The Sun.
London, England, 1845-11-17 00:00:00

GUILDHALL.

On Saturday a fashionably-attired, though singular-look-
ing female, apparently about 25 years of age, named Frances
Paine, who some years since figured rather conspicuously at
this court in connexion with some exchange bills, was brought
up in custody of an officer from the Greenwich Police-court,
charged with having swindled Messrs. Harmer and Pearson,
the distillers, in the following very impudent style :—•
The prisoner had been examined at Greenwich on two
charges of felony, upon which she stood committed, but the
magistrate sent her to this court, so as to allow the case of
swindling on Messrs. Harmer and Pearson to be proceeded
with against the prisoner.
Mr. F. Adams, the managing clerk in the service of the
firm, stated that on the 10th day of September the prisoner
came into the warehouse of the distillery, and giving the name
of Miss Ann Frances Fines, said she was about to open the
Half Moon Inn, at Northfleet, on an " improved plan," and
wished to give an order for some spirits. She directed 29
gallons of gin, and several cordials, to the amount of 351. Bs.,
to be forwarded to the inn, but said she must have two
gallons of gin to take down with her to go on with. She
produced an invoice of Messrs. Truman' Hanbury, and Co.,
the brewers, of whom she had ordered beer and ale; and
added, Mr. Kincaid, the principal collector of the firm, had
recommended her te Messrs. Harmer and Pearson for spirits.
Thinking her statement was perfectly correct, and ' from the
production of the invoice, they were induced to supply her
with the two gallons of gin, and on the next morning they
sent the remainder of the spirits and cordials by barges to
Northfleet. In the course of that morning the prisoner visited
the warehouse, and stated that she had been robbed of all
her money and papers in an omnibus, and knew not how she
could get home. Mr. Harmer then asked her if she wanted
a few shillings, and replying in the affirmative, he advanced
her two sovereigns. Suspicion, however, being entertained
of the truth of her representation, be was induced to go down
to Northfleet, when he found thatthe whole of her story was
trumped up. She had not the least interest iifthe Half-Moon,
and was not even known to the occupier. Quantities of ale,
beer, wine, spirits, &c., had been forwarded at her direction,
and which, when he arrived, were about being removed back
to the metropolis. In fact, she had played a complete hoax
upon every person she had had dealings with in the trade,
even to ordering Mr. Deacon, the pewterer, to go down to
Northfleet to make some alterations in the bar. This party
did so, but upon making inquiries at the inn about the re-
quired work, found the imposition that had been practised
upon him.
Mr. Alderman Wiisos inquired if there were any other
cases to be brought against her ?—Mr. Adam replied that
there were.
Mr. Alderman WlLsort asked her if she had any defence to
make to the charge.—She answered, in a simpering tone, that
she did not order the goods on her own account, and Mr.
Harmer knew such to be the fact.
Mr. Alderman Wit.sox then said he should remand her
until Monday, so as to afford time to collect the necessary
evidence to complete the other charges against her.
She was accordingly removed to Giltspur-street Compter.
Mr. Beckwith, jun., a share agent, appeared before Mr.
Alderman Musgrove to answer a complaint preferred by. Mr.
Fennell, a warehouseman in Aldermanbury, for detaining ten
shares in the Essex and Suffolk Railway.

The matter was heard some days ago before M. Alderman
Wilson, who allowed it to stand over for arrangement; but
no shares having been tendered to Mr. Fennell, he now
prayed the order of the magistrate that the ten shares, or
the value of them, should be delivered to him by Mr.
Beckwith.
Mr. Fennell repeated his statement that he employed the
defendant, as his broker, to buy two letters of allotment, at a
premium of about ten shillings, end having paid the deposit
on the fifty shares, he handed the bankers' receipts to the de-
fendant, to obtain the scrip at the company's offices. The
scrip, as to one letter of allotment for twenty-five shares, was
obtained forthwith ; but upon the other it could not be ob-
tained, as the deed was out of town, and the party to whom
the letter was allotted could not sign. After a lapse of :seve-
ral days, the defendant ceased to be found at his usual resort,
but Mr. Fennell met him, and insisted on having the remain-
ing 25 shares. The defendant gave him 15 shares, and said
he should have the rest in au hour, but they had never been
delivered,'and Mr. Fennell resorted to the magistrate to re-
cover them.
Mr. Beckwith's answer was, that on the clay the complain-
ant met him and pressed for the shares, saying he had en-
gaged to deliver them, and must have them, Mr. Fennell's
bankers' receipt had not been, nor was capable of being, con-
verted into scrip, as the secretary of the Company could prove.
With the previous knowledge and sanction of the complainant
he borrowed the 15 shares, which were then at 11. premium.
They had since fallen to par, and the loan of the 15 shares
bearing premium could not be repaid with 15 shares at par.
The difference, the 15/., must of course be paid—the money
value of the loan, not the actual thing lent. He claimed to
hold the ten shares to cover this loss.
Mr. Alderman MUSGROVE endeavoured to get a distinct
answer from the complainant, whether, at the time he re-
ceived the 15 shares, he understood they were borrowed for
him, or were part of his own shares, the bankers' receipt
being at that time convertible.
Mr. Fennell avoided giving a plain answer.
Mr. Beckwith said he could bring the secretary to prove
the shares were not convertible ; and Mr. Bloxam, a share-
broker, in Sutherland-square, could also prove all the facts
as he stated them.
Mr. Alderman MUSGROVZ did not see why the magistrates
should be troubled with settling disputes about these
stagging transactions. If Mr. Beckwith had ten shares, the
property of' Mr. Fennell, the latter had a remedy in an ac-
tion of trover.
Mr. Beckwith begged his pardon for interrupting him, but
these were not stagging transactions.
The Alderman requested some definition of a stag.
Mr. Beckwith explained that he was not merely an out-
side man, but one who wrote to various companies for letters
of allotment, giving different and false addresses all over the
country.
Mr. Alderman MUSGROVE declined giving any opinion on
the case, and dismissed the summons.
MA RYLEBONE.

William King, cab driver, badge No. 4,739, was brought up
in the custody cf Sergeant Shaw, an active officer of the
detective police, and placed at the bar before the sitting ma•
gistrate, Mr. Long, charged with having stolen 3001. worth of
property belonging to Mr. Thomas Jordan, a stock and share-
broker, residing in Oriental-buildings, astle-street, Liver-
pool.
The prosecutor deposed that he had recently been staying
at the Golden Cross, Charing-cross, and on Thursday
evening last he gave orders for a cab to be sent
for to carry him and his luggage to the Euston-square
terminus of the London and Birmingham Railway, as he
intended to leave town by the half-past eight o'clock train.
At ten minutes before eight he was informed by the porter
that the cab with the luggage in it was waiting for him at
the door. He then entered the vehicle, being at the time
perfectly collected, and desired the driver, who he had no
doubt was the prisoner, to go by way of Portman-square, as
he wished to call upon Mr. Reeves, jeweller, No. 75, George-
street. On arriving at the corner of that street, be called to
the prisoner to stop, which he did, and he (prosecutor) then
alighted and went to Mr. Reeves's house. He remained there
about a quarter of an hour, and on coming out, found, to his
great surprise, that the cab and prisoner had disappeared.
Without loss of time he communicated the particulars at the
station-house of the 0 division of police, situated in Mary-
lebone-lane, the result of which was the apprehension of the
prisoner.
Mr. Lorra—State as nearly as you can recollect, Sir, of'
what the property lost, and placed in the cab, consisted.
Prosecutor—There was a drab cloth travelling cloak with
plaid lining, and a short monkey jacket ; also a carpet bag,
containing, in addition to linen, a morocco leather-case with a
steel lock, and in that case was a pocket-book, which had a
quantity of railway scrip, together with bankers' receipts for
deposits. I consider my loss to be about 300/., none of
which has yet been recovered.
Mr. Lorra—Did
_you notice the number of the cab when
you got into it ? Prosecutor—l did not.
Mr. LONG—Are yon certain that the prisoner is the man
who drove you ? Prosecutor—l am, Sir.
Mr. LONG (to the prisoner)—Do you wish to put any ques-
tions to this gentleman ? Prisoner—l am innocent, and,
therefore, have no questions to ask.
John Brown, the porter at the Golden Cross, said that when
he put the luggage in the cab he was in a hurry, and, being
rather foggy at the time, he would not swear positively that
the prisoner was the driver, although, to the best of his belief,
he was.
George Johnson, a cabman, stated that he saw the luggage
placed in the vehicle by the last witness, and could swear that
the prisoner was the driver.
Catherine Marsh, servant to Mr. Reeves, deposed that while
the prosecutor was in her master's house the prisoner came to
the door, and asked if the gentleman (prosecutor) was almost
ready, at the same time saying, " I wish he would be quick,
but if he is going to keep me much longer, I homhell send
something down for me." Witness added, that she saw no
more of the prisoner afterwards.
Shaw, the constable, said that as he only took the pri-
soner that morning, he had not as yet had time to bring for-
ward more evidence.
The prisoner, who again asserted his innocence of the
charge alleged against him, was remanded for further ex-
amination on Friday next; and. on the arrival of the prison
van he was conveyed to Tothill-field's prison.
At about three o'clock Mr. Thomas, of Hatchett's Hotel,
Piccadilly, came to the court, accompanied by other persons
connected with his establishment, and had an interview with

the magistrate, to whom he stated he had frequently em-
ployed the prisoner, of whom he had a very good opinion.
On the evening of Thursday last the prisoner was at his
(Mr. Thomas's) door, at a quarter to eight o'clock, and after
waiting a short time drove him (witness) and two of his
daughters to Barnes.
This statement being corroborated, Mr. Long, under all
the circumstances of the case, consented to allow the pri-
soner's liberation on bail—himself in 2001., and two sureties
in the same amount each, making in the whole 6001.
CLERKEN WELL.
On Saturday John Houghton, the driver of a cabriolet,
No. 408, was charged with very outrageous conduct to Mr.
Crossthwaite, a gentleman residing at IVo. 9, Ladbrooke-ter-
race, Notting-hill, and to Mr. Hasluck, of Hatton-garden.
The complainants severally stated that, on Friday night,
at the hour of eleven, they engaged the defendant at
Covent-garden Theatre, to convey them to the resi-
dence of the last-mentioned gentleman's father, in Hat.
ton-garden, where, on alighting, the prisoner, who had an-
other cabman on the box with him, demanded 2s. ad. as
his fare. Knowing the fare to be no more than one shilling,
he gave him double that amount; but, instead of being satis-
fied, he seized Mr. Crossthwaite in the most ruffianly manner,
and endeavoured to throw him. They struggled together
for some time, and the accused was eventually overpowered,
and brought to the ground. The witness called a police-con-
stable, 240 G, who was on the opposite side of the street, and
who saw all that occurred, to protect them ; but, strange to
say, he sided with the defendant, or, from fear, did not for a
long time, after seeing the complainent spit upon him more
than ten times, take him in charge at their suit and supplica-
tion. In the confusion occasioned by the outrage, which at-
tracted to the spot upwards of 100 persons, the defendant's
companion made his escape, after having deposited his coat
and badge with the accused.
Two gentlemen corroborated the evidence. They described
the conduct of the constable as most unaccountable. After
the complainants had repeatedly asked him if they were to
put up with such conduct as an extortion, and being spat on,
the defendant became more offensive in language and in con-
duct generally, and it was with the greatest difficulty that be
could be prevailed on to remove the prisoner.
Inspector Penny, G, said that the defendant was very drunk
and abusive when brought to the station. His language was
most beastly.
Mr. GREENWOOD desired Mr. Penny to make a representa-
tion of the constable's conduct to the commissioners of Po:ice,
for it required the strictest investigation, which he trusted
would take place before some magistrate other than himself,
for he had a very strong feeling on the subject.
One of the witnesses, Mr. Winter, of Hatton-garden, inter-
posed on the behalf of the officer, whose extraordinary con-
duct was, in his belief, occasioned by the confusion that pre-
vailed. The mob was of the most disorderly kind, principally
from about the cab-stands in Holborn, and the policeman
seemed very confused and overpowered by numbers.
Mr. GREENWOOD remarked that such evidence would ope-
rate in his favour : still, however, it was due to the public
that the conduct of an officer, who had so strangely acted,
should be publicly investigated ; for of all the cases he bad
ever heard or read of, in which a cabman was concerned
with a passenger, the present was the very worst ; and to
mark his sense or it, and to prove to others of the defendant's
calling that the law was strongenough to check so abominable
an insult, he would commit the prisoner to the treadmill,
without fine, for'two months, and further cancel his license
as a cab- driver, and order that he never again be entrusted
with one.