The National Register. — London, England, 1818-10-11 00:00:00

• S u ~~ u 1< POLICE. GUILIMALL. J. Smith, a man of respectable appearance, was charged with emberiling nearly 7001. the property of Mr. Fagg, of the Bell and Crown, Holborn. Mr. Fagg stated,Sliat the prisoner was employed by him in the booking office, and hail lived with him three or four years. In the prisoner's accounts there was a deficiency, according kilns own statement; there was, besides, a deficiency art•ing (tom the nonpayment of the servants' wages of 50 or COL The servants colild prove they had not been paid their wages; and the books would slew that he (Mr. P. ► had been charged is ith them by the prisoner. The sows Appropriated by the prisoner, taken sepatately, were neeessarPy small, but collectively, they amounted to the above smn. —l44o4tuird. A respectable tradesman in the City applied to the Magis. trate, its his private room, to grain a warrant for the %Norte. Lewitt' ) of his own sister arwl a servant morn, with whom site had thought proper to elope, and was ry n itholat his consent. Illagistritte—" Pray, Sir, is the lady a minor?" Applicant —" A minor! the J-1! she is within a year of tray own age, and I am nearly threescore!" Magistrate—" I ant afrai d your application to me will be of no use, for you cannot even show that you have any legal controul over the lady. Vim may, itoca'rert relate Ike cir cumstances, and if I can assist yen I ss ill." The tradesman then proceeded, with much warmth, to in form the Magistrate, that the lady had heeU his housekeeper, his nurse, and his every comfort for more than 20 years, for he 1 if was 4 hatebelor. The only domestic in the family, with the eseeptioN of a cook-maid, was a man aged about 40, of grave wool sober habits, amine d Michael, who had been all his life in the set vice of the family. His sister will; constantly sounding the praises of " steady sober Michael;' and the result was, that she eloped with him, leaving a letter addressed to the complainant, stating that she could not resist the en treaties of t• the dear fallow" to make him happy. 'The fu. gitives were now living in Alderscate street. He had soli cited his sister to retorn, but to this she would not consent, unless accompanied by her husband. He determined upon trying whether or not the law could compel her to act as he wished, and at the same time punish the perfidious Michael. The Magistrate said he felt h for his distress ; but lie was surprised at his application, as it was a matter of which a Magistrate could not possibly take cognizance. He would recoanuoad him to ar rcpt of the terms proposed by his sister. To this the applicant would not for a moment listen, and departed in bitter wrath, vowing vengeance upon the head of pour Michael. On Wednesday application was made on the part of Sunday newspaper, to the Sitting MagiArates (Thorp and Waithman), that a warrant might issue to apprehend Mr. Thomas Acton, of 130, St. Martin's-lane, for attempting to commit n fraud upon the establishment. The individual com plained of being mascot, the circumstances which had given alas to the application were immediately investigated. It appeared that on Sunda v, the 27th of Sept., a case purporting so have ocenrred at the Puddle Office, Bow-street, appeared in 7tle Englishman, under the head " A Son of Misfortune;' and the following day was copied into The Times and other Jour nals. The case in question was a narrative of a long train of misfortunes, alleged to have been related to the Magistrate at the above office by an individual calling himself an attorney, vibe was stated to have applied for relief for a wife and two children. who were buffeting under extreme dish ess and pe ssary, hronglit an by disease and other unfortunate circum stances. The publicity given to the case bad the effect of indacing many humane persons to send money to be applied to the use of the individual mentioned. Inquiries were ill consequence made at llow.street tnr the address of the sup posed attorney, when, to the astonishment of those employed to find his residence, they were infoi 'hell that no such ease as that reported had eve, taken place at that office. This led to farther inquiry, but the matter could be traced to no source. _ _ _ The applicant en behalf of The Enctiahnsmasaid,lie had been occupied for several days in endeavouring to find out the unfortunate attorns %, and went to almost every house in the neighbonrhood of Drury-lone, where kc was stated to reside. but without success. Convinced at length that the whole was a gross faliricatioit, and dotes inured. along with the other gen• ticmcn eminceted with The Englishman ' if possible, to find out author, they learned at their office, that the article in question was furnished by a Mr. Acton, who bad been in the ibit of supplying them with.intelligence of various descrip - lions. The original copy written and signed by that indivi dual was also finind. Since the publication oldie report Ac ton had gent a bill to The Evlishman office, in which he charg ed 155.61. for furnishing that u cport. On a subsequent day be called for the payment of that bill, but the fabrication hav ing been discovered. he was told it had not been examined.— The proprietors of The Englishinun, feeling that it was a ditty they ow eil, not only to themselves, but In contemporary jour nalists, that such a ease should be properly investigated and exposed, the worthy Magistrates were now requested, if they should be of opinion that there were sufficient grounds to jus tify such a proceeding, to hold Acton to Tile original copy of the article, together wall the bill, were then handed to the Magistraica. Mr. Acton, being called upon to answer the complaivant, add d the Magist►ates. He had, he said, been called 'rpm/ very ruiespi ctediy to answer A charge of a serious na. tare for until the present application had been made, he was not aware that auy such proceeding had been in contempla. tion. The charge was of such a nature as to affect his cha racter and reputation most materially, but he disavowed the offence imputed to him altogether. It had been for a con_ siderable time past his occupation to supply ditlerent news papers with interior articlesof intelligence, and in imrsnance of this occupation he was in the habit of attending various public-offices. In the course of this attendance he had formed • slight acquaintance with an individual whom lie had fre qiiently met at How Street. and other offices, mid who, Ilke many other persons, attended those places merely for his own semerit. It was well known to the official persons now present, that there were a great number of individuals who made it a daily practice to attend at police offices, and other courts, as spectators, to pass away the (line. On Thursday, the 24th of September, lie (Mr. Actors) met the individual he had alluded to in the evening, in Catherine Sneer, Strand.— A Iter the usual salutations, the latter asked hiin (knowing that he was CI 1111 l rcted with wanted" a good story," or words to that effect. Ile replied he did, And tlisy went together to a tavern iu Russell Court, Drury L• ne, where the person related the narrative of the •-rortunate attorney, esmetiy, as to eireauustances, as it sub iiviy appeared in lee Englishman and another Sunday jonriml. He (Acton) took notes attic tate us it went on, and in the COUr3C of the smut evening mute out the case. On Tilt IlinloNAT. itEGISTrit &Wulff se'iiiiight lie received information at the (Alice • TM Etetillanterre, that the case was a fabrication, and w. desired to explaitt the matter. He then related the above fact , , and silo:nisei, to use peel) , exertion to find out and hi jug forwaid the miaow of the fabrication. Hornig the greater part of Sunday, Monday, and Tuesday, be had been about Of various directions, and to most of the police•otficea in the metropolis, bat without being able to ineet with the object of his search. Vievions to this lie had met liiin very frequeutly, and the only way in which lie (.o'o4 now account for his misticeessful search was, that the case having been publicly mentioned in mm e than one office, the person in ques tion had heard of it, and to avoid detection and exposure. lied kept away flout his usual bounty. Such were the plain fuels which he hail to stile in juetilkation of himself, and he was willing. if it could be allowed, to state them on oath. At the very time he visa writing the account. he was certain, and lie mentioned it to the narrator, that the publication of the case would have the effect of Winging thrward humane persons to contribute to the relief of tlw imagined attorney. He conceived, in fact, that by writing the ease lie was not only performing his ditty to his employers, but was render ing an essential service to a distressed fellow-creature. It now oreurri d to him, that iu the early part of the very seine week in which lie %%rote the urticle complained of, the cave of Thoutav Oldershaw ocrurrcil at this office (Guildhall) berme Sir William Curtis. the (Acton). furni-bed some of the daily papers with an accomit or that case, and was after.. wards a witness of the beneficial effects which the publicity given to it produced. He knew that several persons, who were totally miacquainted wito the unfortunate Oldershaw and his family, except by the relation of his case in the newspapers, had generously come forward and subscribed sums of money for their relief; and he anticipated the same reauk in the case of the attorney. He would now put it to the common understanding of an individual present, whether it vvasat all probable, that with the case of Oldernhaw, recent as it was before his eyes, and fresh in his recollection, lie would be so mail as to tirbricale au article of the same na tureond which lie was well aware must have the same effect. —lle had been imposed upon, from what motive he knew not; but lie would again solemnly declare, that he had no hand in the fabneation, that Ild never was guilty of an inten tion to commit fraud, and he thought that the individual who had imposed upon him, it' lie had any feeling of honour, would, upon hearing of this prereeiliog, come forward, and vindicate him. If the case were proceeded in, lie cared very little whether he was convicted of the offence charged upon hill' or not ; fur he could never main hope to hold tip his head in society unless the parties charging wet e satisfied with the truth of his statement. He knew very well :het 1.1 had only his own assertion to bear hill' out, and if this failed, total ruin must fall upon him as well as another, who was in a great alraSare dependent upon him for support. A very short time ago be had repoited a ease from this office which lie had since learned was a fidnieation, mid be had been im posed upon in the same way. (This was a case under the title of " Elopement Extraordinary," and appeared in most of the newspapers.] Mr. Alderman Waldman said, be had lately heard com. plaints of mis-statements loom this and other offices hawing appeared iii the public journals. Mr. Alderman Thorp observed, that Mr. Acton mint see how imprudent it was to trust to the authority of d permits of whom lie kirew so little. Mr. Acton said, he was fully aware of that, and it would be a wattling to him as long as he lived. The tale was de livered to hint with such au air of truth that he never once doubted it. The complainant on the part of The Englishman said, that after the statement which bad been made by Mr. Acton, the proprietors would havesso wish to press the matter further; and if a fair report of what had taken place was given, in order that the p blic night tor satisfied upon the subject, and the public jour exonerateti from blaine, they would be t ts,. perfectly satlstim ra the sense time they declared it :was their !Mil dries niiu • -to proceed against the first person that should be detectr n practising a similar fraud. Mr. Alderman "Thorp said, that the present proceeding was highly euminentlableou the part of the proprietors of The En glishman, and he thought the other journalists were indebted to them for the part they had Laken. The worthy Alderman added, that if fictitious tales of distress were bettered to find iasertion in the newspapers, humane persons, indignant at tne imposition, would refuse their aid in future, and thus individuals a Ito were really unfortunate would suffer. Nothing :a fact could be inure injurious to humanity. In obedience to the order of Alderman Goodbehere, the City officers bi ought tip a number of vagrants whit had assem bled in the night under the shambles of Fleet Market, and appeared so futinidable to the respectable inhabitants. Aloft of them said they had no other plate to go to, and were passed to their parishes. alit., havilig received an admonition from the Sitting Aldernem ( Mr. J. J. Smith), who made a decimation of mneli importance to the public, in the course alias commeuts upon the duties of constables and watchmen. " I know nothing," said lie, " of the appointment of con stables fur any particular distiiet. Those who are chosen by us arc chosen as eonstaldes of the C ity o f London, j o ever y part of which it is their duty to act; and if they should re fuse worn called upon, they are liable to the conseipinices of all info, ' H am m . IL i s also supposed ty watchmen that they are justified in refusing to leave their beat upon any emergency. Phis is also a most gross mistake. It certainly is not their business to run about the city, buf they must extend their usual services when necessity reviles. I was •t upped by a fellow in Cheopside, one night about six weeks ago ; a wmchinaii was walking on the opposite bille of the way, and he refused to come to my assistance because I was not upon his beat. My summoning him before the Lord Mayor pro duced a rep; inland to hint, ful titer thau which I did slot wish !tb press it ; but I shall pay the utmost attention to 4111,y coin plaint of a similar kind." , .... The rVtlet Milli received a letter front minty of the revec table inhabitants oldie ward, cumuli ))) tog thut their property war nut protected by the wateli. He 'CIO red tile complaint to Attie, man Waithinan, who belong% to the %void, stating that he was conviticed that tel agistiate would col cct the evil, and dcelariirg that all the fault lay on the ward Ilse If. With regard to the multitude of prooltntes, of %%hum the letter also complained, what could the win , ' expect when such houses as Black House Alley was swarmed with were allowed ? A treadle of one of the parishes declared, that if the watch men in his pariah were halt innidetcJ , those in the next wotild not come to their BOW STREET. A case of considerable impurt•u'cc to the public and the coal 'rode came on to he howl before R. Millie, E.g. ilie sitting Magistrate. George Alder s a coal-merchant, aopear ed to a 5111111110/15, to 41/3WeI to 8 taw mations exhibited against .:...y~.,..3 OCT 10' hill!, charging him with sending eight waggons, loaded with coals, to the limise of the Mid. lady Drummond Smith, in Piccadllll)-terrace, on the 21th day of August last, without the veduldn's ticket, signed by hind, as do the sorts of coals that were sent to the porchasees, countersigned by the meter; 14) al telt the defendant pleaded not guilty. Mr. Andreas. the Larri,ter, attended to conduct the pro secution, idol stated the case, observing that the legislature, in passim; the Act of Parliament, had in view to guard the public against the imposition of one sort of cook being soh_ *finite(' for another, much was very necessary, when it was known. that a sort of coals, culled Wali`._end, were 6 shilli ngs dearer than any other kind. The act directed that it shookd be certified as collect by the vender, for which he was an 'wet able ; but to guard against imposition by the vender, in certifying one sort or coals for another, the act directed that the cei titivate or ticket should be comitersigned by a meter, meaning the meter who was stationed at the wharf from whence the coals %Cue sent out, and who is understood to have meted the coats when tlwy were measured. Mr. Humphreys, the solicitor, attended for the defendant, and took several legal objections, which were over ruled ; one of there was, that the particular offence with which his client was charged was, this omitting to sign the vender's ticket. Mr. Andrews, in reply, contended, that he wuanfficiently charged in the information with not seniksig a ticket with 37 saeks cud*, with a vender's ticket, u described by We act. Mr. Birnie was of opinion, that it would have been as well if the omission hail been particularly mentioned, but did not consider the objection fatal. William S. Savage, tinder-butler to Lady Elit. 1). Smith of Piccadillj•terracc, attended, and stated, that on tiie Voli day of August, eight wagons loaded with coals, came to her Ladyship's Wove, and lie received some of the tickets all of which those conc erne d i n carry i ng on t h e information It.sd got possession of; and a vender's ticket, one of them for 37 tacks of coals, being shown to him, lie identified it as one of those which were received at Lady Smith's house on the Lith day of A lig wit last. Mr. - Humphreys asked this witness how he knew his mu. tress's Millie was Eliza ; to which he replied, he didlnot know it of his own knowledge, but only understood or believed it to be so. Mr. Humphreys was about to take an objection to the proceedings, owing to there being no proof of her Ladyship's Christian name, but it was not attended to. Jarvis Kendall, Lady Smith's butler, confirmed the above he observed that the present proceedings acre not carried on by Lady Smith or with her approbation. John Ogle, a labouring meter, stated that he was teeter at St. Bride's wharf ur the month of August, and recollected that he meted the eight waggon-loads of coals on the 25th of that month. He admitted that he did not countersign the vender's tickets of any of them ; lie was not asked to do so, nor, in fact, did lie know that it was his duty to do so, not having any such directions, as lie had observed, in the book of instruetions which- lie had received when he was appointed a meter, and which lie then had in his hand. This was con. sidered a very est raorelioary statement, as the Act of Parks. ment is explicit upon the. subject. The Magistrate desired to look at them, and, on examination, instaiitty discovered the directions for signing the vender's ticket. The Magistrate stated himself to be satisfied that the case had been male out, and sonic eonversatiou then arose as t• the amount of the conviction, the act stating that it is not to exceed 201. • Mr. Andrews said he was instructed by his client to As) he should not take any of the part to which he was entitled, but wished it to be applied to sonic public charity. The Magistrate fixed the penalty at 101. Ma. Humphreys gave notice of as appeal to the Sessions against the conviction. The other seven informations were about to he proceeded on, when Nle. Humphreys prayed an extension of time, as his client had been served with summonses only on Satin day night. This was so short a period, he could not be pre. pared with a defence. Oat this pound the bearing was postponed, On Tuesday afternoon, a young man of genteel appearsnee of the name of Chit Louis Nlarie librat, calling 1 elf ais officer in the French fitiliice, was laronzlit to the office by Bishop and Riithen the officers, charged with robbing Li eut. General Stafford Light hurtle, of B an k of England notes, and Haminersiey the banker's circular notes, to the amount of about 5501. The Ureteral stated, that a short time since lit left England with an intention of proceeding to Greece, He took with him 6001. in Bank of England notes, and HamMers ley's circular notes amounting to 1601.; and while he was abroad lie only changed one 501. note, which was at Lafitte's, the banker, in Paris. Sums after he received a communica tion from England, respecting some very important business', which obliged him to return home instead of proceeding en his Journey to Greece. On his arrival at Calaislie embarked on board the Desiree French packet-boat for Hover, and soon alter he got ou board the packet-boat was the last time he saw his pocket-book, which contained the above notes, lie having then occasion to take his pocketbook out of his pocket to show his passport to a police officer. He recol lected secitig the prisoner on hoard the parket.boat, sad particularly. noticed his complexion; floor the darkness of winch, lie concluded him to be a Dative of South America.— He and the rest of the passengers were landed on the beach at Dover, on the night of 14111 September last, about 3 o'clock, when he found the prisoner close to his person, will) asked him to allow kiln to early a nap of Lisle in his hated, whirl; he was taking to the Custom-house to pay the duty for. 'll , • be declined, at the same instant he put leis hand to his coat pocket and missed his pocket bock; whether he felt any tiling at his pocket to cause him to put his hand to it or not, he could not tell, or whether it was by chance. He instantly communicated his discovery to the Enstoin-horse officer who was attending him. The prisoner at this time disappeared, bat he had then no suspicion of him. lie made all possible exertion in hailing the boat which hail landed him, but it being dark lie had considerable difficulty ill nicking the men miderstatiel, as they had lost off the boat to aDother part of the beach ; he had the boat searched for leis pocket-book, but no trace of it could be found. liiformation was given of the robbery at the above office, and Bishop and Routhen have been exerting themselves since to discover the rubber and thin property. 'lwo ul the stolen 501. and 2of the stolen 201. circular notes have been pia:seined at Hammersley's Bank in Pall-mall foe p.ty stieh t since, and stopped, but the parties pre senting them contrived to make their escape. At length the officeis, by r.xei nulls and peisevei mice, succeeded in disco vering the prisoner, with the prosecutor's pocket-hook on Min, au.' the stolen notes to the amount of 3901 , together With those stopped, leav e very little deticietic3.— The officers, or. SCAITIIIIIg the ph:tuner, found pawsibrokeis tinplicates vu him fur a teal and a "lug, which are huppused