The Warwickshire Herald. — 1887-12-01 (Birmingham, West Midlands, England)

SINGULAR CONDUCT OF A LATE EXCISEMAN.  At the Marylebone, London, Police-court Thomas Apps was charged with representing him. to be an Excise officer, but unable to produce an authority.—William Edwin Butt, the landlord of the Plasterers' Arms, Seymour street, Eustonsquare, said the prisoner came into his house about twelve o'clock at night, and said he was an excise officer, and demanded to see the prosecutor's spirit. book, and at the same time pulled out his pocketbook and ink-bottle. Prosecutor asked him for his authority, and as he could not show it he sent for a policeman and gave him in custody.—Mr. Cooke: By what authority did you charge him ?—Prosecutor : Because he refused to show me his authority.—Mr. Cooke: Supposing he had said he was a cabman? The question is, what authority is there for charging a person under such circumstances? Was he sober ?—Prosecutor : He had been drinking.—lnspector Jewell informed the magistrate that the complainant had informed him that on a former occasion he had allowed a man to look at his books, who stated that he was an excise officer, but on informing the excise authorities about the matter they told him to detain any person calling in that way in future.—Mr. Butt said a man, he did not mean the prisoner, had gone to licensed victuallers under similar circumstances and had got money from them.—The case was adjourned for the attendance of Mr. Terry, the Inland Revenue supervisor for the district, and that gentleman now said he had no person of the name of Thomas Apps in his district. He bad examined the official books, and found that a person of that name had been in the employ of the Inland Revenue authorities, but was dismissed last October.—ln reply to the magistrate he said he could not understand what object the prisoner had in going to the prosecutor's house and behaving as he did. As to the statute, under which a person could be charged for behaving as the prisoner had done, he had been to the solicitors that morning and consulted them on the point, and they were of opinion that there was Do such statute in existence.-- Mr. Cooke, addressing the prisoner, said no doubt his being in drink was an explanation of his conduct. Had it been proved to him that the prisoner had asked for anything, he (the magistrate) should certainly have convicted him of obtaining motley by fraud. In discharging him he warned him against repeating his behaviour, or he would be likely to get into trouble.  ANOTHER tragedy—making the third during the past fortnight within a radius of 29 miles—has occurred at Glanaman, near Llandilo, Carmarthenshire, where a young married woman named Davies hung a child in .i loft and then committed suicide by hanging herself to a beam alongside. The woman had lived very happily with her husband, who had left her all right in the morning, and the only explanation at present forthcoming is that she had latterly been in failing health, and was suffering from melancholia. IT is announced that the Queen, with a view of affording her Majesty's subjects in the East-end of London a more convenient opportunity of seeing the Jubilee presents, has ordered these to be sent for exhibition to the II( nual-green Museum in the early part of next year.