The Sun. — 1844-02-09 (London, England)

LAW AND POLICB.  In the Court 41:7iCiueen'sBench a case was heard which occupied the whole of the day ; it was that of the Queen v. King and others. It was a criminal indictment against Wm. Hy. King, Emily Anne Birch, and Augusta Anne Birch, " for combining and conspiring to cheat and defraud certain of her Majesty's subjects, being tradesmen, of divers large quantities of goods. The indictment had been removed by certiorari. King is a solicitor, and Mrs. Emily A. Birch, a widow lady, who for some years kept a lodging-house in Bedfordplace, Russell-square. The transaction from which this prosecution arose was the ordering, by Mrs. Birch, from tradesmen in all parts of the town, of a large quantity of the most elegant and expensive furniture, to the amount of nearly three thousand pounds. When it was lodged in the premises at Bedford-place, King put in an execution for a pretended debt, and seized the property, which was sold. He was restrained, however, from appropriating the money, by the creditors making Mrs. Birch a bankrupt in the meantime. The case was complicated by a labyrinth of legal proceedings, real and feigned, which have taken place between the parties. The jury returned a verdict of guilty against King and Mrs. Birch, and acquitted Miss Augusta Birch, expressing at the same time their surprise at the extreme want of caution exhibited by the tradesmen who supplied the goods. King was sentenced to be imprisoned in the Queen's Prison for eighteen calendar months ; and, with respect to Emily Anne Birth, her sentence was, that she be confined in the Queen's Prison for nine months. Mr. Godson intimated that she would move an arrest of judgment on the first day of next term. In the Central Criminal Court Mr. Waddington, on behalf of the Crown, applied to the Bench to fix a day for the trial of Lieutenant Grant, who had given notice of his intention to surrender and take his trial, for being accessory to the murder of Lieutenant-Colonel Fawcett, in the duel at Camden Town. The Judges refused to fix any day for the trial while the accused should be at large. At the same Court Charles Edwards was transported for 15 years, for attempting to fire a pistol at a widow, named Matilda Potter.  In the New Court Eliza Mary Jones was found guilty on a charge of stealing an infant female child, with the intention of passing it as her own. She was sentenced to seven years' transportation. A respectably-dressed man, about forty years of age, who scarcely raised his head during his examination, was charged at Bow-street by Mr. Samuel Ries, proprietor of the Grand Cigar Divan, No. 102, Strand, with stealing a quantity of cigars the evening before. He gave his name John Watson. He had been a frequenter of the Divan for seven years, but latterly had been suspected of pilfering, and on this occasion was seen to put the cigars into his pocket from a box on the counter. He was immediately given into custody. The singular part of the case is, that in the pockets of the prisoner was found 26/. 15s. 6d. in money, and ten cigars in a case. His solicitor applied for him to be admitted to bail, as he held a lucrative situation of trust, and one day's confinement in Newgate, even if he should be acquitted, would be his ruin. He was, however, committed for trial, and bail refused.