The Express.
London, England, 1853-02-28 00:00:00

THE POLICE COURTS.

MANSION-HOUSE.

Nance Donovan, a sturdy b►ggar woman, who has been
frequently, punished for acts of vagrancy at this court, was
brought before the Lord Mayor under the following cir-

The defendant has been in the habit of conveying about
with her two children, who appear to be in a most miser-
able condition, and exhibiting them, particularly in the
bitter weather, for the purpose of commanding the sym-
pathies of the public. One of the children, a mere baby,
bangs its head over the woman's naked breast, and bears
evidence, in the idiotic glare of the eyes, of hawing been
drugged with some narcotic, while the other child stands
barefooted, and covered with filthy rags, howling by her
side. Ann Donovan selected the steps leeding from the end
of King William-street to Thames-street as the scene of
operations, end soon attracted a crowd, from amont whom
she and a child (whom she is supposed to have borrowed
ready &teed for the performance) were led by one of the
City police into the presence of his lordship.
The Lord Mayor at once recogaised the woman as an old
customer, whose last term of imprisonment for va*rancy
had concluded but tbe day before, and expressed his sur-
prise at the seal she displayed in her calling, notwithstand-
ing the inevitable consequences of the practice.
"Oh, then, your lordship," said she, " never bother
any of ye's any more if you'll let me off this once. Upon
my 'owl I wasn't begging a farthing from any one. I was
only just sitting down to nurse the baby in this t: "*"
weather, and sure enough it wanted a drop of suck
The Aird Mayor—l have received several lett,
the subject of the depraved practice of giving opt .
poor infants, whose lethargic appearance never fails to ex-
cite the pity of passengers, and is erroneously attributed to
starvation. I trust that those women who deal in living

.—...--.
commodities of this kind will be charged before the magic-
tastes. Let this woman be confined separaoely in Bride-
well, and let the infant be taken care of by the establish-
ment. The woman is sentenced to a month's imprison-
ment.

BOW-STREET.

James Mitchell was charged before Mr. Henry with
committing a robbery at the Craven Head, Drury-lane, the
house of Mr. Robert Hales. The prosecutor, wao is 7 feet
8 inches in height, was followed to the court by a crowd,
and continued to monoppoolize the attention of the spectators
throughout the proceedings
Dirs. Maria Hales stated that she was the wife of the pro-
neuter, and while occupied in the bar parlour of the C
Head, shortly before 12 o'clock on Friday night, she saw
the prisoner coming down stairs with a bundle under his
arm. As he was a total stranger to her, and a very un-
likely person to have visited the eoncert-room in the usual
way, she desired the waiter to run and overtake him. Her
husband also leR to assist in the pursuit, and in a few
minutes the prisoner was brought back and given into ens-
tody, it having appeared that he had made off with the
" week's washiug " just as it arrived from the laundress,
together with other property. When the prisoner was
taken let° custody by F 98, it was found that ha had stuffed
a shawl, a pair of sheets, some large tablecloths, and other
property, into the seat end legs of his trousers, atter the
approved fashion of Tom Matthews; while the petticoats
and shirts, forming part of the clean linen, were contained
in the bundle.
The prisoner, who merely begged pardon for the liberty
he had taken, was committed.
Mr. Henry has received the following note, with its
enclosure :—" A lady encloses the half of a 101. note
for the poor-box, Bow-street.

Mrs. Elisabeth ililiesce7l7;iiadsome lady, about 36
years of age, was charged by Webb, the driver of the cab
,201, with refusing to pay him his fare of 45. Bd.
The lady said she did not fur a moment dispute the fare,
but was unable to pay it, for she had not a farthing in the
wend.
It was stated that nearly two years ago she was turned,
with her six children, by her husband, tato the street, and
had since wandered, as it were an outcast, subsisting on
charity. She had sued her husband, whose income is up-
wards of 2,000/. a year, for a restitution of conjugal rights,
and twice had he been ordered by the court to take her
home, and provide for her as became hie station in life ;
but he still disobeyed these orders, the last of which was
made by Mr. Justice Bele a feet days back, when she
pleaded her cue in person, and afterwards proceeded in the
cab to her husband's abode, where, instead of obtaining ad-
mission, she was menaced and insulted by the footman and
other servants, and driven away. She added that at
present she was nearly barefooted, and had not a change '
of linen.
Mr. Tyrwhitt said he bad read of her ease, which to him
appeared one of extreme hardship indeed, for the character
of the lady, after all the legal investigation, was unsul-
lied. Ile thought her husband ought to be summoned for
the fare.
A solicitor intimated that he was watching the case for
Mr. liskewell, and hoped he would not be called on to
attend there. At all events, he would resist payment.
Mr. Tyrwhitt indignantly replied that it was carrying
Ithe war too far, and he hoped the cue before him would
reach the ears of the lady's husband by fair means, and
that he would pay the poor cabman, instead of allowing his
wife to be imdrisoned. At all events, he would adjourn the
case, and consider about it.
M ARLBOROI.7OII-STREET.
-- • • • •

Madame Juvenot, a French lady, addressing Mr. Bing-
ham, the sitting magistrate, in French, made the following
application :—While residing in Paris, a short time ago, her
daughter, 20 years of age, suddenly lett her home in the
company of a Count Max de Gorits. She made every effort
to discover where the fugitives had gone, but without ef-
fect, until very lately, when she was informed they were
at •houto in Dean-street, living together as man and wife.
She went to the house, and demanded to see her child.
I She received a refusal, and she then wrote, requesting an
interview. To her letter the following reply was sent. The
letter was in German. It wu to this effect:
" Madame,—We are married: you emus to forget that
we love each other, and, if you do not know it, I beg to tell
you Josephine is a mother, and that it is very difficult to
tear away a woman from the arms of him who made her a
mother. In my own mind I have the firmest conviction
that Josephine could not be happy without me, and to prove
to you that I am ready to paerifice all that I love, I will
allow you to use all your eudeavours with my wifo to per-
suade her to leave me. I swear to you I will not use my
influence over her, sad that I will let her act according to