The Sun.
London, England, 1844-12-05 00:00:00

had no intention to commit 'my miichief, although
afterwards the file ,preal and dune the
injury rnpi:
.!:
not be liable to the chart:' against him
The grand jury then reth ed.

THE CASE OF AflsS RICHARDSON

It will tw rec,iieeted th:.t a ~,nog lady, nsrned
Ellen Richardson, tio- ihntJter of a gen,kinan
residing, at Brent,,,lol. comtnitted trial
a short time back .4tr-in the charge of stealing-a (limn-
tity of silk, the property of a teadesinan at Brent-
wood.. The case was to have been disposed of at the
quarter. sessions, but an application was then made on
behalf of the accused to allow the case to stand over
until the assizes, on the ground that the young lady
was too ill to take her trial. The magistrates granted
the application, and the charge, which has created
very grk-at interest in the county. nn acconit of the
respectability of thc- ricensed and I,er frierik, accord-
ingly stood over until tie? prf-zc,i)t. gaol &livery.
Mr. RODWELL now applied to the Court for a fur-
ther postponement, and he produced the certificate of
a medical gentleman, stating that it would he im-
minent danger to the health of the accused if she were
to attend and take her trial at these assizes.

Mr. Justice WILLIAMS said he could not attend to
a surgeon's certificate. There must be a proper affi-
davit.

Mr. RODWELL said an affidavit should be prepared
in the course of the assizes. The trial could not
come on on that day, because ilia Richardson was at
large under recognisances, and she was unable to
attend.

Mr. RYLAND said his witnesses attended at very
great inconvenience. Ike thought that his Learned
Friend ought to state when he would produce the
affidavit, and not keep them waiting there all the
assizes.

Mr. Justice WILLIAMS said he would not take the
case that day.
Mr. RTLAND said there were some peculiar circum-
stances in .the case—the parties came from Brent-
wood, and—

Mr. Justice WILT ums said he knew nothing of
the circumstances of the case, or whether they were
peculiar er not. He had never heard the name of the
accused before, and he never wished to hear it again.
All he would say was that the trial should not come
on that day, and any application respecting the case
must be made upon affidavit.
Joseph Gladwell, 44, Joseph Gladwell, 20, and
Chenery Gladzvell, 18, were indicted for feloniously
stealing a cabin-door, a quantity of rope, and planks,
and other articles, the property of Thomas Carey.
In another count the prisoners were charged with
the offence of stealing property from a vessel that had
been wrecked.

Mr. Rodwell prosecuted, and Mr. Ryland de-
fended the prisoners.
It appeared from the evidence, that on the 9th of
October a vessel called the Hazard was moored off
Great Clacton, on the Essex coast, and while she was
lying there a storm arose, which drove her from her
moorings, and she went on shore and bra ke up, and
became a complete wreck, her timbers and other ma-
terials being washed upon the beach. One of the
Ensex constabulary was set to watch the wreck, and, ,
about three o'clock the following morning, he sava
the three prisoners come with a horse and cart, which
they proceeded to load with timber, rope, and other
articles washed from the wreck, and on their being
asked what they were about by the officer, they told
him they were only taking " shore wood," and they
considered they were entitled to it.

Mr. RYLAND, in his address to the jury, said he
could not attempt to defend the proceeding of the
prisoners, or to contend that they had not been guilty
of larceny. His Lordship had, however, intimated
his opinion that the more serious charge of stealing
from the wreck had not been made out, and there-
fore the only question. for the jury was, whether the
prisoners were guilty of the minor charge. They
were aware that in many parts of the country, al-
though happily not in Essex, there was a very gene-
ral opinion among persons of the lower orders that,
when a vessel was unhappily wrecked, her materials
became the iproperty of any person who was able to
possess himself of them. The prisoners were probably
impressed with that opinion, and did not believe they
were committing a felony in acting as they did, al-
though in law they undoubtedly were so.
Mr. Justice WILLIA.Nts, in summing up, said there
was no doubt that such an opinion as that alluded to
by the Learned Counsel did prevail in some parts of
the country, and he must state his impression that it
inflicted no small disgrace upon it. 10 suppose that
a vessel which had been suffering, and perhaps de-
stroyed, by the tempest, was afterwards to become the
prey of persons upon the land, was a most mischievous
and illegal doctrine, and one that it was high time to
put an end to. —The jury returned a verdict of Guilty.
Mr. Justice W.thu,tms then sentenced the elder
prisoner to be kept to hard labour for four calendar
months, and the younger prisoners were sentenced to
two months' of the same punishment.

NORTHERN CIRCUIT.—York, Dec. 2.
Jeremiah Swallow and Michael Noon were indicted
for unlawfully having in their possession a die, made of
plaster .)f Paris, for the purpose of coining sixpences.
The jury returned a verdict et Guilty against both
the prisoners.
His LORDSHIP in passing sentence, said he thought
the facts of the case justified a difference iv. the amount
of punishment. Swallow was apparently the most active
party, and the one by whom the manufacture was carried
on. On Noon, whose. share in the transaction was rather
a cannivance than otherwise, the punishment would riot
be so severe ; but sufficiently so to warn persons in such
occupations as that of the prisoner that they could not
connive at such transactions on their premises, without
rendering themselves amenable to the law. Swallow to
be transported for 15 years ; Noon to be imprisoned for
12 calendar months.
Two personi. of the names of Phillips and M'Lean,
were indicted for unlawfully having in their possession a
die for coining shillings.
Mr. hall and Mr. dill conducted the prosecution.
The prisoners were not defended by counsel.
The principal witness was a person of the name of
Elliott, a die sinker, in the employment of a firm in
Sheffield. He stated that, in the month of July last,
the prisoners came to him at his house, and after some
conversation they introduced the subject of dies for
coining. Phillips said he wished to procure articles
of that kind for coining shillings and half-crowns.
The witness told him that those were dangerous
things to meddle with, and that there would be a
great risk to run. Phillips said there would be no
danger, and that M`Lean, who had come over trom Ire-
land, and was working as a printer, would manage it.
The witness said he could not undertake it, and Phillips
then asked if he could refer them to any die sinker who
could do the job. The witness replied there were many
who could do it, but they would not. He inquired who
had recommended the prisoners to him, and they said it
was a person in .Snow- lane, Sheffield, that M'Lean would
take the dies away as soon as they were completed, that
he would pour some plaster of Paris over them, and then
imbed them in a block of lead, in which they would be
taken to Ireland. Mr. Elliott finally said he would con-
sider of it until the next day, and on the prisoners leaving,
he communicated what had taken place to his father, and
the next morning to one of his employers. The next
day Phillips came again, and asked if witness had made
up his mind. He replied that he had, but must know
who were the parties by whom they had been referred
to him, and must have an advance of money. Phillips
objected, and said he had been taken in by a fellow in
Dublin about some copper dies before. Witness said it
would cost nearly 2/. to procure the blank dies and letter
punches for a shilling die. Phillips said he would pro-
cure the blanks and punches himself, and would give
12/. for the two pair of dies. The witness said he must
hare 10/. for the half-crowns, and 51Safor the shilling dies.
Phillips said that he could make a metal, the weight and
jingle of which would be so much like gold, it could not
be detected without aquafortis ; that the man who was
with him could make German silver which could scarcely
be distinguished from real silver, and that it was their
intention to make their coin of this material, plated with
real silver. Witness said he thought with so hard a
metal it would be hardly possible to strike up the impres-
sion. Phillips said that they had arranged to get a
powerful press at Drogheda for that purpose. On the
3d of August witness got the blanks from Phillips, and
ls. as a pattern. The letter punches, Phillips said he
had got at Mr. Osborne's, in Snow-lane. He had pre-
tended that he wanted them for a medal of O'Connell,
to be sent to Ireland. The inscription on one side was
to be " One gift we seek." On the other " Our voices
will resound for repeal through the length of the land."
The phrases included all the letters necessary for a ls.
die. During the month of July, witness had received
several sums of 10s. in part payment, and had made for
Phillips a turtling scale for half-a.crown, from which he
said he was going to have blank dies made. Saw Phil-
lips many times before the dies were completed. When
they were nearly ready, Phillips called to see an impres-
sion. He asked witness whether he would have any objec-
tion to meet him (Phillips) and his man with clay impres-
sions from the dies. Witness declined, and Phillips then
said he would:call. with his man, to see them, and would
then pay the money and take them away. He after-
wards called with M'Lean. M'Lean sat down at the
table, and asked for an eye-glass to look at them. He
said they were very good on the whole ; hut there was a
scratch on the nose which he wished should be removed.
He said they were a few shillings short. Mr. M`Lean
pulled out his purse, and said he had got Si., and would
send the remainder as soon as he got to Ireland. The
witness said he could not agree to that, but if they would
bring 41 he would have them ready to be taken away.
Phillips stated that there was a large company engaged
in the business, one of whom was a captain of a ship, and
that it was intended to circulate the coin in America ;
and that they should want a dozen one shilling dies and
a dozen half-crown dies, and that they would be able to
keep witness fully employed. The next time they called
they did not bring the money, but stated they would have
td write to Ireland for some more. M'Lean said he did
not like to have the dies longer in his possession than he
could help, and that he would fetch them away-on the
Wednesday following, at ten o'clock, so as to get
away by the eleven o'clock coach to Manchester.
They came again on the Monday to get witness to
make them another turning scale for half-a-crown.
and said they would be able to let him know en
the. Wednesday evening whether they could fetch the
dies on the Thursday. Did not see them till
the Friday. That was the 28th of November. M•Lean
011e4 witness out of the house, and mid they