The Express.
London, England, 1852-09-02 00:00:00

TEE POLICE COURTS.

MANSION .HOUSE.

TILE NUISANCE OF MISDIRECTED CHARITY.

SoraA 110:clitrA, Sarah llarrogan and Eliza Tyler, were
hrouretibeture the Lord Mayor, charged with being com-
mon gars and impostors.
The efendants had been apprehended the day before In
Cornhill, while following Mr. Sally, of Great Ormond-
street, and endeavouring to prevail upon him to give them
money. They were all well.cremed and decent looking
women, and well known as indelatigable impostors by
llorsford, and the other active agent' of the Mendieity
Society. As it was considered useless to call upon Mr.
Soil; for eri.lenee, that gentleman's steward, who has been
long a witness to ths manner in which the begging system
was carried on in his master's neighbourhood, was requested
to attend the Justice-room yesterday, to hear a description
of the intolerable travelling nuisance su recently exposed in
the City.
llorsford,and another officer of the Mendicity Society,bad
found it nece 'eery to apprehend these wonien,who,with about
40 others, had been a siting in Great Ormond-street fur Mr.
sppeurance,and who when thee Id gentleman walked
out of his house, clamoured fur money. The resolute mea-
sures taken by the 011eer had its art ct upon the rest of the
' swarm. They separated, and then their companions were
taken at once before the magistrate at Clerkenwell and sen-
tenced to imprisonment and hardilabour. The officen, con-
lecturing that the bemoan would follow their willing and
placid victim to the Union Fire.orlic., to which they knew
he was bound, made arrangements to meet them at the
spot where he was expected to alight from his vehicle.
)here were between lorty and fifty audacious female men-
dicants assembled at the place, and they followed him up so
closely and so furiuuely that he was übliged to struggle into
nu
omnibus or run the hazard of having bis clothe* setwelly
torn from his back by those who might be disappointed iu
their expectation of what they called alms." Amonget
the must resolute beggars were liolditelt, Harrigan, and
Tyler ; and when the of apprehended them the rest
quickly disappeared. The three defendants were identified
as having been amongst the Great Ormond-tree: beggars
Wick,, Mr. Sally's steward, said, upon being questioned
by the Lord Mayer—My Lnrd, it is quite impossible to give
you a correct idea of the scenes I witness daily. Our per-
weals begins in Great Ormond-street, and-master is be-
sieged by all sorts of beggars, from the tip top begging
ladies in silk stockings and shawls, down to the lowest pour
creature without any stockings at all. I have seen the three
women at that bar frequently receive money from him. In
feet, they would not leave hint without dragging money
front him. Sometimes the beggars abuse him in the most
shocking manner, so that the ladies in the street are quite
ashamed at the scene. Sometimes they fight amongst them-
selves, and accuse each other of getting all from the old
—. People would suppose that the newspapers would
frighten them away. Oiiite tho other way. Ever since the
account of my master and his beggars was published he be.
been ten times more solicit, d. lam now obliged to take up
hie letters on the largest sized waiter, and the crowds of
fashionable beggars that apply to him would astonish any
ono in his senses.

The Lord Mayor—Surely, the representation of the very
great impediment he causes in the City would have some
effect in giving • better direction to hie charity. It is
quite impossible that such a nuisa,.cc can be endured in our
crowded and busy streets.
Wicks—l don't know what's to be done, my lord. Ile
gives away • mint of money, but in a very unsatisfactory
manner. Several of the females pretend that they were so-
qusinted with him when he was a much younger man,
and that his charity is more gratitude. One of these women
(Harrigan) swears that they have been old friends of 20
years' standing.
The Lord Mayor expressed much surprise at the appa-
-1 rent supinene .4 of the metropolitan police, in whose pre-
; seine the old gentleman and his satellites were so constantly
to be found.

Wicks considered that the metropolitan police made a
joke of the matter, for the grit v.ince was in full vigour,
end certainly it multi not he checked hy ordinary means.
There was great uncertainty in the disposition of Mr.
Sally. To some be would give away cash in quantities,
while to others he refuted to giro a farthing, but turning
round to them he would cry out " !tuna)," as he would
to a flock of geese. That mode of distribution, the
steward said, excited a desperate jealousy amongst the
crowd.

Ilonford acid that the three prisoners had been fro.
quently convicted u impostors. Harrigan when taken up
said she a•sociated with the r at, in order to be prepared
to betray them the more reai.ily, and she was the worst of
the three. She pretended to be particularly well ac-
quainted with Mr. Sally, and if industry in the villanous
pursuit of mendicancy had acy claim, she certainly war no
contemptible candidate.
Wicks said he had seen on more than one occasion police.
' men in the immediate vicinity of his master's house enjoy-
ing the confusion which was caused amongst the respectable
neighbours.
'rile defendants said the Mendicity ofileen were preju-
diced against them because they had reel distress to en-
counter at home. They admitted that they knew Mr.
Sully, and that they hail been relieved by the gentleman,
but they were, they said, aware that some people did not
like to see a shilling dropped into any pocket hut tbeirewn.
The Lord Mayor—Whatever license mey be given at the
west end of the sown to people of this description we must
clear our streets in the City of all such nuisances, and I
sentence each of those defendants to hard labour in prison
for one month.
_

The defendants, in retiring from the bar, gave the Men-
dicity officers, and particularly llorsfurd, a meet hearty
curio.

Horsford—My lord, I am under positive instructions to
follow up this enormous gang of baggers.
The Lord Mayor—You cannot be better employed, and
you shall have every assistance from the City magistrates.
Wets. IWO, who was on Saturday charged with having
plucked a quantity of hair out of the tail of a fine carriage
horse, the property of Mr. Wragg, the extensive livery
•table-keeper of Finsbury, was finally examined before the
Lord Mayor.
The defendant said the horse hail now u good a tail as
if it bad never been touched by him. (Laughter.)
The Lord Mayor—You denied that you had touched the
horse's tail at all, and all the evidence, as well as your own
statement, prove that you hare been guilty of this most
scandalous offence. I convict you and fine you in the pe-
nalty of bl., and if you do nut pay that fine, you must go to
prison for one month.
The defendant was then locked ap.
The Lord Mayor has within the last few days received
several letters from the country from owners of horses, re-
presenting to his lordship that awes a common offence with
thieving as well as vindictive servants to strip hones of their
flowing tails, the hair of that part being particularly
valuable.

BO W-ST RE ET.
Two men, named !Caseby, and Mullen*, the landlord of
a house in Tottenhatn-court, King-street, Long acre, were
charged with causing the death of Henry Lucas.
The deceased was a lodger in the house of the tint pri-
soner, and the landlord was anxious to get possession of his
rooms, to admit another tenant, as well as to recover arrears.
On Tuesday morning a quarrel ensued in the yard of the
house, and both prisoners alternately laid heads on the de-
ceased, the prisoner Naseby exclaiming, that it Mullen* (the
other prisoner) had not done it (struck deceased), he
(Nueby) would have done so. Deceased was then assisted
up stairs by one of the female witnesses, and poke
after, but died at seven o'clock that morning.
The deceased's son, a little boy thirteen years of age, was
put into the witness-box, but as he had never been to
school nor to church, and did not know the nature of an
oath, Mr. Henry declined to take his testimony.
the prisoner Knoell adm;tted that he took deceased by
the collar, and Mullen' said the deceased had been in con-
tact with him. It also appeared that while the man was
dying, the landlord sought to introduce a broker.
Mr. Henry adjourned the cue for • post mortem exami-
nation and inquest.
WESTMINSTER.

Mr. Simpson, proprietor of Cremorne Gardens, entered
the court, and began to address the magistrate on the merits
of the case alleged against him on the previous day by the
Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals, but was
interrupted by Mr. Arnold, who remarked that on the re-
turn of the summonses, the ease would come judicially be-
fore him, until which time he could not listen to any state-
ments, nor pronounce au opinion.