The Sun.
London, England, 1845-12-18 00:00:00

CLERKENWELL.

John Harold was charged with being an accomplice in
robbing and assaulting :Mr. John Webb, a gentleman
residing at 18, Goswell-street.
The prisoner, who is a thick-set able fellow, was at
once recognised by Inspector Thatcher, as a distin-
guished member of a class of vagabonds called " vam-
pers," fellows who go about from one public-house to
another inciting or challenging " fiats to fight, and
when they fight robbing them. Mr. Webb had received
a sum of money from the Treasury, and was at nine
o'clock on that morning driven to the Blue Coat Boy
tavern, in the City-road, by a cabman named Dame. He
was standing at the bar there taking some refreshment,
when the prisoner came in; the prosecutor, in a jocular
mood, asked several present to toss with him, and did
gamble a little. The prisoner perceiving Mr. Webb to
bo in a generous humour, made a very distressing state-
ment, assuring him that his wife and two children were
in great misery, that he lived by selling fowls, but had
not now a penny to go to market with. The prosecutor
compassionated his sad condition, and gave him ss. Soon
after, the prisoner, perceiving Mr. Webb to be very
merry, proposed that they should adjourn into the tap-
room and toss. The prosecutor want accordingly, and
soon after a crowd of the prisoner's associates, to the
number of about twenty, collected. It was then pro-
posed by one of them that Mr. Webb should fight the
best man in the room for half a sovereign. Mr. Webb
agreed, and a man named Mason accepted the challenge.
The prosecutor had in his right-hand pocket 281. in gold,
of which fact the prisoner was aware, for Mr.
Webb had pulled it out in paying the cab-
man and in staking the bet, which was deposited
in the hands of one of the party, the prisoner, who
seemed so needy a few minutes before, staking the half-
sovereign for Mason. The pugilists " sot too," and were
sparring, when one of the party (Mr. Webb could not
say that it was the prisoner) came behind him and dealt
him such a blow as felled him. Ile was no sooner down
than the prisoner rushed upon him, and thrust his left
hand into the prosecutor's pocket ; the prosecutor seized
his hand ; one of the party told the prisoner to " mug "
him (best him on the head), and the prisoner pummelled
him accordingly. Mr. Webb's right eye was invisible,
and the parts about it greatly inflamed. Mr. Webb cried
out " Will you see a man robbed ?" but no help came.
A poor painter named Massey, who was at the bar,
hearing the prosecutor's cries, peeped in, saw what was
going on, and ran for a constable. When the constable
came, the door of the tap-room was fastened on the
inside ; but having at length obtained admission, he cap-
tured the prisoner, who exclaimed " that it !vas all over."
Mr. Webb had been robbed of three sovereigns, and was
suffering great pain from the contusion on the upper part
of his head.
The prisoner cross-examined somo of the witnesses
with great coolness and adroitness.
Mr. CONBE commended the poor painter
.highly for
his conduct; and, after giving the usual caution to the
prisoner, said he would send him for
trial.
The prisoner thereupon became very indecorous in
his conduct, lolling about the dock and jeering the spec-
tators in the body of the Court.—He was fully com-
mitted for trial.
Mr. Ambridge, a surgeon, residing in White Lion-
street, Clerkenwell, was placed in the dock on a charge
of passing two brass medals to an unfortunate girl re-
presenting them as half-sovereigns. The charge was
not read aloud, and the prosecutrix did not appear.—
He was discharged.