The Express.
London, England, 1862-09-04 00:00:00

IXTRAORDINARY CASE.

A strange-looking creature, having the appearance of a
confirmed mendicant, who gave the name of Joseph Aber-
shorn, was brought before Mr. Selfe, charged with assaulting
• lad named James Ells, a chair maker.
The complainant said he was on his way to the Effingham
Theatre yesterday evening, and observing a mob of persons,
who were in rather an excited state, collected opposite
Whitechapel Church, he crossed the road to ascertain what
was the matter. The prisoner, who was seated on the
ground exhibiting the naked stump of the leg be had lest,
immediately threw • brick at him and knocked him down.
The prisoner then took up • stone, threw it at • boy and cut
his eye open.
George Reed, 199 H, a police.constable, said that several
gentlemen came to the station-house and complained of the
prisencr.who was a perfect nuisance, and bad been for 'revere]
days appealing to the sympathy of passeigers by exhibiting
the stump of his leg. The prisoner was very drunk and
noisy last night, and his language and conduct very filthy.
The prisoner, who was half naked, shirtless, and covered
with dirt, said he was a Sheffield knife-grinder, and mum-
bled out something about his losing his work, and being
half staved. He also complained that the boys hooted
bun.

Mr. Selie— You have no occasion to be in that condition.
In distress, indeed ! You were drunk last night. I shall
sentence you to one month's imprisonment and lard labour.

WORSHIP-STREET.

EXTRAORDINARY DEFENCE TO A CHARGE OP DESERTION.

(;r, Boiler, a middle-aged man, by trade a shoemaker,
was charged before Mr. Leigh with deserting his wife and
family. . _

It ammred from the evidence of the wife, who was deeply
affected at her husband's position, that on the 26th of ,
April last, she was suddenly, and without an. notice, left I
to provide for herself sod two children. aged 4.aud 2 years,
that they became chargeable to the perish of Bethnal-green
in consequence, and were so now ; moreover, that she in
the interim had given birth to a third child, and until this i
day had not seen or heanl of her husband since the desertion.
Mr. Berton, the relieving officer of the parish, said a debt
of 154 bed been incurred by the keep of the family and the
expense attendant upon the woman's confinement. Great
trouble had been taken to discover the defendant, but with-
out effect until 3 o'clock this morning, when he was met
and apprehended by a police constable of the K division, on ;
a warrant.
Defendant wished privately to explain to the magistrate
the reason of his not earlier having been found, but this was
refused, an.l he then expressed his willingness to do so
publicly, proceeding to say—" I was in the practice
of attending a place of divine worabip before the
alleged desertion, and while there on one occasion the
minister remarked, ' There is a person here living in
open sin.' This I knew applied to me, at least I so
received it, and subsequently became much troubled in mind.
1 wanted to get away from that sin, but knew not
bow, and one day while at work a voice mid, ' Take
something from somebody, and yon will get away.' I
resolved to do so, went into St. Paul's Church-
yard, and saw a lady with a gold chain round
bite neck looking in a shop window. I was
going to take it, but the voice said, • No, that
will not do,' and I proceeded to Ludgate-hill ; there I met
• who also wore a gold chain. I stole it, was
taken°nuitto custody, was month in Newgate, and since then
by sentence imprisoned in the gaol of Holloway."
Defendant here clasped his hands over his face, leant for-
ward, sod appeared to be sobbing violently.
Mr.-Leigh ordered a remand that this statement might be,
so far as regarded the asserted imprisonment, inquired into.