The Sun.
London, England, 1827-04-24 00:00:00

POLICE INTELLIGENCE.

G UIL DHALL.—Mr. Illman, a respectable trunk-
maker, in Noble-street, Falcon-square, appeared be-
fore Sir PETER LAURIE, Knt., yesterday, upon an
information, charging him with having purchased a
hare on the 24th of February.
Several notices of action have been receired by
various poulterers from bona fide informers, the law
seeming to encourage that mode of recovering penal-
ties under the game-laws, by giving the informer
only half the forfeiture if he proceeds before a Ma-
gistrate, and if he sues in a court of record award-
ing him the whola penalty and double costs;the
poulterers are taking alarm, and informing against
their customers, as, by obtaining one conviction, the
Informer becomes purged " from all pains, forfeitures,
and penalties, to which he shall have become liable
at the time of making such discovery."
Mr. Minim, jun., attended as solicitor to the in-
former, but the defendant pleaded "guilty as soon
as the information was read.

Sir P. LAURIE asked the informer, Mr. Brown, a
poulterer, in Newgate-market, what was his object
in suing for the penalty ? He asked this, because
he saw it had been stated elsewhere, that there was
some strange perversion of the spirit of the law in
these proceedings.
Mr. HonLEß—The object is to recover the
Sir PETER—So; you sold the hare, and nom' turn
informer against the gentleman who favoured you
with his custom. Your solicitor says there is no
manoeuvring in this prosecution, hut, perhaps, you
will tell me how many head of game you have sold
besides the one in question.
Mr. Brown smiled, but did not open his lips.
Sir PETER—I suppose you have your hand in
your pocket to pay the fine for Mr. Illman.
Mr. HoBLER—No, Sir, I expect Mr. Inman will
pay it.
Mr. Alderman ANst.Ev—Well, as he has pleaded
guilty, we must convict him.
The cemiction was then recorded.
Sir PETER LAURIE— How came you to buy this
hare, Mr. Illman ?

Defendant—" My wife was in the family way, Sir,
and was seized with a great longing for a bit of
hare. (A laugh.) I, of course, went about in all
directions, and did my best to obtain one for her,
and I gave Mr. Brown ss. for one. It is a hard
case for me, Sir, and I hope you will make the fine
as light as you can." Mr. Illman said all this as se-
riously as if he believed the penalty would actually
come out of his own pocket; hut he added, less
seriously, " Mr. Brown cannot expect me to deal
with him again." (A general laugh.)
Sir PETER—lndeed, I think he cannot.

The fine of 51. was then paid down, and Mr.
Hobler observed, his client was now exonerated from
all penalties during the whole game season.
Mr. Payne, the clerk, who seemed to doubt
whether Mr. Inman was not, after all, to be the suf-
ferer, said, " This is one way for a man to get rid
of his sins certainly, but it is a most iniquitous
mode."
Gouge, the ranger of Fleet-street, brought for-
ward the witnesses to establish the innocence of
Humphries, the hackney-coachman, who was com-
mitted for stealing 181. in notes out of a small pocket-
book lie had picked up in Fleet-street.
Richard Laws, the carman, stated that he was
going with his waggon up Fleet-street, on the Gth
of April, between 11 and 12 in the day, and saw a
hackney-coachman get off his box, facing Fetter-
lane, to pick up a small pocket-book which he was
almost ,ure was lying open. The coachman re-
mounted. Witness saw a roll of papers lying near
the book, and called out to him, but he did not stop.
Witness picked it up and showed five of the six
notes to Mr. Nichols, a licensed victualler, at the
Savoy Palace, to whom he was then carrying some
ale. He gave the notes the same night to his mas-
ter's clerk, who gave him sovereigns in exchange
the following evening.
.; .
Mr. Noah Nicholls and Mr. John► Little, clerk' to
Mr. Bryant, of Prince's-square, St. George's-in-the-
East, confirmed Laws' statement fully, as far as 're-
lated to them. He had mentioned to them 139th

that he found the notes, and saw the coachman

up the book, and he had told Mr. Nicholls that the
book was lying open.
Sir PETER asked Mr. Little, if the notes were
dirty. as if they had fallen in the road.
Mr. Little—The only observation I made was,
that they had been much worn in the pocket.
Sir PETER—How long has Laws been in Mr.
Brvant's employ ?
Mr. Little--Nine years, and he has au excellent
character.

After putting various questions to elicit whether
there was any acquaintance between the coachman
and the carman, and whether the notes were in the
possession of the latter before the former became ap-
prehensive of being taken into custody,
Sir PETER said, that it had been his fate to have
several difficult cases before bins, and the charge
against the coachman was certainly one of them.—
His expression, that the reward of 5/. should not
fetch the pocket-book, had as much as any thing
raised the suspicion that there was money in it at the
time he said so. Could any one say whether the
coachman could read ?
The officer said he thought he could not, because
he could not tell how to spell his own name.
Sir PETER.--Than the poor fellow might mistake
an old lottery ticket, that still remained in the book,
for something of value. Mr. Loadsman, the prose-
cutor, stated that it was impossible his pocket could
have been pick,i, and he was positive that the tuck
of the l-sok was in the loop ; in which case, it would
be impossible it could have burst open by falling.
Mr. Loadsman.-1 am still sure it was fast.
Sir PETER.---11ut, you see you must have been
mistaken. I had a prejudice that there was an un-
derstanding between Laws and the coachman ; but
after asking every question that suggested itself to
my mind, and from the very respectable appearance of
the parties before me, my doubts are at an end ; and
I will cause an immediate application to be made to
a Judge to releaso. the poor coachman from prison.
The 141. which Laws had given up to the officer
was then handed over to Mr. Loadsman, who also
asked for the two letters, stating that.the writers had
seen the account of the coachman's commitment in
the newspapers, and had also heard of the carman be-
ing the actual finder of the money.
Sir PETER gave him the letters, noJcing at the
same time the great advantage that resulted in this
case from the publicity given to the police report.
" Ay," replied Mr. Loadsman, " that report has
been of advantage to me as well as the coachman,
but for that. report, I am satisfied I should never hare
heard of my money."
Sir PETER ordered the City Solicitor to take the
necessary steps to bring the matter before a judge.
James Augustus Gleescm, a spruce young law-
yer's clerk, was brought up, for the second time
within a fortnight, upon a charge of assaulting his
wife, to whom he had been married only a month.
The officer stated that the wife had gone away
satistiel, the parties having agreed to separate.
Sir PETER.—I suppose, if I discharge you now
I shall see you here again before the week is gone,
for battling with your wife. _ _ .

Gleeson.—No, Sir ; 110 more. She battles with
me, and sets the poker and tongs to work. (Laugh-
ter.)
Sir PETER.—This was a strange way of spending
the honey moon, but different people hare different
tastes. How long were you courting her ?
Gleeson—Two years, Sir.

. -
Sir PETER—No poker and tongs then—(A laugh.)
Gleeson—Oh, no, Sir; but the other day she
presented a loaded pistol at me.—(More laughing.)
Sir PETER—WeII, Sir, as you have made your
peace, you are discharged.
BOW-STREET.—James Simpkins, the post-
office letter-carrier, who underwent an examination
at this office on the 12th inst., on a charge of steal-
ing letters containing money, was yesterday brought
up for re-examination. Two charges were brought
against the prisoner in addition to those that were
proved against him on the first examination, and he
was fully committed for trial.
MARYLEBONE-OFFICE. Yesterday Mr.
Benjamin Hatfield, of No. 50, Lisson-Grove, was
charged with having attempted to violate the person
of Harriet Shepherd.
The complainant is a remarkably healthy looking
robust girl, between 11 and 15 years old, and she
stated that she came into the defendant's service
last June as a nurse-maid. It has been the practice of
her mistress to go to bed before her master, and upon
such an occasion, since Christmas, her master first
made himself familiar with her by kissing her in the
parlour; on subsequent occasions be proceeded to
take greater liberties, and afterwards made several
attempts to violate her person, in which, however, ac-
cording to her statement, he did not succeed. She
resisted him by struggling when these things oc-
curred, but did not cry for assistance at the time, or
tell any one afterwards, because she was afraid, for
she knew her father was out of employment, and she
did not want to lose her place. The List attempt
was made on Thursday night, which came to the
knowledge of her friends and led to this inquiry.
Mr. RAWLINSON asked whether he had intimi-
dated her by threats, or endeavoured to bribe her
with offers of money, to Loth of which questions she
answered " No." In reply to another question from
Rawlinson, she acknowledged that she came
down into the parlour at the defendant's request, on
Thursday night, after she bad taken the infant to her
mistress, although she suspected the purpose -for
which he wanted her.

The defendant, a- very respectable-looking young
man, denied the whole statement; charged the girl
with having robbed him of 35., and insinuated that
she had lived in houses of ill-famo before she came
into his service. _ _

This was strenuously contradicted by the girl and
her friends, ard Mr. RAWLINSON, after having re-
marked that with such knowledge, surely he would
not himself have retained her in his service, held
him to bail in 501., and two sureties in 251. each.

.Tamer Reeves, a very young lad, was committed
to Newgate upon a charge of having stolen a silk
handkerchief from a child in the New-road, near
Trinity Church, Regent's-Park. lie was observed
to be examining the handkerchief by an officer in
Portland-place, which led to his apprchension, and
he was seen by a little boy to steal it from the child,
upon whose evidence he WUS committed.
UNION-HALL.—A man, named Cornelius
Bowen, was charged with violating Elizabeth Sayer,
the grand-daughter of a woman with whom he
lodged.
From the evidence, it appeared, that on the night
of Easter Monday, the complainant, who is very
young, slept at her grandmother's in a two-bedded
room, one of which was occupied by the prisoner,
and the other by the complainant and her cousin, a
little boy, between five and six years of age. In the
night, the prisoner entered the complainant's bed,
and by the evidence of a surgeon who was examined,
it appeared that the offence 'of which the prisoner
stood charged was fully completed. The prisoner i
was committed.

In the Kent Road is to be seen the following
rather ominous sign :—" A• DeTille, Under-
taker, from Gravesend."

COMEDY AND TRAGEDY.—Baron Hol-
barich, in a conversation on theatrical works,
thus describes Comedy and Tragedy :—" The
business of Comedy is always, a marriage, and
that of a Tragedy a murder. All the intrigue
turns on this question—Shall they marry or shall
they not marry ?—shall they kill, or shall they
not kill ? They shall marry—they shall kill—
and so ends the first act ; they shall not marry—
they shall not kill—concludes the second act.
A new means of marrying and killing presents
itself, which is the substance of the third act.
A new difficulty arises, and prevents the marriage
and the murder, and this forms the fourth act.
At length wearied with the contest, they marry
and they kill, which completes the piece."---Li-
terary Chronicle.

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