The Sun.
London, England, 1845-08-29 00:00:00

MIDDLESEX SESSIONS.
Before Mr. Sergeant ADAMS, Assistant Judge,, and a Bench

of Magistrates,

On Wednesday Charles SPDonalci was indicted, charged
with having stolen a leathern belt, a knife, and other articles, of
the value of 10s., the property of Ebenezer Spencer.
Mr. Prendergast appeared for the prosecution, whilst Mr.
Payne conducted the defence.
It appeared that the prosecutor is a respectlble tradesman in
High. street, Shoreditch, and that in consequence of his suspi-
cions having been aroused as to the propriety of his wife's con-
duct, as welt as that various articles bad been stolen, he had
engaged two of the police force to watch the premises and the
procee, inns which were carried um therein during his absence.
The officers, therefore, were stationed in a recess under the
shop on the evening of Sunday, the 10th, upon the occasion of
the prosecutor leaving the house. Shortly after the latter had
quitted the premises his wife was seen to walk into the shop
and then to let some one in. This individual she instantly
ushered into a back room, where he had not been long ere :he
officers had abundant proof of the unfaithfulness of the wife.
They continued watching until they observed the prisoner, for
he it was who had been admitted, put a leathern belt into his
pocket, whereupon they rushed from their biding place. The
prisoner, however, ran off, an example which was quickly fol-
lowed by the wife. They were, nevertheless, soon taken. and
the prosecutor was sent for. Upon the prisoner being
searched, the articles named in the indictment were found
upon him. When the things were discovered, he said that they
had been given to him by the prosecutor's wife, and appealed
to her for an acknowledgment of the fact. The wife replied
that she had not given him either the knife or the pencil-case.
In the. course .of the statement of the prosecutor, it was elicited
that he had been married to his wife for upwards of fifteen
years, and that she had borne him seven children, of whom
five were still living. With respect to the articles stolen, he
denied that he had ever authorised his wife to give them away.
He had commenced an action against the prisoner for
trim. con.

Mr. PItENDERGAST eventually—having been called upon by
the counsel for the prisoner to mike his election as to the par-
ticular article upon which he would, on the present indictment,
so against the prisoner. because it was manifest that the while
had been taken at different times—selected to go upon the
leathern belt.
The articles sere then produced, when it turned out that
there was not any " belt," as described in the indictment, but
that it was a piece of leather only.
The Learned CHAIRMAN thereupon told the jury that they
must acquit the prisoner.
The jury, apparently with much reluctance, returned a
verdict accordingly.
The prisoner was then tried upon another indictment, which
charged him with having stolen a piece of merino cloth, the
property of the former prosecutor's father. In this instance
much difficulty arose in consequence of its being set up by the
prisoner that the merino belonged to his mother.
The prosecutor's family swore,positively that it was his pro-
perty, and that it had been in the possession.of his father and
grandfather.
On the other hand, the mother of the.prisoner produced a
quantity of merino which exactly matched, and stated that the
bit in question had formed a part of the larger bulk, and,
moreover, that it had been in her possession for 15 years.
She also said that'the prisoner and his brother occupied a room
its her house and that this merino had formerly been .a portion
of the bed furniture in that room.
A number of witnesses were called, all of whom spoke in
high terms of the prisoner's conduct in every relation of life.
He was a member of the theatrical profession, and had occu-
pied situations at the Victoria and City of London Theatres.
The Learned JuntaE having summed up,
The jury Acquitted the prisoner.

A great number of witnesses were called to prove the ad•
vantage of this arrangement, in diminishing friction. in pre-
venting the heating of the axles, in needing a smaller supply
of oil, and in enabling the bearing to run for a much longer ,
time without the necessity of renewal or repair.
Afr. Fothereill, foreman to Sharp and Co., stated that he
bad for many years been. employed in the manufacture of rail-
way carriages, and that this improvement was new to him
wall the appearance of the patent in 1843. It was a very POLICE INTELLIGENCE.
great improvement, and extremely useful in diminishing MANSION-HOUSE.
friction and preventing heating.
Wednesday William-Brinkley was again placed at the bar,
On cross-examination he stated that he had previous to that charged with having illegally pawned watches left with him to
time known tin and lead used to repair old brasses when they be cleaned and repaired.
had ceased to fir from wear, and there.was not time to sub- Three cases were distinctly proved.
statute a new one, The lead or tin was run in to snake it fit The prisoner, who appeared to be a very young man, said
until a new one could be supplied. He had known various he was extremely sorry, but hehad met with misfortunes which
bearings of solid block tin used, but they did not answer. • threw him into difficulties.
Mr. Robert Stephenson, engineer to the London. and Bir- The Loan Mes.atost said, it was necessary that people to
minghatn line, was examined. He gave similar evidence as whom the property of others was intrusted should know the
to the utility of the invention. He said if the inside of the, -serioue punishment to which they would be subjected in vio-
bearing were merely tinned, it would prevent heating, and in lating the law, as in the present instance. The 39th and 40th
that thin coating would not spread by pressure. Jr would of George • 111., cap. 99, see. 8, stated, that if any person
„dir pawoed or unlawfully disposed of the
wear out sooner, and the fillet in the plaintiff's invention was knowingly and desig
useful in enabling them to run in a mass of alloy in a Melted, goods-of any other person, he should be fitted in a penalty not
state, which coated the step to a considerable thickness with- exceeding Si., nor less than `208., and also the full value of the
outspreading by pressure, as it would do without the fillet. goods ; and if thepenaity were not paid forthwith, the offender
Mr. John Fairburn, - engineer at Manchester, gave similar should be impsisoned, with hard labour, in Bridewell, for three
statements as to the utility and novelty of the invention. He months ; and if within three days before the expiration of the
stated that he had known block tin and various alloys used for teem' of commitment the forfeitures were not paid, the magis-
bearings, but always in a solid black. The novelty was in trate might order the convicted person to be publicly whipped.
having an outer case and running in the alloy.
The prisoner was then fined according to the Act, and com-
Mr. Thomas Wilkinson, foreman to Bolton and Watts, Soho
:Sated in default of payment for the three separate offences.
works ; Mr. Jones, clerk to the Liverpool and Manchester '
Bu IV-STREET.
4ydia Gillard was charged with stealing a trinket-box, a pin-
Mr. Michael Allison, out-door foreman of the locomotive
the
Company, near Newton, and others, were examined. Their
evidence was to the same effect.
cushion,
ther-d arc an other articles, from the stall of Mr. Samson, ;in
Lowade.
marked
pant, stated, that there had been a very great and
.
department,of the Liverpool and Manchester Railway Com-
James Ellard, a lad employed by Mr. Samson, said that he
was standing outside one of his employer's shops the previous
Formerlyf
Heron, d
auction of this invention. The Kingfisher, the an daw th •
night, •an s e prisoner looking at some goods. After
tang some things up and laying them down several times, she
improvement in the running of the engines since the intro-
the Ostrich were fitted up with these bearings.
put something under her shawl. He then called to the beadle
o of the Arcade, and gave the prisoner in charge to him. He
400 to 1,000 miles. They would run, when fittede King- a identifies! the goods found on the prisoner as belonging to
the brass bearings ors the old conetructien would rtinrom
pursuant to the patent, from 4,000 to 10,000.
Mr. Samson.
con..
James. Hitchcock, the beadle of the Arcade, corroborated
miles with-
dition. A bearing now produced had run 32,000
part of the last witness's evidence.
out repairs.
to
Mr. Benjamin Lewis, Mr. Edward M'Connell, engineer_fr house, when the prisoner was brought there by the last witness.
was on duty as gaoler, at the station-
the Birmingham and Gloucester Railway Company ; A • He saw her take the pincushion produced, from her pocket, and
Benjamin Cubist, Sir. Fernchough, Manager on the Eastern put it behind a bench 'thigh is there for the prisoners to sit
Counties line; Mr. Melling, engine-maker, at Rainhill, and
others, repeated in a great measure what had been said by were found upon her. He heard her say that she took them
version. upon. She was then searched, and the other articles produced
the other witnesses as to the novelty and the utility of the in- from a stall in the Arcade, and that she was starving.
Evidence cf the infringement of the patent was also ad- The prisoner made no defence.A rr. JARDINE committed the prisoner for trial, at die oi duced. It appeared that in the ease of many of the old brass
bearings, as well as in new ones, when put in for the first ensuing sessions, for larceny.WeLesilay Howard Augustine Styles, remanded from last
time, the workmen were in the habit of tinning the inside of
week, was placed at the bar to answer further charges of
the brass, heating it and then rubbing a stick of tin on it so as forgery,
to cause as much as possible to adhere. This had been pointed No addition was made to the cases investigated at the last
out to the Directors on several occasions by their managers,
and the results in preventing friction, and diminishing the examination. The present inquiry related to a bill of exchange
expreniture of oil, were mentioned. A long correspondencepurporting to be accepted by
confectioners, the amount being ro6S 195., at
drawn
Gunter ba yn d the
Co.,
between the plaintiff and the secretary of the company was
two months. It was shown to a tailor, named Coelt, living in
put in and read, the plaintiff claiming compensation from Upper Charles-street, Westminster, who, was asked by the pri-
the company for the use of his patent. In one of these letters
sorer to ge, it disceunted for him in the City. Cook procured
the secretary, while he denied that the company was infringing
a -d the produce to the prisoner, who
the patent, added, that the use of the tinning, in the :say cheque for it, and hand
described, was of very little benefit, gave him an order for two coats, and paid doWn 71. in advance
and that they thought o
on account.
abandoning it.
At the close of the plaintiff's case his Lordship rose.
Mr. T. W. Gunter, and his partner, Mr. Bishop, (confec-
This morning Mr.. WORTLEY addressed the jury for the tanners in Berkeley-square) attended to prove the forgery.
defence, and called a number of persons to show that at Nant•
They had occasionally Cue business to a trifling extent with
the prisoner, but never accepted a bill from him or any other
la`t
wich, Bury, anti other places, where the brasses used in cotton ,
e
mills had become worn, or did not fit, it was very usual to run Yo.ls stated that he had known the prisoner many years,
in a quantity of an alloy of tin. One of the witnesses said this Co
formerly as a chemist in Regent-street. but latterlyas a genersl
was done by means of a mould inside, in which the alloy was
dealer. He believed him to be a respectable man up to the
run in a state of fusion. Another witness, Joseph Clarke,
stated, that he had long before the extreuce of this patent
Pre,ent transactions.
There were yet several other charges against the prisoner,
purchased a lathe, the bearings of which were a good deal
but. owing to the unavoidable absence of a material witness,
worn, and that he filled them up by melting an alley into them
their
in s i
so as to make dein fit.ve•tgation was deterred to Saturday next, to which day
Mr. Hodge was calle
• das a witness, and stated, that many
the prisoner was again remanded.
So numerous, have been these forgeries, that Messrs. Gunter
years before the existence of this patent, in 1825, he had made
a lathe, being then resident in Cornwall, the bearings of which and harassed by applications for the bills purporting to
Co., -