The British Press; or, Morning Literary Advertiser.
London, England, 1826-01-20 00:00:00

sHOCKING CA.;E OP PARENTAL CRUELTY.

[From the Wt:t. Torts American, Dec. 5.]
On Saturday last information was given to the Police
that a person residing in Barclay-street had, for a number
of years past, had two sons in close confinement in the
garret of his house. On the receipt of the information
Mr. Hopson, one of the Magistrates, with one or two
others, immediately proceeded to the house. They found
the father at home, who, knowing the Magistrate, and
thinkiugp or pretending to think, that they were in search
of stolen goods, told them they had mistaken the house.
Mr. Hopson replied be was not mistaken, and without
More ado proceeded to the garret. The garret contained
two rooms, the keys turned in both.
On entering oue of the rooms a scene of wretched-
ness was presented unparalleled in our city. A young
mall, apparently about thirty years of age, was seen sit-
ting in a bed, naked to the shirt, his arms closely pinioned,
his form wasted, and his whole appearance miserable in the
extreme. The room was in the most fllthy condition, being
used for every purpose. The unfortunate inhabitant of
this wretched abode seemed to be in the most abject state of
fear, and, on the entrance of his unusual visiters, concealed
himself beneath the clothes. The adjoining room was in
the game condition, and was occupied by a brother, appa-
rently about •Jt years old. The father, on being questioned,
gave as an expose, that they were maniacs ; indeed their
present state was undoubtedly so. One of them had at one
time been in college, and became deranged during the last
war; so that by the father's own statement one of them
had been in confinement nearly 11 years. The sister (for
such they had) stated that they bad once been in the hos-
04E1, but would have died had they remained there.
' Would I E." said one of them, his countenance for the
moment lightened with a ray of intelligence, "shall I live
!reser The father, on being asked what food he gave
then), said he was dieting them at present, and they were
somewhat better, and that he should hate to have diem re-
moved at present. Measures will be immediately taken to
investigate' the affair. and if they really were maniacs from
Ithe first, and the father is too poor to support them other-
wise, they will have proper attention paid them.

HORRIBLE CRUELTY TO A FEMALE
APPRENTICE.

Yesterday Mr. P.enett and Mr. Osborne, the sitting Magi,-
testes. at the Police Office, Worship.street, were engaged in the
investigation of a ease of atrocious cruelty inflicted on Mary Ann
Starkey, a girl about twelve years of age, apprenticed by the parish
of St. Mathew, Bethnal-green, to Itim. Burn, a journeyman
weaver residing at 31, Turk-street, Bethnal.green. The child was ,
brought to the Office on Wednesday afternoon by Mr. Higgs sad I
Mr. Davis, two of the Parish Miters, who had taken her by force I
from her master's house, and the extreme wretchedness of the poor
girl's appearance excited the commiseration of all who saw her. i
She was unable to walk, but was brought into the presence of the 1
Magistrates in the arms of a female, and placed it) a chair near the
fire. Some decent elothee had been thrown over the few rags In ,
which she was found. These having been in part removed, her'
form appeared dreadfully emaciated, her shoulders and arras I
coveted with braises, which she said had been Inflicted by her min-
tress. Severe' persons of the neighbourhood were present to give
evidence of the cruel manner in which she had been treated. A 1
warrant tot the apprehension of William and Mary Burn was lute
mediately issued, and yesterday they were brought before the
Magistrates. .
The prisoners being placed at the bar, the Magistrates ordered
that the office doors should be thrown open for the admission of all
who chose to enter, in order that the examination might be made
I with all possible publicity. The office was In a few minutes
i crowded in every part, especially by females.
Mr. lligge, the overseer, having detailed the circumstances
under which he had succeeded with the aid of Davis. the beadle, in
bringing the girl away, during the absence of the male prisoner,
and-after much resistance by his wife,
The girl herself was Interrogated as to her knowlegde of the na-
ture of an oath, and, heving answered satisfactorily, was sworn. She
appeared to he en intelligent little girl, but was too feeble to articu-
late distinctly. lier answer; to the Magistrate's questions were
collected by Vann the officio., and by him repeated to the clerk, who
was taking the depositions. She had hardly any thing to allege
against her master, she said, but her mistress had very much ill
tieNl her. She had been in the habit of beating her with a birch
broom, and Mid broken the handle of one on her back. She beat
her three or four times a day. She had not a sufficiency of food,
and was obliged to cat raw potetoe-peelings as the other apprentices
knew, she said. This had continued during twelve weeks. She
I was carefully confihed to the house, being prevented even front go-
ing into the yard when she required it.
Mr. 13r.stevr asked if her master was present when she was so
heat by her mistress ? The girl said he was. They used to give
her dry bread, ; but sometimes her master would give her a lit-
tle butter. _ _ . . .

Mr. BENETT asked if they gave her as much bread as she
wanted ? Not half, nor a quarter so much, she said. She some-
times had a little meat • but she had been " weeks and weeks"
without tasting meat. She never had tea, though she often asked
for it ; and she laid on a " bad sacking bed."
Mr. Davis being sworn, stated that he saw the miserable bed ;
one blanket was all the covering he saw. The man and his wife
slept in the same room with the apprentices, with nothing but a
curtain to separate them.
The child being re-examined, said her mistress had beaten her
with the but-end of a whip, and rai?ed a lump under her ear as
big as an egg, which was afterwards poulticed. Orce, when she
went to take her victuals, her mistress dragged her down stain
by the hair of her head.
Mrs. Martha Shepherd, a nurse, stated that in August last she
went to see the child, in company with her mother. At that
time the child had a dem cut in her head, occasioned, as the female
prisoner alleged, by a saucepan falling upon her.
Benjamin Halliugton, formerly apprenticed to the male prienner,
was about to prove several acts of cruelty towards the girl; but on
it; being objected that he and his late master had been several times
before the Magistrates on mutual complaints, he was directed to
stand aside for the present. — .

Thomas Newcon.h, also formerly an apprentice of Burns, stated
that lie had frequently seen the female prisoner beat the corplain-
ant with a rod semked in urine: lie had seen her tear the hair
from the girl's head t he had seen her beat with the handle of a
earman's whip and with the fists. The child used to be kept with-
out her victuals sometimes till six o'clock at night. He saw a deep
cut in the girl's head ; it was filled up with salt. She told him her
mistress had cut it with a saucepan, and then filled it up with salt.
He had seen the girl cat the raw potatoe-peelings. They were all
infested with vermin, he said, and he had a pair of sheets on his bed
which had not been washed for four year*.
Born made heavy complaints of the girl's disposition.
The female declared that one of the parish officers had desired
her to keep the girl without victuals if she did not perform her
to-k, and to beat her.
The officer she pointed out gave a positive contradiction to her
statement.
The Magistrate cancelled the indentures, ordered the whole
amount of premium to be returned, and held the defendants to hail,
with twenty.four hours notice, to answer the charge at the Ses-
sions.

At the-Suffolk Sessions, John (Why, aged thirteen, was
indicted for assaulting Mary, the w:fe of John Clarke, of
Lowestoft, by throwing snow-balls nt her, which, accord-
, ing to the evitlt nee adduced before the coroner, was sup-
posed to have accelerated her death, and was sentenced to
three months' imprisonment.
HONESIY.—On Friday a gentleman was in the city, on
the good old errand of paying his Christmas bills, and
whilst in a shop buying a pair of gloves, sonic notes which
he placed on the counter were wrapped up with a parcel of
gloves which bad been shown him, and neither the person
who had served him or the gentleman himself were
aware of the circumstance; soon afterwards he misaed the
notes, and after making fruitless inquiries he gave them up
as lost. On Monday, to his agreeable surprise, he receivted
a letter from the Food lady who had furnished him with
'the gloves, enclosing his notes, which had subsequently
been discovered by her whilst serving another customer.—
h erefited Journal.
SHOCKING AcetneNtr.—On Wednesday as Mr. Ro-
binson, of St. John-street-road, was driving along the
New North-road, near Islington, in company with his
sister, a young lady only fourteen or fifteen years old, the
horse suddenly took fright at seine passing object, and went
olf at full speed. After running for about three quarters
of a mile. notwitstanding several ntempts ret re made to
stop it, the animal at length slipped on a piece of ice
at the rood side, and corning down with tremendous
force, the young lady was thrown out, and, on being
taken up, was to all appearance quite dead. She
was taken to the nearest surgeon's, where she was bled,
which had the effect of restoring animation. Her left arm
was broken both above and below the elbow, and it Ls
feared that the frontal bone has received a compound frac-
ture. Mr. Rubinson was also thrown forward, lint
escaped unhurt, owing to hi having fallen on the horse ;
the gig was completely shattered. Mitts R. is now under
surgical care, hut her recovery is extremely doubtful.
One night last week a woodcock so forcibly struck one
of the lantern lights on the Steep Holmes, as to shatter the
plate glass (a quarter of an inch thick) in pieces: the bird
was found dead at the foot of the lantern. The fragments
of glass are in possztasion of Stephen Horsley, Esq. at the
Vuston-hottac..-Beigtol Pert%