencea to make the following statement :
travelling and a delay on account of the illness of heri They
. saidstreet,Yße they took a lodging at No. 2, Heddon-
child. This, however, was not her greatest misfortune
landlady, Regent-street, about two days ago, telling the
she had lost the addressC of the hotel, and had
and that they were Thomas,lik that they were shoe-binders,
no clue by which to find her lover. As long as her
ienlyLtoonhdave visitors, as they had
money lasted she remained at a small hotel, devoured several acquaintances
had two young ' men in on
theirOn room,Frid
when
e n evening
their
,theylandlord sent for two police-co stabl
with grief, and ‘,,% hen her pecuniary means were ex-
hausted, was driven into the street, where she had
on giving all of them in charge.n police-constables, insisted
fallen from weakness, the result of hunger.
thm off
were
constablese
It was in this state that she was found. ransacked their box, and ultimately carried
[he worthy couple, after having heard her to the Vine- street station-house, where they
locked up, and detained about an hour. Theyw
lo wereliad
sad narrative, took her to the Spanish Embassy,
where she was interrogated by M. d'Aguileira, the then discharged, as also the two young men,
also been in confinement, and they were obliged to
Charge d'Affaires, and in a few days, her account
find lodgings elsewhere, as they were given to under-
being confirmed by letters from Valencia, in reply to '
stand that they would not be admitted again into the
inquiries M. d'Aguileira had made, he presented her :
, house in Heddon-street. Yesterday they applied for
with a sufficient sum for her journey home, and
their property, and this was retused, and they, there-
the Chevalier Roubio, the Spanish Vice-Consnl,
fore, came to this Court, to ask for the assistance of
her to the diligence, in which were two
accompani.L4 the magistrate.
Spanish ladies, on tn. e'.,:: return to Spain, and who, on
hio of the history, I Mr. HARDWICK said the proceedings, on the part
hearing a few words from M. J..". 71
way. , pf.lll.4eQpolice, appeared to have been so perfectly un-
kindly undertook to attend to her on the hle, that it was necessary the trut'a of the ap-
jusloA a....
Every inquiry had previously been made to discover g,h,euld be tested. Mr. Hardwick re-
anxious to but in vain. The poor girl, although plicants' storr
. to receive her father's forgiveness and bless- i quested one of the constables to go for the inspector on
mg, could hardly be induced
toleave Paris, until it 1 duty the overnight.
was suggested to her that her lover was deal
' She 1 Inspector Baker shortiy entgrO the court, and, on
would not allow the idea of her having been abandoned being put in possession of' the particulars 4 the
by him to enter her mind, i young women's statementl said he I,elieved' that they

had not quite disclosed the whole truth, as they had
omitted to state that the young men in their room
were in bed with them—at least, so the landlord of
the house declared.

Mr. HARDWICK said, even supposing the women
had brought these young men into their own room for
an immoral purpose, what authority had the police for
interfering ? A landlord might find out that he had
unawares introduced an improper lodger into his
house, but it was no part of the duty of the police to
assist him in turning out this lodger. The landlord
must take those steps to clear his house which the law
pointed out.
Inspector Baker said the landlord, Thomas, and a
person named Gabriel, whose house communicated
with Thomas's, made the charge against the two
young men and women. Their charge was, that they
believed the young women had obtained possession of
the room by fraudulent representations, and that they
had introduced the two young men into their room
for the aurpose of planning a robbery in Gabriel's
house. This belief was strengthened by the fact of
one of the young men having been formerly in
Gabriel's employ.
Mr. HARDWICK said the story of the contemplated
robbery was apparently got up for the purpose of
procuring the assistance of the police in ridding the
house of an improper lodger. But he wanted to know,
as these parties were in custody and locked up on so
serious a charge, how it happened that they had been
discharged without the sanction of the magistrate ?
The police had no authority to discharge of their own
accord any case when once given, and so jealous were
the Legislature of entrusting them with any portion
of such power, that they were expressly forbidden,
notwithstanding the inconvenience which occasionally
occurred to discharge cases of drunkenness without
the sanction of the magLitrates.
Inspector Baker said there was a mistake here ; the
parties were not locked up on any charge. It was
true that they were taken down to the cells by the
gaoler while the charge was being heard, but as soon
as he ascertained that the charge was not likely to be
pressed, he directed all the parties in custody to be
liberated.

Mr. HARDWICK said it was quite clear the police
had exhibited most extraordinary ignorance of their
duty. They had no authority, and as far as he could
see, they had no excuse whatever for acting as they
had acted. He had always been most ready to afford
protection to the police, and to bestow approbation
where they did their duty properly and efficiently ;
at the same time he felt it to be his duty to mark his
sense of misconduct on the part of the police in an
equally stringent manner. He hoped the inspector
wouli teach the constables, who had so completely
mistaken their powers and functions what their duty
really was, that he might not have the painful task
of animadverting on the conduct of men who were
intrusted with important responsible situations.
The inspector said he never would have sanctioned
the interference of the constables had he been made
acquainted with the circumstances of the case.
Mr. HARDWICK desired a constable to go to Hed-
don -street, and see that the young women obtained
their property.
A tbreigner of military appearance, accompanied
by another foreigner, who could speak English, ap-
plied to Mr. Hardwick for some pecuniary assistance.
The spokesman said that he had recently become
acquainted with the state of distress to which his
foreign companion was reduced, and he had consented
to accompany him to the court, to ask if the magis-
trate would relieve him from his distress. The
foreigner was an Austrian Pole. He had resided at
Warsaw and in other Polish places, and had contrived
to render himself so obnoxious to the Russian govern
ment that he had been obliged to fly for his life. The
political offences had been so distasteful to the Russian
government, that his own government would not give
him shelter, and after making his way to Trieste, he
was enabled, through the kindness of the English Con-
sul, to make his escape to England. He landed at
Liverpool, and was recommended by the police
there to make his way to London. He had taken
the advice, and had been living for some
time at an hotel in Leicester-square, but
being without money, or means of getting any just
at present, the proprietor had told him he could not
be allowed to stay any longer. The Pole, who was
of high connexions, and whose only offence was of a
political nature, was exposed to perish for want in
the streets if some relief were not afforded to him.
The Pole had neither papers nor persons to refer to
in support of the truth of his story, and he (applicant)
knew nothing but what the Pole had told him.
Mr. HARDWICK said he would not pronounce an
opinion one way or the other as to the accuracy of
the Polish gentleman's representations ; but the term
" political martyr" had a wide range of meaning
among foreigners, and frequently included offences
which went by a totally different name in this country.
It could hardly be expected that every foreigner who
was obliged to fly from the police of his own country
should have a claim for support and assistance on the
police of this. It was placing magistrates here in a
very invidious position. Looking at the applicant's
case as one of personal distress, and without reference
to his alleged political offences, he would present him
with half-a-crown from the poor-box to help him to
communicate with his friends.