Two - gentlemen, Mr. E. Fordham, from Cambridgeshire, and Mr. E. Tatham
junior, of Tatham and Son, 37, Charing Cross, were charged
at Queen Square Police-office, on Wednesday, with defrauding Mrs.. Tompkins, a fruiterer, 11, Charing Cross, of eighteen shillings and two shillings' worth of oranges. Mrs. Tompkins stated, that on the pre- vious evening, between nine and ten o'clock, the prisoners came into her shop. Mr. Fordham asked for two shillings' worth of oranges, which she gave him in a bag. He then asked her for change of a so- vereign, and at the same time he gave the oranges to his friend Mr. Ta- tham, and told him to take them over the way. She brought the change (eighteen shillings), which she gave to Mr. Fordham, who was about to leave the shop, when she told him that he had not given her the sovereign. He insisted that he had given her the sovereign, and refused to pay her; she at last sent for a police constable, and gave him in charge. They went to the Station-house in Gardener's Lane; Mr. Fordham offered to pay her the sovereign ; she refused to accept it, un- less he would admit that be had not paid her the sovereign in the shop. This he declined.
Mr. Marriott complimented the prosecutrix on her refusal of the so- vereign, and on the correctness with which she had given her evidence.
A man named Benjamin was produced, who was in the shop when the oranges were bought; and he swore that he did not see Mr. Fordham give Mrs. Tompkins the sovereign, and that, if he had given it to her, he (Benjamin) must have seen him. Mr. Tatham senior, the father of Mr. Edward Tatham, said that Mr. Fordham was a highly respectable gentleman, and that when lie was informed of the charge made against him he went to Colonel Rowan, the Commissioner of Police, at a club-house in Pall Mall, and informed him of the circumstance, requesting his advice how to act, and to know whether his friend could not be bailed. Colonel Rowan said, that it was a nice point of law ; but he would give him a letterto his colleague, Mr. Mayne, who was a barrister, and better able to give his opinion on the case than he was. The letter was written, and he took it to Mr. Mayne ; who, after hearing the nature of the case, wrote a letter to the Inspector on duty, desiring him to liberate Mr. Fordham on his own recognizance to appear at Queen Square Po- lice-office in the morning. Mr. Fordham was accordingly liberated, and he had now come voluntarily forward to meet any charge that mig,ht be preferred against him. Mr. Marriott expressed his astonishment that such an order should be given, and that a man under so serious a charge should be set at li- berty, without proper bail was taken for his appearance. He hoped that it would go forth to the public. The 'Magistrate also reprimanded the Inspector for permitting Mr. Fordham to leave the Station-house without bail. He then asked the prisoners if they wished to say any thing in their defence ?
Mr. Fordham said, it was perfectly true that he went into the shop with his friend, and purchased two shillings' worth of oranges. Find- ing that he had only one shilling in silver in his pocket, and a few sovereigns, he asked Mrs. Tompkins for change for a sovereign, which he gave her. She gave him the change, he was ready to admit; but that he paid her the sovereign previously, he could swear to. With regard to his offering her a sovereign at the Station-house, it was per- fectly correct. He did so because he did not wish to be troubled, and would willingly have given her ten sovereigns to have had nothing more to do with the business - but when she refused to take the sove- reign unless he admitted that he had not paid her, he indignantly re- fused ; because he considered that such an admission, when he was confident in his own mind that he had paid her, would be a slur on him. Mr. Marriott commented on the case at some length. He said, that if, ;r men had- been brought before him on such a charge, sup-
ported ported y the same testimony, he should have committed theni for trial;
and although the prisoners were -rich men, it-Made- no ditreFenee with-hint, and he felt it his duty to commit them to take their trial at the next Westminster Sessions.
The two gentlemen were a little surprised at this impartial decisicar„ and inquired if they might be permitted to give bail for their appear- ance? To which Mr. Marriott, niter consulting with the other Magis- trates, consented; and bail being immediately put in, they left the office. Mr. Fordham is an elderly gentleman ; an extensive landholder; and1 with his family, had come to London on a visit to Mr. Tatham, and to receive his dividends from the public funds.
Madame Josephine Flon, a native of France, and the wife of tu Frenchman named Flora, was charged, at Union Hall Police-office, on Wednesday, with intermarrying with a Fleming, named Smalders, her former husband being alive. It appeared that Smidders arrived irt England a short time ago with a cargo of eggs, and lodged in the same house with Madame }Ton, who passed as a widow, and induced him to marry her. She afterwards got possession of as much of his property as she could, and sent it abroad. lier former husband arriving hi England, claimed her ; and the parties proceeded to the Station-house, and from thence before Mr. Murray, the Magistrate. She was asked/ which of the men she wished to live with her? She said they might fight for her, and she would take the conqueror. The Fleming said he was weakly, and could not light ; the Frenchman said she was not worth fighting for. Madame Hon was remanded, till evidence of her former marriage could be obtained.
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