The Liverpool Standard and General Commercial Advertiser.
Liverpool, Merseyside, England, 1840-05-19 00:00:00

LIVERPOOL EASTER SESSIONS.

The Quarter Sessions of the peace for the- borough of
Liverpool commenced yesterday (Monday), in the criminal
court house, before James Clarke, Esq. recorder. The
calendar contained the names of 106 persons charged with
felony, and 14 with misdemeanors.
The following gentlemen were sworn on the grand jury :
John Haselden, Esq: foreman..

Mr. Swinton Boult, Mr. Charles Groves,
Mr. William Blain, Mr. John Goulding, jun.
Mr. Geo. William Boyd, Mr. William Huson,
Mr. James Palmer Budd, Mr. Edward Jones,
Mr. Adam Cliff, Mr. Timothy Jevons.
Mr. David Cannon, Mr. Samuel Kearsle),
Mr. William Clare, Mr. George Langtry,
Mr. William Dawson, • Mr. Henry Murray.
Mr. Robinson Duckworth, ' •
The CLERK of the PEACE having read the royal proclama-
tion for the suppression of vice, profaneness, and immorality,
The RECORDER proceeded to deliver his charge. He said,
gentlemen of the Grand Jury. I have read with some atten-
tion the depositions in all the cases which will come before
Ymii and I am happy to be able to state to you in the outset,
that I do not think you will meet with any difficulty in form-
ing the conclusion which you ought to come to on the inves-
tigation of these cases. There are not any legal difficulties
of which I am aware in any of the cases, but if, contrary to
IllY expectation, any should arise, if you will apply to me I
will do all I can to remove them. The number of prisoners
is certainly very considerable; it is above a hundred, and
some persons might at once say, under their first impressions,
How comes it with so strong a police force, that the calen-
dar is so full ?" That; gentlemen, is a natural impression,
and one easily raised; but we must not come to such a con-
clusion hastily, because it the calendar is investigated, and
the nature of the crimes analysed, you will firid that two-
thirds of the offences• have been committed in spite of the
Police, and -that no police in the world could possibly
Forrect or control them. For instance, very large num-
bers of crimes, are committed, I am sorry to say, and
they always give me great pain, by domestic servants.
Pow, you know as well as I do, that these offences cannot
be controlled by the police. Every thing with regard to
servants depends upon their own faithfulness and interity,
and if they are not true to their employers, they have oppor-
tunities beyond all measure to commit robberies ; they have
access to property of the most valuable description, and if
they
are not well inclined they may plunder for a considera-
ble length of time before they are detected. There is another
large class of crimes in this calendar, arising from the impru-
dent and improvident conduct of the prosecutors themselves
—men who go into the streets, under the excitement of li-
quor, with large sums of money about them, where they meet
with bad company, thus encouraging the very crimes which
they afterwards prosecute. These consider
persons should
what
..
expense the country is incurring in every department,
by police in towns and rural police in the country, and that
their conduct adds greatly to the amount—for they beget
crimes, and afterwards the expense of prosecuting them falls
upon the country. • There is no item in our national expen-
diture more heavy or more severe than that which arises
from thendininistration of the law. There is also a number
of larcenieito come before you, which you will find are of a
nature that no police could correct. I hope many shop-
keepers hear me, for there is a practice which they solely
should endeavOur to correct. Persons come to their shops,
and say " I want such an article; send it down to my house,
or to my lodgings." They give credit to his story, and send
a Young boy with the goods, with this direction—" Go with
this gentleman to his houSe, and receive the money." The
boys are too small ; they are easily deceived ; and the man
SaYS, " I will help you to carry the goods ;" and he knocks
at the door. Ile enters—no money is forthcoming—the
Party is gone—and the shopkeeper is defrauded. This is a
felony in the eye of the law, although not committed by
force; but it is not one which the police can control : it is
all done by stratagem and manoeuvre. Now in every case I
would advise shopkeepers not to trust on these kinds of
statements, unless they know. the party or receive a refer-
ence. Then, if we strike out this description of cases from
the calendar, and reduce the cases to those of ordinary rob-
beries and so on, the calendar is a very light one. There
are, however, three cases in it which are very bad ones ; but
I do not refer to them in consequence of any difficulty in
them, but because no . one can read them without being
shocked at the enormity of the crimes. The learned recorder
then referred to the cases, but in so low a tone that we could
catch the names of two only, Susan Mitchell and John War-
ren,' and he concluded by formally dismissing the grand jury
to their labours.

ROBBERY FROM 'THE ADELPHI HOTEL.
Harriet Jones, aged 19, was indicted for having feloniously
stolen two spoons and one pair of sugar tongs, the property
at her employer, Mr. James Radley, the proprietor of the
Adelphi Hotel.
Mr. Radley stated, that the prisoner had been in his ser-
-Bce, as au under barmaid, between six and seven months.
bethe 4th instant having had a communication made to him,
asked her permission to search her box, which was in her
~ed-room. She consented, and a constable being sent for
the box was searched, and the property mentioned in the cn-
thetinent found wrapped the sleeve of a gown.
Connor, a policeman. confirmed this statement, and added,
that in the box he foun.l a silver pencil case in addition to the
other articles.
It was stated that this pencil case would form the subject
of another indictment.
, The prisoner, in defence, said she had put the plate into
her box a day or two before, for the purpose of cleaning it;
and that, owing to absence and illness, she had no opportunity
of returning it to the head barmaid.
The jury found a verdict of guilty.
The Recorder sentenced the prisoner to 12 months' im-
Prisonrnent and hard labour.
ROBBERY FROM THE PERSON.

Margaret Nowland was .indicted for having feloniously
stolen, on the 7th instant, five sovereigns, from the person of
Charles Paterson, second mate of an American vessel, now
lYing in this port. The jury returned a verdict of not guilty.
STEALING SUGAR.

Thomas Bartholomew Dunlop was indicted for stealing
eight pounds weight of sugar, the property of Messrs. M`Fee
and Co., sugar makers, of this town ; a second count in the
Indictment charged the sugar as the property of the Queen.
14r- James prosecuted, and Mr. Fitzgerald defended. The
Prisoner was in the service of Messrs. M`Fee and Co. as an
engineer and the sugar he was alleged to have stolen was in
the bonded warehouse. He was met with the sugar in his
Possession, about four o'clock in the morning, in Whitecha-
Pel, by a police-officer, who took him into custody. His
statement then, and his defence in answer to the case now,
'was, he had taken, the sugar by way of playing a practical
Joke on the custom-house officer. The jury returned a ver-
dict of guilty. The prisoner received a good character from
a person who had employed him some time ago in Glasgow.
Sentence deferred.
STEALING FROM THE WATERLOO HOTEL.
Margt. Smith, 55, pleaded guilty to an indictment charg-
ing her with having stolen two sheets, six towels, two nap-
kins, three glasties, six dishes, three knives, two forks, and
other articles, the property of Mr. William Lynn, the pro-
Prietor of the Waterloo. Hotel. The Court sentenced her to
three months imprisonment and hard labour.

ROBBING AN EMPLOYER.
Johitlahnson, 37, was indicted for having feloniously stolen
two yards of woollen cloth, the property of his employer, Mr.
John Briscoe, tailor and woollen draper, of Oldhall-street.
Mr. Paget appeared for the prosecution, and the prisoner
was defended by Mr. Jackson Hone. The duty of the pri-
soner was that of a cutter-out : and the prosecutor suspect-
ing him, opened the drawer in which the cloth was kept in
the entry room on the morning of the 11th inst., and took an
exact pattern on paper of the cloth in it. On going to it
again the cloth was gone, and an officer afterwards found it
in the prisoner's house.. The defence was that the cloth was
the usual perquisite of the trade. The prisoner received a
roost excellent character. • He was found guilty.
The Recorder asked the prosecutor what wages the prisoner
received ?
Mr. Briscoe replied, three pounds a week of late.
The Recorder—Why you have almost a better place than
the recorder!
Sentence deferred.
THEFT FROM THE BOROUGH GOAL.
Mary Anne Dawlier, 40, pleaded guilty to an indictment
for having feloniously stolen two petticoats, the property of
the corporation of Liverpool. The prisoner had been com-
committed to the borough gaol for illegal pawning, and when
she was able to be discharged the above articles were found
upon her. She was sentenced to one month's imprisonment.
STEALING FROM A PUBLIC-HOUSE.
Henry Robinson, 17, was indicted for having feloniously
stolen two quilts, and several other similar articles, the pro-
perty of Thos. Jones, a publican. Mr. Blackburn appeared
for the prosecution, and Mr. Venables for the prisoner. The
house was robbed in Februaiy last by some persons who had
concealed themselves, and the prisoner was apprehended out-
side shortly afterwards. The Jury returned a verdict of
guilty. A conviction was put in against the prisoner for
housebreaking in 1838, for which he underwent 12 months
imprisonment.—Sentence deferred.
Ellen Hughes, a girl, pleaded•guilty to a charge of stealing
a watch from her master, in whose service she had been for
only six days. She was sentenced to be imprisoned for four
Months, and kept to hard labour.
Thomas Walsh preaded guilty to having stolen two pairs
of trousers, the property of a Mr. Ackroyd, a clothier. The
prisoner requested that he might be allowed to take the trou-
sers to 'a public-house, to try them on, and he would return
one of the.pairs. A boy was sent with him, and went with
him into a public-house, but the prisoner made off with the
clothes by the back door. The prisoner had obtained some
brushes in a similar manner. He was sentenced to twelve
months' imprisonment and hard labour.
Daniel Brodwick stood indicted on a charge of having
stolen; on the 17th March, two gold seals, the property of
Emanuel Le Compte, a jeweller, in Manchester-street. The
prisoner went into the shop, and asked the girl who attended
it, to see a seal that was in the window. He said it was too
dear for a poor man, and asked to see another. She banded
him one ; and he ran off with them both. An alarm was
given: He was afterwards apprehended. Mr. Veuables de-
fended the prisoner, and stated that he had only run out of
the - shop after a man who had taken up his little dog Duffy,
and had run off with it. The witnesses to this fact did not,
however, make their appearance, and the jury immediately
found the prisoner guilty. He was sentenced to suffer four
months' imprisonment and hard labour.
George Thompson was charged with having broken into
the paper and rag warehouse, in Bachelor-street, occupied
by one Owen Brown, and having stolen a quantity of paper,
and some pieces of bad coin. The prisoner had not carried
away the articles, but had placed them in readiness to be re-
moved. He was discovered by a policeman, who observed a
light in the warehouse, and found the padlock of the door
forced off. A lock of a drawer was also forced off. When
apprehended, the prisoner said that he had been placed there
by-another man. Mr. Venables made a shurt, but feeling
defence, in which he stated that the prisoner had been misled
by evil companions, having got some drink •, that he had
previously been a most diligent and well-behaved domestic
young man. He hoped the jury would recommend him to
mercy. The prisoner's father, a respectable old man, was
called, and gave him a goOd character. The jury found him
guilty. The Recorder stated to his father that he would not
pass sentence upon the prisoner until the end of the week,
so that he (the father) might have an opportunity of bringing
up some witnesses who, he had stated, could give him a good
character, but who were not in town.
Susan Minshull, stood indicted on a charge of having stolen
a quantity of money, spirits, and other articles, the property
of Mr. Douglas Cohen, a physician, her master. The amount
was very considerable, there being afterwards found in va-
rious parts of the house upwards of £l3. in gold. The rob-
bery was committed on the night of the 7th of April, and
could only, it appeared, have been accomplished by a person
who knew the house well. Some of the money was after-
wards found in a glove and a purse amongst some rubbish in
the back cellar. The prisoner told the constable it was her
own. The money in the glove, the fellow to which WSS found
in the prisoner's box was the precise amount left by Dr.
Cohen in a purse on his dressing-room table when he went
to bed on the previous night. The purse found with silver
in it was not that whi ill was lost. Four silver spoons, and
some German silver forks were afterwards found by the ser-
vant who succeeded the• prisoner, wrapped in paper in the
coal vault ; and the same individual also found a coat and a
, pair of trousers in one of the chimneys, which were missed
at the same time. These were discovered in consequence of
the chimney smoking, which induced the girl to look up and
see what was the matter. A bottle of brandy was also found
in 'a flue. The money was found by Ainsworth the police-
.
officer. The Jury found the prisoner guilty.
Mr. Cohen said that he wished to recommend the prisoner
to mercy, on the ground that he believed she was at times
idiotical, at all events, she was not of very strong mind.
The Recorder said that Mr. Cohen had not mentioned this
before the magistrates. The crime was one of a most aggra-
Vated character. The police could not prevent it, for if the
initiates of a house were disposed to steal, it was possible to