The Press.
London, England, 1856-12-27 00:00:00

THE PRESS.

on his mind when Marshall had said that " debts
must be made," but he had no idea that debts would
really be attempted to be made until the name of
Snell was mentioned. The circumstance had as-
tonished him, and he had mentioned it to Mr. Pen-
nell (the official assignee).
- -

Mr. Samuel Fletcher, the petitioning creditor, said
he would have " nowt " to do with the matter until
his day's expenses had been paid :

He was a mining and commission agent, of No. 8, High
street, Homerton. The bill purported to be drawn in July,
but it was in November, 1856, when he first " seed " it.
The expenses being paid, he would tell the real truth.
The first time he saw the bill wasin Whitecross-street prison.
He went there to do a little commission busines'; the little
business was to help people out of their trouble if he could.
Henderson was in prison. First knew him at the Royal
Exchange and the auction marts. Fifty shares in the
Wheal William Mine were given for the bankrupt's bill of
521. Did not know whether the shares were really worth
a farthing. They purported to be worth 501., and he
thought they were worth that sum. 11. had been paid
upon each share. Could not say what h' had given for
them; he had a batch of them. He gave these valuable•
shares, worth 501., for the bill for 521. drawn by one pri-
soner upon another prisoner in Whitecross-street. He
had nothing to do with that. He expected that sooner or
later he should get his money. It was this that induced
him to give the case to Marshall, and he had left the
whole transaction in his hands. He " thoot" it might be
about three or four days after Porter gave the bill that he
was " judicated " a bankrupt. " Thoot " it " wor nor
more" than three days. He hoped Mr. Lawrance would
oblige him, and not press him to be more " particklar."
Porter did not say lie might go and make him a bankrupt
as soon as he liked, but he did go very soon after. Mar-
shall told him to " judicate," but he did not understand
such things. Hoped they would not be so particular in
their questions. Would rather they were " general," they
" know'd." Had not been in trouble himself before.
The St. Katherine's-docks Company charged him
with issuing a forged warrant. This was nineteen
years ago. He was tried and honourably acquitted. Had
only been in trouble once since—about nine years ago.
There were wicked people in those days, as there were
now. A charge was made against him, but he was ho-
nourably accquitted. The charge was that of purchasing
a lot of wool which they said had been stolen—that was it.
These were the only times lie had been in trouble in his
life. Had once been employed by Marshall to serve
notices; never acted as his clerk. Had seen Snell five or
six times, but did not know much of him. Had seen him
once in Whitecross-street prison, and several times at
Marshall's office. Snell had never acted as his solicitor.

The COURT said the bill would be impounded.
Mr. Marshall here said he would, under the advice
of his counsel, answer the questions put to him.
He denied the truth of the statements of the bank-
rupt and Mr. Bird. A Mr. William Duvall, commer-
cial traveller, was the only other creditor who had
proved a debt. The signature "W. H. Duvall " pro-
duced was in his (Marshall's) own handwriting, but
Duvall had himself affixed the second (or under-
neath) signature on the same paper. It was " a mis-
take " in his affixing the first signature. Snell had
acted as an attorney, and his (Snell's) name had
been entered as such. He wished to add that he
had never employed Snell on the bankrupt's behalf.
After some further inquiry, the COMMISSIONER
said, they must have Snell's evidence to get at the
bottom of the transaction. A warrant would be
issued if another summons should not be complied
with, and an adjournment was then ordered.

BATTERSEA BOARDING SCHOOLS, after the expose
this week, will, we should anticipate, be for the
future at a discount. A Mrs. Meeres, who keeps a
boatding-school at Battersea, among her pupils had
one Maria Bailey. Eariy in this month the child
was taken ill, and on the 14th she died. The cir-
cumstances of her illness and death caused some
suspicion of ill-treatment, and a coroner's inquest
was held this week. One of the principal witnesses
was an intelligent child, George Tindall. He
said :
He first went to Mrs. Meeres' school at Fulham in
August last, after which she removed to Chelsea, and after
that to Battersea. When he went to Fulham there were
twenty-one children there. He was treated better at Ful-
ham than afterwards, but he had not always enough to eat.
When they went to Chelsea the children principally slept
in a cupboard. They had rice and treacle for dinner some-
times, bread and treacle for breakfast and tea, and at
other times only dry bread.
By the CORONER : The living at Battersea was worse
than ever, and they had not half enough to eat. He
had only dry bread for breakfast, and only water to
drink. There was a piece of meat about the size of a
cup put into a saucepan fur the food for all the children's
dinners. They had meat only twice whilst at Battersea.
He slept in his clothes because it was so cold. He had
a clean shirt sometimes once a fortnight. His person was
newlected, and his head in consequence became covered
with vermin.

The child here became greatly agitated, and looked
round the room, when the coroner told him that he
need not be afraid, Mrs. Meeres was not present.

Examination continued : HI

SATURDAY,

she did so dry bread was given instead. The deceased
was beaten the day after she was taken ill because she
complained. The rooms were not washed or kept clean,
and they were not allowed to go out. Mrs. Weston, of
Chelsea, used to give them food to eat occasion%lly. Mrs.
Meeres did not allow them salt, pepper, or knives or forks
to eat with.

By the CORONER: The deceased nor any other scholar
had sufficient food to eat, and she used to cry for more.

By Mr. REYNOLDS : He had seen vermin and mess on the
floor. There were six or seven dogs and three cats kept in
the room, which made the mess on the floor.

By the CORONER : The potatoes were bailed in their
skins and also in the dirt, and after they were cooked the
liquor was given to the children and they were told it was
broth. It was served up in plates. There were but
three plates, and when three scholars had taken the food
given to them, three others would be served. They had
no regular lessons, and were obliged to eat the little
food they had with their fingers. They had no lights
or firing supplied by Mrs. Meeres. There had been no
course of instruction laid down since they had been at
Battersea. Mrs. Meeres would not alluw him to write
home to his friends.

He had, however, penned the following, which was
found in the witness's pocket :
My dear Papa,—l hope you are quite well, but lam
very sorry that you forget about me on my birthday, and I
hope you will remember it another. 1 write these lines
to tell you how lam treated. I am treated very badly
We only have rice, half raw, and three potatoes, but no
meat for dinner, and for tea and breakfast only bread and
treacle, sometimes only dry bread. We are half starved,
and if you do not come and fetch me on Christmas, I
shall be crying all the time. Remember me on Christmas.
Excuse me writing in pencil.—l am your affectionate son,
G. F. TINDALL.

Mr. John Crosse Richardson, surgeon, of Spencer-
villas, Battersea, said that he was first called upon
to see the deceased on the evening of the 4th of
December. The child moaned and complained of
tenderness of the body, and there appeared a kind
of stupor about the countenance. The head and
body were dirty. He generally saw the child twice
a day. She was suffering from diarrhoea and fever.
The diarrhom ceased, but the wasting of the body
continued, and the fever became of a typhoid cha-
racter. He never saw the deceased except on one
or two occasions unless in the arms of Mrs.
Meeres, as she appeared to be labouring under
alarm, and would not allow him to feel her pulse un
less her hands were held. He continued to attend
the child up to her death, which took place on the
14th. Everything in the house as well as the cloth-
ing was very dirty, and he could not get his orders
as to the changing of the linen carried out. He had
not the ieast hesitation in saying that the deceased's
death had been caused from insufficient and im-
proper food, want of clothing, and cleanliness—
absolute neglect of cleanliness, with atmospheric
changes.
The learned coroner summed up, remarking that
if the jury were satisfied that the woman had been
guilty of such gross and criminal neglect as to
cause the death, it would be for them to say whether
she was guilty of manslaughter or not. The court
having been cleared of strangers, the jury retired,
and after consulting for some time, they returned a
verdict of " Manslaughter against Marian Meeres.,'
The witnesses were bound over to appear at the
Old Bailey to prosecute.

ANOTHER CASE OF WOMAN GAROTTING was inves-
tigated by Mr. Combo at Southwark on Wednesday.
James Parker, a miserable, dirty-looking fellow, was
charged with committing a violent assault on a widow
lady, named Ann Anderton, and attempting to
commit a robbery. The prosecutrix, a middle-aged
lady, said that on the previous evening she had been
on a visit to some friends in the City. Shortly after
twelve o'clock she and her sister were returning along
Tooley-street, and just as they were passing the
railway arch next the incline steps, the prisoner
suddenly rushed upon her, and seized her by the
throat. She was so frightened at the suddenness of
the attack that she nearly lost her senses for a
minute, when the prisoner struck her two heavy
blows on the throat, and seized hold of her victorine
with the view of stealing it. Her sister, who was
also much alarmed, screamed out; and on a gentle-
man making his appearance, the prisoner ran away,
but was pursued and captured. Her victorine was
much torn in the struggle, but he was unable to
steal it. In answer to the charge the prisoner said
he was struck first by the lady, who called him very
bad names, and then he took hold of her victorine
and struck her. Mrs. Anderton positively denied
that she ever saw the prisoner until he pounced upon
her and nearly strangled her. Police constable
80 M said he took the prisoner into custody, hut he
knew nothing of him. Mr. Combe asked the prisoner
whether he would be tried by him or go to the
sessions for trial. If he was innocent he could
choose the latter. The prisoner said he would rather
have the matter settled at once. Mr. Combe then
sentenced him to three months' hard labour in

THE investigation as to the frauds and robbelies
committed by Manini and Paul, the officers of the
guardians of the City Union, and who have dis-
appeared leaving an immense amount of money un-
accounted for, is proceeding vigorously. It is be-
lieved that the defalcations exceed 50,0001. Mr.
Rowsell, clerk to the guardians of the several
parishes,
has been suspended from his office, al-
though it is not imputed to him that he was at all
cognisant of the fraudulent transactions which have
taken place.
rim PRISONERS PIERCE, BURGESS, AND TESTER,
charged with the great gold robbery of 1855, were,
on Wednesday, fully committed to take their trial at
the next sessions of the Central Criminal Court.
THE GAROTTERS RTC becoming more bold. Last
Sunday evening, between eight and nine o'clock, a
young lady was returning home from church. Her
way lay along Oxford-street, and she took the quiet
south side, apprehending no danger in such a
crowded thoroughfare. Just as she was passing
Laurie and Marner's coach manufactory a man, whom
she had noticed for some time dodging alongside of
her, suddenly seized her by the arms, and pinned
them behind her back. At the same moment another
fellow rushed forward, apparently to assist in rifling
her. The lady's terror was so great that she could
not call out; but, fortunately, at this instant a police-
man turned into Oxford street from one of the small
streets, and the vagabonds immediately ran across
the road, where they mingled with the crowd and
disappeared. The young lady was taken home in a
cab, half-dead with terror and agitation.
MR.CIIARLES HENDRICH, the young gentleman, aged
eighteen, charged last week before the Brighton
bench with stabbing a girl of the town, was tried on
Tuesday for the offence at the Lewes Assizes. Mr.
Baron Bramwell, severely lecturing the prisoner for
the disgraceful offence, sentenced him to be im-
prisoned and kept to hard labour for a year.
THE LENGTHENED PROCEEDINGS in the case of the
Eccleston-street cowkeeper, terminated on Tuesday.
Mr. Paynter suspends his judgment for twenty one
days in order to be enabled to visit other cow yards
in London.
A VERDICT OF WILFUL MURDER has been returned
by a coroner's jury at Leeds against one "James
Riley," an Irish labourer, for causing the death, in a
street row, of John Burns. The Irishman Riley is
at present at large. A similar verdict has been
returned at Birkenhead against a dock labourer,
Thomas Smith, for the murder of a policeman.
Smith is arrested and committed for trial.

AN IMPORTANT DECISION affecting card sharpers
as to whether " cards are instruments of gaming in
the meaning of the statute," has been settled in the
affirmative by Mr. Justice Coleridge, in the case of an
appeal riy a card sharper, one Michael Grant, lately
sentenced by Mr. Norton for three months' imprison-
ment.

A MURDER has been committed at Wivetiscombe,
near Taunton, Somerset. A farmer's servant, one
Thomas Aplin, was sent to Wivetiscombe market on
Tnesftay to make several purchases for his master.
Wh►le in the village he changed a 51. note, and
showed his money to, and treated, several acquaint•
ances. By night time Aplin was drunk, and. started
for home with a companion named Nation in the
cart. About eleven o'clock that night the cart and
horse were found by the roadside, and Aplin lying
half out of it with his throat frightfully cut. He
was quite dead and had been robbed. Nation, on
Wednesday was arrested, and in his pocket was
found a clasp knife stained with blood, and four
sovereigns. The footprints in the road fitted
exactly to his bootmarks. A coroner's inquest was
convened for Friday.
A MR. THomes lloofiEN, clerk io the service of
Messrs. Field, Son, and Wood, the stockbrokers of
Warnford-court, Throgmorton-street, City, and not a
clerk in the registration department of the Great
Northern Railway, as previously stated, was brought
up before Mr. Tyrwhitt, at Clerkenwell, on Saturday,
on the charge of being concerned with Leopold
Repath, formerly the chief registrar and transferer
of stock to the above railway, in the forgery of a
signature to 1,0001. 4i per Cent. Consolidated Pre-
ference Stock of the Great Northern Railway. After
the mere statement of the facts, the prisoner was let
out on bail.

EXECUTION OF THREE ITALIANS .IT
WINCHESTER.

GUISEPPE LAOAVA, Matteo Peetrisi, and Giovanni
Barbaalo, convicted of piracy and murder on board
the British barque Globe in the black Sea, in July
last, were hanged on Tuesday in front of Winchester
Gaol. The conduct of the prisoners since their
condemnation had been becoming the awful position
in which they were placed. Immediately after sen-
tence had been pronounoed, and while under an
impression that their lives would be forfeited within
few hours, they were fearfully excited, end de.

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