The British Press; or, Morning Literary Advertiser.
London, England, 1826-01-16 00:00:00

THE KIDNAPPRD CHjLD.

On Saturday Arthur French, Mar' his wife, and Catharine
Stephens, were brought up on Saturday for Baal examine:ion a:
Lambeth-street police-office, on a charge of having in their posse!.
sion a female Infant, supposed to have been stolen. The sdditiont
facts elicited were as follow :—Goodwin, the officer who took tl
prisoners into custody, informed the Magistrate that since the ft:
met day's proceedings he called at the house of Mrs. Peek, In 01,
Pye-street, iVestmidhter, their former landlady, who, in answer
to some inquiries, told him Usat the prisoners had resided in het
house for nearly five months, rnd during that petted they all r..
presented the infant as being the illegitimate child of the male po.
Donee:. A t thin French.
French here requested that the Magistrates (Sir Daniel Williams
and Mr. Wyatt) would listen to his statement. which he thought
would explain every matter, and fully and satisfactorily amount
for their possession of the baby. They having complied with his
request. he commenced by a general recantation of h:s declarations
OD the first investigation, and admitted that whatever he and h
wife had then said with regard to the child's consanguini
to them was unfounded in truth, and altogether tannins
The real facts were those related by his siater-in.lsw Kitty Ste-
phens, on whose statement alone any dependence was to be placel.
She had found the infant, as she described, en the steps of Ar•
street Chapel, at the rear f Newgate- Dublin. She took it
and curried it to the clerk of the Chapel; but neither he nor
Roman Catholic clergyman of the parish would do anything
its relief; and she was told by them that she must necessarily sap-
port it herself; having no other alternative she took it home with
her, and subeequently had it baptised by the Rev. Mr. Kendricke.
at Francis-street Chapel : since that period, with 1 is sr...latent,
she had aupported it, and was as much attached to. at d as fond of
as if it was her own. He concluded by saying that he thought
a great severity that he and the other prisoners should be rml
coned and punished for their humanity towards a foundling wl
had been deserted by those parents upon whose protection it had t
claims of nature and affection. If necessary, he wmild procure
certificate of its baptism from the Clereytitan whom he had before.
mentioned t and show, by testimonials to character from ger.l
men as well in Dublin as in Liverpool, that he was incapable
the crime of kidnapping.
Mr. Wir•TT., who happened to know the localities of Dublin,
and its charitable institutions, observed that that part or his re
ment which alleged that nothing would be done for the chid,
unfounded, as there was a foundling hospital in that city, WA
doubtless, under the circumstances, it would have beet; at once t
matted and taken care ef. He then put some further questions
French and the other prisoners, the replies to which were just
contradictory as on the former evasion ' • in consequence of whi
he observed that the opinion he originally entertained, viz that
child was stolen. was by no means moved, and that laving th
impression on bin mind, .he would order it to remain at the work,
house ttntil such time its its parents would !By claim to it, or furtlu
and more satisfactory explanation be given.
The prisoners most earnestly, particularly the female—wbetl
I arising from guilt or affection—entreated its restoration ; but the.Ma
gistra•es, very prudently in our opinion, were immovable, and gave
directions that a communication should he made to the heed police-
office, Dublin, front which city the child is supposed to hays been
stolen, and all the circumstances of the case detailed.
The prisoners then were all discharged, there being no substan-
tire charge against them, but not however before a clue was made
out by which, is the event of the parents being discovered.. Site pri-
soner, Arthur French, could be made amenable to justke, as a
Chelsea pensioner.

IVednesclay a fellow was charged with throwing from
the gallery of the theatre, at Glasgow, on Monday night, a glass
phial, which providentially did not strike any one ; but had
done so, it was evident, from the hard heavy pieces o glass which
we saw produced in Court, the life of the person might have been
taken. Whether the miscreant had been induced to the pertain-
ance of this act by mere wantonness, or from a murderous mien-
Lion, it was not easy to discover; he had thrown the bottle well for.
ward, for it llghtcd on the stage, upon which there was at the time
two performers. The ,lagistrate fined the prisoner, who had nt
the appearance of a blackguard, in the sum of three guineas, lie t
caused him to find security, under a bond of ten pounds, to keep
the peace tor six rtionths,Giaseor, Free Press.
1m rtrnENT ROBBLAY.—lnformation was received a.
Hatton.gardenyolice, on Saturday, of a burglary and robbery.
committed the previous night. under peculiariv daring circus--
stances. at the house of Mr. William Harris, 81, Charlotte-stree:.
Fitzroy-square, linen-draper. At the usual hone on Friday night
the shop was closed up, and the family, consisting 01 seven or eigh•
pers.ms, soon afterwards retired to their respective apartments ir
the upper part of the house, where they remained without Any
disturbance during the 'night. On the following morning (Satut-
day), when the shop was opened, every thing sas found in a state
of complete disorder; silks and linens were strewed about in al
directions, and on stuck being taken it was found that the shop hat
been ruble.] of laces, siks, ribands, and other articles to the vale-
of between 21J01. and 3011/. On goirg down to the kitchen, it
discovered that the thieves had been comfortably regaling then-
selves with portei and tobacco, the remains of which Were still ly
on the table by the fire. Iris supposed that. in the early part or
the evening, one of the gang had found means to secrete himself in
the house, and after the family retired to rest had let in his con-
federates. The street door being cautiously unbarred no disturbance
was created, and thus far they felt themselves secure from intru-
sion: but that any set of fellows, bent on plunder, should delibe.
rarely send out for porter, and sit quietly down to smoke their piper,
is a stretch of presumption hitherto unprecedented, and almost sur-
passe, credibility ; yet such is the fact. The property stolen being
of a finality easy to cornices, into small parcels, was of muse con-
veyed away so as to evade observation perhaps after the watch had
gone off duty in the morning it was removed, most likely sot until
then. l'he police are on the look-out fur the thieves.

BIRTH.
On Friday, the Lth inst. in Cadngan-place, Lady Taylor,
a son.

MARRIED.
Lately, at Brighton. W. F. Smith, of Uxbridge, to Anna, thit"
datiglver of Wm. Hull, of the same place.
On the 12th inst. at St. Martin's-iii.tne.fields, Charles Iloguc
Alousley, Esq. to 3largarct, youngest daughter of the late Ruben
Taylor, Esq, of 'Timer Hatfield.
On the 13th inst. at Eithain church, Mr. Thomas I,everton Do
naldson, of llart.►neet, illoonisburyAgnare, to Matilda Gee'.
pane, seoond daughtet of Thomus Linshatn, Esq. of Simmer's.
hill, Kent.

DH:D.
On the 9th inst. at Kersall, near Manchester, in the 7th rear
of her age, Ann, relict of the late Henry Athctton, Lag. Barrister
at Law.
On the 9th Mat. M Down-street, Piccadilly, John Perms, Esq
in the 49th year of his age.
In Seyinont-reet, Puronan-square, Anne, widow of Admiral