The Sun.
London, England, 1844-10-24 00:00:00

SURREY SESSIONS-TUESDAY.

(Before T. PuotLE, Esq., and a full Bench of Magistrates.)
James Murphy, a man of rather respectable appear-
ance, against whom there were two indictments, was
charged with having fraudulently obtained the sum of
21. from Edward Horne, under the pretence of selling
him two parcels of black and green tea of 71bs. each, but
which in reality contained nothing but dust and ashes.
The prisoner was defended by Mr. Charnock.
From the nature of the evidence, which created no
little merriment, the following appeared to be the facts
of the case :—The prosecutor is a grocer and tea-dealer,
carrying on business in Frederick place, Kent-road.
On the 12th of May last the prisoner entered the
prosecutor's shop, in a mysterious manner, and in-
formed him, after cautiously looking about in all
directions, that he did a little bit in* the " smug-
gling line," and offered him some splendid green tea
at 3s. 6d. per lb., and some fine flavoured black at 2s. 6d.
The prosecutor being delighted with the prospect of a
cheap bargain, from whence he might realise a hand-
some sum, readily agreed to become the purchaser at the
stipulated price ; but as he could not readily account to
the exciseman for an increase of his stock without a per-
mit, the prosecutor would not venture on buying more
than 141bs. at one period. The prisoner then introduced
the two parcels containing 71bs. each, and tearing open
the paper in a careless manner with his finger, produced
about half an ounce of the very best flavoured gunpow-
, der tea, worth about 7s. or Bs. per lb. The second
parcel was ;opened in a similar manner, and about the
same quantity of black tea was also produced, of a very
superior quality. The prosecutor wished to have
the tea opened, but this was objected to by the pri-
soner,/ who replied, " Oh no, you have the sample.;
its all smuggled tea, and in the contraband busi-
ness we never show our goods, but if you like you can
pay me for the green parcel and leave the black un-
paid for until I call again with another lot, in about a
fortnight's time." This was agreed to, and the prose-
cutor gave the prisoner 21. on account. On opening the
" bargains," he discovered, that with the exception of
half an ounce of tea in each parcel, placed artfully where
it might be easily opened, the contraband goods turned
out to be sawdust and ashes. In a few days afterwards,
prosecutor read the history of the " doings ' of the bold
smuggler in the newspapers, from which he learned that
the prisoner was one of the most experienced " duffers "
in the metropolis.
Cross-examined by Mr. CuAnNock—The duty on the
tea would be 2s. 2fd. per lb. Am in the habit of pur-
chasing contraband goods. Have no objection to decided
bargains. Don't know whether mine is a cheap tea
establishment. Have not so many customers as I wish.
It may be defrauding the revenue. Those who purchase
smuggled goods may undersell the fair dealer. Don't
carry on a roaring trade. Shan't get rich by this trans-
action.—(Loud laughter.)
The jury found the prisoner Guilty, but having re-
ceived a good character from several witnesses, the jury
strongly recommended him to mercy.
The prisoner was again indicted for feloniously steal-
ing, at Bermondsey, a half-sovereign, the property of
Mrs. Pettitt. _ _

—....
The prosecutriz keeps a chandler's-shop in Long-lane,
Bermondsey, and on the day named in the indictment,
he entered the shop of the prosecutrix to induce her to
purchase some smuggled tobacco, which sho positively
refused to do, telling the prisoner no good came of such
transactions. The prisoner observed her wrap up half a
sovereign in gold in a piece of paper, which she placed
on the counter, and which the prisoner instantly snatched
up, and run out of the shop, leaving his two -valuable
parcels of tobacco behind him, which on being opened
were found to contain nothing but brick-dust and ashes.
The prosecutrix accidentally met the prisoner in the City
last week, and gave him into custody.
The jury returned a verdict of Guilty.
.The Caantictry asked the jury if they still wished to
recommend the prisoner to mercy, or withdraw the re-
commendation ? The jury replied that they would still
recommend the prisoner to mercy.
The CHAIRMAN informed the prisoner that the deci-
sion of the jury was a most fortunate occurrence for
him, as it had saved him from transportation, having
been found guilty of a felony and an impudent fraud.
The prisoner was then sentenced to twelve months' im-
prisonment and hard labour at Brixton.
The COURT informed the prosecutor that they would
not allow him his expenses, and said that this nefarious
system of underselling the fair trader was anything but
a creditable transaction for a person who professed to be
a respectable tradesman.

POLICE INTELLIGENCE.
(YESTERDAY.)
BOW-STREET.

Two little boys, named Evans and Jones, who are
known to the police, were brought before Mr. Jardine,
charged with having two valuable jewel-cases in their
possession without being able to give an account of how
they came by them.
The officer saw Evans in St. Martin's-lane showing one
of the cases, which was elegantly fitted up, and covered
with crimson velvet, to the ether prisoner. Suspecting
that it had been stolen, he took them to the station-
house, and upon Jones being searched the other case was
found upon him. The cases were not at all soiled, and
there was every reason to believe that they had been re-
cently stolen.
Mr. TWTFOAD said he had no doubt that the jewels for
which the cases had been made bad also been stolen.

The prisoners, in their defence, said that a man bad
given them the cases to hold.
They were remanded till Saturday.
UNION-HALL.

Ann Ryan was charged before Mr. Traill with
striking ltosina Connor with a flat iron, and seriously
injuring her.
The complainant,whose face presented a shocking spec-
tacle, stated that she went home on the preceding night,
and finding the prisoner there with her husband, she de-
sired her to quit the place. The prisoner, however, re-
fused to go, saying that she had as much right to com-
plainant's husband as herself. This language caused a
dispute, which ended in a scuffle, during which the pri-
soner procured a fiat iron, and, placing it in a handker-
chief, struck the complainant a severe blow in the face,
which knocked her down, and rendered her completely
insensible. It was stated that had the blow been a little
higher up, it must have killed her.
The prisoner said that it all arose out of jealousy on
the part of the complainant, and denied she struck her
with a flat iron, but that she pushed her down, and her
face striking against the fender inflicted the injury upon it.
Mr. TRAILL, at the request of complainant, dealt sum-
marily with the prisoner, and in default of paying the
fine, committed her for 14 days.
Amelia Moss, alias Smith, and Mary Staunton, were
placed at the bar for re-examination, charged with
stealing an infant belonging to a man named Purdy,
living in Bermondsey.
The circumstances attending the stealing of the
child from its parents, and its subsequent restoration,
have already appeared in our police report.
A woman lodging in the house where Moss con-
veyed the child, stated that when she brought it home,
she said, in accounting for her absence, that as she
was walking along the streets she was attacked with
the pains of labour, and was conveyed to an hospital,
where she was delivered of the infant she then had in
her arms; that she asked witness if the infant was not
very like her husband, and she complained of being
very ill, and having given the child some anniseed,
she then went to bed, and took the infant with her.
While she was asleep, the husband, who is a police-
man, came to the house, and he questioned her as to
the cause of her absenting herself so long from home.
She made the same excuse with respect to her having
been delivered of a child in the hospital, and promised
to take him there the following day to convince him
of the fact. The same night, the witness added, Wat
kins, the police-sergeant, came to the house and took
,her into custody on the charge of stealing the infant,
under the circumstances already described.
The girl Blake, who was left in care of the child
by its parents the day it was taken away by the pri-
soner, stated, that Smith at first wanted her to get
the infant of a woman, Simmons, saying that she
only wanted to take it for a short time to show to a
gentleman at the west-end of the town, from whom
she expected to receive a sum of money. The witness
added, that she had no idea, when she permitted the
prisoners to take Mrs. Purdy's child away, that they
wanted to steal it, but only merely for the purpose
of showing it to the gentleman, and then returning
home with it.

A publican in Drury-lane gave testimony to the
effect that in a night or two after the prisoner
quitted her husband, she was present at a concert
given at his house, and that in going away she fell
down a flight of stairs, and, as she appeared to be
heavy in the family way, he (the witness) and his wife
thought the fall would have produced a miscarriage.
She, however, jumped up, and walked away as if no-
thing had happened ; and as he was afterwards in-
formed that she was not enciente at the time, he now
considered that she had put something on her, to
induce a belief that she was near her time of lying-in.
It was here stated, that a bundle of rags which the
prisoner Smith wore underneath her clothes, to make
her appear as if she was in the family-way, were
discovered hidden in the room she occupied, and the
fact was confirmed by a female who saw her take the
bundle off her person.
The prisoners who still asserted their innocence of