The National Register. — London, England, 1818-10-12 00:00:00

!6 POLICE. GUILDHALL. J. Smith, a man of respectable appearance, Was charged Tef•th embeziling nearly 7001.11 m property of \l r. Fagg, of the 1101 and Croun, 11.1 ho Fagg Awed, that the to IA ))))) Mas employed by hint in the tottikiou, other, bad lived with or four yrititi. in the pri•otivi '• accounts there wag a deficiency, ell'eni dill!: it. hAa ; their tbesitles. a deficiency at Ilion the nonpayment of the seri/vibe u•a:lcs of 5;) or ,;01. The •ervitatts could prove they had not been It4lll their t•ai.te• ; and the to ':• sliew that hr Nlr. F.) bad heeil ch.trt.tell ith them the i•otier. The 411111% appropt iAted by the pri,..oner, take.' %ppm:twit', Were uccussalily small, but colicett% el) , they amounted to ti e •oove NMI). —ltematitl..(l. A respectable tradesman in the City applied to the sJagis. trate, in his private room, to giant a warrant for the hensiun of his own sister and a sr rvatit man. with whom she had thoitglit pror er to elope, and marry without Ilia euelbrilt. ,Nlagistrair—`• Pray, Sir, is the lady a 11111101'P . Applieant—" 1 minor' the d—l! she is within a year of Inc own age, and I ant nearly threescore!" Magistrate—" 1 inn 41140 your application to nie will be •eif no use, for yott cannot eVI•II show lII4t you have ally legal contront over the lade. Von may, howeser, relate the cir cumstances, and if I cult assist con I will." The tradesman then pi oceeiled, with ranch warmth, to in_ form the !Magistrate, that the tails had been his housekeeper, bis nurse, and his every comfort ler more than 2 years, for he hinivelf wil4 a batchrior. Th. only domestic in the family, with the exception of a cook-maid, was a man aged about -10. of :rave and sober habits, mum d Miehael, who had been all hi, life in the service the family. His sister was constantly aoenditig the praises of .‘ 5ti.,1.1% sober Mieliael;" and the result was, I 11 , 1 I she eloped with him, leaving a letter addressed to the tomplatuant, stating that she could not resist the en treaties of the dear fellow" to make him happy. The fn. Fitt ves were now living in Aldeisgate street. lie had soli cited hit sister to retain, but to this she 55'011111 not consent, tiniest accompained by her linsban.l. He determined upon trying whether or not the law could compel her to art as he visited, and at the same time paniill the pea The illagistrate said he felt match for his distress ; hut he AIMS surprised at his application, us it was a matter of which a Magistrate could not possibly take cognizance. He would r e commend him to axeept t.f the terms proposed by hi. sister. To this the applicant would not for at moment listen, and departed in hitter wrath, vowing vengeance upon the bead of poor Michael. On Wetlnes.lay application was made on the tent of a Sunday newspaper, to the Sitting Magistrates (Thurp and Wallin's:in), that a warrant might issue to apprehend Mr. Thomas Acton, of 139, St. Martiu's•lane, fur attempting to commit a hand upon the establishment. Thu individual com plained of being pi asent, the euelinistanees which had given .rise to the applieition were immediately investigatial. It appeared that on Similav, the 2711, of Sept., a ease purporting to have occurred at the litiblie Odice, Bow-•trot, .ippeared iu 'Tate En;lishman, tinder the head " A ion of Misfortune," and t h e f o ll ow i n g day was copied into Mite Tenses and other Jour nals. Thu ease in question was a narrative of a long train of misfortunes, alleged to have been related to the Magistrate at the above ()thee by an individual calling himself an attorney, who was stated to have :Imbed for relief for a wife anti tan children, aho were suffering under exit eine dishes.; and pe nury, hrutight on by disease and other tinfortimate eire - stances. The publicity cis eli to the rase hail the effect of indueing many humane prtAoll, to Newt money t o b e app li e d to the use of the intliritlnal mentioncd. inpiiiivs were in consegnence made at How-street Mr the aditreslof the sup posed thou 'lcy, when, to Ilse a,lonisituivol of those employed to find his resitirtme, 111..7 were info' melt that no such ease as that reported lira (-vet taken Ware at that ;Ace. 'Phis led to further inquiry, but the matter could be traced to no source. _ _ The applicant on helialf of The Engli.shnuat said,lic had been occupied for several days in enlleaVonluuL to find out the tt nfortunate Atonic v, awl W... 1 11 to JIIIIO3I ceCr, house in the neighbourhood of lbritiy-laue, where lie was stated to but without success. Convinced at leut2lll 111.41. Illy whole o a gross fabrication, and detetulim d, aluisLt with the oilier gen 'kitten connected with The Eurlishman if possible, to lied out thr author, they learned at their otfire, that the article in question IV•Pt furni•lied by a Mr. Acton, echo had been In the habit ofsupplying them atilt intelligent e of various demi ip .110115. The oi igisial ropy Wlittyu and signed by that indivi dual Wa, aloo Since Ihn pnblir.luun of 11.4. report Ac ton had sent a bill to 7hc Englishman office, in which he charg ed 155.61. for till 4.4,11... g that Orion!. tin *subsequent day he called fir the payment of that hill, but the fa 111 ic.aliusi hay. lag been discovered. lie was toll it had nut been irsainitied.— The proprietors of The Eregli+honan, feeling that it was a ditty they owed, trot only to to cotitclopoia.y joist - palms, that •1101 a Ca.(' ,110111 l be properly investigated and exposed, the worthy Magistrates wen' 111.1% . if' they should lie of opinion that there were sufficient grounds to jut. t:fv such a pi ..certiing, to hold Acts ir to bail. The of ignial copy of the al iirlc, together with the bill, were then h,lI lr l to the Ma4istraies. Mr. Acton, brine etlii d upon to answer the complainant, addressed the Nlagistrairs. Ile had, he said, been ealled upon very unexpi e.eit'y to answer a charge of it serious titre ; for unto the picsent :wpm-atom had been made, lie was twit aware 111. a my such pi oceeding hail been in eumempla. tints. The eliarge was or rush A nature at to affect his clia ear ter and 'titillation most materially, but lie disavowed the cart nee imputed 1., him altogether. It had berm ha a con siderable time past los occoupation to supply ilitlercht new a pa,.ers ;Ili toter:or attacks ot inn Mgt lice, and in plat sliallee Of this °Ceara limn lit' was ill the habit of MI1'110114: Vd1i111). politic others. lu the course of Ill:. attendance he had tot ined a slight acquaintance with an nicht Wiwi whom he had fie rpiently niet at Holt Strict. and other °triers, and who, Oki many other pet soils, attended those places me, el) tier itiaown amittement. It known to time otEcial prisons &low present, that there were a great number of individnalt who Ina& it a d4i1 . % pr.ictior to attend at police wheys, and (whet e„ o eie, as spectators, to pat. away the time. On Thu1..14 . v, Ito.. 2•tili r, he (.Ir. Aetoil) met the iudtvidual be had alluded to in the evening, in Cathei toe Sttcet, Strand.— Atter the missal •alotattotis, the latter asked him (knowing that he was I,llllVill ii atilt s.ttne of llie 11 hr WAn e.l •• 4 good stoiy." or words to 'that etrert. He irp!ien 11.,.y Aunt loge•llicr to a tavern In Rossi It Conti, Do is , V I. 111.. Itt-I p. rson related the narintive of Ilic --furtimate alturney , etaity, AS In CII - Clittlat.tilet'a, as it a .b. ppeau' in . 1 ha Englishmos 5.1,41 your.. I. Ile (.4 , t0t0) !ook noteg of the tale I - went ..n. and -.% C sutat ut am 541110 evening Wititu min the cast. On THE NATIONAL REGNITR Saturday se'imight he received information at the office of The Es:lli4ntlin, that the ease inns a I.4briemion, and was d,-sued to explain the matter. He then related the abuse fact-, and promised to u.e every exertion to thid not and hi ing forward the author of the fabrication. During the ereater part of Sunday, Monday, and 'Tuesday, he lied been abuut w sat nails direr-firms. and to most of the police-offices rn the metropulis, but without heiiig able to meet a ith the object of his search. Previrms to this lie had 'net him very ti eipiently, and the only way in which he could slaw aecount for his tillsllccesslial seareh was, that the ease having been ; iiiblieiy mentioned in met r than one office, the person in ques tion had Imam d of it, and to avoid detect ion and exposure, had kr pt away limn his us.ial haunte. Such wrie the plain facts is latch hr had 10 state in justification of himself, and he was whim:, if it could be allowed, to state them oa oath. At the very time lie was witting the account. he was certain, and he mentioned it to the narrator, that the publication of the case would have the effect of bringing forward humane persons 10 root ribuite to the relief of the imagined attorney He coneeived, hi fact, that by sr, ding the ease lie was nut only performing his only to his employeis. hat was render tug 111/ essential service to a distressed fellow-creature. It now ocemr, d to him, that iu the catty part of the very same week in which he is tote the acide complained of, the ca.e of 'lemmas I )ldor,haw occurred at this office (Guildhall) trefoil. Sir William Corns. He (Acton) furiii•bed some of the tir.l . . papers ait h 110 4CCOUIIt of 111 , 11 case, and was .tier. wa;,l, a witness of the brectioi it effects which the publicity given to it produced. He knew that several persons, who were totally iirac•piailited with the unfortunate Oldershaw and his faintly, except by the relation of his case iii the newspepers, had generously tome firma: it and subscribed sums of utoucy for their I (diet, and he anticipated the same 'emit in the case of the attorney. He would nosv put it to the common iiiiilorstamling of an individual present, whether it was at all probable, that with the case of Oidershaw, i event as it was befoie his eyes, and fresh in his recollection, lie would be so mad as to fabricate an article of the same 114- , and which lie was well aware must have the same riled. —lie had been imposed upon, from what motive be knew not ; hut lie would again solemnly declare, teat lie had uo hand in the fabrieation, that lie never was guilty of all inteir tem to commit fraud, and ho thought that the individual who had imposed upon him, if lie had any feeling of honour, would, upon hearing of this proceeding, come forward, and %indicate him. It the ease were proreeded ill, lie cared very little whether he was convicted of the offence charged upon him or not ; for he coats never again hope to hold lip his !mail or society unless the parties charging wet e satisfied with the hall' of his statement. lie knew very well that lie had wily his own assertion to hear hilt oat, and if this failed, totat ruin must fall upon him as well as another, who was in a great measure dependent open 11011 tor support. A very short time ago he hail repotted a ease from this office which he had since learned was a febricat ion, and lie hail been im posed upon iii the same way, El his was a ease miller the till of " Elopein2iit Extraordinary," and appeared in most of the lieu sowers.) Mr. Alderman Waithman said, he had lately heard com plaints of nits-statements from ibis and other offices hating appeared in the public journals. Mr. Alderman Thorp obsersed, that Mr. Acton must see how imprudent it was to trust to the authority of a person of whom lie knew so little. Mr. Acton gelid, he wav fully aware of that, and it would he a warning to him av long as he lived The tale was de livered to him mouth such au air of truth that Le never once doubted it. The complainant on the part of The Eaglishmen said, that after the statement %shirk had been made by Mr. Acton, the prom iettos would have no wi,ll to press the matter loather ; gad it a fair lepurt of what had taken place was given, in under that the pantie might b.a satisfied upon the subject, and the politic journals exonerated from blame, they would he perterily satisfied ; at the same time they declared .it .was itieir full di tViilllll4tion to proceed agiiiiist the first person that slmuid he dub:civil in practising a 'Jar fraud. Mr. Aldeunalt 1110111 PAN, that the present proceeding was inehi) cunnneudableon the pail of the proprietors of The Ea glialsmaa, and lie thought the other journalist, were indebted 10 thew for the part they had taken. The worthy Mclennan added, inat if fictitious tales of distress were antlered to find in et 11011 in the newspapers, humane prisons, indignant at tile impaiiition, won:a I. lobe their aid iu future, and thus nthvunutuwhos el e n ally umfortimate would sutler. Nothing .11 fact tuotd be more injurmas to humanity. lu obedience to the toiler of Alderman (iuodbeh•re, the City other's brought op a another of vagrants w h o had assem bled in the night lIIIdt r the shasubli s of Fleet Market, and appeared so formidable to the respectable inhabitants. Most Of them said they had no otlte•r plate to go to. anti were passed to their pat kites, aftei having (Peened an admonition from the Sitting Ableriirm (Mr. J. J. Smith), %Ito made a ileelai atiou of much impoi move to the 'mink:, in the course ofilis comments apim the ditties of constables and watchmen. " I know molting," said lie, " of the appointment of con staliles fin any patucul.tr tli•ti let. Thos who HIV chosen by us art chart ta as con-Lilacs of the city of London, in every part of which it 110 their duty to act; and if they should it , f n-e when called arm. they are liable to the consequences ut ant infoi matron. It is oho) supposed I y atchineu that they are jleAktied 111 rt•lnsing to teat e !heir mtat upon any emergency. This is also a most gross mistake. It ceitainly is nut their 611.4111L5/I to run abont the city, but they must extend their ie nal services when necessity repines. I m,ar,t plied by a fellow in Cheapside, one night al t six we.lss ago ; a WA ehnrui was walking on the oppusio side of the way, and tie 'rinsed to come le my assistaiiite brcaust• I Wik not upon his beat. i%ly summoning him beMre the Lind Alay put iliteed a repltutuui Iu Fait, tin titer than wh iclt I did no; wish *.o press it Mit I .hall 1..1y the utmost attention to any cum plaiut of a similar kind." 'I he A Wei man I revived a letter from many Of the respec table inhabitants otthe ward, co:111114mi tig that their property was not pi otected by the watch. Ht• tenon-it the complaint to Allortioati Waithinait. who below to the ward, stating that lie was Cl/11.1116*rd Ihat i l e!tve M7 e , t e.t ia l e %%o ,ld corn ,' the rv,l , and tit that till the f.wlt 1,i% On the %%did Mil: K. ills Ie4OIII ILI the Illetiltilde of In tannins, Of whom the letter ill/N/ complained, what email the ward expect when sails houses as ►;lack Hulse Aliey was sw de tiled with were A beadle of one of the pat I , !IVR (ICCIAIed, that i 1 ,lie watch men in h pArialt were halt mill liCsed, those iu the neat would not collie to llsca rtlit f. BOW STREVr. A ca'c of considerable isuport.thee to the public and the to d tI 4. e. °A to he heard before N. ittrme, the •it hot: .11agi•trate.—tien1ge A•tler, s eO.ll-qtet vitt:m..l . i., tir ed t 4 a 3UIII/114.111D, 41.16%111, :tlh ttlf;rrittattot c,aat:).tt.ki 4401•111bt OCT 11 . _ him, charging him with sending right waggons, loaded with coals. to the hotise of the Don. Lady Drummond Smith., its Vircadlity-terijet!, on the Sib tiny Of August last, witsliont the vender's ticket, signed by him , as to the sorts of coals that were sent to the porchaser's, coninersigned by the meter ; to which tltr defendant pleaded nut guilty. Mr. Anthems+, the barrister, attended to conduct the pro. secntitql, and stated the case, obsers Mg that Ilse legislature, in passing the Act of Parliament, had iii view to guard the public against the imposition' of one sort of enal, being sub. stitoted for wwlbt r, which was very necessary, when it was known that a sort of coals, called %Vail's-end, were ti shillings denier than any other kinti. The act din civil that it should be certitit.d as coned by the vender, for which he was an. sweraitle ; but to gnarl against imposition by the vender. in certifying one sort of coals for another, the act directed that the ceilitirate or ticket should be counleisigned by a meter, meaniag the meter who was stationed at the wliag:from whence the coals were sent out, and who is understood to have meted the coals when they were measured. Mr. Humphreys, the solicitor, attended for the defendant, and took s tveral legal objections, which were over ruled ; one of them was, that the particular offence with which his client was charged was, alt inuittiug to sign the vender's ticket. Mr. Andrews, in reply, contended, that he was sufficiently charged ill the information with not sending a ticket witlt 37 sack► of coals, with a vender's ticket, as disiscribed by the act. Mr. Birnle was of ()pinion, that it would have been as well if the omission brad been particularly inentioned, but did not consider the objection fatal. William S. Savage, under-butler to Lady Eliz. D. Smith of Piccadilly.terrace, attended, and stated, that on the 25:h day of August, eight waggons load-d with coals, came to her Ladyship's house, and he received some of the tickets, all of which those concerned in carrying on the information had got possession of; and a vender's ticket, one of then: for 37 sacks of coals, being shown to him, he identified it as one of those which were received at Lady Smith's house oil the 23111 day of August last. Mr. Humphreys asked this witness how he knew his mis. tress's name was Eliza; to which he replied, he did not know it of his own knowledge, but only understood or believed it to be so. Mu. Humphreys was about to take an objection to the proceedings, owing to there being 1111 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 were not carried un by Lady Smith or with her approbation. John Ogle, a labouring meter, stated that lie was meter at St. Bride's wharf in the month of August, and recollected that he meted the eight waggon-loads of coals on the 2.lth of that month. He admitted that he did not countersign the vender's tickets of any of them; lie was not asked to do se, nor, in fact, did he 'know that it was his duty to do so, not having any such directions, as he had observed, in the book of instructions which he hail received when he was appointed a meter, and which he then had in his hand. This was con• sidered a very extraordinary statement, a► the Act of Partin. went is explicit upon the subject. The Magistrate desired to look at them, and, on exsinination, instantly discovered the directions for soloing the vender's ticket. The Magistrate stated himself to he satisfied that the case had been made out, and some conversation then arose as to the amount of the cunvictisai, the act stating that it is not to ' exceed 201. Mr. Andrews said he was instructed by his client to say he should nut 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. Mr. Humphreys gave notice of an appeal to the Sessions against the conviction. ...The other seven informations were about to he proceeded on, when Mu. Humphreys pi ayed an extension of time, as his client had been served with' summonses only on Saturday night. This was so short a period, he could not lie pre. pared with a defence. Ou this ground the hearing was postponed. On Tires(lay afternoon, a voting man of genteel appearance of the name of Chit Louis llarie Khrat, calling himself an officer iu the French service, was brought to the office by lli‘hop and Ruthen the other is, charged with robbing Lieut. General Stafford Light inane, of Bank of England notes, and Hanionersley the banker's circular notes, to the amount of about 5501. The General stated, that a ;hurt time since he kit England with an inteution of proceeding to Greece. He took unit hint 6001. in Bank of England notes, and Hammers try's circular notes amounting to 1601.; and while he was abroad he only changed one SM. note, which was at Lehner', the banker, iii Paris. Soon after lie received a communica_ tiuu from Eaigland, respecting some very important business, which obliged hint to return home instead of proceeding on his jontne to Greece. On Isis arrival at Calais he embal ked on board the Desiree French pat ket.bot for Dover, and soon after be got on boat d the packet-boat was the hist time be saw his pocket-book, which contained the above notes, he li tying tutu occasion to take WA pocket book tint of his pocket to show his passport to a police officer. He recol lected seeing the pi ismier on board the parkrt-boat, and particularly noticed his complexiav t fioni the darkness of which, he concludi el blot to br a native of Smith America.— He and the lest of the passengers were landed on the beach at Dover, on the night tit 14111 September last, about 2 u'elock, when he found the prisoner close to his pea. on, who asked hint to allow hint to carry a map of Lisle in his hand, which lie was taking to Site (:iistoni-bouse to pay the ditty for. Ti. he derailed, at the saint instant lie put ins band to his coat. pocket and missed his pocket Ito. k i t. Nether he felt all taina 41 Ills pocket to cause Il i 11l to put his ham{ to it or lie could tot tell, c,, wheiliel it was by ellaileP. He instantly communicated lii• ili•cosery to the (:ttbiont house unit er w w ho was aitendiug mitt. The prisoner at nits time tio.appein bin fir. 644 then no suspicion of him. Ile made all possible exertion in hailing the boat si Inch had landed him, but it being dal k he had considerable difficulty in making the men understand, as they had put off the beat to another part of the beach ; lie had the boat ,earthed for his pocket-nook, bi.t no trace or it could tie found. !nation nab gis t ii of the oiihery at the acut e eterce, mid Cislitip and Rothen habit in en esti tine Ilieiliseis es Wier to discos Cr the tubber and the pi °pert ) . oof the stole-II Stil. and 2of the stolen 'ZJI. circular notes has been pi abets; etl at Ilaioniersley's Bank in Pali-mad tut pay teeth sihte, aim stopped, hill ille pal tits ph M 1.111114 limes' Cunt I IVt4 tu make then ise.qa.t. At length the °dice's, by taeruulls and peisevriaw r, sin t retlrtl vet mg the pi istnier, tsitil the press pocket-book on hint, and the •toirel notes to the amount of 3901 , whit a, togethar wino those stopped. Lase iciy little di betimes . Th e o g l e, r e , on 01 , 1111111 g tit p I ibtait r, round ptaii cioki is thiplit.:4lCS Lai 1111111 fur 4 :44. acid a I litg, *111t4.1 ale bUpptabild