The Sun.
London, England, 1842-01-07 00:00:00

POLICE INTELLIGENCE;
MANSIOA-HOUSE.

A man, named John Thompson, was brought before
the Lord Mayor, charged with having defrauded Mr.
Dubock, the landlord of the Coach and Horses public-
house in Petticoat-lane, of some silver and a meal of
victuals, &c. The prisoner was supposed to be a ship-
carpenter.
It appeared from the statement of the publican, who
gave a very droll and animated account of the affair, that
the prisoner called at his house and asked whether he
had kept it thirteen years ago. The answer was that
the person who carried on the business at that time was
gathered to his fathers, and would no more be seen. " I
am sorry for that," said the prisoner, " for I lodged in this
house thirteeen years ago, and better treatment I never
received any where, so that its recollections make me
wish to lodge here again." He then asked witness to
board and lodge him, and said that fifteen shillings a
week was the sum he used to pay on the former occa-
sion. Witness, although unused to the entertainment
of strangers with bed and board, consented, and the pri-
soner sat down to his first meal in the house, and
then requested that the witness would provide
him a trustworthy porter, and accompany him to the
India docks, in order that his chest of carpenter's tools,
and other property, might be fetched from thence in
safety. On their way the prisoner said he bad to call
upon his captain, in Prescott-street, about his wages, and
he and witness, and the porter, went into a public-house
in the neighbourhood, to make arrangements. The pri-
soner in a short time went over to a house in which he
said the captain lived, and knocked at the do r, being
watched by the witness and the porter, who 'began to
suspect that all was not right with him. After making,
as was afterwards ascertained, some ineffectual inquiry
at the house, he walked on further, and at last disappeared,
and witness and the porter began to condole with each
other upon being made victims. They, however, deter-
mined to remain in the public-house for some time, and
after a short delay, in walked the prisoner. " It's all
right," said he, " I shall receive my wages from the cap-
tain presently, and I want you to lend me
4s. 6d. to give to the servants." Witness handed him the
4s. 6d. but no longer let him out of sight ; and he soon
learned that the fellow had been home to witness's wife,
immediately after he was missed, and endeavoured to do
her out of I ls. 6d., upon the pretext that her husband
wanted to pay the dock fees upon the tools. A po-
liceman was then employed to take care of the inge-
nious fellow, who would certainly have succeeded if he
had not had rather clever people to deal with.
A man named Richardson stated that he was in Mr.
l)ubock's house in Petticoat-lane when the prisoner CR-
tered in a hurry, and asked Mrs. Dubock for I ls. 6d.
for her husband, who wanted to pay fees at the dock.
Witness, upon being called by her, who suspected that
the prisoner was not a bit better than a thief, re-
fused to let him have the money, dogged the prisoner,
and carne up just after the prosecutor had lent him the
4s. 6d.

The LORD MAYOR-Why, Mr. Thompson, this was well
clone of you. You have been long practising this work ?
Prisoner—No, my Lord. I meant nothing bad, and
I am ready to pay the gentleman the money I borrowed
from him.

The LORD MAYOR—You mean the money you swin-
dled him out of. Pray who are you? Prisoner—l am a
poor Swede, and I came to London five days ago from
Valparaiso.
The LORD MAYOR—In what vessel? Prisoner—ln the
Nereid.

The LORD AlAYott—There is no such ship from Valpa-
raiso to my knowledge. I happen to have some know-
ledge of shipping, and I have no doubt you are an impostor.
Mr. Dubock said that his object in bringing the pri-
soner before the Lord Mayor was to Render service to the
public. The fellow, he said, told his wife when he tried
to rob her, that the captain and her husband were enjoy-
ing themselves at a tavern. The prisoner was remanded.