Charge of picking a pocket.
--
John Wren, charged with picking the pocket of
James Callahan, at
Daniel Wren's saloon, on Seventeenth street, was yesterday arraigned before the
Mayor.
Callahan testified that he went into Wren's house on Saturday evening, took a drink, gave a five-dollar note, and received the change; and as he was about leaving,
John Wren approached and ran his hand into his pocket and took out one hundred and two dollars lacking some thirty cents.
Callahan admitted that he had taken a number of drinks of ale before he went in there.
He fully identified the prisoner as the man who took his money.
The first drink he had was between three and four o'clock, and when he went to
Wren's it was between five and six o'clock. He did not keep a memoranda of the number of drinks he took.
He treated two men while at
Wren's. He further stated that
John Wren gave the money to
Dan; and on asking the latter if it was his brother, received an affirmative answer.
He then left the barroom, and had
John Wren arrested the next morning.
Callahan stated, on his cross-examination by
Mr. Crane, that he took a number of drinks before he received his pay on Saturday, but could not remember how many.
He met a number of soldiers on the corner opposite
Wren's before going to the saloon, and had a difficulty with them.
He was knocked down by one of these soldiers.
He remarked to them that they might as well give him some of the sidewalk, when one kicked him. When he first went to
Wren's he could not gain admission.
The altercation with the soldiers lasted some ten or fifteen minutes. When he found he could not get in at
Wren's, he went to
Ryan's, a door above.
Jacob Abrams testified that, on Saturday evening, between six and seven o'clock, he was in at
Wren's saloon, and heard
Callahan ask
Dan Wren if his brother did not wear a "butternut coat," and receiving an affirmative answer, said he had been robbed, and meant to have his brother arrested.
Dan Wren told him he could do as he pleased.
Saw
Callahan in an altercation with some soldiers before he came in. He was drunk.
The witnesses for the defence were then called:
Daniel Wren testified that on Saturday evening he had just paid off his barkeeper and discharged him for the night, when he heard that an altercation was going on up the street, and ordered the shutters to be put up. Some time afterwards
Callahan came in. There were several persons in the house at the time, and
Callahan asked them all up to drink.
He paid witness for eight drinks.
Subsequent to this,
Callahan came in and said he had been robbed by
John Wren.
He handed witness ten dollars to keep for the night, saying it was all the money he had. This sum he gave back to him on Sunday morning. He was quite drunk at the time.
Witness believed that this charge had been gotten up to extort money.
John Ryan testified to the fact of the fracas with the soldiers, and that he afterwards came into his saloon and took a number of drinks.
He was very drunk at the time.
Did not see any money.
John J. Brown testified that he heard a conversation between
Callahan and
Daniel Wren, on Saturday evening, in regard to the robbery.
Callahan told
Wren that he was satisfied that
John Wren had not taken his money.
The
Mayor decided to send the accused on to the Hustings Court for examination; and in consequence of the fact that he had received a
Major Croft stating that he had made his escape from the
Libby prison, he declined to admit him to ball.
