Star.
London, England, 1822-10-29 00:00:00

to siva a Mixer terilie otter mews
to whkh he belonged.,-.Qurtisietid that as the treat
was customary, he-should have no objection to give
it. Curtis left town to-re-side with-hie friends at Lewes.
Whilst there he received .a letter fforn the prisoner,
stating that his brother clerks were urgent for the'
treat. Curtis wrote in answer that he would pay for
the dinner, and authorized the prisoner to invite the
Gentlemen of the Ace to be present. Curtis re-
ceived another letter from the prisoner,' in which he
informed him that the dinner had taken place at the
Ship Tavern, opposite the India House. The bill,
he said, amounted to IS/. Os. The prisoner in this
letter entered into very minute details in order te
convince Curtis that the charge was not extravagant.
Curtis sent the prisoner a draft for 14/.. upon Sir
James Esdaile and Co. for which the prisoner ob-
tained payment. No dinner took place at the " Ship,"
as stated.by the prisoner. Subsequently to this the
prisoner addressed a letter to a friend of Curtis's, .in
which he stated, that "'he rejoiced that he had been
the humbleinstrument by which so deserving and
meritorious an individual as ,the prosecutor had been
rescued from poverty." This.letter, like most others
written by the prisoner, was signed " Millar Douglas,
of Storre and Wetherley Park." Curtis, when he
came to town on the 27th of September, 1819, made
inquiries respecting the prisoner, the result of which
was in no way favourable to him ; in short, he found
that he had completely duped him. Curtis imme-
diately obtained a warrant for the apprehension of the
prisoner, but be never was able to meet with him
until the 20th of September last, when he was taken
in Robin Hood-court, Shee4ane.
The RECORDER baying summed up the evidence,
the Jury instantly returned a verdict of Guilty.
The Court sentenced the prisoner to transpottation
for seven years. He is '27 years of age.
Theodore Constantine, a genteelly dressed young
Frenchman, of remarkably prepossessing counte-
nance, was capitally indicted for stealing a gold
watch, chain, and seals, and three gold rings,' the
property of Guillaume Jarrin, in his dwelling-house.
Mr. Jarrin (also a Frenchman) stated, that the
prisoner was a son of a very worthy and respectable
old Gentleman, who paid him (witness) a guinea a
week for the prisoner's use, and the latter called every
week to receive it. Upon one occasion, when wit-
ness was from home, the prisoner called, and went
up into his bed-room ; and when he was gone the ar-
ticles mentioned, which had been deposited there,
were gone. They were afterwards traced to have
been pawned by the prisoner.
The prisoner, in his defence, said he purchased these
articles from a French Gentleman, with whom he
dined one day at a restaurateur, in Leicester-square.
The Jury found the prisoner Guilty—Death. .
Mr. Jarrin handed in a letter wbich he had re-
ceived from the prisoner's father, in answer to one
informing him of what had occurred. The letter
stilted, in very moving terms, that the prisoner was
totally irreclaimable, and that be Had, by a long
course of depravity, al niost broken his father's heart.
Ile could do no more for him, awl the law must
take its course.
There was another indictment against the prisoner,
for stealing three gold brooches from Jonathan
Thorne, bat he was not tried upon it. - •
Joseph-Josepiss was indicted for stealing, in the
dwelling-house of Sir William Gordon, Bart. a silver
tea-pot, cream jog, and other articles 'of plate, the
property of the said Sir Wm. Gordon. •
John Parker, butler to Sir Wm. Gordon, proved
that the property in question was missed from the
house of his master, in Lower Brook-street, on the'
morning of the'l6th July. The articles were. next
seen at Marlborough-street Police Office.
Sutton, the footman, saw the plate safe on the
15th. Never saw the prisoner in his master's service.
Thomas Tennant, an officer of Marlboinugh-street,
went on the 23d of July, in consequence-of an infor,
mation, to the house of Guest, whom he found at
home. He discovered a cream jug in a box 'Whitt)
Guest 'himself unlocked.. There were some pieces.cf
silver in the box. It was on the first floor, in an ex-
posed situation. In consequence of what Guest-said,
witness, by the Magistrate's direction, went to the
house of the prisoner, and he attended.at the, Office
upon a summons.
Joseph Guest sworn, stated that, on the evening of
the dayon which the robbery had been committed,
the prisoner, whom he had known for some time,
came to him and offered for sale a quantity of plate,
which he, the witness, without asking any ques-
tion, purchased at ss. 6d. an ounce. There were 44
ounces of the plate. Witness immediately, that very
night, erased the crests (he did not, indeed, know
whether they were crests or ciphers), and prepared
the articles for melting, by breaking them up. Guest
had been in custody for the same fact. He admitted
having been once at Bow-street upon some matter
about a bit of linen.
Mrs. Guest gave some evidence, which tended to
the same effect. as her husband. Her husband had
been four days in custody before she thought of ap-
plying to the Magistrate. She made her son Joseph
call his father.
Sarah Guest, daughter of Mr. and Mrs. Guest, re-
membered the prisoner's coming in at the passage
door. He came in a coach ; she called to her father
to come down, as there was some one that wanted
him. It was she and not her brother. that called to
Mr. Guest.
Several witnesses gave the prisoner a good character.
The JUDGE, in summing up, animadverted in very
severe terms upon the testimony of Guest.
The Jury at once returned a verdict of Not Guilty.
MIDDLESEX SESSIONS.
Yesterday a well-dressed young person of very re-.
spectable appearance, named Robert Peck ctchly, was
tried for a fraud upon Mr. Peter Otto Boyce, book-
seller.—Mr. Boyce stated, tkat the prisoner applied
Ito him, on the 17th of September, for 1/. worth of
Isooks, which were, he said, for a friend, and asked
for credit until next day, when he would bring a
,check for that sum, and a balance due from a book-
seller. in Bond-street, of whom the prisoner stated
himself to be the nephew. Witness had seen the prig
soner before in his shop, where he frequently called,
and had no doubt as to the truth of the statement.
He therefore gave him credit for the books on that
representation; but he was soon afterwards informed
that he had been deceived. The prisoner had, at the
time of this application, stated, that. his uncle, thel
bookseller, kept 'Cash at Sir Richard Cara. plyan'i.
banking-house; but it was founi that this was not