The Sun. — 1862-12-20 (London, England)

THAMES.  OBTAINING GOODS UNDER FALSE PRETENCES.--A woman named Phoebe Williams, and better known as Jeffreys, was brought before Mr. Selfe charged with obtaining two red Crimean shirts, value 205., from Mr. John Dent, hosier, by means of false pretences. It appeared that on Thursday last the prisoner waited on Mr. Dent, and represented that she had been sent by Mrs Eliza Marshall, of Great Russell-place, Poplar, for two Crimean shirts, which were to be of the best quality. Mr. Dent, having a customer of the name and living at the place mentioned, allowed the prisoner to have the shirts and to leave the house with them, but having some suspicions, he followed her and saw her go into a public house. Ho waited some time, and did not see her come out again, she slipped out;the back way Mr. Dent then made enquiries of Mre. Marshall, and ascertained from her that she had not sent the prisoner for the shirts, or given her any authority to make use of her name. The prisoner was sought after and apprehended yesterday by a police constable, who found upon her a pawnbroker's duplicate relating to the Crimean shirts, which she pawned a few minutes after she obtained them for 6s. The duplicates of a new pair of boots and a dress piece were also found upon the prisoner, and it is supposed that she also obtained those articles by false pretences.  The prisoner said she was guilty, and begged for mercy. In answer to questions by the Magistrate she said she was thirty-eight years of age, a widow and without children. She had known Mrs. Marshall and her family some time, but was not on terms of intimacy with her.  A poor Irishwoman, with whom the prisoner has been lodging, said, " Och, yer honner's wortship forgive her, she did it for the little dhrop of drink. Mr. Selfe—You are a very bad advocate my good woman, You have made, the case worse. This is a 7ery serious offence indeed. A tradesman cannot be on his guard against a thing of this kind. The prisoner has committed a most impudent fraud, in fact stolen two shirts. I convict her of larceny under the provisions of the Criminal Justice Act, and sentence her to three months' imprisonment and hard labour.  MURDEROUS ASSAULT ON A WoxAN..—James Finn, a heavy morose-looking ruffian, about 33 years of age, was brought before Mr. Selfe charged with committing a savage assault on a young woman named Louisa Lausendoff, whose mouth was severely cut and swollen, and who exhibited other marks of violence on her head, face, and arms.  The parties have cohabited together for three years, and were living at the time the outrage took place at No. 62, Back Church lane, St. George-in-the-East. The woman, though maltreated in a savage manner by her paramour, was disinclined to give any evidence against him, and said she did not want to hurt him. She could not say whether he gave her a blow or not. On being closely pressed by the magistrate's questions, she admitted that when she was before the inspector at the station-house, she said the prisoner had beaten her and kicked her, but she was not certain about it now, She had a fit. Mr. Selfe—And so have I had a fit. Call the policeconstable.  Robert Billings, 103 H, said—l was upon duty in Back Church-lane and heard cries of " Murder," and " Help." The woman was bleeding from the ears, nose, and mouth, and lying upon the pavement. She was almost dead. I saw him kick her, and when she got up he knocked her down. I said to him, "You rascal, what are you doing," and took him into custody. Two or three men came up and got him away from me, and thrashed him. I got him away from them and lodged him in the station-house. In answer to questions by Mr. Selfe, the constable said the woman had no power to resist the man at all. His heel was upon her face when he first saw them. Ho was the worse for liquor. She was sober. Mr. Selfe said a b utal outrage had been committed. It was not a question between the wretched woman and the prisoner, but one in which the public were concerned. He convicted the prisoner of the assault, and sentenced him to two months' imprisonment and hard labour. He did not care about the unwillingness of the woman to prosecute. He would not allow any woman to be ,knocked about in such a barbarous manner, as far as he was concerned„ with impunity.