The British Press; or, Morning Literary Advertiser.
London, England, 1826-01-04 00:00:00

BOWSTREET.

Yesterday 11-ni. Eather ton was brought before Mr. HALLS by
twu Excise officers, named East and Lindsay, charged with being
concerned in carrying on an illicit still fur the manufacture of
spirits.
. . . . .

-.-
It appeared from the statement of the officers, that in conse-
quence of private information that a still for the manufacture of
illicit spirits was in full operation at a house in Southampton-
court, Strand, they went there yesterday morning to make a search.
Their information led them to believe that the still was in the
cellar, and finding the front door of the house open, they walked
through the passage, and endeavoured to obtain a passage at
once down stairs, but they found the door too strongly fastened to
be forced. They then entered a room on the ground.floor, where
they found two women and several children, and they asked the
women for the keys of the cellar, but the answer was, that they
were only lodgers, and knew nothing about the cellar. The
officers then informed them of the object of their visit, and
advised them, for their own sakes, to give all the information
In their power, but they still persisted in declaring their ignorance
of any thing improper being carried on in the house. It oc-
curred to the officer Lindsay, while they were talking, that there
might be a concealed communication between the parlour and
cellar, and opening a cupboard, he found a trap-door open, and
the prisoner with half his body through It, just emerging from the
ccll:ir. Lindsay seised him, and he immediately called out to
some one below to take care of himself. East, the officer, sup-
posing that the other might escape by another passage, ran to
the front doer, and was just in time to encounter a man issuing
from the cellar by a flight of steps leading into the Court. He
seized him by the coat, but the man was too active toe him, and
got :away. The officers, on going into the cellar, found a still at
work, about half off; and a quantity of molasses, wash, and other
ingredients, which they seized.
The prisoner, in his defence, said he merely called in at the
house, and that when the officers came he just popped his head in
at the trap-doer to tell the man below that lie was wanted, but he
did not know at all what was going on In the cellar.
Alr. HALLS considered the evidence sufficient to establish
guilty knowledge against the prisoner, and convicted him, under
the 23,1 Geo. Geo. 111, cap. 70, see. 14, in the penalty of 301.
The prisoner declared himself unable to pry any such sum ;
and, in default, was sentenced to six months' Imprisonment and
hard labour in the )louse of Correction.

QUEEN-SQUARE.
Tnr JEALOUS SlSTERB..—Yeiterthq a humorous CAM came
before the sitting Magistrate, 1). %V. Oregorit, Esq. for his deci-
sion, but it was a grave one to the pieties immediately concerned.
One navy Emmett, • "jolly young waterman,' appeared on
an assault warrant, to answer the complaint of an interesting
young woman. Lou Delwin' for in aggravated assault on her
sister and herself, the former being the bar-maid at the tar-famed
Wlthe Hart on Alithank.
_

The fair complainant, who was occasionally interrupted by her
old swain, stated that she lived near the IVliite llart, where, it
appeared, the inconstant object of her charge visited her sister, with
whom, however, he happened to have some difference, whereupon
amatory altercations ensued, and, strange to say, the defendant
thought pr•per to strike the complainant's sister a terrible blow In
her face.

Air. Unto nnir —Where is she. then ? Why is she not here
1/efendant-1 am sure She will not come at all, Sir. .

Complainant, in cootinuation, said, that lirinti au near her sister,
she was sent for to release her gum the ill-usage of the defendant,
when, upon her trying to separate the parties, he struck her also io
the face.

Mr. GRZoolllll—Have you any person present who witnessed
the scene ?

Complainant—l have, Sir.
Charlotte Jones, also a servant at the White Hart, said, on Sun.
day last the defendant came there to pay his accustomed visit to
camphiaant's deter. The latter, however, did not admire his be-
haviour, and wished him not to interrupt her. Defendant still con.
tinned to annoy her, and *truck her, when she desired witness to
fetch her sister. _ .

Jr. Clawoottir—lt appears from the evidence of there young
women that you, Emmett, have rather an ungallant way of making
love.

The defendant denied that he struck either of the fair ladles, but,
on the contrary, merely put forth his hand to prevent blows from
both sisters.

tiatoom re—Well, there are two oaths against you, and as
you have no watness, It Is my duty to mar you to hud bail to
keep the peace.

MARLBOROUGH-STREET.
MAIIQUIRADZIM—Yeetttday being the day appointed by Mr.
Conant to hear • charge of assault spinet a Mr. Weems, pre-
ferred by Craig a eon of one of the officers of the establishment,
which occurred at the masquerade at the Argyll Rooms on Friday
last, the defendant, with a corps drama ft amongst wham
we recognised Mr. C. Young and Mr. Keeley, of Covent-garden
theatre, Mr. John Reeve, of the Adelphi, and • number of
others, entered the office at the appointed time, preceded by Mr.
Alley, the barrister, who attended for the defendant.
Previous :o the hour mentioned a person stood nearly opposite
the office, and *as very busy in distributing the following placard
to every person who entered theofficer—
" The gentleman who was thrown down, end had his clothes
torn at the masquerade, Argyll-rooms, on Thursday night last,
by a person of the name of William Craig, a sham constable, the
son of the person of that name at .Marlborough-street Police-office,
is particularly requested to attend at the above office on Tuesday,
the 3d of January, at twelve o'clock, the said William Craig
having preferred • charge of assault against a gentleman whom he
has very much abused, and which is to be heard at the time before-
mentioned."
Craig deposed that he was at the masquerade, at the Argyll-
rooms, on Friday last, when he beheld Mr. Watson strike Alt.
Frost; he then went up and said that lie could not allow any
fighting, on which Mr..l. Reeve came up and collared him, whilst
Mr. Watson pushed him against the wall, on which Mr. Reeve
said—" Go it, give it him and he was struck repeatedly, and
in return struck -Mr. Watson across the nose with ryitaff

To the questions of Mr. ALLEY, Craig said he was not an
officer, nor did he state he was one; he said he was there to keep
the peace ; on which Mr. Alley commented with much severity, but
he was interrupted by
Mr. CONANT, who said that he wished to know whether a
person who acted for the protection of the peace was not for the
time clothed with the authority of an officer, although not sworn
in as one.
•

Mr. ALLEY replied, that ft was the duty of every person to
assist in keeping the peace ; but then that person, although he
might have a staff, could not act, unless he was under the imme-
diate direction of an officer.
Ballard, the officer, deposed, that he saw Mr. Reeve in alter-
cation with Craig ; he afterwards saw Mr. Watson strike Craig,
who, in return, struck Mr. Watson in his nose. Ale. Reeve was
the sole cause of that disturbance, as he repeatedly questioned him
whether he was an officer, and one of the ladies repeatedly assaulted
Craig after the fracas had taken place.
Mr. Cohen deposed that he was at the masquerade on Thursday
night, and in the morning of Friday he saw a Mr. Watson, who
was in the character of a fireman, strike a person who was
habitcd like a sailor, when Craig interfered, on which Mr. Reeve
said, " who the devil are you and drove Craig against the
wall, on which Mr. IVatson caught him by the collar, and struck
Craig, who in return struck the defendant with his staff; although
he was covered with blood. lle said, " I will give it him whenever
he likes."
Three other witnesses were called, who corroborated the above
evidence.

•
31r. ALLtY entered into a long detail upon the nature of as-
saults, in the course of which he observed, that Craig, the would-be
officer, was the aggressor, and he would call several of the most
respectable witnesses to prove such was the case.
Mr. CONANT said that the reason he had permitted the Can to
stand over was in order that it might be fairly investigated ; but
after the assault had been so fully proved, it was useless to hear
any witnesses on the part of the defence.
Mr. ALLEY—If it is a general rule of the magistrates not to
hear witnesses on the part of the defence, I certainly do not wish to
break through that rule ; but I have several gentlemen present
whose time belongs to the public, and who would now have been
engaged previous to their appearing before the public to-night, had
they not been here ; therefore I should wish that you would permit
them to be examined. _ _ .

Sir q1:011GE Faun...NT—That cannot be done, for they must
be sworn ; and if one swears black and the other white, one party
must, of course, perjure themselves, and would therefore be liable
to be indicted. _ .

These obeerrations of Sir Geo. Farrant occasioned a discussion,
which ended by Mr. Reeve being called, whose evidence, in the
end, went to corroborate an assault upon Craig.
A proposition was then made by Craig's friends to drop the mat-
ter, wilier being agreed to by Mr. Watson,
Mr. Corramv observed that he had no objection to such a mode
of settlitg the matter; but lie wished it to be expressly understood,
that there was quite sufficient evidence before him to have seut Mr.
Watson to the sessions for the assault.
M BONE.
- - - - - - •

THE TURNPIKE ' ---------------- John Treble, the
contractor, appeared before Mr. Griffith, the sitting Magistrate,
charged upon an information preferred by the Lessees of the
Marylebone Turnpike 'Trust, for haring, on a certain day
named in the information, passed a cart or waggon through the
Marylebone Turnpike-gate without paying the Tolls, and also
with refusing to pay the said tolls. The information was laid
under the alth Geo. 111.
_ .

Mr. Treble pleaded not guilty, in order to contestjthe question
as to his liability, and for the sake of expediting the business,
admitted the facts of the information, and contended, that under
the last or saving clause of the Act of Parliament he was not liable
to pay any tolls while in the service of the Commissioners for the
repairs of streets and roads, inasmuch as the Act specified that all
materials (enumerating them) for the repair of roads or highways,
shall not be charged with toll, and as lils wagons were laden with
granite and flints fur the repairs of the roads he certainly was not
liable.

Mr. Lonn, for the Lessees, contended that he could not be
exempt under that clause, as it only extended to roads and not
streets, the clause not by any means using the latter term, but
expressly saying " Roads ;" now the defendant was passing into
streets, •iz. Salisbury, Upper Berkeley, and Circus streets, there-
fore he was liable.

Mr. Treble instanced the cage of Oxford-street, which was
nothing but a road from beginning to end of it, and said the
clause, in every sense of the word, was a complete exemption to
him.

Mr. Loup observed. at the time of passing the act the places
which are now laid out in streets were enclosed ileitis. After
some discussion as to the meaning of the word " roads." the
Magistrate said it was a point which he considered required some
consideration.

Mr. Treble said, to save any further ttouble, he would put an
end to the information at once by claiming the exemption given
him by the 3.l of his present Majesty, called the Turnpike Act,
wherein the terms of the other Acts are recited,and varies the saving
clause to " any Turnpike Road or Public Highway," which was
perfectly conclusive.
Mr. tiatirm it read the clause of the Act, and observing It
was decisive, dismissed the information.