The Liverpool Standard and General Commercial Advertiser.
Liverpool, Merseyside, England, 1840-05-22 00:00:00

LIVERPOOL EASTER SESSIONS.-(YESTERDAY.)

THE QUEEN AGAINST HUGH EDWARDS.

In this case the defendant, who was out on bail and sur-
rendered, was indicted on a charge of having stolen, on the
7th of March, a purse containing fifty-one sovereigns, the pro-
perty of John Shannon. The case excited very considerable
interest, from the peculiarity of the circumstances, and we
therefore devote to it more space than on ordinary occasions.
Mr. HENDERSON stated that the prisoner was a person of
some property in this town. The prosecutor went into the
public-house kept by the prisoner, and had with him a can-
vas bag containing 51 sovereigns. The prosecutor treated
two women who had come in, and afterwards fell asleep, and
on awaking found that his money was gone. The subsequent
circumstances were detailed by the learned counsel, but the
whole may be derived from the evidence.
John Shannon being sworn, said I am a lumper, and rent a
house of the prisoner, who keeps a house in Flint-street.
called Greenfield House. On the 21st of March, after 12.
at night, I knocked at the door. The bar is. amid-ships. I
called for some whiskey, in a room on one side of the bar. I
fell asleep. No one was in the room when I went in but
myself and he. lie was on his way with the whiskey when
two girls entered. One of them that 1 knew stood at the
bar door, and the other was going inside the bar. Neither of
them Caine within three yards of me while I was there. The
prisoner pushed them out and barred the doorA had 51 sove-
reigns in gold; £4O in Bank .of England notes and some silver.
The notes and silver were not touched. They were in my
inside waistcoat pocket. I took out a shilling to pay, and in
doing so had to take out the bag of sovereigns which were in
a chamoi leather purse. I put back the bag and the notes.
The landlord came into the bar after turning the women out.
1 fell asleep on a settle. I was wakened by the prisoner, but
Ido not know at what time of the night. I felt for my
money. The pocket-book and silver were there, but the bag
of sovereigns was gone. Nobody was there but the prisoner.
I had heavy words with the prisoner about it. I insisted on
his searching me. When I awoke 1 found my waistcoat
opened all but one button. He did search me. He wakened
me by shaking me by the waistcoat. He came to the mouth
of the entry with me, and we had heavy words about the
purse. I went home and told my wife. Between nine and
ten o'clock next morning I went to the prisoner'S house. The
two girls were there, and others. When I first went in I was

in a great rage, and I struck one of the girls and bled her
nose. The prisoner was there, and he then went into the
bar. He came back with his hands in his trowsers pockets ;
he walked within a yard or two of •my sister-in-law, and he
stooped down. There are two cellars or rooms on each side
the bar. One is called the House of Lords and the other the

House of Commons. (A laugh.) I lost my money in the
Commons ; the room Edwards now came into was the Lords.
He stooped down, and picking the bag up, said—" Don't be
so angry, is this yours ?" " Yes, said I' • but there is not the
weight in.it that it had when you took it from me this morn-
ing." I emptied the bag into the hands of a man named
Griffiths, and he counted it back into the bag, and it only
contained twelve sovereigns. Griffiths swore with an oath
that he would prosecute the prisoner. He (Griffiths) did not
say this at the 'Change. I sent for the police.
Cross-examined by Mr. WILKINS.—'•I struck one of the
girls in the morning, and would have struck my own wife if
I had met her, I was so aggravated. I had been drinking at
my brother's, who keeps a public-house in Norfolk-street.
I had five glasses of ale that day, and a glass of spirits at my
brother's that morning, at six o'clock, which I have every
morning. (The witness, a robust, coarse-looking man, in a
blue dress, prevaricated on the question being put whether
he had spoken to the girls in question, or had called any other
girls across the street.) To my knowledge I did not see the
policeman. I paid eightpence out of a shilling. I don't
know who it was for, or whether it was for whiskey for him.
I emptied the bag of sovereigns or the table. I did not drop
one of them, nor did one of the girls pick it up, and would
not give it back. I counted my money (the sovereigns) at
my brother's house before I went to Edwards's. A man
named Beattie and another were present. When I found I
had lost my money I sent my wife for the police, and went
quietly to bed. 1 struck the girl and knocked her down. I
said I would have knocked my own wife down I was so pro-
voked, but I did not knock her clown that night. I treated
one of the girls, named Connolly, on account of respect for
her father, who had worked for me. I struck her in the
morning. That was not out of respect for her father. Grif-
fiths works at timber.

Re-examined.—The fifty-one sovereigns was a large sum
for me to lose. I had worked for twenty-two years at the
docks. and the, sum was nearly all I had. I pulled out my
bag of sovereigns at Edwards's to get at my silver, and Ed-
wards said, " Are these sovereigns, Jack 1" and I thenl threw
out my sovereigns. When I struck the woman I would have
struck any body, because Mr. Edwards said it was them that
took my money.
Hugh Beattie sworn.—l knew the last witness. His bro-
ther James keeps a public-house. It is about 200 yards
from his own house.. I saw Shannon count out 51 sove-
reigns. He was not tipsy, but had had a drop of drink.
Cross-examined.—l am a labourer, but (he added, without
a question,) I never worked for Shannon. I don't know
why he counted his money. He did not assign any reason
for doing so, Griffiths is not here.
John Moore.—Admitted that he had been in court during
part of the case, although the witnesses were all ordered to
retire. The counsel for the prosecution said he would not
examine him. Mr. Wilkins said he should object to his
examination for reasons which he should explain to the
jury. _ _

Beattie recalled by the Recorder.—There was no one pre-
sent when the prosecutor counted his money at his brother's
but myself and another.
_ Ann M'lntire said she was with the girl, Mary Coimlly.

I went in, and Shannon, who was sitting in the window,
treated us to two-pennyworth a-piece. e afterwards had
two-pennyworth, which we paid for. The prisoner asked
me when I went, to come back and stop all night. Edwards
let us out, and I and Connolly went home to bed. The
policeman and Mrs. Shannon knocked us up, and we went
with them to Edwards's. We met another officer, an in-
spector, and he went with us. He knocked ; Edwards put
his head out at the window. Mrs. Shannon said he had got
her husband's money. He said that these were the girls that
were with Shannon, and he knew nothing about it. The
inspector told us to go home and be read), to come in the
morning at six o'clock. We both went to Norfolk-street,
to the prisoner's brother's, at that hour ; and we were told
to go and come at ten o'clock to Edwards's. We went at
that time. Shannon struck Mary Connolly, and she stag-
gered a little and fell on a seat. The prisoner went to the
bar, and stopped about ten minutes. He came back, drop-
ped a parse, -stooped down and picked it up again, saying,
" What is this ?" Shannon said, " It's my purse, but it's
not the weight." The prisoner handed it to Shannon. If
the bag had been on the floor before, we should have seen it.
A girl had been washing and stoning the flagged floor, and
had finished that part when the purse was found.
Cross-examined.—l am an unfortunate girl. I have known
Mary Connelly about five years. I have known her as a girl
upon the town for two years. I did not speak to Shannon
that day, nor did Mary Connelly. He did not beckon to
them in the street. I did not hear or see a policeman at
Edwaid's that night. I think it was a shilling Shannon put
down. He treated Edwards too. In the morning Shannon
struck Connelly, who wanted to speak to him ; but he did
not give her time. We were put into Bridewell on this
charge. I was not examined before the magistrates at all.
I have been before the magistrates I can't tell how often for
being tipsy.' I have been before them for money—Xl 7s. 6d.
I got out, for the man did not come. The prisoner has a
son, a niece, and another girl in the house. I was more than
once before the magistrates for money. I don't know how
often. I got off every time. The men did not come. I did
not see him drop the purse. I only saw him pick it up. Mr.
Rushton asked us nothing, and discharged us.
Mary Connelly went with the last witness to prisoner's
house. Shannon was there sitting on one side the cellar.
He treated them and paid a shilling. They stood at the bar.
He was three yards from them. We went out, and the door
was bolted. Shannon was awake then: Witness gave, in
effect, evidence similar to the last, with the addition that the
inspector informed Edwards, on knocking him up, that there
was a robbery. He said he knew nothing about us (the
girls), and did not open the door. There was a cry of fire,
and the inspector went away. She heard the purse fall when
it was dropped. (The witness did not know the difference
between a second and a minute, but said she thought that in
two or three minutes she could walk a foot !)
John Griffiths.—l was in the prisoner's house, when Shan-
non came in and struck Connelly. He was in a passion. The
prisoner came in after she was struck, and gave John Shan-
non the purse. She gave it to Shannon, and asked if it was
his. He said yes; but it is a deal lighter than it was this
morning between one and two o'clock. Shannon emptied it
into my hand, and it contained 12 sovereigns. When Shan-
non struck Connelly he said, " You d d w—! where is
my purse ? there are only you three for it." I did not know
where Edwards was when Shannon came in. I don't know
where he got the purse.
Cross-examined.—After Shannon got the purse, he said
one of the women had dropped it. Connelly might be 4or 5
feet off Edwards when the purse was given to Shannon.
Elizabeth Shannon, wife of Edward Shannon.—Was in the
house when the prosecutor struck Connelly. Edwards saw
the blow struck, and went into his bar, and was not five
minutes before he came out again with his hands in his
pockets. He pulled his right hand out of his right pocket.
I saw him drop the purse and heard it fall. He lifted it up.
I told my husband he was the man who had taken the money.
Griffiths said, with an oath, he could clear the girls of having
taken the money. I did not hear Shannon, when he swore
at Connelly, say that there were but those three for it.
John Curry, a police-officer, was present when the prisoner
was accused of taking the purse. He said he had only picked
it up, and that he supposed it must have fallen from the girl
Connelly's breast when she was knocked down. He searched
the prisoner's house, and found in a cloths-chest a purse con-
taining twelve sovereigns, and another containing £3los. 6d.

in silver.
Inspector Hamer was a short time at the door of the pri-
soner's house, early on the morning of the 7th of March, but
was called away, an alarm of fire having been given. He
saw no girls there while he remained.
This was the case for the prosecution.
Mr. WILKINS spoke at great length and with much elo-
quence in behalf of the prisonei, contending that some of
the evidence (which he commented on throughout) was sus-
picious, and the greater part of it contradictory and false.
He contrasted the character of the prisoner, which had
hitherto been unblemished, with that of the abandoned
women who were the principal witnesses against him. •
Mr. James Dempsey, merchant, had known the prisoner
for 17 years, and said he had borne a very excellent character.
Mr. Laurence Frost, had known the prisoner for 15 or 16
years, and also said he had been a good character.
Mr. Frost, who had known him for twelve years, also
spoke of him in high terms.
Mr. Hughes also said he had borne an excellent character
during the ten years he had known him.

Mr. Davies, a smith, had known him for thirty years, and
during all that time he had known him to bear the best of
characters.

Two others spoke equally favourable.
Mr. Laurence, brewer, said he had known him for ten
years, had never heard any thing against him, and so far as
he himself knew, he had found him to be a very respectable
man in his station in life. _

The RECORDER then summed up the evidence. The jury
retired at half-past five o'clock, and in about an hour found
a verdict of Not Guilty. The prisoner was discharged.
Four cases of felony and six of misdemeanour remain to
be tried.

THE TWELFTH REGIMENT OF FOOT.-011 Wednesday
forenoon last the " depot" of this regiment (which is now
stationed in the Mauritius) embarked on board the Actteon
steamer for Glasgow, where they will relieve a portion of
another regiment, ordered elsewhere. They arrived here on
the previous day, from Brecon, in South Wales, whence they
marched in seven days, by journeys of from sixteen to twenty
miles a day. The poor fellows appeared to be a good deal
fatigued on their arrival here. They were upwards of two
hundred strong, and were under the command of Major
M`Neill. About high water the vessel went out of dock, and
steered for her port of destination. The Twelfth Regiment
belongs to the county of Suffolk.
MONS. DiHILER'S GRAND CONCERT.—MODS.
whose fame as a pianist has spread throughout England, has
announced his intention of giving a grand .concert at the
Royal Amphitheatre, on the evening of Tuesday next. He
will be supported in his exertions by Miss Birch and Miss
Dolby, two ladies who have established their reputation as
vocalists, by Signor Zuchelli, from the Italian Opera, Lon-
don, and the Teatro Valle, Rome, and by Herr Molique, a
foreign violin player, of surpassing merit. Mons. DOhler's
taste and execution are of the very highest order, and, with
the popularity of the instrument on which he is such a pro-
ficient, there can be little doubt that few wko are theffselves
players will lose the opportunity of hearing so splendid a
performer.