The Liverpool Standard and General Commercial Advertiser.
Liverpool, Merseyside, England, 1839-04-30 00:00:00

AN IMPUDENT THIEF.

On Friday an old man, named Samuel Whitby, was charged
at the Police-office, before Mr. Hall, with having stolen two
ladies' cloaks. It appeared that, about seven o'clock on
Wednesday evening, the prisoner had entered the house of
Mrs. Penny, Moor-place, by the back yard door, and that he
took one of the cloaks from the back kitchen, and the other
from the lobby. The prisoner was seen by Miss Catherine
Penny, but she mistaking him for a man who had been at
work in the yard, took no notice of the circumstance. The
prisoner, however, in retreating through the back door, came
in contact with Miss F. Penny, who is totally blind, and in-
stantly suspecting all was not right, caught hold of him, and
called out for assistance. She courageously held him fast
until her sister and another young lady came to her assist-
ance from a distant and upper part of the house, whence
they had seen her struggling to hold him. They endeavoured
to secure him, but he struck violently at them several times,
and then effected his escape, leaving his booty behind. The
young ladies were, however, on the alert, and the alarm
being given, he was pursued, and taken into custody in Clif-
ford-street. Both the witnesses spoke positively to his
identity, yet he impudently persisted that they had mistaken
him for another man, and that he was as innocent as the
child unborn. He was immediately recognised by the police
as an old offender, and was committed to take his trial at the
sessions.

YESTERDAY.

AN IRISH WEDDING.-ASSAULT ON A POLICE-OFFICER

Two Irishmen, Michael Currery, and Timothy Collins, also
a young woman, were placed before Mr. Hall, charged with
riotous and disorderly conduct, and one of them (Collins)
with having violently assaulted police constable No. 93. It
appeared, from the statement of the constable, that between
one and two on Sunday morning he saw the prisoner Collins
in Thomas's-street; that the prisoner came up to him with
another man ; that he pulled out a bottle, with rum in it, and
a glass, and asked him to drink. Witness refused to drink,
saying that he did not drink rum. The prisoner then, using
some coarse language, said—" You think it poison, do you ?"
Soon afterwards he was jumped upon by the prisoner and
others. He entered the house to which the prisoner went to
secure him, and while there, Collins, who was standing three
or four steps up the stairs, kicked him violently in the right
eye. (The witness's eye, which was wrapped up, was much
blackened.) Another police constable corroborated the fact
of the kick being given, and added, that the prisoner also
struck at him with a chair which he held in his hand. The
evidence against the female was simply that she had struck
at one of the officers, when he had hold of Currery. Mr.
Davenport appeared for the prisoner Collins. Currery, who
was undefended, and whose face was streaked with blood, said
that he and his companions, amongst whom was Collins, who
had just been married, had been enjoying themselves in the
house, and that he had gone out to endeavour to buy some
rum, for which he took the bottle with him ; that he could
not get into the public-house, which was closed, and meeting
the policeman, he went with him, and was admitted ; that
the policeman there drank a glass of whisky, and afterwards
partook of the rum, for which he paid ls. 9d. He added,
that the policeman and some other officers afterwards came
to the house and caused a disturbance. Two other witnesses,
an old man, named Diamond, with his arm in a sling, and an
old woman, his wife, swore to the constables maltreating Col-
lins, by throwing him on a bed, and striking him with their
sticks in a very severe manner. The old man begged of them
not to kill him, and he himself was then struck, and his arm
nearly broken. The complaining constable strongly denied
the allegatihn that he had gone into the public-house with the
prisoner Currery, or had partaken of liquor with him. Another
constable also stated, the he had seen the prisoner in the street
with the rum in a bottle, and that he had asked him too to drink
with him. Mr. Hall, with whom sat another magistrate, said"
the evidence given was of so conflicting a nature, that the bench
thought it advisable to send the case to the sessions, where
it would be satisfactorily decided by a jury. The female pri-
soner was discharged, and the two male prisoners were
required to find bail—themselves in £4O, and two sureties
each, in £2O, to appear at the sessions to answer the charge.
Mr. Davenport said the prisoners would have great difficulty
in procuring such bail, and would prefer that the case should
be summarily dealt with. Mr. Hall, however, after con-
sulting with his brother magistrate, said " The case must
go the sessions ; and there it will be thoroughly investigated"
Mr. Hall afterwards sent an officer for the publican, at whose
house the prisoner Carrery had said the officer complaining
had been drinking.