The Sun.
London, England, 1845-03-05 00:00:00

NEW COURT.

(Before the COMMON-SERGEANT and AldermanTluallEs.)
A HEARTLESS ROBI3RRY.—DanieI Henry Donney, aged 24,
described in the calendar as a glass-cutter, was convicted of
stealing a box, and some wearing apparel, the property of
Mary Beckworth, a simple-looking country girl:
The prisoner became acquainted with the prosecutrix
through a cabman, who was in the habit of driving out her
mistress on Sundays. She was induced to go into a public-
house by this person and the prisoner, and after partaking of
some liquor, which she believed to have been drugged, she
became insensible. On recovering, she found herself un-
dressed, and in bed with the prisoner, at No. 3, Little Ex-
mouth-street, Hampstead-road, where he had taken a fur-
nished room. The girl lived with the prisoner fora fortnight,
he representing her as his wife, and she, acting under his
advice, represented him as her husband to her parents, who
are honest and industrious working-people living
at Richmond. However, at the expiration of that period
he forsook her, and carried away the little property which
she possessed, consisting of trifling articles of female apparel,
a portion of which he pledged, and the rest was found in his
possession when taken into custody. A few days after she
met him, and on her threatening to give him into custody he
swore he would blow out her brains with a pistol and stab
her with a sword, articles which she knew he possessed.
However, she carried her threat into execution.
He was also convicted of stealing three shirts and other
articles, value 155., the property of John Brite ; five pair of
stockings, value 35., the property of Catherine Fair; and two
towels, value 25., the property of Ann Fair, from a house in
which be had lodged last year.
He had also been frequently convicted and sentenced to
various terms of imprisonment in that Court and elsewhere,
for offences of a similar nature.
. .

The prisoner conducted his own case, and sharply interro-
gated every witness that was examined. •
On being asked in the usual manner what he had to
say why the sentence of the Court should not be passed upon
him aecording to law, he handed in a paper which was read
by the Common-Sergeant. It set forth that he was sincerely
penitent for the offences he had committed, and earnestly
called upon the Court to pass a lenient sentence upon him,
as he would henceforth adopt a new course of life, and subsist
by industry. In the event of the Court passing a lenient
sentence, he would promise to join one of the Indian armies,
in one of which he had formerly served. The document
concluded by stating that he had a young wife who was in
the greatest distress, and implored mercy on her behalf.
The COMMON-SERGEANT, in passing sentence, said—A
more atrocious case never came before that Court. It was
not the intention of the Court to pass any sentence upon him
for the second offence, but solely on the first. A worse case
than that could not be conceived. He not only used
every mode towards the unfortunate girl which the
most depraved mind could have used for the basest
of purposes, but threatened to shoot her when
she said she would give him into custody on the charge. It
was also his belief that he obtained his living by robbing
the public. He was seldom called upon to pass the sentence
he was about to pronounce, but the case before the Court was
one or that nature which called for such a sentence—which
was that he be transported for fifteen years.
The prisoner, who is a tall, well-made young man, and
rather good looking, then bowed politely to the Court and
left the dock.
The COMMON-SERGEANT directed the constable who had
the management of the case to see that Mary Beckwith, who
stated that she was not enceinte, was conveyed to her parents
free of expense to herself.

MARLBOROUGH-STREET
(THIS DAY.)
John Green, a shabbily-dressed man, between 30 and 40
years of ag,a, was charged with burglariously breaking the
Amp- window of Mr. Charles Wright, of No. 11, Lisle-street,
Leicester-square, watch and clock-maker, and steeling there-
from a case containing three gold watches and seven silver
I watches, of the value of between 501. and 601.
The prosecutor stated that about a quarter to eight o'clock
last evening, as he was sitting in his shop, he heard one of
the panes of glass in the -window break, and saw a man's
hand inside, amongst the watches displayed for sale. He
instantly rushed to the shop-door, but could not get out, as
it had been tied by some twisted string to the soraper. The
case of watches produced he had seen safe in his shop-window
but about a minute before.
Police-constable, No. 163 of the C division, stated that as
he was on duty in Bear-street, Leicester-square, he saw the
prisoner come running in the direction from Lisle-street,
follo'sred by a neighbour of the prosecutor, who had seen him
thrust his hand through the window, calling "Stop thief."
Witness joined in the pursuit, and, as the prisoner was pass-
ing a hoarding on the east side of the square, inclosing the
site where Julien's Hotel formerly stood, he saw him throw
something into the excavations there. He continued in
pursuit of the prisoner until he was stopped by some gentle-
men in Green-street. His right hand was found to be cut
very severely.
Police-constables 165 and 81 of the C division proved
finding the cases and watches on the spot where the prisoner
was seen to throw something from him.
The prisoner, who is a well-known thief, was fully
committed.

BURGLARY AT PRESTON, LANCASHIRE.—On Sun-
day, while all the family and household of Mr. Clark, who is
described as a punctiliously religious man, were at church,
his house was broken into, thirteen drawers picked and
rifled, all his plate, a gold watch, and other valuable effects,
to the amount of 2001., were carried off, and no clue left to
the thieves. Some suspicion attaches to parties who on the
same day, at two o'clock, left Preston by the train for
London. A telegraph on the line might have led to the exa-
mination of these parties, and to the detection of the thieves.