The Press.
London, England, 1853-05-14 00:00:00

THE PRESS.

!delimit. He afterwards added that he did not mind
what the result would be, if it was even transporta-
tion, so long as his name was associated with that of
a person so great as Mr. Gladstone, who was one of
the greatest men of the day. Inquiries subsequently
made proved that the prisoner had given his genuine
address, and also that his character would bear in-
vestigation, inasmuch as he was not known to the
police. He was remanded till yesterday (Friday),
when, after a brief re-examination, he was further
l'ellhillat4 'nail Tuesday next.
Mu. SALOMONS, Alderman and late having
been found liable to a penalty of 51)01., by a jury in
the Exchequer Court, for infringing the act of Ist
George 1., e. 13, had obtained a writ of error, which
came on for argument on Tuesday and Wednesday
last, in the Exchequer Chamber, before Lord Camp-
bell, and .1 nsti ees Coleridge, Wightman, Cresswell, Wil-
liams, and Crompton. The penalty had taken the
form of a debt tine to a Mr. Miller, who had laid the
original information. It was inflicted upon the de-
fendant for the offence of sitting and voting in the
House of Commons without having previously taken
the prescribed oath of abjuration. On the previous
trial the whole circumstances had been detailed. It
was shown that Mr. Stdontons had repeated the for-
mula set before him with the exception of the con-
cluding words, "on the true faith of a Christian," to
which he raised conscientious scruples. On his be-
half it was then argued that those words were not
essential, and that their omission did not bring a
member within the penal clauses of the act, should he
proceed to discharge his duties as a representative.
A verdict, however, was given tVlaillSt the defendant
on that occasion on the matter of fact, and the court
adjudged him to be liable on the point of law, Baron
Martin being the only dissentient. On that judgment
the writ of error was brought, and Sir F. Kelly con-
tended in an elaborate speech for the non-essential
character of the omitted sentence:—

" The words upon the trite faith of a Christian were not Viet
and parcel of the thing sworn, but were, like the 1%01.6, 'so help
ine God.' niece words of asseveration and manner only. Thu
thing which nits sworn to was the &Oration of the family of
.Inwei 11., and a bearitri or true faith loud loyalty to the new so-
vereign ; and the su carer was nia vaned on to swear that he wits
Clwistian aL all. The form of swearing was • 11111111 the true
faith of a Christian, and ' so help me Gosh' and by taking and
kissing the New Testament; but these latter were mere forms,
unconnected with the oath wilielo he rontelliicti was 10 be
taken Co as tO WWI the etoliseiellee of the %nearer."
Lord Campbell, without. troubling the other side to
reply, and after a brief constiltation with his learned
assessors, pronounced judgment, fully affirming the
foregoing decision :
" Ile thought the es*. wits free front any doubt. Two osbjeetiona
were Violate too the jllohnolelit of the court below. First, that the
oath oof aloilltsoillooll longer existed. If that were so. then there
would be an end of the elt..e, tile court. uere of opinion that
the stalls still e \Wed awl mus Iu force. me act was passed for a
lwrmontent purpose. awl for sill lime to eonw, until the Legisla-
ture altered it. the 1611111 of George I. there had lwen
uo
'lmmo,. nor upset the aceessison of tiesorge 111., Georgo
\Valiant I V.. anti Queen Victoria, mat yet the oath was token, and
believed to be in nave. l'posi the second oloje. tion—muncly,
Nam the true eim.tmellots of the oath of abjuration they
adopted the reasoning of the majority of the judges of the Court
of Exchequer. If the with was to he taken in the form most
binding upon the conscienee, then it might be taken by a .new;
hot they thiamin that it must be taken in the film lorooserliwol by
the set of Parliament. • upon the true faith of a Chriatiam• and no
sone who refused 111 take it in that. form could be admitted to
take bia seat in Parliament. The Legislature intended that the
words should be part of the oath. .as long as the law stoosl sus
at present lit hail to doubt. that Jilts intuit Dolt lie admitted into
Parliament. The Judgment of the Court of Exeliesmer must
therefore be affirmed, and the verdict thr the penalty must stand."
THE OLD TRICK OF enasoe-nixotso was success-
fully played off on Th 4 anus Polyblank, a simple-minded
sailor, by one W. Balser, and an accomplice. The
sailor, about 'the middle of March, encountered
'tither on the jetty at the London Docks, found him
very unable, and, having received some information
from hint about Australia, consented to accompany
him in a tour about town. They went up the river,
traversed Pimlico and the park, and hating picked
up a "friend" of ]tuber's on their way. and visited
some public-houses, stopped to rest at last in another
tavern in Burleigh-street. Here the" friend" showed
himself so friendly that he gave the sailor a new
purse, and persuaded hint to transfer to it his emigra-
tion store, consisting of Illf. Haber himself then
showed hint how to put the purse up safely, with
such dexterity that when opened it was found
In contain only a bitof paper and some brass tokens.
Haber and friend had meanwhile disappeared ; but
the sailor, six weeks afterwards, again encountered
the former at the old place, the jetty of London
Docks. with a fresh supply of " tokens" in his pocket,
ready for a new victim. Being captured and identi-
fied, both by Polyblank and the barman at the Bur-
leigh. Haber was found guilty on Monday at the
Nliddlesex Sessions, and sentenced to a twelve-
month's hard labour.
THE lira: Vl' .lEWELLERY ROBBERY which occurred
some days since on the premises of ,Ir. Bulchett, in
Oxfcrd-street, has been followed up by a further
attempt on the property of the sutl'erer, which re-
sulted in placing, one Lawrence. a carpenter of Taber-
nacle-row, Finsbury, at the bar of Marlborough-
street police-office. charged with attempting to extort
mom yby false and fraudulent pretences. Mr. Bur-
chett, on the Friday after the robbery, received a letter

SATURDAY,

by post, whose writer stated that he was concerned in
the job, but had quarrelled with his comrades, and
would give them up for 10/. The word "Yes," in-
scribed on a bit of paper, and placed in the shop-
window, was to signify Mr. Burchett's assent to this
proposition. That signal was accordingly displayed,
and elicited a second letter, desiring him to deposit
the money under a flagstone opposite the Duke of
York's cohunn in St. James's-park. With this also
Mr. Burchett complied ; but, having previously com-
municated with the police, was followed to the park
by a detective, who watched afterwards until five in
the morning, when the prisoner, who had been some
time hovering about the spot, removed the stone,
and was instantly captured with the 101. note in hi.
hand. On being searched twenty-five pawnbrokers'
tickets and twenty-three racing tickets were found
upon him. lie was remanded.
A vorso womAN mulled Mary Ann liritfin wits
tried at the Central Criminal Court on Tuesday for
the murder of her illegitimate child. It was shown
that the mother had concealed her situation, mid
that the child died from the effects of a wound in its
throat, inflicted apparently with a pair of scissors,
which were found afterwards stained with blood in
her bedroom. During ten days that the child lived sub-
sequently to receiving the injuries it was maintained,
together with the mother, in Paddington workhouse,
where the Rev. Mr. Wall, the chaplain, had daily
eonversations with her. The counsel for the prosecu-
tion wishing to examine lir. Wall es to the particu-
lars of those conversations, the prisoner's counsel
interposed, and objected to the evidence as being in-
admissible under the circumstances.
Baron Alderson said he was of opinion that the statements
"made by a erson in such iiii ought not to be given in
evidence. Ely au old statute a confessor was expressly pm•
hibited Erma saying anything told to hint in his spiritual caps-
city, and it was vicar ulna if It were otherwise a prisoner would
be altogether deprived of spiritual consolation. The mouth of an
attorney was shut with refereuee to anythite told hint in his pro•
fessional rapacity, and why shoold not the mouth of a confessor
be closed also ?"
The evidence of the chaplain was accordingly with-
drawn, and the jury Acquitted the prisoner.
A TALI. OENTLENANLY-LOOKING man, wearing mous-
tachios, was discovered on Tuesday by one of the
servants of the Union Club, in Pall-mall, helping
himself to a meat pie from out of the larder. The
lamp-cleaner aiding, he was captured and taken to
the station-house, when, with great coolness, he pro-
duced a bottle of wine, and, deviating that the pie
was his own, went on eating until very little was left
for the purpose of identification. Before the magis •
trate at Bow-street next day the defendant announced
himself as Major Bond, of the 2nd Life Guards, anti
claimed acquaintance with various high personages.
"Mr. lieurv—Where'do you reside ? Prisoner—At '2O, Kensing-
ton-gore ; antl a lovely split it N—unnleit behind, anti the park
in front, and oh, seat a splendid view of the ladies in Mutton-row
front the upper windows!
" Mr. Henry—! do nut see cnur nante in the Army List nor in
the Directory. as a msident at Kensington...owe. The Prisoner—
Bin you'll rind the taunt, of Eaton there, 1 suppose, and I lodge
with him. With respect to the army, you are mistaken, or there
Is a misprint."

Being remanded by the magistrate, under a per-
suasion of his insanity, the defendant demanded his
pie and rl. damages against the lamp-cleaner at the
club for tearing his coat. In the evening application
was made to Mr. Henry by the prisoner's brother,
who stated that his family were aware of his infirmity,
and had intended placing him in safe keeping. He was
not in the army, but had been a clerk iu the Bank of
England, where leave of absence had been given
him, chiefly on account of the state of his mind.