The Sun.
London, England, 1842-02-03 00:00:00

TN THE MATTER OF GEORGE DUDLEY:

The insolvent was opposed by Mr. Cooke, on beim]
of Messrs. Souter and Paistow, solicitors, of Greenwicl

The grounds of opposition were that the insolvent,
who was a very eminent engineer, had been formerly in
the employment of Messrs. Grissell and Peto, with whom
he had some disagreement, the result of which was a
lawsuit, in which the opposing creditors acted as the in-
solvent's attorneys. Ile was arrested by a person named
Hart, and the Learned Counsel contended that they had
been intimately acquainted before, and that the arrest
was termed a friendly one.

Mr. Commissioner BOWEN considered there was no
ground for that supposition, and ordered the insolvent to
be discharged forthwith.

CENTRAL CRIMINAL COURT.
OLD COURT.

Joseph Payne, 38, was convicted of burglariously
stealing various articles, the property of William Thomas
Webb.

This was one of those cases of robbery unhappily too
frequent, and which nothing but caution on the part of
the public can effectually prevent. The prosecutor and
his wife left their home on the evening of the 10th of
January, and when they returned they found the house
had been entered, and a quantity of property stolen.
The prisoner was, happily; stopped by the policeman on
duty, and a part of the stolen property was found upon
his person.
Baron ALDERSON, in passing judgment, observed, that
really some protection must be gi►en to that class of
persons of the community who, from their circumstances,
were compelled to leave their property during their tem-
porary absence, without the protection of servants. The
Court was bound to protect the public from the proceed-
ings of such persons as the prisoners, and the sentence,
therefore, was, that ho be transported for the term of ten
years. _ _ _

(Before Mr. Justice CRESSWELL.)
William Metcalf, 23, and Alfred Hastings, 27, were
indicted for burglary, and stealing various articles the
property of Thomas Cheveley.
Mr. FAYNJ conducted the prosecution, and from his
statement and the evidence that was adduced, it appeared
that on the sth of January the prosecutor, who resides
in Jubilee-place, Stepney, went to bed, and in the dead
of the night he was awoke by hearing a noise in the
lower part of the premises, and on getting up he found
that a door had been forced open, and the lower part of
the house completely ransacked. An alarm was given,
and the police, who were readily in attendance, made a
search, and the prisoners were discovered secreted in an
adjoining stable, and part of tho stolen property was
found upon them.
_ _

The Jury found both prisoners Guilty.
Mr. Justice CRESWELL, after commenting upon the
facts of the case, sentenced the prisoners to be transported
for ten years.
Charles Brook, aged 19, was indicted for breaking into
the counting-house of Messrs. Kitson and Co., soap-
boilers, White-street, Southwark, and stealing money to
the amount of 351.

Mr. PRENDERGAST conducted the prosecution. It ap-
peared that the prisoner had been in the employ of the
prosecutors, and on the 19th of January he had an
opportunity of seeing Mr. Kitson place some gold, silver,
and notes, to the amount mentioned in the indictment,
in his cash-box, and the next day it was found that the
counting-house had been broken open, the cash-box
forced, and the money stolen. It was proved that, im-
mediately after the robbery, the prisoner set about
" enjoying himself." -He took up with a lady, went
about to various places of amusement, and was at
length taken into custody by the police while in a state
of intoxication, and charged with being " drunk and
disorderly." The inquiry that subsequently took place
led to the committal of the prisoner upon the present
charge, and the offence was clearly brought home to him.
The Jury found the prisoner Guilty.
Mr. Justice CRESSWELL ordered the prisoner to be
kept to hard labour for twelve months.
The prisoner said he should be glad to be sent out of
the country.
Mr. Justice CRESSWELL told the prisoner that it was
very probable, from the course of life he pursued, that
he would eventually be sent out of the country, but at
present he would be imprisoned in it.
(Before the RECORDER.)
_

John Dolin, 46, was convicted upon two indictments of
obtaining a quantity of lead from Messrs. Warner and
Co., by means of forged orders, purporting to be signed
by a person named Bidwell, in whose employ he had for-
merly been.
The RECORDER sentenced the prisoner to be trans-
ported for seven years.
The prisoner begged for mercy. He said he had a
wife and six children, and was in great distress when he
committed the offence.
The RECORDER told him he did not deserve. commise-
ration. In whatever state of distress he was, it could
not justify the acts' ha had committed. On the 7th of
:January he had, by means of a forged order, obtained
property to the amount of 171., and on the 9th, two days
only having elapsed, he presented another forged order,
and obtained more property. The Court could not,
therefore, pass a more lenient sentence ; and he would
only observe that the sentence was the lowest period of
transportation that could be inflicted, when it was very
doubtful whether the punishment ought not to have
been the highest fixed by the law.
The RECORDER, after the prisoner had left the bar,
observed that the Legislature had thought fit to make a
distinction in the punishment in the case of parties
convicted of uttering forged orders for the delivery of
goods, but he could not see what difference there was be-
tween obtaining goods and money to the same amount.
Both offences were, in his opinion, equally injurious to
the public, and mischievous in their consequences.
The son of the last prisoner, who pleaded in the name
of Thomas Lake, was then indicted for an offence of the
same description.
The case was clearly proved, and the Jury returned a
verdict of Guilty.
There being good reason to believe that the prisoner
had, in some measure, been seduced to commit the offence
by his father, the Court inflicted the lowest sentence ,in
accordance with the Act of Parliament, viz., two years'
imprisonment and hard labour.