The British Press; or, Morning Literary Advertiser.
London, England, 1825-12-15 00:00:00

IdATTON-GARDEN.

Yesterday Mary Pettit was brought up from the watehhouse of
Safron-hill, on the following charge.
The prisoner's husband, James Pettit, it appeared, had for some
time been steward to the Trade Society of Tailors, which meets
every Tuesday evening at the Windniill public house, in Little
Windmill-street, which Society had been defrauded by another
steward of 451. only a few months back.
From the evidence of one of the club, named Johnstone, it
seemed that on Tuesday night last, the sum of 11/. was collected
in subscriptions and fines, which money was deposited in the ge-
neral fund-box, usually left in the care either of the treasurer
or the landlord of the house. Of this box Pettit possessed
himself at the class o: the business, and when the Society
was broke up for the night, no trace could be found either of him
or the money ; a messenger was sent to his house in Hatton-yard,
but he had not been there, and his wife (the prisoner at the bar)
having been found lurking about the house where fhe club was
sitting, and she having positively refused to tell where her husband
had gone to, they thought themselves justified In taking her into
custody, as particeps eriminis.
The woman declared that ahe was entirely ignorant of the trans-
action, and accounted for her being found about the house at that
hour of night by her anxiety to get her husband Lome. She also
complained of the manner in which she had been arrested. After
some members of the Club had cross-questioned her as to where
her husband had gone with the money, which she truly answered by
saying that she did not know," they suffered her to go home,
and in some time after Johnstone returned, knocked violently at
the door, sail that he had a search warrant, and finally, on being
admitted, gave her in charge, and she was dragged off to the
watchhouse, from her family.
Mr. ROGERS, the presiding Magistrate, observed, that in the
latter part of the business the complaining parties were decidedly
to blame, as the wife could not be held accountable foe the act of
the husband.

The prisoner was immediately discharged.
CURIOUS CAST: Or AFFILIATION.—SORIe days since, Mr.
Pepall, one of the overseers of 6t. Pancras parish, applied to the
Magistrates of this office for an order against George La Viscount
Thompson, of lladlow-street, Barton-crescent, for the sum of
3/. 13s. expenses, incurred by the delivery and burial of a bastard
child, born in the workhouse, and of which the said Thompson was
alleged to be the father.
Mr. Parry, a gentleman who attended on behalf of the defence,
submitted that it was extremely improbable that George Lee
Viscount Thompson could be the father, as he was only a youth
of fourteen. The girl had been a strvant in die house of the boy's
father, Captain Thompson, but was discharged ; and there wall
reason to suppose that this infant was the fruit of some illicit com.
merce, which she did not think proper to own, and bad therefore
endeavoured is father it on this lad.

Mr. Roo E as said, that unless there was surgical evidence against
the lad, the woman's evidence was conclusive.
The order was affirmed.
MARLBOROUGH-STREET.
Plt VAT E LUNATIC ASYLUlRS.—Yesterday, during the hours
of business, two persons, of the names of Carter and Gardiner,
came to the office, and presented to the sitting Magistrate, H. M.
DYER, Esq. an affidavit, requesting his signature to it.
Mr. DYER, on receiving it, read it very attentively. Ile then
asked Carter what was the nature of hie business ?
Carter—l have lived with Dr. Monro for a eonsiderffile time.
Mr. Dr ea—llow long is it since you left that gentleman?—
It is some years now, for I have since been to the Cape of Good
Hope, along with the settlers, and I remained there four years.
Mr. DVER—lfur long have you been in England since ?
About two years.
Mr. DYER—Did you live with Mrs. ?—Yea.
Mr. Drga--Your document is such an extraordinary one, that
I must have an explanation upon some points of it.
Carter—Hearing of the cruelties premised at Mrs. 'a
establishment, I engaged myself as a servant there, -merely to
discover if such was the case.

_.-- ---
Mr. DYER—How Mac you to hear that such atrocious treat.
ment was going on in this country ?.--.Since my return to England I
married a young woman wh 7 lived servant at Mrs. —'s establish-
ment, and she informed me of what I have stated in my affidavit.
Mr. DYER—What Salary were you to have ?—Twelve guineas
per year.
Mr. DYER—How long die you live there ?—Dine days.
Mr. Dime—Did you behold any of those cruelties which you
have named ?—Yes, sir there was one gentleman who was, on
account of his disease. rather dirty, and he was tied down to his
bed every night, besides having a arrsit-waistcoat on. Mil.
said, that if I would cause him to be cleaner she would reward
Inc. Some of the other patients, whose friends paid nine guineas
per week, are literally started; fcr whilst I was there they used
to conic and pick up the crumbs from our table, and also eat the
pe.ato partnga.
Mr. Gardiner—lt is notorious that the woman's conduct is the
moat unfeeling that MO be imagined. It has been often spoken nt
publicly in my shop, and I bave advised Cuter to prepare an affi-
davit of the facts.

Mr. Dtrytt—Does the establishment belong to the female whom
you have mentioned ? _

Carter—lt belongs to Doetor and she formerly lived at a
boarding-school at front whence she came to—
Mr. DYER—The house had been a boardiog-achool, and that for
these seventy years past; it is a eery Wee house. and must be ca-
pable of containing several inmates ?
Carter—There were about 82 ladies and gentlemen, out of which
there were two or three fasountes, who were traded properly.
Mr. Dvra—Who is the physician ?—Dr.
Mr. Dyza—ls he resident:—No, Sir.
Mr. Dir a—Who is the apothecary ?—There is none.
Mr. DYER—What. is there r.o medicine adinini•tered to the
inmates P—No, Sir, they do not want medicinc—they only want a
proper supply of food.
fur. Dirta--Then you are prepared to substantiate the
wii:ch you have here stated ?.—I att:. Sir.
Mr. DYER—Then I eupoose you rill attend here stein when-
ever you may be wanted ?-1 certs!rdy
Ca: ter ttiengavo the worthy Ittlaloyzate his &arm

Mr. DTEIL—If what you have rated in your affidavit is tTue
it
becomes the bounden duty of every man, who has the smallest
snack of humanity in his breast, to cause an urvestigation into attv
horrid transactions; sad, as r the Alastrates have the pow
i er i
will cause an inquiry to be instantly instituted, and, if it can' be
fully proved, die just exposure of such dis;traccful. pramices earino,
be too soon made public ;l and I thinl.t that, in the tavuttwa.
week, I shall be able to et you publicly support those ay",
which your affidavit contains.

MARYLEBONE.
Catherine Plain. an interesting little girl, about thirteen yea.
of age, was brought to the office by Mr. John Nichols. of Illiddl;:
sex-at
matreeancet, nt
a Soer's.town. tinder the following distreameg se.
cu
Mr. Nichols stated, that as he was returning to his reaidence at se early hour yesterday morning, in parsing through Somers•toon re observed the unfortunate little girl lying on the steps of a ore?,
struggling in the most violent convulsions, and not a soul toeing
her. Ile rendered her every assistance, and took her to the ead.
house, where she was recovered, and kept comfortably untatt,
morning, and he (Mr. Nichols) thought it his duty to attend at tle
office with her.
Mr. ItawLissow questioned her closely, and she stated de,
she was a native of Liverpool, from which place she hid walksq,
and had only been in London for the last three days, during Mum
period she had been lodging at the house of her aunt, who if
her, and told her to go back to Liverpool, which she intended tocu
Mr. RARLINSON asked her how she meant to go there ....sbe .
Mr. Rawl-meow thought that impossible. She answered..
replied innocently, I intend to walk, Sir. % •
Indeed it is not, Sir.
Mr. liswmirsoN—Have you a father or mother?—No Sc
they are both dead, and my aunt turned me out of doors.
St. Odes's, and to mske is.
found it to be true to tike her
Mr. Rawt.tws ow inquired where she lived P—She sew ~
Church-street, St. Giles's.
Mr. RAWLINSON commiserated her situation, and eedfted
Winans, one of the officers, to accompany the unfortunate creators
citotou
Shirerti.esnamnilnestto"sehllFlem:elhiieonmuCesenh,tt:rwacnihtd-hgithfTiehsetec'ompliments, and request the s
to receive her into the workhouse ; but on the contrary, if she hid
been imposing on them, to bring her to the office.
Winans., shortly afterwards, returned without her, and intimated
that her story was correct, and he took her to the ieorlthouse v.,
cording to his instructions, where she was humanely received.

WORSHIP-STREET.
The driver of the hackney-coach No. 383 was gUOMVOtet!
Mr. BLNETT by Wm. Anticld, an officer of this establisbmsn,
for demanding and taking more than his fare.
It apreared that on Saturday week Attfie/d and two other per,
sons hired the defendant at the Lying-in-fleapits!, in Old.street,
is
take them to Limchouse. On their arrival at the latter plea,
coachee, not knowing who were his customers, demanded a ceywn
sum for back-carriage. This Attfield disputed, seeing that lilt light
to back-carriage did not commence until six o'clock in the eremag,
and it was only thee half. past five. The coachman then demands!
and was paid 6s. 6d., which was found to be 2s. more than Harare.
A difficulty was then stated as to the summons, which
calks
upon the defendant to appear the following (this) day. It eases,
plalned that the defendant had come to the office in the hope of
settling the matter privately with Attfield„ who, however refost
to settle otherwise than before the Magistrate, and the &matt
preferred having the case heard at once.
The Magistrate ordered that the defendant should refund the h.
and pay a fine of 10s. and costs ; altogether 18s.
The coachman said he was unable to pay the money. lie eu,
therefore, committed for seven days.

INNOCENCE OF A FEMALE LINDE!? SEX.
TENCE OF DEATH.

A great portion of the time of the itlagiatrates of Lambeth.",,,
office was yesterday occupied in the investigation of a case, which
ought to operate as an additional caution to prosecutors in then
identification of prisoners. The circumstances are briefly as fol.
low :
In the month of June last two female.. named Davis and reens,
were committed for trill front this office, on a charge of having
forcibly taken from the person of Mr. James Marsh, the SOO of a
timber-merchant, 461. in cash and bank-notes. On their estienra.
lion, and on their trial, that gentleman swore positively to their
identity, and both were convicted and sentenced to death. The
prisoner Ferris at each time solemnly declared her laminate
of the crime, and so emphatic was her declaration on her being
pronounced guilty, that it attracted the attention of the thee
Sheriff Mr. Alderman Brown, who, having trade impair',
exerted himself, and succeeded in having her sentence respited.
Since the trial, Foster the officer received such Information as led to
the apprehension of two other females, named Shute and yarn,
who were yesterday brought before Messrs. Hardwick and Wyatt.
Previous, however, to the case being gone into, the 3figistraws
expressed some difficulty in entertaining it, the more so an Mr.
Marsh, the prosecutor, is at present confined in St. Luke's Lunatic
Asylum, and therefore incapable of attending. On the objection
being made, Foster the officer stated that he had lately learned that
there were, at the time the robbery was committed, two persons in
Wenn, ort h.street, who could give important evidence as to the eu ilt
of the parties now accused, and the innocence of Ferris; and indeed,
said he, since the apprehension of the prisoners they have admitted
their criminality, and completey ex 'oersted the latter.
Bannister, a turncoek, then tiepotted to his being in Wentworth-
street one evening in June last, when he maw the two prisoners for
in custody, with the convict Davis: they were, as he thought, lark.
ing with a young man, and shortly afterwards separated; that WM
whom he believed to be Mr. llarsh, did not then say he was robbed,
but walked el'
quietly, tea if about his business.
Magistrate.-Then you did not know that Ferris was in canted►
once, charged With having on that evening committed a robbery is
company willk Daviaand another female ?—I
Magistrate—Why did you not attend the trial ? Your evident
then would haveleen most important, and in all probability haw
effected the discharge of that unfortunate creature, whose life ass
so near being yacriticed, and who, at the present moment, is radar.
in g all the horrors of incarceration ?
Witterss—rnever received any directions to do so; and thew.
fore thought it unnecesmary.
On Wetting' to the evidence, of given by Mr. Marsh at this
office and at the Old Bailey, it appeared that that gentleman, on
being robbed, called out repeatedly; ancobtr witness conobonted
the testimony of the witness Bannister,both as regarded the tobbery
and the identity of the prisoners now in monody.
Mr. HARDW/CI remarked on the descrepancies which appealed
between the statement of the present witnesset and that given by
Mr. Marsh, particularly as to his calling out for assistance when
plundered. Ile regretted that his state of health prevented his as.
tendance, as were it otherwise an opportunity would be afforded
of contrasting their testimony. It was with reluctance that he
(Mr. IL) received supplementary evidence. especially in a ewe
on the merits of which a Jury bad already decided, and be thought
that doing so very much contributed to sap the foundatkn of
justice. In the present. instance, as the witnesses had no (Koller.
don of dates, there was no proof that the transaction they alluded
to was the same in which Marsh was concerned.
The prisoners were remanded.

' Eintone.—A melancholy act of self-destruction was per-
petrated on Tuesday morning, between the hours of three and fee.
by Mr. Godfrey, surgeon, of the Borough, who put a penal to hit
existence by cutting his throat. Yesterday forenoon, at an inqueo
held on the body, at the Town Hall, it was stated by has hots-
keeper, who slept in an adjoining room to the deceased, that ex
was awakened from her sleep by the noise of her muter, when 4c
immediately rose and entered Ida room, and, Boding him out of
bed, remonstrated with him, and requested him to take his airof,
tine .mil return to bed, lie said he would not take his medial%
but instated on having some bready and water, and at the moment
seized fi razor, and in the attempt to cut his throat bin housekeeper
seized his band, and with great exertion wrested the war from
him, and in so doing wounded both her hands severely. Tattled
that she had secured the murderous weapon, she went to the ri,:nT
and called to a fellow.acrvant to come to her assistance Dtnog
the interval the deceased opened& drawer and took soother. in°.
with which he nearly severed his head from his body. The Jury
returned a verdict of„ Mcntal Derangement." The deceased •s+
supposed to be about 60 years of age, and had formerly been a sut.
gem In the Royal Nary.

BIRTHS.
On the 30th ult. at Rnockdrin Castle, county of IVeattnanh. the
Hon. Lady Levinge, of a son.
At Cesar Fraser, on the 11th inst, the lady of Colonel Fraser, Of
a son.
On the 111th Inst. in Doughty serest, the lady of 31 B. Peacock.
Esq. of a daughter.

MARRIED.
On the Bth inst. at Pewick Church, in Worcestershire, lesiva:,
Hanbury Ksq. of C,oldbrook Park, in Mcninosthbote.
to Elisabeth Anne Paklngton, youngest daughter of the tate ‘1
Russell, Cry. of Powick.court.
On the 13th Inst. Hasler Capron, Esq. of the 31fflille TerPle•
h)amrtmlsltenrn.aet,, to Prances Georgians, eldest daughter of Sir 01.
(

D11:1).
On the 25th ult. at Torquay. Devon. Phrehe, wife of Nur,
Kirkland, Eq. late of Teddington Grove, in the county of 314.
dime.
On the 11th hist. aged 21, John, second son of A. H. Stevan',
Esq. of Stoke Park, Suffolk.
On the 12th inst. at Ed wardes-ol.ice, Kensington, in the 711d1,
year of her ace, 81ts. Southard, relict of George Southard, En. 0.
Totness, Devon.
On Tuesday, at his residence in Catrden.town, John Blew. leg'
the 88th year of his age
On the 13th inst. at his house at Pi olloway, in his 64th yen+. )lt.
AshurTite, of that pin the frith lace, and of Senchisrch•strect, 10:1101.'
(hi the 12th inst.
wife of John Haynes Harrison, Esq. of Eopfonl Hall, in the coo f
of Essex
year of her age. Sash Iho t

HIGH WATER AT LONDON BRIDGE THIS HAV,
Morning, 38 min. after 6. I Evening, 58 min. ago 5.

/*tinted at THE BRITISI I PRESS Office. by J. IV. Castro/1
1.81, Strand, awl published by R. Can no x, sam• 14.6*

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