POLICE OF Lownos.—George Dickens was brought before Mr. Chambers at
Union-hall, on Tuesday, having been discovered on the previous evening on the roof of an unfinished house in Waterloo-road, with a quantity of lead its his possession, which he had taken off the roof. The Magistrate said he would leave it to the option of the prosecutor either to have the prisoner com- mitted for trial, or sent for three months to Brixton. The prosecutor stated ia reply, that he was proprietor of a number of houses opposite the Waterloo- road church, some of which were occupied, others in various stages of erec- tion, but not one of which had escaped plundering. At the suggestion of the Grand Jury, he had erected a high wooden palisade at all the vulnerable points of his premises, at an expense of 3001.; and for his own personal safety, had lined every door and window-shutter of the house he occupied with plates of iron, and secured the windows in the back part of it with gratings of the same material ; so that his place of residence appeared snore like a prison than anything else. Notwithstanding all this, however, scarcely a night passed but a regularly organized attack was made either upon his house or that of some of his neighbours ; and so regardless of the police in that quarter, had the robbers become, that he had heard them working with a crow- bar at the back-door of one of the houses for nearly a quarter of an hour, whilst the watchman was amusing himself with a rattle in the front. He and all his neighbours had provided themselves with fire-arms ; and, incredible as it may appear, at the last attack on their beleaguered district, no fewer than seven shots had been fired successively before a single watchman made his appearance ; and when that single one did appear, the honest guardian of the eight was rubbing his eyes, apparently out of a sound sleep ! The Magis- trate inquired of the gentleman, who had the appointment of the watchmen in that quarter ? He replied that he believed the Commissioners had. Mr. Cham- hers said that he understood the watchmen in that district were paid 2s. 6d. a night, but, in the event of absenting themselves, were only found liable in a night's pay ; so that a thief had only to give them 5s. to remain in their beds, which would leave them 2s. 6d. in pocket for their neglect of duty. The limited number of officers attached to Union-hall (only eight) rendered it impossible that they could be very effective amongst so dense a population and so extensive a district. The prisoner who gave rise to this short detail of the state of the police in that quarter was fully committed, and the parties were bound over to prosecute.
SACRILEGE.—On Wednesday, the French Ambassador's chapel, in Little George-street, Portman-square, was hung with black cloth, and a solemn festival observed, in commemoration of the death of Louis XVI. during the performance of divine service some one broke open the lid of the poor- box, and robbed it of its contents. In the evening, the Rev. Mr. Laporte, the ambassador's chaplain, sent the beadle of the place to give the sitting ma- gistrate at Marylebone-office information of the robbery ; and he brought the empty wooden box in his hand. Mr. Rawlinson wondered how the lock could have been forced with an instrument, and the money taken out of the box, in the face of a large congregation, as it were, unobserved. De Caisne, the beadle, said, the darkness occasioned by the hangings before high mass commenced was very great, and no doubt assisted the thief in his undertaking. There were upwards of seven hundred present, and he observed one person of loose character among them, but beyond that, nothing appeared against him. Mr. Rawlinson—" I fear it is a hopeless case ; you do not know whether the box contained anything ?" De Caisne—" It had not been opened for three weeks, your worship ; and in the course of three weeks it generally receives from 7/. to 10/. Mr. Rawlinson—" Indeed ! It is very much to the credit of the congregation. We should not get so much in our churches. There is an old proverb in this country, When the steed is stolen, shut the stable-door.' Give my compliments to Mr. Laporte, and tell him the fasten- ing of the box should be a better one." De Caisne said an iron box would be used in future.
ROBBERIES.—Four men were remanded from Union-hall on Monday, on the charge of having robbed Mr. Monroe, of Kirby-street, of his gold watch. Mr. Monroe was drunk when the crime was committed.
Francis Deacon, a fashionably dressed young man was charged at Hatton- garden, on Wednesday, with having robbed Mrs. Sarah Hopkins, of some gold trinkets, value 5/. Tbe parties were intimately acquainted ; and on the night of the robbery they met at her son's house, where the prisoner bad an opportunity of seeing the property. In walking borne, the prisoner came up with her, and offered his arm, as she was lame. He also carried her basket ; and took that opportunity to rifle it of its contents. The officer who apprehended the prisoner could find no trace of the articles. He denied all knowledge of them ; and was remanded.
Wheatley, Kite, and King, the three men who together with Young the approver, were charged with having broken into the Lock-house at Tedding- ton, and robbed Mr. Savary, the keeper of it, were brought up to the Man- sionhouse, on Wednesday, for re-examination. Some circumstances were mentioned which went to flx the crime more certainly upon the prisoners. It seems that Young, the approver, is the worst of the four. His brother was hanged about six months ago. The culprits are sunk in poverty, and their families on the point of starving. Three of them were committed for trial, and Young was ordered to be detained till the trial comes on.
Maurice Harris, a Jew, was on Wednesday brought to Mary-le-bone office, charged with having in his possession a quantity of pewter, and other articles, under the denomination of marine stores, contrary to the statute. The pri. soner could not very well account for the manner in which the suspected pro- perty came into his possession ; and notwithstanding his appeals to the sym- pathy of the Magistrate, on account of his sick wife, and its being his first offence, he was fined 51.
Three wretched-looking females were on Wednesday morning brought to Bow-street, charged 'with having assaulted and robbed James Porter, an op- tician, of five valuable microscopes. The prisoners confessed the crime, and were committed for trial.
John Clare Euston, a young man of dashing appearance, was on Thursday charged at Marylebone with °having robbed Melina Cottage, Regent's Park, where he once lodged, of several valuable articles, the property of Colonel Gordon. The prisoner, it appears, has been trying to improve his circum- stances by a matrimonial alliance, having advertised for a wife. Several letters from ladies who possess no mean share of ability in writing and in- diting, were found in his pocket-book, directed to J. C. A. Winchelsea, Esq. 2, Mount-place, near the London Hospital. He was remanded. Mrs. Stubblefield, the wife of a tradesman in Southwark, was on Wednes- day charged at Bow-street with being concerned in stealing or receiving notes, bills, and cheques, to the amount of 500/. which were stolen in June last, the property of Mr. Cutts, Bishopstone, Sussex. It appeared from the statement of Mr. Cutts, that in June last, one of his sons, who acted as a collecting clerk, brought home in a wicker basket bills and notes, amounting to 500/. which he gave to one of the clerks to carry into the counting-house. The clerk was closing the counting-house windows at the time, and imprudently placed the basket on the ground; and during his momentary absence, while he went into the counting-house for one of the shutters, some person carried away the basket and its contents. The thief could not be traced; but on the 24th Sep- temberr, one of the notes for 20/. was offered for payment at the Bank of England, and stopped. Two witnesses from the Bank of England swore to the note having been presented for payment by a female and a young man ; but they would not swear positively that the accused was the female, though there was a strong resemblance. She was liberated on bail, to appear when called upon.
FORGERY.—Mrs. F. Hall was brought to Marlborough-street office, on Thursday, charged with having forged the will of her late brother, Mr. An- tony Bond, formerly landlord of the Rising Sun, Great Windmill-street, Hay- market, to whom she acted as housekeeper. The effect of the forgery was to deprive James Bond, the son of the deceased, of all interest in his father's property, which appeared to be bequeathed to the prisoner and Ben Burn, the pugilist. After some law proceedings, the Lord Chancellor put James Bond in possession of his father's property ; and Burn and William Clarke are under recognizances to take their trial for a conspiracy to set up the forged will. The prisoner had before been apprehended, hut she had ab- sconded from her bail. She was now committed to Newgate for the capital felony COUNTERFEIT SOVEREIGNS.—Two women were charged at Guildhall, on Saturday, with having attempted to pass a counterfeit sovereign upon a cheesemonger in Fetter-lane. The Solicitor for the Mint, however, declined to prosecute, as there was no evidence of a guilty knowledge on the part of the prisoners that the sovereign was bad. This knowledge is inferred from the party having more than one piece of counterfeit coin in possession, and is essential before a conviction can be procured.
ERROR IN THE NEW BANKRUPT Ac-n—In the course of the examination of Isaac Lee, who was charged with having absconded after a commission had
been issued against hint, and with having taken with him between 7001. and 8001., it was ascertained that the act is so worded as to allow amen to plunder his creditors to any extent, provided he has not passed his third examination. The Lord Mayor expressed some surprise at this extraordinary oversight.
HARSH CONDUCT OF A Paten:T.—Mrs. Wright applied at the Mary-le-bone office on Saturday, for advice. She had two boys the one eleven and the other thirteen years of age, sons of Mr. Smith, who was tried at the Old Bailey on Saturday for rape. They had run away from their father's house that morning in consequence of his having severely beaten them; and took
refuge with Mrs. Wright, who was formerly cook in Mr. Smith's family. It appeared, that Mr. Smith was very kind to them when he was sober, but when he was not sober, which happened but too often, he treated them with great cruelty. Some time since, he had broken the arm of one of his boys, and threatened to stab the other. The overseers of St. Pancras workhouse had formerly afforded the children protection from their parent's violence. Mrs.
Wright was desired to afford the boys a temporary refuge, till it should be seen what could be done. Mrs. Wright declared that she has sometimes opened for Mr. Smith more than two dozen bottles of soda water in a day to counteract the brandy which he had drunk.
Previous page
