The Sun. — 1849-01-30 (London, England)

POLICE INTELLIGENCE. GUILDHALL.  When Mr. Alderman Musgrove had nearly finished the business of the Court, a respectably attired female handed a letter in for his perusal, respecting the character of the man Jaques, whose case of attempted suicide was reported a little while since. The writer. who signed her name " Mrs. Rattray, of 17, Ironmonger-street, St. Luke's," stated that Frederick Jaques had lodged in her house the latter part of 1847 and a great part of 1848, during which period she not only boarded, lodged, and washed for him, but recommended him to a tailor for a suit of clothes. For his board and lodging he ran up a bill to the amount of 71. 75., promising to pay as soon as he got a situation, and he likewise induced her husband to become security to a loan society for 61., and left them to pay it ; but, in consequence of her husband, who is a baker, being out of employment and very ill till a short time since, they were unable to pay, and the society was now proceeding against them. Jaques obtained two or three situations, but never had the honesty to attempt to repay one farthing, After that he prevailed upon a female servant to lend him 201., with which he took an eel pie-house in Barbican, and, instead of being turned out by the landlord, he absconded, after selling some of the materials, and with the remaining portion of the money got married; and, lastly, excited the sympathy of the public in his behalf by what the writer considered a sham attempt at suicide. On Saturday night last, being short of money, and not wishing that her husband should go to prison, she called at Jaques's lodgings for the purpose of asking for a trifle of what was due, when she saw Mrs. Jaques, who refused to pay anything, and put her at defiance.  Alderman MUSGROVE said he had no doubt, as the press had been the means of obtaining the money, the same facility would be afforded to give his true character, to prevent further imposition. Mrs. Rattray, with tears in her eyes, said that she and her husband had relieved Jaques when they themselves were in want. It was therefore that, knowing his character, and seeing that he was receiving money from the court, she came there on public grounds, as she considered benevolent individuals ought not to be further imposed upon. Alderman Muscuovx said he did not doubt for a moment that she had acted most kindly towards him, and had received a most ungrateful return. He was of opinion that in all cases of suicide the culprit ought to be tried by a jury, who should judge of his character and motives, and he also much lamented that charitably disposed persons did not send their contributions for the benefit of the poor-boxes of the different courts, when they would be dispensed properly, instead of for the use of individuals. The , Alderman considered Mrs. Rattray s conduct very creditable. He should order her ss. out of the poorbox. nesMs, and retired. Mrs. Rraetttraeyd.thanke4 the Aldermen for his kind John Flavin, a powerful fellow, who has been repeatedly in custody on previous occasions, was placed at the bar betore Mr. Hammill, charged with having robbed and brutally maltreated Jeremiah Lennard, a compositor, who had sustained such injuries that his life was seriously in danger. Shortly before one o'clock on Sunday morning, a policeman named Sanders, of the H division, found the prosecutor stretched upon the pavement in Wentworth-street, Whitechapel, to all appearance lifeless, with the whole of his pockets turned out, and bleeding copiously from a frightful wound at the back part of the head. The only person near him at the time was a little boy, on the watch at a short distance, who told the policeman that the man had been attacked by a party of thieves, who had rifled his pockets, and afterwards knocked him down and left him. With the assistance of another officer, the injured man was conveyed upon a stretcher to the station-house, where his wounds wete dressed by Mr. Meares, the divisional surgeon, who succeeded in partially restoring him to consciousness, and directed his removal to the hospital; but he had ever since remained in too bewildered and suffering a state to be able to furnish any particulars of the outrage. Such an accurate description of the most active of the wounded man's assailants was afforded, however, by the boy who witnessed the attack, as left no doubt of his identification with the prisoner, who was subsequently traced to a low lodging-house in the neighbourhood, and taken into custody. John Lee, the lad referred to, stated that he was returning from an errand for his father at the time in question, when he observed the prisoner and three other men lurking at the corner of Wentworth-street, and the prosecutor having come up at the moment, the prisoner sprang out, and seizing hold of him, made some demand, to which the other replied that be had not a farthing about him. The prisoner then proceeded to rifle his pockets, and after turning the whole of them inside out, dragged him up the street and dashed him down upon the pavement, where he lay without sense or motion until the police came up, the prisoner and his companions having in the meantime effected their escape. A medical certificate was put in which stated, that besides the wound in his head, which was of a serious character, the prosecutor had sustained several contusions over the face and temple, the result of which could not at present be ascertained. _ _  The prisoner, in defence, denied all participation in the outrage, and was ordered to be remanded for a week ; but, as he was leaving the bar, he assailed the witnesses with the most violent threats and impreca Lions, which he vociferously kept up until he was removed by main force to the cells.