18 OCTOBER 1828, Page 6

POLICE OF LONDON.

Margaret Stark was on Saturday held to bail, on the charge of having exposed her infant child in the street. The child was about four months old. Its exposure to the cold brought on disease, and death ensued. The Coroner's Jury deliberated five hours, as to whether they would return a verdict of manslaughter against the mother; but they decided in the negative.

A well-dressed young man, who refused to give his name, was brought to Bow Street, on Monday, charged with having stolen two gold watches from Robins's sale-rooms, Covent Garden Piazzas. It appeared certain that the prisoner was in the sale-room on the morning when the property was stolen ; and the pawn-broker with whom the watches had been pledged, had little doubt that the prisoner was the person who pledged them ; but to make himself sure, he said that he should like to see him with his hat on. The prisoner at once owned that he was the person who committed the offence. As he was led away in custody, he observed, that a short time would make all matters right with him. This gave rise to a suspicion that he meant to commit suicide ; and his movements were there- fore watched. In a few minutes after, he was found by the gaoler with his cravat off, searching in a bundle which contained a razor ; and there is no doubt that, but for the timely appearance of the officer, he would have cut his throat. He acknowledged that such had been his object, and said that nothing should alter his determination to commit suicide by some means or other. The prisoner is very reputably connected; but having unfortunately attached himself to a girl of' the town, and having lost his situation, he resorted to the desperate expedient of raising money by fraud and robbery. Edward Allen, a servant out of place, was brought to Queen-square office on Monday, charged with having attempted to obtain the situation of a livery_ servant by means of a forged character. The case was clear against him. He had forged the character himself; but in such a bungling manner, that it could deceive no one. The prisoner had lived in some highly respectable families. He was however occasionally attacked with rheumatic gout, which rendered it impossible for him to keep his situations. Be pleaded hard to be allowed to go home to the country. As it appeared that the prisoner really deserved a good character, the Magistrate did not view his offence as one of a very aggravated nature ; but for the safety of the public he was bound to award some punishment. The statute had imperatively fixed the lowest punishment for such an offence at a fine of 20/. or one month's im- prisonment. Allen was committed to the House of Correction, for that period. Joseph Haward, a young man in the employment of Mr. Lynch, of Size Lane, was charged at Guildhall, on Tuesday, of having rubbed that gentleman of 110/. The robbery, according to the prisoner, seemed to have been com- mitted between eight and nine o'clock on Saturday morning, when he was at breakfast. The suspicions against him, from the situation and appearance of the premises, were strong; but the prosecutor admitted that the cireurn.

stances were not of such a nature as likely to lead to a conviction. The prisoner was held to bail. William Sinclair was committed for trial, from Mary-le-bonne office, on the charge of having obtained goods from two merchants, under pretence that they were for a gentleman residing in Upper Baker-street, Portman- square. From the one he had received two pounds of coffee, and the same quantity of gunpowder tea ; and from the other he had got a ham, and two gallons of sperm oil.

A young man named Richards was charged with threatening the life of Lady Richardson, of 33, Upper George-street, Portman-square. Her Lady- ship produced a written statement of her complaint against the defendant. It appeared that she discharged him some time ago in consequence of his having threatened to shoot her ; and on one occasion he actually seized a knife, with which he attempted to stab her. On Monday evening the pri- soner rushed into the house, and endeavoured to force his way into the draw- ing-room, where her Ladyship was taking tea with a friend. On the watch- men being called in, he assaulted them most grossly, and one of them was so seriously injured that he was conveyed to the Infirmary. Lady Richardson declared that her life was in danger from the prisoner; who, she was of opi- nion, laboured under mental derangement ; but it afterwards appeared that he was only drunk. Her Ladyship expressed her unwillingness to proceed to extremities against him. He was fined for being drunk, and bound over to keep the peace.

A father and his son were committed from Union-hall, on the charge of having stolen leather from Mr. Stacy, leather-dresser. The boy was a ser- vant to Mr. Stacy ; and was encouraged to steal by his father, who directed him to bring home as much leather as he collie.

Lady Charles Bentinck came to Marlborough-street Police:41ffice, on Wed- nesday, to answer a charge of assault preferred against her by Sarah Walker, one of her female servants. The woman stated, that on Sunday evening her Ladyship had, without provocation, struck her on the head with a large brass candlestick, threatened to set fire to her, and kicked her down stairs, along the passage, and out of the house altogether. Lady Bentinck, who was leaning against the Magistrates' table, in a careless attitude, said in her defence, that the woman was in a dreadful state of intoxication: her Ladyship admitted that she had helped to turn the complainant out of doors, an act of violence which her insolent conduct provoked; butshe denied having struck or kicked her. The Magistrate asked Lady Bentinck if she had any witnesses to produce that she did not strike the woman with the candlestick above stairs, or kick her below stairs. Lady Bentincksaid, that the only two persons in the house be- sides the complainant and herself at the time, were her Ladyship's daughter (about twelve years of age), who had witnessed what took place up stairs, and the footboy who assisted in what occurred below stairs ; and they were both outside the office with her Ladyship's carriage. The Magistrate said he should wish to hear them, and they were accordingly called in. Her Lady- ship's daughter being questioned, said," Oh, no indeed, my mamma did not touch cook with the candlestick." The complainant here taxed the child with perjury, and her mother with urging her to the commission of it ; and then with an air of confidence called aloud for the footboy to be examined. "By all means," said Lady Bentinck ; "he saw everything that took place below stairs." The footboy was then questioned, and said, "that cookey did not say a word in anger to my lady, but that my lady kicked cookey very much

indeed." Lady Bentinck smiled ; and observed, that she was certainly much to blame in at all laying her hand upon the complainant, when she ought rather to have sent for a constable to remove her; but the woman's extreme insolence made her for the moment forget herself. The two Magistrates who heard the case convicted Lady Bentinck in a penalty of 4/. and the costs, for the assault, under the new powers given to magistrates in such cases by Mr. Peel's late act, in which the highest penalty awarded to the most egg's).- vated case of assault is 5/. Her Ladyship instantly paid the fine. An ap- plication was made to the reporters, and a pecuniary consideration offered, to prevent the case from appearing in the public journals.

Wood and Hale, two respectable-looking young men, were brought to the office charged with having stolen some valuable foreign seeds, the property of the Horticultural Society, by whom they were employed. Parcels of the seeds were found in the lodgings of both the prisoners. They were taken from some parcels which had lately been sent to the Society from South America, the East Indies, and Africa, and which the Society possessed ex. elusively. The prisoners were committed for trial.

William Badlam, was brought to Guildhall, on Wednesday, charged with having stolen two sovereigns from his employer, Mr. Evans, dealer in blankets and carpets, Holborn-hill. The prisoner was suspected of dishonest practices ; and a trap to detect him was laid by his employer and a friend. The latter entered the shop and bought a piece of carpeting at less than the original cost, which he paid with two marked sovereigns. In the evening, the young man was asked by the clerk if he had sold any carpeting; he denied that he had, and a constable was called, and the two marked coies were found in his pocket.

George Curtis and Thomas Smith were charged at Mary-le-bonne office with having committed no fewer than tett felonies on different jewellers met others. They entered the shops on pretence of making a purchase' atel when they made their selection, desired the article to be put aside, till they called again. To lull suspicion, they always left a trifling deposit. In this manner they were able to purloin a variety of valuable articles, and among them a diamond ring worth 10/. They were committed to Newgate on the capital charge of having stolen the ring, and were ordered to be detained on

the other e

Morris and Mahony, two well-known thieves, were committed for trial, from Bow Street; on Thursday, charged with having broken into a gentleman's house in St. Martin's Lane. They were taken into custody before they could leave the premises. A dark lantern, false keys, and other implements of housebreaking, were found upon the premises.

A gentleman who resides in Arundel Street, complained to Sir Richard Birnie, that on Wednesday evening, while he was returning along Water Lane, which leads from the Temple to .Arundel Street, he was beset by a gang of six or seven daring thieves, one of whom struck him on the head with a bludgeon so that he fell senseless on the ground. On his recovering his senses, he found a severe wound on his head, and blood was streaming from two wounds which had been inflicted in his body near the groin. They had cut open the sides of his trousers, cut off the pockets, and robbed him of bank-notes to the amount of 350/. An officer was employed to assist, if possible, in the recovery of the property, and the apprehension of the robbers.

Thomas Bun n, formerly in the employment of Messrs. Scott, ship-chandlers, Limehouse. was committed for trial on the charge of having embezzled two sums of money belonging to them. The prisoner was twice before tried at the Old Bailey upon charges of embezzlement ; but was acquitted, ia conse- quence of Mr. Scott being unwell.

Captain William Cook', of the Cambrian, who distinguished himself by rescuing from the Kent East Indianian, when on fire, the crew and greater part of the passengers, was summoned for having illegally unshipped sonic foreign stores, which the Customhouse officers detected two sailor-boys in carrying to his house. The Captain gave a satisfactory account of the mariner in which the stores came to be in so suspicious a situation ; and the Magistrate dismissed the case.

The Reverend Mr. Webb, who was made to appear in so unclerical and unfeeling a point of view at the Mansionhouse, when his son applied for re- lief as a pauper, has addressed a letter to the daily papers, contradicting most of the assertions then made, and giving a sad account of his son's morals and conduct. Mr. Webb declares that his own income is not 1000/. a year ; and as ill health obliges him to employ a deputy to perform his clerical duties, he has little more than 400/. to support a wife and four children. Nevertheles, he had made frequent contributions of money and clothes to this ungrateful son; and at this moment he was under pecuniary responsibility on his behalf, to employers whom he had wrceged.

Joseph baton, the forger, yesterday underwent a public examination before the Lord Mayor, and was committed for trial on three charges. There have already been discovered, in. the house of Sir William Curtis and Co., forgeries, attributed to this person, to the amount of nearly 60001.

Mr. Tiber, proprietor of a board and lodging-house, Gerard Street, Soho, complained at Marlborough Street Office yesterday, that a bullet had been fired into his house, it was supposed from an air-gun, as no report was heard. It passed through the window, close by a gentleman who was sitting in the apartment, and struck the opposite side of the room. An officer was sent to examine the premises.

William Barnes, a carman, was yesterday charged at Guildhall with having refused to remeasure one sack of coals before he delivered the whole. After some delay, the carman produced an old bushel measure ; but it was seized by Mr. Rickman, one of the principal meters in Surrey, as not being the proper measure, required by law. Mr. Unsworth, the carman's master, was also called to account for having sent out with his waggon an imperfect bushel-measure. They were fined 5/.

WESTMINSTER. Sessioxs.—These Sessions commenced on Thursday, be- fore Mr. Const and a bench of Magistrates.

George Andrews, or Thomson, or Johnson, was tried on three charges of having obtained quantities of cloth from different woollen-drapers on false pretences. He was found guilty, and sentenced to seven years transporta- tion.

A female of immoral conduct was acquitted on the cl:arge of having stolen some money from a clerk in the Bank of England. Tho prosecutor applied for his expenses. Mr. Const refused the request, ami :,:l.,ther Magistrate said, " You had better retire, you were guilty of two offences—getting drunk, and going to a bad house.

A boy was tried for having stolen eight pounds of potates. The prisoner pleaded that he had been driven to commit the crime by distress; he had not eaten any thing for the two preceding days. He was sentenced to six months imprisonment. SURREY QUARTER SESSIONS.—These Sessions commenced on Tuesday, at Kingston, before Mr. Barnard, the Chairman, and a full Bench of Magis- trates, and were continued by adjournment. The report of the Chaplain of the County Gaol (the Rev. Mr. Mann) was read by the Clerk of the Peace. It stated that the prison was conducted in a regular and orderly manner ; and that the prisoners generally were well-conducted. The report went on to state, that education was every day becoming less a preventive of crime ; the whole of the prisoners under seventeen years of age, committed to that prison during the present year, having been educated at parochial and other public schools. A report from another prison in the county contained a statement nearly similar. Several prisoners were tried and convicted of petty thefts. John Pinson, an old miserable-looking man, was charged with having stolen a goose, the property of Sir W. H. Fremantle. To the usual question of guilty or not guilty, the prisoner replied " I am not guilty : I took it for hunger." This plea was not enough, and witnesses were adduced. to prove the crime. The evidence was against the prisoner, but he was acquitted, because the wit- nesses could not prove that the goose was, at the time of its being stolen, the property of Sir W. H. Fremantle.

After some uninteresting discussion, the usual licenses were granted to the proprietor of Vauxhall Gardens, to Astley's, the Surrey, and the Coburg theatres.

John Reed and John Weston were found guilty of having stolen some wheat from a farmer by whom they were employed as labourers. The chairman sentenced both of them to be transported for fourteen years.

Joseph Bindon was convicted of having attempted to steal a handkerchief, and was ordered to be imprisoned for six weeks in the House of Cor- rection. Another youth was tried for hdving stolen a handkerchief from a person's pocket. He was pointed out as the thief; and one witness said he saw it in his hand. He however received a good character, and was acquitted.

EssEx SEssroNs.—At these Sessions, on Wednesday, three men were found guilty of having stolen one goose, and were sentenced to six months imprisonment. A man was charged with having stolen five ducks. On searching his house, one duck, and the feet and feathers appertaining to other ducks, were found. When asked how he came by these things, the prisoner "wished his arms might drop off him, if he did not find them ureter a neighbouring haystack." He was sentenced to six months' imprisonment.