The Liverpool Standard and General Commercial Advertiser.
Liverpool, Merseyside, England, 1848-03-07 00:00:00

POLICE INTELLIGENCE,

ILLICIT DEALING IN WHEAT.—OR Friday, the three
mates of the ship Samuel Hicks, were sent to trial for
selling wheat, what they termed " wheat sweepings," but
which, in reality, was good. The buyers, two Irishmen,
were also committed for buying an article which they
must have known to have been stolen.
CELLAR OCCUPATION.—Forty-six informations were
heard against parties occupying unhealthy cellars on Tu-
esday, and the usual fines inflicted. The occupiers in
many cases hold possession with a tenacious grasp, and
the duplicity of some is most extraordinary. The Health
Committee have an herculean task before them.
POACHING.—On Thursday, two men, named Henry
Norman and James Swift, were brought before the Bir-
kenhead magistrates, at the Police-court, charged with
poaching on the preserves of Sir William Stanley, Bart.,
at,Storeton. Norman, who had been twice previously
punished for the same offence, was sentenced to two
months' hard labour, and Swift to one month.
OVERLOADING.—SeveraI cases of overloading vehicles
were heard at the Police-court on Tuesday, fura fin's in-
flicted. Amongst the parties was an omnibus driver,
named Smith, against whom an information bad been
laid by a gentleman named Wood. The omnibus, which
was constructed to carry eleven persons, was laden with
fiften. The driver was fined twenty shillings and costs.

ROBBERY OF PLATE.—On Wednesday, a young man,
named John Markey, was brought up at the Police-court,
and charged on suspicion of stealing a quantity of silver
plate, consisting of two silver egg-stands, one salt, three
spoons together with a Bible, the gift of Sheridan
Knowles to the daughter of the owner of the property,
Mr. Emery, of Bootle, whose house was robbed on Mon-
day night of about £5O worth of plate.—Mr. Rushton
ordered the prisoner to be taken before one of the county
justices, he himself having no authority to take the case
into his consideration.

EXTENSIVE ROBBERY OF WEARING APPAREL.—On
Wednesday, Rose Mullen, and her husband, Michael
Mullen, were committed for trial, charged by Lewis
Howell with stealing wearing apparel from his house at
Evcrton. It appeared that on Tuesday evening the fe-
male prisoner went into the complainant's house, and,
watching her opportunity, carried off some clothes and
two pair of boots. The theft was discovered almost im-
mediately, and the prisoner detected while in the act of
coming through the lobby. She had the property upon
her, which she threw down on being discovered. A va-
riety of wearing apparel and other articles were found in
the prisoners' house, a portion of which were identified
as having been stolen from persons in Prescot-street and
Brownlow-hill, a few days ago.

COINING: CURIOUS CIRCUMSTANCE.—On Saturday
Thomas Rowe, an Irishman, was charged with having
base coin in his possession. The prisoner lodged in
O'Donovan-square, Ridley-street, out of Hopwood-street,
and, in consequence of information received, Mr. Super-
intendent Anders, with two or three officers, proceeded
to search the room occupied by the prisoner, where they
found some plaster of paris, a crucible, a pi:we of metal
melted down, and, in the ashes, two base shillings. It
was some time before the officers could gain admittance,
and they thought they heard the window of the upper
room (where the landlord himself slept) opened and some-
thing thrown out. Search was instituted, and three rusty
o d pistols (one of forniVahle size) were found lying upon
the ground. The prisoner denied all knowledge of the
articles, and said that, although he had taken the lodgings
three weeks ago, he had only that night commet.ced their
occupancy. Remanded.
JUVENILE DEPRAVITY.—A young lad, well known to
the police, and whose name is John Wainwright, was
brought before Mr. Rushton on Thursday, charged with
having stolen part of a shoulder of mutton from the shop
of Mr. Harking, in Lime-street. He attempted to show•
his innocence, but signally failed, and was committed to
prison for one month.—Another and rather extreme ease
of juvenile crime came before Mr. Rushton on Friday.
A mere child, who gave his name James Donahoe, was
charged by Mr. Pratt with stealing a kettle from a shop-
door in Great Charlotte-street. Though so young a child,
it was not his first offence, he having been dismissed when
in custody on a similar charge some time previously. The
chief superintendent of police offered it as hiS opinion
that the boy had been instructed to commit the theft by
the mother, who he thought had disposed of the proceeds
of the former act. The woman was sent for, and said she
had six children to provide for, having lost her husband.
The magistrate, after a caution, gave the child up to her.
A LUNATIC IN BRIDEWELL.—About noon on Friday
a police constable, on duty in Mill-street, at the corner of
Warwick-street, observed a man named Philip Dunn,
with a crowd of twenty or thirty persons about him. The
officer went to ascertain the cause, and questioned Dunn,
who was acting in the most incoherent manner, where he
lived. He replied, "In Heaven !" Further answers and
extravagances satisfied the officer that the man was in-
sane, and he took him for present safety to the South
Dock Bridewell. Mr. Jones, the bridewell-keeper, sent
the officer to the South Dispensary ; Mr. Leech returned
with him, and pronounced the prisoner insane, giving a
certificate to that effect. News of the occurrence was
sent to the Porish-office, in Toxteth-park, and Thomas
Challis Case, one of the overseers, came down and hand-
cuffed the lunatic, but refused to take him away till
another medical certificate, independent of that of Mr.
Leech, could be obtained. No other medical gentleman
came. The bridewell-keeper then sent the lunatic, in
charge of the officer, to the workhouse, but the governor
refused, in the absence of a proper order, to take him in ;
and he was conveyed to the main bridewell. The occur-
rence was investigated by Mr. Rushton in the morning.
Mr. Case produced a document to show that he would
not have been justified in removing the man on the certi-
ficate of any medical gentleman filling a public office. He
had gone, he said to seek Mr. Magee, but he was not in,
and his absence was the cause of the delay which had oc-
curred. Mr. Rushton said he should have called in some
other medical gentleman. It was the duty of an overseer,
in such a case, to take the man before a justice of the
peace, and have him removed without delay to a lunatic
asylum. Bridewell was no place to keep such a person
in. The moment he came under the care of the overseer

he should have been removed to a ward house, or some
convenient place. Mr. Case said the Tosteth-park autho-
rities had no such place. Mr. Rushton : " Then you
must get one. You are liable to penal consequences
otherwise, and I advise you to lay the whole of the cir-
cumstances of the case before the authorities, stating the
difficulty you are in."