The Sun.
London, England, 1844-03-25 00:00:00

WORSHIP-STREET.

Mr. Broughton, the sitting Magistrate, was occupied
until an advanced hour with the examination of eight
persons. male and female, charged with having suspicious
possession of a large quantity of silk and other goods,
which it now appeared had been obtained from a manu-
facturing house in the country in the names of the fic-
titious firm of J. Wigram, Brothers, and Co., of Bar-
__ .

clay-place, Hackney.
The prisoners were a young man named James War-
tin,
of 5, Dotteridge-place, Hoxton, a clerk ; Alfred,
Erzabeth, and Mary Spurrell, brother and sisters, of
31, Goring-street, Hoxton; George Williams, an elderly
man, and Edward and Jane Williams, his son and
daughter, resident at Melina-place, Hackney. They were
taken under the following circumstances:—
On Friday evening Elizabeth Spurrell went to the shop
of Messrs. Alton and Walker, pawnbrokers, to pledge
some new articles, consisting of several quantities of
silk, &c., and on being questioned, gave her name Pack,
and her addres in Goring-street, tied said that she had
been sent to pledge the goods by her father, a half-pay
officer. As she had several times before pledged similar
property, Mr. Alton went home with her, and found that
she had given a fictitious name, and being induced to be-
lieve, from what he observed, that the goods had been
improperly obtained, he gave her in charge to the police.
Sergeant Lambert, 2 N. afterwards went to the house in
Goring-street, with Policeman Balls, to make in-
quiries, and saw in different parts of the house various
quantities of new goods lying about in a very
suspicious way, and found two deal covers of pack-
ing-cases, from which the addresses had been erased.
The front parlour was locked, end Martin, who was then
present, said it was occupied by the elder Spurrell, who
had the key with him, but old Mrs. Spurrell, who was
in bed up stairs, being questioned, said the parlour was
occupied by Martin, and the officers having obtained the
key, entered it, and there found other quantities of pro-
perty, and a small box, containing several tradesmens'
directories, and various documents, including a whole
quire of printed circulars of Wigram and Co., for distri-
bution amongst manufacturers and tradespeople in the
country. In Martin's possession were found no less
than forty-seven pawnbrokers' duplicates, and an invoice
for goads, of which those above described appeared to
have been part. The elder Williams entered while the
officers were there, and it appeared that he had been to
the pawnbroker's, and offering himself as bail for Eliza-
beth Spurrell ; and at his residence, at Hackney, some
silk and other goods were found in possession of his son
and daughter, and three pawn-tickets for such property.
Sergeant Lambert now produced one of the circulars
of " Wigram and C 0.," which was handed to the Magis•
trate and read. The circular, which was addressed to
" Merchants, manufacturers, tradesmen, and private
gentlemen of respectability," was of great length, and
set forth in very imposing terms the inestimable advan-
tages which those to whom it was addressed would de-
rive from a transmission of their money or goods to
" Wigram, Brothers, and C 0.," Barclay-place, Hackney,
in exchange for "good and respectable tuna-fide London
and country bills of exchange," which they were in the
habit of procuring for the accommodation of merchants,
manufacturers, and others in want of temporary assist-
ance; or if the parties addressed should happen to have
goods on hand, and find sales dull or difficult, Messrs.
W. and Co. promise to use their best endeavours to turn
them into cash. They stipulated, however, that any ap-
plication to them for accommodation bills, &c., should
be accompanied with a remittance of cash at the rate
of 5 per cent., for the amount received by their agency.
Balls, the police-constable, produced, amongst the ar-
ticles found in the possession of Martin, an immensely
long invoice of goods recently forwarded to "Wigram,
Brothers, and C 0.," from D. G. Learoyd, of Pontefract,
amounting to 1731. I Is. A heap of goods was also pro-
duced, consisting of silk handkerchiefs, shawls, muslins,
lace, and which, with those offered in pawn, corres-
ponded with the invoice.
Sergeant Lambert said he had made inquiries at
Hackney, and ascertained that the elder Spurrell at one
time kept a beer-shop in Barclay-place, Hackney, pre-
viously to his removal to Hoxton, and that numerous
packages and letters came there addressed to Wi-
gram, Brothers, and Co., but the landlord and neigh-
bours declared that there was, in reality, no person of
that name, and that.-Spurrell himself was the only
" Wigram and Co." The sergeant said he had also seen
the postman of the district, who then held four letters
to the same address, but refused to give them up because
he had orders from Spurrell to deliver them into no hands
but his own. Spurrell, however, had not been home,
and could not be met with since the detention of his
daughter and the present discovery.
Mr. BROUGHTON, having heard this evidence, ordered
all the prisoners to be removed from the bar except Eli-
zabeth Spurreil, whom he then asked what account she
wished to give of the possession of these goods.—The
prisoner said that her father, who is a half-pay officer,
sent her to pledge them, and that they were goods which
had teen consigned to him from the country to be dis-
posed of.
Martin, who was next called upon, said that he was
merely a visitor at Spurrell's in Goring-street, andknew
no more of the goods than that they had been received
from the country by Spurrell.
Williams; the elder, stated himself to be a pensioner,
and said that he merely went as a friend and neighbour
to get bail for Miss Spurrell, when he was detained. He
knew nothing of the property, and the articles found at
his place had, it appeared, been presented to his son and
daughter by the Spurrells.
Mr. BROUGHTON, after a long inquiry, discharged all
the prisoners except Elizabeth Spurrell, who was found
offering part of the goods in pawn, and Martin, in whose
possession the invoice and the duplicates of the other
property had been found. He remanded those two
persons for a week, to give the officers time to com-
municate with the trdesmen at Pontefract, and to trace
other matters connected with the fictitious firm of
" Wigram, Brothers, and Co."
THAMES POLICE.

Denis Driscoll, a rough, rollicking-looking fellow,
who evidently preferred summary process to the slow
and technical formalities of the law, was charged with
having, without " rhyme or raison" assaulted a fellow-
exile of Erin, named Florence Sullivan.
Florence stated his own case thus :—" As I was goin,
your 'Wurtchip, down along Shadwell, Mr. Driscoll comes
up to me an says, • How d'ye do, Flurry ?' says he.
Very well, I thank ye, Deny,' says I. 'How is your
people ?' says I. They're very well for that matther,'
says Denis. But,' says he, why don't you pay me
mother the one and a penny yer owes her ?' says he.
Pay me mother, you —, he says, gettin hotter in
the matther, or I'll break your neck; says he. Wid'
that he tuck honld o' me be the collar, an kicked ine an
bate me till he kilt me almost intirely.
Mr. BALLANTINE (smiling)—No, not entirely, Mr.
Sullivan. Florence—Faix, then he did that thing. He
did it then, your reverence.
Denis, in his defence, denied the assault. " 'Tisn't the
way at all I bate him, your Lordship, as Mr. Sullivan
tells how I done it. Oh, Flurry, agrah l 'tis you have a
conscience like a rib stockin', sure 'twould stretch to,
anything. 'Twas a pity to aware him, your Wurtchip,
for I think the memory is failin the poor boy, since he
ma veo uriinieenth ye oifiarc'ee, ontinyotuerll oath,me, miasa,btoutchhies/ .t 1
turned a tee-totum (teetotaller.) Yerrab, Flurry
alyooikt
he sow,
was ? Didn't I meet you, an after giving you
the time of the day (exchanging the usual greet •
ings), didn't I say, peaceably and quietlj-, I'm
thinkin, Flurry, 'tis forgettin the thrifle that's dhue
to the ould ooman, you are.' Iss, yer Wurtchip,
them is the very words as passed; an', somehow or
other, jist as I was a going on me foot hot his, an' I
think he sthsggered, or he fell on something, and that's
the whole totle of it. Kill him, mah I Oh, Flurry, ain't
you makin' a show o' yourself this blessed da,y, to in' up
the time o' the coort an' his rivirence, an keeping me from
me work, to say nothin' of what you swore before all the
Christians. Farra qu dho, Flurry, ain't you a disgrace
to the Sullivans."—(Loud laughter.)
Mr. BALwalriz-oThen 31/41u wean to Fay that it gra