The Liverpool Standard and General Commercial Advertiser.
Liverpool, Merseyside, England, 1854-02-28 00:00:00

POLICE COURT-YESTERDAY,

ROBBERY BY A SERVANT.-Emily Elmes, a servant
girl, was charged with stealing several handkerchiefs, the
property of Mrs. Moon, with whom she was a servant ;
and also with stealing, at different times, a sovereign, a
half-sovereign, and a number of postage stamps, belong-
ing to the Rev. Mathews, who lodged in the house.
Complaint of the numerous thefts having been made, a
policeman was sent for, who questioned the servants, and
suspicion fixed itself on the prisoner. In her fox were
found a number of postage stamps, cut from the sheet in
such a way as to be readily identified, and also two two-
penny postage stamps; no other portions of the stolen
property were found, and no money was iu the box. It
was proved, .however, that the prisoner had, within a
short period, purchased several articles of apparel, although
she was known to have been very poor. The postage
stamps were identified by the Rev. Mr. Mathews, as part
of his property; but he said he did not wish to press the
case against the prisoner. The magistrate declined to
accede to a withdrawal of the case. The prisoner said she-
found the postage stamps lying on the floor of a passage,.
between two rooms, but admitted they were not hers,
and that she did not tell any one as to her having found
them. She was sentenced to be imprisoned for two
months.

ROBBERY IN A\ IMPROPER HOUSE.—Elizabeth Lang
was charged with robbing a mulatto sailor of 20s.
between Saturday night and Sunday morning. It
appeared the prosecutor accompanied the prisoner to her
lodgings, where he averred sbe took the money out of his
pocket. This she peremptorily denied, and no evidence
corroborative of his statement being produced, the case
was dismissed; the magistrate advising the prosecutor to
be more circumspect in his future choice of company.

STEALING A SHAWL PROM A CHILD.—Ann Wilkin-
son was charged with stealing a shawl, on Monday, the
6th instant, from a girl about eight years of age, named
Richardson, living in Newport-street. The girl gave her
evidence in a very straightforward manner. She had been
sent, she said, by her aunt, and in going along the street
the prisoner accosted her, and said she (the girl) must not
stay her errand nor lose the shawl, and as an encourage-
ment to her activity and care gave her a half-penny to get
some sweets, saying she (the prisoner) would take care of
the shawl, which she put into her basket, and while the
girl was in the shop ran away. The witness on Saturday
night last, being along with her mother in the street, met
the prisoner and immediately pointed her out as the
woman who had stolen the shawl, The prisoner was
accordingly taken into custody. The girl was quite
positive as to her Identity. Mr. Clough said, that while
the present examination had been going on, he had been
informed that other charges of a similar nature would be
made and substantiated against the. prisoner; and he
applied for a remand. The prisoner was accordingly re-
manded till this day (Tuesday).
.._

AN UNGRATEFUL THIEF.-Alice Taylor was charged
with stealing a number of articles of wearing apparel
from the house of Mary Slater, in Bannister-street, on the
morning of Saturday last, she having been taken into the
house as an act of charity. The prosecutrix, who was so
very hoarse that her statement could be scarcely heard or
understood, said that, on Saturday morning, about nine
o'clock, she had occasion to go out, and left the prisoner
in her house, who was to wash a sheet ; on returning, she
found the prisoner had decamped, and carried with her
all that was portable within her reach. Prisoner admitted
that she had stolen some of the things. The case was
remanded for seven days.
PICKING POCKETS TN QUEEN-SQUAME.—William
Howard and Williams were charged by Russell, a de
tective officer, with attempting to pick the pocket of a
lady, in Queen-square, on Saturday night. The case was
remanded till this day (Tuesday).
STEALING A. CHAlR.—Margaret Wilson, a poor look-
ing woman, advanced in years, was charged with stealing
a chair, from the premises of James Hopkins, 101, Mill-
street, on Saturday night last. The charge was proved,
and the prisoner, who had on previous occasions been
convicted, was sentenced to be imprisoned for a month.

PICKING POCKETS.—Patrick Rourke and Cornelius
Mellior, two boys, were charged with endeavouring to
pick the pockets of several ladies, in the neighbourhood_
of St. John's-market, on Saturday last. Mellior, who
although young, is an expert thief, had got Rourke to life
the ladies' dresses while he put his hand into their pockets.
They were caught in the act, and Mellior, who had been
six times convicted on previous occasions, was sentenced
to be imprisoned for three months. Rourke, who appeared
to be but a novice in the art, and was by profession a
ballad singer, was given up to his father, the magistrate ,
advising him to send his son to the ragged-school, to
acquire some decent and more useful occupation.
SINGULAR CASE.—Wm. Watson, a sailor, was charged
with passing a counterfeit coin, on Sunday night, about
nine o'clock, in a public-house, in Millicent-street. It
appeared from the evidence that the prisoner and another
man went into the public-house, where they had some
refreshment, in payment for which he put down what
appeared to be a gold coin, and requested that he might
have his change. The servant of the house, an elderly
woman, not having change, and her mistress being from
home, took the coin to an adjoining house and requested
change for it, with which request the landlady at once
complied, and gave a sovereign and twenty shillings in
silver, being, as she believed, its value, in change ;- this
was conveyed to the prisoner. Soon after, the woman
who had given the change was informed that the coin she
had changed was, in reality, no coin at all, and was of no
value. She immediately applied for restitution of her two
pounds, and after a little altercation the prisoner was
given into custody. On being produced in court, the
alleged coin proved to be a token, of light yellow metal,
and bearing as an inscription that it was a token for
" magnetic powder for rate." The woman who first got ,
it from the prisoner, on being asked by the magistrate if

she had closely observed the coin, said she had not; the
woman who gave the change said she could not read, as
did also the prisoner. The magistrate then remarked
that if any of them had examined the coin, and been able
to read, they most at once have seen it was not of any
value at all. The prisoner said he got it in New Orleans,
as a ten-dollar piece, and as such had kept it since, and
believed it to be of that value when he offered it on
Saturday. The magistrate dismissed the case, remarking.
that it afforded a very plain illustration of the value of
education ; he also advised the prisoner to be more
cautions in future as to the sort of money he received or
offered.

ASSAULTING THE POLICE.—John Fakelough was fined
ss. for assaulting police-constable No. 195, on Sunday
night ; Edwin Hawin, for assaulting police-constable No.
713, on Sunday night ; and Peter Mackie, for assaulting
police-constable 335, on Saturday, were each ordered to
pay a fine of 10s., or to be imprisoned seven days. John
Thompson, a lorry-driver, was likewise fined 10s., or
seven days' imprisonment, for assaulting a policeman.
ATROCIOUS ASSAULT UPON A WlFE.—Hugh Mae-
donald was charged with a very aggravated assault upon
his wife, whose head and face presented a sad testimony
of the violence with which she had been assailed, being
deeply and extensively cut, and frightfully smeared with:
blood. She stated that she had lived apart from her hus-
band for the last four or five years. On Sunday morning,
about two o'clock, he came to the door of the apartment
in which she lived, and, having demanded admittance,
which she refused, being afraid of him, he immediately
burst two panels out of the door, after which he forced-
his way into the room, while she screamed for assistance.
The ferocious brute then lifted a heavy earthenware jug,
with which he struck her violently on the head and face,
breaking the vessel to fragments, and wounding her in
the manner which her person exhibited. On being called
on for his defence, he entered into a rambling recrimina-
tory statement, brit did not deny the assault. The magis-
trate, after commenting in terms of great severity on the
inhuman and brutal extent of the outrage, sentenced the
prisoner to be imprisoned for six months, with hard
labour.

ST. DAVID'S DAY.—We hear that the vicar of Cirnaillb
von, the preacher for St. David's-day, will preach also at
St. David's Church, to-morrow evening.
AN OVERCHA.GE.—At the police court, on Saturday, D.
Orr, 810, driver of one of Mr. Taylor's cars, was summoned,
at the instance of Mr. Thursby, inspector of hackney
coaches, for having grossly imposed on. a fare. A gentle-
man stated, that, between seven, and eight o'clock on the
evening of the 16th instant, he wished to go from the
Royal Hotel, in Dale-street, to a party at a house at the
bottom of Brunswick-road, and engaged the defendant to ,
drive him there. They went round by Church-street, and
on reaching their destination "cabby" made him pay 4e.
the driver having demanded 2s. 6d. more than he was Mr. Thursby stated that the legal fare was only Is. 6d.,
en-
titled to. The magistrate ordered him to return the half-
crown, to which he was not entitled, fined him 68. for the
overcharge, and a further fine of 2s. for not giving a ticket •
to his fare as legally required.
AMALGAMATION OF LEARNED BODIDS IN LIVERPOOL.
—Liverpool is pushing on that desirable reform, an amal-
gamation of its learned bodies, with spirit and success.
The committee charged with the consideration of ways
and means has adopted a report. This report is now be-
fore us, and it is a document to be read with pleasure. A
complete union of the Historic Society and Literary and-
Philosophical Society is recommended in the strongest
terms. The junction of these, again, with the Polytechnic,
is considered as in the highest degree desirable. It is
thought, and perhaps correctly, that the Architectural
Society, having objects of a special and professional kind,
should stand alone, as at present, The committee also
recommend the formation of sections for the separate dis-
cussion of such subjects as natural history, practical
science, antiquities, and general literature. In fact, it is
proposed to create an institute for Liverpool, which shall
represent all the arts and foster all the sciences. We
note this sign of progress in the north with the greater
pleasure, as we find that in nooks and corners of our
metropolitan learned bodies there remain many prejudices
against co-operation and joint action for a common end.
The Liverpool committee is said to have made its report
in favour of union with cordiality and unanimity of
feeling, and hope to surprise even the warmest advocates
of this moving reform.—Athenamm.
holy
THE LIFE-BOAT DISASTER.—The meunc . loss of
life by the capsizing of the steam-tug company's hfe-boat,
to which we alluded last week, has called forth
sympathy of the whole town, as evidenced by the general
raised for the
desire to subscribe to the fund that is being_ fellows wh,,
' relief of the widows and children of the pci)::c„f those'
the active
lost their lives when proceeding t
et), for the purpose of
rously coming forward, not merely on board the Cherokee. All classesp
upon their libe-
relieving those immediately dependant
%atty, but with the view of.
rality owing to the recent cas .
guarantee to the brace
be a
raising a fund that shall.,.
to save those of others, that
inhethe town are gene_
fellows who risk their In e,
th •widows
and be unrewarded, or their
their exertions shall nc .
the event of th •
sacrifice to the service. NI e would direct
1 lives falling a
ng and •enl
attention of the manufacture _ . agn turd dis-
tricts
and children be left destitute in . , en. own •
the
to this fund, for they are_ equally int.rested in it with
ourselves. Lirerp.ool, though he I t ~.
?eaILY -.... Which the
life-boatmen exercise their functions, is not the sphere to
which their services are confined, Manchester, Birming-
ham, Yorkshire, Staffordshire, and all the other towns
and counties of the kingdom are interested in this philan-
thropic work of providing relief for those who suffer by
the loss of a life-boat's crew, for they each in their own
proportion contribute to calling such a crew into exist-
ence, either for the safety of the seamen who man the
ships in which their goods are embarked, or of the pm-
sengers and emigrants who seek this
port for embarkation
to foreign countries,—.4lbion.