The Sun.
London, England, 1827-07-09 00:00:00

POLICE INTELLIGENCE.

MANSION-HOUSE.—On Saturday, Henry Solo-
mons, an aged man, father of the Ikey Solomons after
whom the Police-officers have been some time in pursuit,
was brought before the LORD MAYOR under the following

circumstances :
When it was known that lkey Solomons had escaped
from the Newgate-keepers, Mr. Cope, accompanied by some
of the inferior officers, went to search all the places where
they thought it was possible the fugitive might be con-
cealed. It has been a practice with knowing thieves of
late, to hide, when they know they are " wanted," in the
very spots where a person would never think of looking
for them—namely, in their own, or in their relations'
houses. Mr. Cope went to old Solomons' house, 24, Gravel-
lane, Houndsditch, and determined to ransack every part of
the habitation. He saw no person in the house except
Ikey's mother, who said that she knew nothing about the
matter at all. Upon looking over the property concealed
in the house, he found a number of gold and silver watches,
and other articles of considerable value. He immediately
took them to the Mansion-house, and the Lord Mayor or-
dered that they should be advertised, and that there should
_ _

be a look-out after old Solonsons. •
On Friday, the prisoner was taken into custody at the 1
west end of the town ; and as there appeared an owner for
the watches, au examination took place on Saturday.
Mr. George Grant stated, that he lived at No. 2, Wil-
borough-street, and that lite had a shop in Chancery-lane for
the sr.le of watches, &c. Be was in the habit of leaving
the shop at about half-past nine o'clock at night, and he
returned to business next morning at nine. On the 24th
May he left his shop at the usual hour in a complete state
of security as he thought.
The LORD MAYOR asked the prosecutor whether he had
left any body behind him to take care of the chop?
The prosecutor replied in the negative. He had fastened
all the windows and doors, and he did not think it possible
for any one to get in without the key. When, however,
he went next morning to business, he found that the next
house, which was empty, had been broken into by thieves,
and that they had cut away a pannel in the party wall,
whicit was made of wood, and got into his shop, and re-
moved every thing they could lay hands upon. Upon
seeing the advertisement in the newspapers, he went to see
the articles, and found that almost all the property he had
lost was in the possession of Mr. Cope.
Mr. Cope stated that he found the six gold watches and
eleven silver watches in the house of the prisoner on the day
after the robbery.
The Loan MAYOR asked the prisoner whether he tvi.died
to say any thing.
Solomons said that he would leave his defence to his
solicitor.
The solicitor desired him not to say any thing. There
would be, he added, a complete answer to the charges at
the Old Bailey. Upon the person of the prisoner were
found a watch, and 20 sovereigns, and 45 duplicates of the
dates of 1819 and 1821.—Committed for trial.

Lyon Lyons was charged with having received a quan-
tity of broad cloth, the property of Mr. Waller. Other
articles which had been stolen were also found on the pre-
mises of the prisoner, in Cock-and-Hoop-court, Hounds-
ditch. Some of the property being identified, the prisoner
was committed for trial. He had previously borne a most
excellent character.
The Loan :Maros, incidentally, in the course of these
examinations, expressed his astonishment at the extraor-
dinary conduct of men of business, who, notwithstanding
the daily occurrence of robberies, left the most valuable pro-
perty merely under lock and key in uninhabited houses.
Complaints had been made fo him several times of the in-
activity of the police-officers, by persons whose houses had
been robbed, but he found, that whenever be asked under
whose care the houses were which had been broken open,
he was uniformly told—under nobody's.
The most extensive dealers in stolen goods have been, by
the vigilance of the City Officers, almost entirely defeated
in their object. A thousand eyes are fixed upon the move-
ments of persons in the neighbourhood. In fact, since the
prosecution of Dudfield, the thieves have foind greater
difficulty in getting the " swagg" off their hands than pre-
viously. That notorious " fence " was in the habit of
employing pedlers to carry the produce of his labours about
town and country. It is known, that soon after the last
successful plunder of silks, the pedlers were better supplied
with that commodity than many of the small shops. The
present Lord Mayor has ordered that the police shall direct
their most especial attention to houses of the description to
which those examinations allude, where the bargain between
a thief and a fence seldom occupies more time than a few
seconds, and
ti."Ta htheebriinp:Ltyoofftrruecendievregrr hoWeevirr,geis"easilnity-
adopted, and the police have found that the moment any
very extensive fence is " pulled," and likely not to re
commence business, another starts up with full accom •
plishments for the trade. Some receivers have been known
to export cart-loads of goods the 'very day on which they
were stolen.

GUILDHALL.—On Saturday Richard Coster was
brought before Mr. Alderman Warrraraw for final hear-
ing, on suspicion' of uttering a forged acceptance for
354/., to Mr. Burke, of Cork, in payment for a quantity of
feathers.
Mr. Gates, the solicitor for the prosecution, stated that
the prisoner had been remanded on the evidence of Mr.
Burke, that he believed the acceptance to be forged, and
he had been allowed until this day to go over to Ireland
and obtain such evidence as would set the question at rest.
He had returned with Mr. Power, the alleged acceptor,
who would admit the genuineness of the document, and
be (Mr. Gates) therefore had nothing further to press
against the prisoner.
Mr. Power was then called into the witness-box, but
Mr. Beresford, the Chief Clerk, objected to taking any
minutes of his testimony, on the ground that he was not
cempetent to give evidence, having an interest in the bill.
Mr. Harmer, for the prisoner, concurred with the Chief
Clerk that he was not competent to give evidence.
Mr. Gates conceived the Magistrate might legally examine
him. Mr. Power was certainly the most likely person to
know if the acceptance was or was not written by him.
It was immaterial to him (Mr. Gates) whether this gen-
tleman's evidence was taken, as the prosecutor was now
satisfied the acceptance was not forged, and withdrew his
complaint.
Mr. Fitzgerald, a solicitor engaged for Mr. Power, said,
his evidence was clearly admissible in this case. If an ac.•
ceptor comes forward to say this is a good bill, he does that
to his own prejudice, or at least it is clear his interest has
no influence upon his evidence.
Mr. Harmer would not admit that a person's evidence
could be received if he swore one way, and rejected if he
went the other. He was either wholly competent, or
wholly incompetent. However, he did not object to Mr.
Power being examined.
Mr. Fitzgerald—Then what are we talking about, if
there is no objection ?
Mr. Alderman WAITIIMAN-1 must not look to which
way the evidence will cut. I wish to know if I may
examine the gentleman on Oath ?
Mr. Beresford again replied in the negative, but after
some further discussion Mr. Power was allowed to be
heard, without taking the oath. He wished to state the
whole of his transactions with the prisoner, but being
sometimes interrupted by Mr. Harmer, and labouring under
much emotion, his outline was brief, broken, and compli-
cated. We understood him to say, that about April or
May, 1824, in consequence of an advertisement in the
Irish papers, he entered into a negotiation for the purchase
of his acceptance for 5001. He received in exchange bills
only to the amount of 2961., and hurried to London to
complain to Mr. Coster of having been . ill used. Mr.
Coster insisted that he had used him in a very friendly
way, but Mr. Power said he would pay him no.more than he
received, and leave the question of the terms of the loan to
three merchants of London or Cork. He came to London'
almost wearied to death, and felt himself exceedinglyl
ill then, as he did now ; and by one way and another
Mr. Coster induced him to give his acceptance for 300/.
The bills he (Power) had received, he derived no advan-
tage from, and when the 3001. bill became due, he refused
to pay it. Mr. Coster threatened a writ, ,and after some
further negotiations, he learnt from Mr. Coster. that he was
a bankrupt, and his affairs had gone into the hands of Mr.
Stopes, who would insist on immediate payment. He,
i
however, made a treaty, by letter, wth. this Mr. Stopes,
that the bill should be renewed for 20 months, and the
whole matter be settled by arbitration in the meantime.
The bill in question was the one sent to him for acceptance
by Stopes in consequence of these arrangements. He em-
ployed Mr.,. Keating, of Dublin, and Mr. King, of South-
ampton-buildings, in London, as being highly respectable
individuals, and total strangers to Coster and Co., to be
the medium to secure to him the old bill for 3001. before
the new one for MU. was parted with. Mr. Power con-
cluded energetically, " I was swindled out of, my accept-I
ance, for I never received a farthing consideration for it, as
God is my judge."
The bill had been put into Mr. Power's hand when he
was asked to say if the acceptance was genuiae; be retained
it while he made the above statement, and at the end he
clapped it into his pocket.
Mr.. Coster raised iris voice loudly against this step, and
begged that Mr: Povirer should be compelled to Mutt it to

Mr. Harmer sounded the Alderman's feelings upon the