The Sun.
London, England, 1842-01-05 00:00:00

LAW INTELLIGENCE.
SHERIFFS' COURT, Jun. 4.
STARKEY V. METCALFE.

This was an action to recover the sum of 1.5/. 2s.
alleged to be due to the plaintiff by the defendant, but
on what account did not transpire. Mr. James appeared
for the plaintiff; and Mr. Humfreys for the defendant.
The plea put upon the record' by the defendant, was
that the money had been tendered to the plaintiff, and re-
fused by him.
It appeared that the parties are highly respectable
tradesmen, residing at Cambridge, the defendant being a
cabinet-maker in extensive business, and the plaintiff
the landlord of the Hoop Hotel. The defendant being
indebted to the plaintiff in the sum named in the decla-
ration, gave instructions to his attorney to make a tender
of the amount, and accordingly Doughty, a clerk to the
defendant's attorney, was directed to execute the com-
mission. The evidence of this witness was that he, on
the 23d of October last, went to the Hoop Hotel, in
Cambridge, and took with him a 101. Bank of England
note, five sovereigns, nineteen shillings and sixpence, and
sixpence in copper. He took this sum in this way, in
order that he might pay the exact amount which might
be demanded, as he did not know the exact amount of
the bill due. He held the money in his hand, and said to
the plaintiff, " Here is the money, if you will tell me the
amount of Mr. Metcalfe's bill." The plaintiff's answer
was,. that he could not and should not attend to it then.
Witness had the whole of the money in his hand, and
was standing at the bar window. The money was never
out of his hand.

To this evidence Mr. James replied, contending that
this witness had merely asked for the amount of the ac-
count, and Mr. Stanley said he had no time to attend to
it, and that the witness Doughty never produced any
money whatsoever.
H. E. Chisholm was then called, and stated that he
was clerk to Messrs. Foster and Co., solicitors, of Cam-
bridge. He was in the parlour of the Hoop Inn with
the plaintiff at the time alluded to by the witness far the
defence. The plaintiff's sister called out to the plaintiff,
and said, ",John, you aro wanted ; here is a person wants
Mr. Metcalfe's bill." The plaintiff then went to the door
of the parlour, which opened into the bar, and said he
was busy, and was going out, and therefore could not
-attend to it. Doughty made no answer, but left the
house without producing any money. Ile could not have
done so, and offered it to the plaintiff, without witness
seeing him.
The plaintiff's sister, the nursery-maid, and the waiter,
all corroborated this evidence, and the Learned Under-
Sheriff having summed up the evidence, the Jury, after
an absence of two hours, returned a verdict for the 66-
fendant.

INSOLVENT DEBTORS' COURT, Jan. 4.
IN RE JEPUSON.

The insolvent carried on business extensively in Shef-
field, and was opposed by Mr. Cresswcll, on the ground
of breach of trust, in having received 301. from a loan
society for a person named Blake, which he appropriated
to his own use, and also that he was taken in a friendly
arrest. He was supported by Mr. Cooke.
It appeared that the insolvent was arrested at the Cider
Cellars in Maiden-lane; while he stated in his schedule
that the arrest took place at his lodgings in Salisbury-
square.
Mr. COOKE, in addressing the Court in support of the
insolvent's application to be discharged, said, in explana-
tion of the discrepancy between the statement in his
schedule and the fact of his arrest, that the humble class
of insolvents, when giving their solicitors directions for
the preparation of their schedules, were compelled to do
so in a large room which was common to all the prisoners,
and where the greatest noise and- confusion prevailed, so
that it was utterly impossible to attach blame to either
the insolvents or their solicitors.

Mr. Commissioner BowEN said bo should adjourn the
further hearing of the case until the officer who took the
insolvent into custody should be in attendance to give
evidence.

The Court was occupied the whole of the day in hearing
cases, in almost all of which parties attributed the ulti-
mate causes of their insolvency to transactions with
loan societies.

CENTRAL CRIMINAL COUR
OLD COURT•

Henry Griffin, aged 27, and Edwin Sharman, aged 37,
were indicted for stealing a bale of silk, and a box con-
taining a quantity of furs of the value of 1001., the pro-
perty of John Ward ; and James Steptoe, aged 24, was
indicted for feloniousy receiving a portion of the pro•
perty, knowing it to have been stolen.
Mr. Clarkson conducted the prosecution ; Mr. Phillips
defended the prisoners.

It appeared in evidence that the prosecutor is the pro-
prietor of a stage waggon plying to Gloucester, and on
the 30th of October the property in question, in two
bales, was sent to his waggon by Messrs. Littlewood and
Messrs. Ellis and Everington, -to be conveyed to some
place in Gloucestershire, and they were received at the
booking-office, and were duly placed in the waggon; but
they never reached their proper destination. The pri-
soner Steptoe had formerly been in the service of the
prosecutor, as waggoner, but he had been discharged,
and a man named Leeson was engaged in his stead. The
prisoners Griffin and Sharman were porters at different
inns in London at which the waggon stopped, and they
had un opportunity of knowing the nature of the pro
perty that was in the bales. The man Leeson was the
principal witness in the case, and, according to his state-
ment, the prisoner Steptoe proposed the robbery, and
that while the guard of the waggon was only from it for
a short time, in Oxford•street, Sharman and Griffin came
up with a horse and cart and took away the goods from
the back of the waggon, and it was arranged that when
the waggon arrived at Loudwater the ropes behind the
waggon should be cut, in order to make it appear that
the robbery had been committed upon the road. It
appeared that Leeson subsequently made a confession
of all the circumstances of the case, and this led to the
prisoners' apprehension, and on their lodgings being
searched some boas and fur tippets were found, which
were stated by some of the witnesses to be of the same
description at those that had been placed with the other
property in the bales that were stolen. Some other con-
firmatory testimony in support of the story told by the
accomplice was &so adduced.
Mr. PHILLIPS addressed the Jury, and called wit-
nesses on behalf of the priSoners, who gave them an ex-
cellent character for honesty and good conduct.
The RECORDER summed up, and the Jury acquitted
all the prisoners.
The Learned JUDGE told the prisoners that the Jury
had come to a most charitable conclusion. They bast
knew whether they had any, and what, sharp in this
most guilty transaction, but he felt it his duty to tell
them that if the Jury had come to a different conclusion
he should, without any hesitation, have ordered them to
bo transported, and he hoped the narrow escape they had
had would be a warning to them for the rest of their
lives.

CHICHESTER SESSIONS.-JAN. 3.
This being the day appointed for the trials of
William Styles Goodeve, and William Williams, the late
cashiers of the Chichester Old Bank, from an early hour
every avenue leading to the Town Hall was crowded,
and the greatest interest was excited by the proceedings.
W. A. Bridges, Esq., the Recorder, at ten o'clock, took
his seat on the bench, as also Dr. Cavanger, the Mayor,
and several other Magistrates. Lord George Lennox
was accommodated with a seat on the bench, as also the
assignees appointed under Messrs. Ridge's bankruptcy.
Mr. SHERWOOD, the solicitor to the prisoners, applied
to have the prisoner Williams tried first.
lVillianis was then placed in the dock. The
prisoner was _respectably attired, and appeared about
fifty years of age, and pleaded to the indictment, in a
firm voice, Not Guilty.
. _

There were two indictments against the prisoners, one
for the cash, and the other for the notes. The first one
gone into was for the cash portion of the deficiency.
A lengthened examination of witnesses then took
place, but it was destitute of public interest.

The Jury retired at a quarter before eight, and after
an absence of a quarter of an hour, returned a verdict of
Not Guilty. •
The announcement was followed by shouts of ap-
plause. The trial lasted nearly ten hours.
Mr. Johnson, for the prosecution, said that as he had
precisely the same evidence to offer, he should not pro-
ceed on any of the other indictments, either against the
prisoner or Goodeve.
The prisoner, Ti m. Williams, was then arraigned on
the second indictment, to which lie pleaded Not Guilty ;
and no evidence being adduced for the prosecution, a
verdict of acquittal was recorded.

Win. Styles Goodeve was then placed in the dock, and
arraigned on two indictments, to both of which he
pleaded Not Guilty. ,
No evidence being offered for the prosecution, a ver-
dict of acquittal was recorded in both cases.

'POLICE INTELLIGENCE.
MANSIOA-110 USE.
The Lord Mayor, within the last few days, received
some letters which contain an interesting narrative of
an adventure which separated one part of the crew of a
vessel from the other, and excited apprehensions amongst
those who remained on board that their shipmates were
murdered upon being sent to an island for fresh water.
The communication arose out of the followin7 circum-
stances :—Four of the crew of a
ship called the Victoria
waited on the Lord Mayor to consult his Lordship about
the recovery of their wages in respect of a voyage from
London to Vera Cruz. It appeared from their statement,
that during
coast of Cuba with the ship's boat to get a supply of fresh
the voyage they were sent ashore on the
water ; and that having succeeded, after considerable dif-
ficulty, in filling three casks, they prepared to return to
their vessel, whn, to their great dismay, they found she
had disappeared. After having waited for some time,
during which they experienced many hardships, they
hailed a Spanish brig, bound to Cuba, and were taken on
board. On their arrival at Cuba, the British Consul
showed them every kindness, and sent them home with
all possible expedition.
The LORD MAYOR, though thoroughly understanding
all questions which have reference to shipping and the
claims of seamen, closely questioned the men, took the
case up with the great• st alacrity, and sent for the agents
of the owners of the Victoria.
Mr. Devett, of the firm of Devett
and Moore, imme-
diately attended to his Lordship's message ; and, on
being informed of the circumstances, gave, without hesi-
tation, the amount of money necessary for the support cf
the poor men until farther inquiry could be made, and
promised that if, on the arrival of the West India packet,
which was expected daily, any intelligence shou'd be re-
ceived confirmatory of the truth of their statement, he
would leave the decision as to the amount of wages, &c.,
to be paid to them to his Lordship's judgment. A few
clays afterwards the packet arrived, and brought letters
confirmatory of the allegations of the individuals, whom
the writers believed to have been murdered. The follow-
ing is one of the letters : •
" Brig Victoria, Oct. 8, 1841.
" Messrs. Sadd, May, and Co., Maldon.
" Gentlemen—At •the request of Captain Johnson, I i