The Liverpool Standard and General Commercial Advertiser.
Liverpool, Merseyside, England, 1840-01-24 00:00:00

POLICE INTELLIGENCE.-TuEADAY.

William Woodier, Edward Williams, Edwin Leigh, and
William Jones, were charged with having entered the house
of Mr. Conolly Thomas Hamilton, Brunswick-vale, Bootle-
lane, on Sunday morning, whilst the family
.were attending
divine service, and stolen therefrom a quantity of valuable
plate.—Mr. Wardle, solicitor, appeared for the priSoners..
Jane Jones stated, that she resided in the capacity of house-
servant in the family of Mr. Hamilton. On Sunday morn-
ing last, while the family were absent 'at church, she went
out also to attend church. She left the -house. at twenty
minutes before eleven o'clock. No person remained in the
house. She went out at the front-. door, Which fastens by a
snap latch. She did'rot lock the doot - Sim returned about
half-past twelve o'clock, and found_a person named Trafford
(a witness in the case)' gtanding in` the- road He 'gave her
some information. She went into the house by the front

door, and proceeded to the kitchen
,door which. she found
unbolted. She had bolted it on the outside previous to going

out.

She, had also locked the doors of the two bed-rooms,-

and placed the keys in a parlour, the door of which she locked,
and took the key with her. She unlocked the parlour door,
and found the keys where she had left them. She proceeded
up stairs, and found both .the bed-room doors open. She
went into Mr Hamilton's room, where she missed three sil-
ver table-spoons, five silver tea-spoons, three silver dessert-
spoons, six silver forks, and two silver salt-spoons, from a
basket which-she had placed that morning on a chair. She
found also that a bog, in which 'plate was kept, had been re-
moved from under abed, and left in the middle of the room.

This box had been fOrced open. She found in the room a
pair of tongs, a poker, and a carving-knife, which had been
removed from the kitchen. Thelox had had the plate in it,
but there was nOthing left in it but table linen.
Mrs. Hamilton stated, that on Friday week she put into
the plate-box, in her husband's bed-room, three silver ladles,
six silver table-spoonS, nine silver dessert-spoons, twenty-
three silver forks, one pair of plated candlesticks, and a pair
of snuffers. She locked the box, and placed the key in her
pocket. The box was placed under the bed. On Saturday
she saw the box there. Shortly after ten o'clock, on Sun-
day morning last, they went to church, leaving the servant
Jane Jones in the house. They returned shortly after one
o'clock, and were informed of the robbery. She went into
the bed-room, and saw that the plate chest had been broken
open, and all the plate taken away. The value of the pro-
perty was about £3O.
John Neale stated that he kept a public-house in Bootle-
lane, about two hundred yards from Mr. Hamilton's house. 1.
On Sunday morning last, about twenty minutes before eleven
o'clock, he was in his house when the prisoner William
Woodier entered and asked for a glass of ale, with which he
was served. He remained in the house a minute or two and
then went out. Witness knew the prisoner, as he had been .
pointed out to him as a bad character : he therefore desired
his wife to notice him. The prisoner turned up the lane in
the direction of Bootle, and went about forty yards, where he
joined two other men. Witness watched him through a win-
dow, and saw the prisoner Edward Williams advance towards
'his (witness') house in a hurrk. He passed it, and then
beckoned to the two other men. They crossed the road to-
wards him, and witness immediately went to another window
where he could see further down the road. He saw the pri-
soner Williams receive something from Woodier, who ad-
vanced quickly towards witness house. Witness left the
window and went into the lobby. The prisoner Williams en-
tered the house and asked for a glass of ale, with which his
(witness') daughter served him. He drank it standing iu the
lobby, and immediately departed. He went towards the other
three, who advanced a little nearer to the house, and joined '
them. All four then went away in the direction of Mr. Hata
ton's house. Witness went out in about five minutes to look
after them, but could not see them, nor did he see them agate
till they were in custody. Witness was quite sure the poi-
soner Edwin Leigh was one of the men who passed his house
with the two other prisoners Williams and Woodier, and le,
had then a red handkerchief round his neck, similar to that
produced. He had also a top coat on.
James Trafford, a miller, residing in Bond-street, stated,.
that on Sunday morning last, about nine o'clock, he left Itia,
house for the purpose of taking a walk. He went up titu
canal as far as the Bootle Coffee-house, and then turned bo4
come through Bootle. He was passing Mr. Hatniltwes.
house about eleven o'clock, when he saw six men standing'
together, abOut twenty yards therefrom. He passed them,,
and noticed them sufficiently to make hint quite sure that
the prisoners, Woodier, Leigh, and Jones, were three, off

thetn. Witness went on about fifty yards, and then tinned,
and looked at them. Two of the men passed him and want
to the end of a lane, where they stopped. Witness went- to
a hay-stack, and lay down in such a position that he hul! a.
view of every house in Brunswick-vale.. When he got there
he only saw two men, and they were walking backwards and.
forwards in front of Mr. Hamilton's house. About ten tnii-
flutes elapsed when he saw two. men come out of Mr. Hamil-
ton's house and join the two men that were walking about.
They turned away to the left, upon which witness left his po-
sition near the hay-stack,. when he saw the other two men at
the end of the lane. They turned up a small lane that leads
into the Walton road. Witness passed on into Kirkdale
road, thinking they, would go that way. The three prisoners.
Woodier, Leigh, and Jones, passed him, and went along
Boundary-road. Leigh was carrying his top coat over his
arm. Witness returned to Mr. Hamilton's house and re-
mained there till Jane Jones, the servant, returned home.
He told her his suspicions, and went into the house with her,
and found matters as she had described them. He afterwards
went to the police-office and gave information of the robbery,
and described the men. He knew Woodier by name, and
gave information of his name at the police-office.
Lloyd, a constable, and Cottam, a police-inspector, de-
scribed the apprehension of the prisoners, and stated that
none of the stolen property was found upon them.
They were all committted for trial.
WEDNESDAY.
CRUELTY TO A NEGRO, AND ASSAULT.
Thomas Robinson, a young and.broad-shouldered seaman,
was placed at the bar, charged with having committed an
assault on .Mr. Walter Smith. The latter stated, that he
was on ditty, -at one of Harbord's warehouses, when he saw
five or six, sailors cruelly ill-treating a black man. Annoyed
at their condtict; he went and remonstrated with them.. They
resented his interference; and one of them put himself in a
fighting attitude., As
,they continued their sport at the ex-
pense of the poOrilegi.o, he requested them to desist. The
'prisoner asked him if he were going to take the part of
tiarls:v,.and, without waitin.; for a reply, put himself before
him *(l.4lr.Sinith) in a boxing attitude, and struck at him
Jiercelyzeveruh tubes.- .Be received one blow on his neck,
,)yltichitad,ittjared,bim severely. It was at first very' bad,
biuE lid bail had Veehes to it, which had relieved it. The pri-
irtdar thittbehad touched the black man. Mr. Smith
lre,couldihave .brought the negro as a witness, his
appearance ifirtoin *jaml would have shown how he had
been ill-treated:' fle,wished it to be understood, that he had
not; brought. the prisoner. there so much to gratify any
resentral 'Ming nf, his own, as to show the prisoner that a
bladk'inan was not to be ill-treated any more than a white
,Police-officer. ill confirmed Mr. Smith's statement
The prisoner Was tined five shillings and costs. In default
of payment, lie was sentenced to be imprisoned seven days.

YESTERDAY—
STEALING A WATCH.-SINGCLAR CASE.
Henry Aaron, a Jew, was brought up charged with having
a stolen watch. in . his •possession:f •I appeared that the de-.
fendant, who is a hawker of pens, jewellery, '&c., called a
day or two ago at the shop of james Lepp, watch Maker,
Bath-street, wishing to dispose of, some of his goods. Lepp
offered him a watch in exchange,,hut no business was trans-
acted. This morning (yesterday) defendant called again,
when Lepp asked him if he would bny a watch. He did not
do so, saying that he had one, which he produced. Lepp
looked steadily at the watch, and, after consulting his books,
claimed it as his property, and said that it had been stolen
from his shop. Aaron told him that he. had bought it of
Mr. Jones, watchmaker, Manchester-street, for 255.; and
took him (Lepp) up to Jones's shop, in order to prove the
truth of his assertion. 'On their arrival, Lepp again declared
that the watch was his property, but that an alteration had
been made in the dial. Jones (having heard this statement)
then denied having sold the watch to the defendant,, and
stated that Aaron had employed him to alter the dial and
pendulum. On the suggestion of Aaron, they then went to
the police-office, for the purpose of having the matter pro-
perly investigated ; and when there Aaron called some per-
sons who witnessed his payment of the money to Jones.
A boy, in the employ of Jones, when asked whether his
master had sold the watch to defendant, so prevaricated in
giving his evidence, as to render it of no value, and to create
a feeling of dependence on the testimony of the defendant.
Acousin of Jones's did not see him sell the watch to defen-
dant.

At this period some persons were despatched from the
court to make further investigation into the case ; the result
of their inquiry was not announced in the court, but it must
have been one of favourable import to the prisoner, (who,
from his demeanour, and straightforward conduct throughout
the trial, had not the appearance of a guilty man), as, on
Mr. Rushton again taking his seat on the bench, he said,
although it was evident that a robbery had been committed,
and that the persons brought before the court had been in
very recent possession of the property ; still, from the con-
tradictory nature of the evidence, he did not feel justified in
keeping any one in custody. The prisoner was accordingly
discharged ; and, in reply to a question from Mr. Jones,
Mr. Rushton said, that the less he (Jones) said about the
matter, the better.

ILLEGAL PAWNING.

Bridget 'Waters, and Jane Anderson, the latter with a
Very young infant in her arms, were brought up charged with
illegally pawning several shirts, chemises, and other pro-
perty, belonging to the complainant, Mrs. Cowley, who
stated that e had given the former prisoner several shirts
to make, which she bad pledged, without her consent ; and
to the latter prisoner divers articles to wash, which she had
also pledged without her authority.
The officer who took the prisoners into custody, produced
four tickets, by which, and the evidence of the pawnbrokers,
it appeared that two shirts, value 75., had been pledged with
Mr. Limon ; one shirt, value 3s. 6d., and.one chemise, value
is., with .Mr. Philip Cann ; one shirt, value 2s. 6d., with
Mr. .Hughes ; and two shirts, with Mr. Astbury, which the
complainant could not identify ;—all by the prisoner Waters.
It also appeared that one shirt, value 2s. 6d., one chemise,
value Bd. ; a pocket handkerchief; and a piece of striped Lin-
sey, value 2s. Bd. ; bad been pledged with Mr. Kitchen :
two sheets, value 35., with Mr. Astbury ; and one chemise,
value Is. with Mr. Cann ;—all by the prisoner Anderson.
The prisoners stated that they were distressed, and that the
complainant assisted them in their distress, and allowed them
to pawn the property. They also stated that the complainant
owed them money.

Both these statements were denied by the complainant,
and the prisoners were ordered to refund the value of the
goods, and pay a penalty of £2 each, or, in default of pay-
ment, to be imprisoned for two months.

AN IRISH ROW.
James 'Waldron, and Michael Butler, were brought up
charged with having assaulted Catherine Dolan and
Nicholson. It appeared, front the evidence, that there had
been a disgraceful disturbance ; that the prisoners, although
the aggressors, were not the only persons culpable ; and that
murderous weapons had been used in the melee, by which
Nicholson had had his arm broken, and the wife of one of
the plrties so injured that she had been sent to the In-
firmary,

Mr. Rushton said it was their duty to put a stop to such
conduct as this in the streets of Liverpool, and ordered the
prisoners to pay a fine of 40s. each, with costs, or be impri-
soned for one month.

IMPORTANT TO SEAMEN.
John Horsfall, steward on board the ship Alice, trading to
the Mauritius, applied to the court for arrears of wages,
stated by him to be due from the captain, Mr. J. Anwyl. It
appeared, however, on the, cross-examination of the com-
plainant by Mr. Wardle, solicitor for the defendant, that he
had not only repeatedly got drunk while on board the vessel,
but had also refused to. perform his duty.
Mr: Rushton told complainant that by such behaviour he
had forfeited all clainis upon the defendant, and ordered him
to leave the court.
Another sailor, a Creole, summoned the captain of a ves-
sel trading in the Mediterranean, for arrears of wages. It
appeared that the complainant was shipped at Marseilles, on
the 18th of November last, and arrived here on the 23d of
DeceMber. He stated thathe bad been engaged at,54 francs
.per month, and had only received 34 francs 6 sous, from
M. Friedrich, ship chandler, at 'Marseilles.--:-The captain
stated that he had t'miven-ebtiiplainant an advance note for a
month's wages, and had got it discounted by M. Friedrich,
to whom he (the captain) had paid the full amount.—Mr.
Rushton said that if complainant had imprudently got his
note cashed at discount, he must put up with the loss; the
only thing which remained to be decided, was the arrears
for the five days over the month.—The captain seemed in
dined to object to paying this, on the score of the incom-
petency of the complainant ; but rather than have any fur-
ther dispute, he paid the money (eight shillings.)