The Sun. — 1859-02-17 (London, England)

MANSION-HOUSE.-- Alfred Algerson, journeyman baker, who had been remanded upon the charge of having attempted to commit suicide by jumping over the parapet of London-bridge, was again brought before the Lord Mayor. It will be recollected that after the charge had been proved against the prisoner on Saturday last, he made a long rambling, incoherent statement, to the effect that he had been induced to commit the rash act on account of mental distress, brought on by his having killed his father, by administering to him poison by direction of his mother, he not being aware at the time of the nature of the dose he so administered. The Lord Mayor said he did not believe there was the least foundation for the statement of the prisoner, but remanded him till yesterday, in order that the state of his mind might be ascertained.  Mr. Goodman, the chief clerk, now handed to tho Lord Mayor the following certificate : " Gaol of Newgate, Feb. 16, 1859. " In obedience to the instructions of the Lord Mayor, I have the honour to certify that I have daily carefully examined Alfred Algerson since his admission into this gaol on the 12th instant, as to the state of his mind. I have ascertainedsthat just previous to the attempt at suicide he had been drinking hard, which doubtless led to the depression and derangement under which he acted. On a former occasion he has attempted the same, but under the same pernicious influence. He states that he never had such a thought except when he had been drinking ; that he now regrets and is sorry for what he has done, and has expressed a resolution never to allow himself to be brought under the influence of intoxicating liquors in future. _  "As regird; his statement that'he had given something to his father when he was ill, which his mother said was poison, it appears to arise from some general observation of a drinking and abandoned woman, for he informs me that she drank very hard for four years before her death. Ho likewise states that the doctor from whom the medicine was obtained was found gnawed in his bed by rats. " These statements appear to me absurd and unfounded, and may be pure delusions. His conversation upon all other matters, manner, and conduct, since under my observation, have been quite correct, and have not exhibited any indications of derangement of mind. " J. H. GinsoN, F.R.C.S." The Lord Mayor—You see that the statement that the medical man has very kindly sent me says that your depression is brought on by drunkenness. That is generally the case. We cannot permit you to go at large to attempt sack another attack upon your life, and therefore you must find a surety—a good housekeeper—in £lO to keep the peace for one calendar month, and in default of your doing that you must go to prison ; but in sending you there it is in the earnest hope that there you may repent of this propensity, leave it off, and become a useful man.  Isaac French, a young fellow belonging to South Shields, and who described himself as a clothier, was charged before the Lord Mayor with having fraudulently obtained goods of the value of £l2 from Messrs. Tallerman, wholesale clothiers, Houndsditch, by false pretences. Mr. Doyle, on behalf of the prosecution, said the prisoner carried on business in South Shields as a clothier • and in the month of October last, when Mr. Tallerman was in the north, he paid a visit to the prisoner, who gave him an order for clothing amounting to £l2 Os. 11d. Mr. Tallerman, struck by his youthful appearance, asked him if he was 21, and received for reply that he was nearly 24. The goods, upon the faith of his representation, were transmitted to South Shields, and in the ordinary  course of business payment was applied for several times, but without success. Ultimately an action was brought against the prisoner for the debt in the Sheriffs' Court. The action had just been tried, and to the utter surprise of Mr. Tallerman, the prisoner, who had assured him he was nearly 24 years of age, had pleaded infancy in bar of the claim. As his brother swore that he was only 19 years and four months, and the prisoner swore positively that he was under 21, the jury were reluctantly compelled to give a verdict in his favour. He (the learned counsel) apprehended there could be little doubt that the prisoner's misrepresentation of his age, when pointedly asked the question, amounted in law to a fraudulent representation, and inasmuch as the goods would not have been parted with except for that misrepresentation, Mr. Tallerman had considered it his duty to give him into custody. The learned counsel then proceeded to say that he intended to put in evidence the prisoner's own statement as to his age when examined in the Sheriffs' Court, and then, if the Lord Mayor thought any further evidence was necessary, to ask for a remand for the attendance of witnesses from South Shields, who would prove what the age of the accused party was. The Lord Mayor said he was of opinion, according to this statement of circumstances, that there was no proof of any legal fraudulent representation, for although the prisoner might have told a lie with regard to his age, for the purpose of facilitating his dealings when he went into business, he might at the same time have really intended to pay for the goods.  Mr. Doyle contended with great ability *hat the prisoner had been guilty of a fraudulent representation. •  The Lord Mayor said that after the circumstances mentioned by the learned counsel he did not consider it his duty to go into the case, as he believed that no jury would convict. His lordship then discharged the prisoner, and observed that as the alleged fraud had taken place at South Shields, Mr. Tallerman could institute a prosecution against him if he thought proper to do so in that town. The prisoner was then discharged.