The Press.
London, England, 1858-08-28 00:00:00

THE PRESS, AUGUST 28, 1858.

➢lr. SELFE : One would rather think the woman
would be glad to get rid of you. I can't place much
eeliance on what she says after the manner in which
the has given her evidence. .

ANNA SULLIVAN confirmed the evidence of her
mistress as to the beating and kicking.
ROCHE, the gaoler of the court, knew that Mrs.
Harris—he meant Planter—hail nine husbands, but
could not say she was married tol all of them. She
had been at that court for defrauding sailors, and
because be (Roche) related her true character, she
had threatened him, and was held to bail by Mr.
Yardley.
Mr. SELFE knew the complainant too well in that
court. No good could result in the defendant ever
living with his wife. He held him to bail to keep the
peace in his own recognizance, and advised him to go
to sea again as soon 4,s possible.

THE RECRUITING SERGEANT. Police-sergeant
Egerton, No. 24 H, who had been directed to
make inquiries after Samuel Sperling, a recruiting
sergeant, who married a respectable woman,
the widow of Patrick Readdy, an Irish soldier,
on the 9th inst., and abandoned her on the fol-
lowbig day, came before Mr. Selfe, and stated that
Sperling came to the Leman-street station, and gave
himself up ; but as there was no charge of which be
could take cognizance, or keep him in custody, he
advised him to attend the court and make an expla-
nation. Sperling had been deprived of his situation
as a recruiting sergeant, and hie uniform had been
taken from him. The police-sergeant added that
the staff officer of the pensioners intended to attach
Sparling's pension until the 101. he had received with
his newly-married wife, and which had been paid to
her by the Indian Mutiny Relief Fund Committee,
hail been repaid.
Mr. SELFE : Then Sperling will not be employed
as a recruiting sergeant any longer.

EGERTON : No, sir.
SAMUEL SPARLING, who had often appeared in this
court with recruits in the uniform of a sergeant, and
decorated with ribbons, then got into the witness-box,
attired in an old and dirty suit of a civilian. He
looked much chap-fallen. He stated, in answer to
questions put to him by Mr. Selfe, as 'ollows :—I am
a pensioned private, and have served in the army. I
was a recruiting sergeant. I was married on the 9th
of this month—this day fortnight—to an Irish
woman, named Readdy, the widow of Patrick Readily.
She was in the receipt of a pension of 7s. 6d. per
week. Of clurse she lost that when she married me.
She had 101. given her on the day of her marriage
with me. I drew that myself on the day of the
marriage. I did not want to go away from her, but
she did not stop in her lodgings till I came back. I
have been in different parts of the town since 1 left
her on the day after our marriage, because I had
missed a recruit. Two women went away with me,
but they were not loose women, as reported in the
newspapers, but two soldier's wives. I told the two
women to wait at the Tower until I returned from
Westminste:. I returned to the Tower, and the two
women were gone.
Mr. SELFE : Then, why not return to your wife ?
SPARLING said the magistrate was too quick for
him. He did not return to Backchurch-lane where
his wife was staying, certainly.
Mr. SELFE : The substance of your story is this.
You marry on the Monday. You get 101. from the
Indian Mutiny Relief Committee. You abandon your
wile on the following day, and go away with two
women. You expend the 101. for your own sensual
gratifications, and you now come here to excuse
yourself.
SPARLING : I maintained that woman for a month
before I married her.

Mr. SELFE : What if you did ? What has that to
do with it?

Mrs. SPARLING : I maintained myself. I had
7s. bd. per week pension up to the day of my
marriage.
Mr. SEISE asked if Sperling had any other state-
ment to make, or any arrangement to suggest for the
benefit of his wife

STARLING said he did not want to make any state-
ment. If his wife was willing to come back, he
would take her.
Mr. SELFE : You left her. What has become of
the 101.?
STARLING evaded this question by saying he left his
wife 18s. to pay two or three little debts with, and
that in consequence of the untrue statements made
about him, the staff officer had taken away his
regimentals and dismissed him from the recruiting
staff.
Mr. SELFE: I think you are very properly dis.
missed. I don't see that anything untrue has been
said abont you.
Mrs. STARLING said she ha,' been to a relieving
officer, who said he would prosecute her husband as
a rogue and vagabond if he did not maintain her.
SPARI.INo said that since he had left his wife he
had frequattly been her, though she had nut seen
him.

833

Mr. SELFE : What do you mean by that ? These
are manifest falsehoods. Since Mrs. Spading was
here last I have made inquiries, and have now seen
you, and you have confirmed all that has been said
about Sou, and I believe you to be a very worthless
fellow.

Smarm,* then turned round to his wife, and, in an
authoritative manner, said: Doyou mean to come and
live with me ?

Mrs. SPARLING : No, I do not.
Mr. SELFE : If you don't bring evidence to alter
her statement 1 will grant a warrant against you on
the application of the parish officer-.

SPA.
R.
LING then turned round and marched out of
the court as rapidly as possible.

THE BRIAMIST.—At the Central Criminal Court,
on Saturday last, berme the Common Sergeant,
Alexander Charles Borromeo, who was convicted
on the previous Monday of bigamy, was again placed
at the bar by the direction of the learned judge.
It will be remembered that when the prisoner was
brought up to he tried, ho made a very pressing re-
quest that his trial might be postponed, to give him
an opportunity of producing certain witnesses from
Paris, who he said could prove that he was in that
city when the marriage between him and Miss
Sadleir was alleged to have taken place, in 1842. It
was believed at the time, however, that it was merely
an attempt to obtain delay and cause annoyance to
the prosecutors, and the application was consequently
refused, and it turns out that this view of the matter
was correct.

The COMMON SERGEANT, addressing the prisoner,
said that he had sent for him to inform him of the
result. of an application he had made to the Pre-
fecture of Police of Paris respecting certain parties
whose evidence be desired to obtain. A communi-
cation had just been received from huts, the effect
of which was that no trace of such persons as he
(the prisoner) bad mentioned could be aiscovered,
and they did not seeni to have ever been in existence.
There did not therefore appear to be the slightest
ground for doubting the propriety of the verdict of
the jury, and the sentence of four years penal servi-
tude, to commence trom the month of June, 1850,
would therefore be carried out.

When the prisoner was tried, he was fashionably
dressed and wore a long black beard and moustache,
and during the trial he conducted himself in a most
impudent manner. Since his conviction, however,
he has been attired in the convict dress, his beard
and moustache have been shaved off pursuant to the
prison regulations, and he presented a most crest-
fallen and dejected appearance. He made no reply
to the statement of the learned Common Sergeant,
and when he had concluded lie walked hastily
from the bar, apparently glad to escape from the
public gaze.