The British Press; or, Morning Literary Advertiser.
London, England, 1825-09-29 00:00:00

BOW-STREET.

A man about fifty years of age was yesterday charged with felony.
On the night of the fire in Pickett.street, the prisoner had
been employed by Cox, a ahopman of Mr. Essex's, in consequence
of his having a previous knowledge of him, to assist in removing
the 'property that was endangered by the fire; when that object
was effected. Cox desired the prisoner to watch the shop whilst he
went to look after the firemea. On his going out of the door,
Edwards, the constable, drew his attention to the prisoner's con-
duct, and he observed him take two watches out of a drawer, in
which there were about 150 others, and put them into his pocket ;
he then gave him into custody, and the prisoner upon being
questioned regarding the watches gave them up.
The prisoner was then fully committed.
IiATTON-DARDEN.
John Williams, a gaol bird, just delivered from his cage, was re.
conducted to this office yesterday, charged by Mr. John Owen,
a dealer in marine-stores., m Field-street,• Battle-bridge, with steal-
ing a pair of second-hand (or rather second-leg) boots.
It appeared from the evidence of a groom. whose name we could
not catch, but who resides in die same pleasant neighbor hood,
that as he was that morning walking along the street above-
mentioned, he encountered Mr. Williams, who produced the b9ots
in question front under his coat (in courtesy so called) and of-
fered them to him for tale at the price of a shilling a boot. Un-
fortunately for the dealer and chapman, his customer recognised the
articles as old seqoaiatances, towards which he hid often cast a
longing eye when. in paining his neighbour Owen's shop, he had
seen them exp6,ed, hut ton temptingly as it now appeared, in the
panelesa window, glitterir.g in the sun in all the glorious efful.
genee of Day and Martin. Strock at the sight of them in the
possession of a gent/moan of M. Williams's appearance, he paused,
examined the boots with a more scrutinising eye, and being fully
convinced of their identity, desired the vendor to go into the Olive

' Branch, an adjoining public-house, and call for a pint of ale at hls
(the groom's) expense, while he went home to ransack his ex-
cite:per for a sum sufficient to complete that demand. This, how-
ever, he observed to the Magistrate, was only a mantenvre " for the
purpose of toying blot," and coy enough he was on his return ;
fur, observing his expected customer making his entre, in company
with the ci-devant proprietor of the boots, Mr. IVilliams, thinking
probably that the one point of law still in favour of Mr. Owen,
would prove of more avail titan the nine said to be vested in him-
self in virtue of possession, fairly bolted, not forgetting, however,
to carry with hint the prize he had laboured so hard to secure.
" Stop thief," was vociferated and repeated half way down Gray's
Inn.lane ; every body, however, for a considerable time rather
joining in the recommendation than taking any active measures to
put it In force. At length, however, a cow-keeper, most pseudony-
mously called Dandy, seized the fugitive, and grasping him with
a vigour utterly at variance with the effeniinacy of his patrony.
Ink, secured him till the arrival of Thompson, the patrol, who
took him into custody.
The boots were now produced and sworn to by Mr. Owen as his
property, although he had not witnessed their abstraction.
Thompson also laid before his Worship, a short iron bar, known
among " professors" by the name of a "jemmy," which he had
found upon the prisoner, whose dress, a tattered gaol uniform, he.
spoke him not long restored to liberty : a fact, indeed, which Mr.
Williams admitted. .

The defence made was not an uncommon one. " Be," the
prisoner, had " found the boots in the streets." His Worship
shook his bead, and sent hint beck to his old quarters.
Mary Groves. a wandering melodist, was then brought up,
charged by Mr. John Spawn, of Portpool-lane, with having given
vent to such a series of discords opposite his house, that he and the
whole neighbourhood were put completely out of tune.
It appeared front the fair syren's defence, which she delivered In
broken English, that she is a native of Valenciennes, and the wi-
dow of a British soldier, by whom she has three children. For the
support of herself and her young ones, she had entered into a joint
stock company with an Italian, an eminent performer on the hurdy-
(curdy, whom she accompanied in his harmonious perambulations,
in order to exchange their notes for others of a more substantial
description, notes, alas I " by distance made more sweet," as the
poet too truly remarks. The Signor, however, it seems, had con-
stituted himself receiver-general, and while she was warbling, he
turned his hurdy-gurdy with one hand and took all the money with
the other. It was in a fruitless attempt to procure for herself a
participation in the fruits of their combined talents, which he who
hated " dry restitution," endeavoured to evade, that the riot she
was charged withal took place, and for which Mr. Spawn, who, it
would seem, is
" A man that has no music In his soul,
And is not moved with concord of sweet sounds,"
committed her to the custody of the watchhouse-keeper of Saffron.
hill. Madame Groves, in support of her allegations, exhibited her
arms, &a from the appearance of which it might certainly be fairly
inferred that his cm:terms had, at least, given her something to
remember him by, if he had not paid her in the coin she wished,
her skin exhibiting much discolouration, evidently the effect of
blows.

His 11, orship, moved at this thorough base conduct of the musi-
cian, In beating not only time, but his companion into the bargain,
expressed It» opinion that she was rather an object of pity than of
punishment, and dismissed her with a caution to be rather more
piano in future in urging her demands, and a hint, that if the Sig-
nor executed many more movements of the same description, his
divertimento might end in a chord he little expected.
NOlf-IDINTITT or STOLEN PROPERTY.—Yesterday
genteelly dressed young man, named George Lowe, was brought
before A. S. LAING, Esq. for re-examination, on a charge of
stealing a pair of gig-reins, value 10s., the property of his em-
ployer, 111 r. Thomas Squires, livery-stable-keeper, of Compton-
mews, hunter-street, Brunswick-square.
The prisoner, it appeared, had been for nearly ten years In the
service of Mr. Squires, as hostler. Some time back a pair of reins
were missed out of the yard, but no trace could be had of them
until Saturday evening, when a respectable gentleman, residing in
the neighbourhood, put up his gig and horse at the stables, and on
accidentally looking at the harness, .Me. Squires imagined he had
found the reins so long missing. Ile thereupon inquired of the
owner from whom he had them, and the reply was, that "they
were purchased from Lowe, the hostler," who was, therefore, given
in charge to the night-constable of the Foundling Estate watch-
house, upon which charge he was brought up at this Office, before
Mr. Cairo, on Monday morning.
The reins were produced, and Mr. Squires described having
lost a pair of that sort, and swore positively that they were dap
same.

The prisoner, Lowe, declared his innocence in the steadiest man-
ner, and entreated Mr. Squires to be cautious how lie persisted in
the identity, as he could bring forward the most undeniable proofs
that the pair of reins to which he was now swearing, never were in
his ( Mr. Squire's) possession.
Mr. LAING desired hint, if he could, to show how they had got
into his (prisoner's) possession, as it appeared he did not mean to
deny having sold them to the gentleman in whose custody they
were found.
The prisoner replied, that as he was about getting into busi-
ness on his own account, he had been in the habit, for sonic time,
of occasionally making a few purchases of harness and other things
in his line. The reins now produced were bought at the shop of
Mr. Watts, a harness-maker, in Long-acre; end the man who
bad made them, and was present at the time they were bought,
was now in attendance to prove the same.
Mr. Squires said, that ho could not possibly be mistaken ; the
reins which he lost had a peculiar sort of buckle, which he meld
safely swear to any where.
On the part of the prisoner, the harness-maker was then sworn,
and in the fullest manner, by his evidence, sustained the prisoner's
allegation.
Mr. Lein° asked him how he courk undertake to swear poet.
lively to those reins?
The witness said, that he could safely swear to his own work.
manship, because the stitching was of a very remarkable de-
scription.
Mr. LAING said, it appeared to him that the evidence of Mr.
Watts was necessary in support of the prisoner's defence ; as Mr.
Squires had sworn so positively to the property, and the prisoner
being about to leave his employment, a strong suspicion of guilt
was at least natural. Ile should therefore expect the prisoner to
give 20W. hail for himself, and two sureties of 1001. each, to an-
swer for his appearance on Wednesday (yesterday) when the case
would undergo still further inquiry.
Yesterday, at twelve o'clock. all parties were in attendance.
Mr. Hartman appeared on behalf of the prisoner.
The only new evidence produced was that of Mr. Watts, who
swore that the reins were manufactured by or for him, and that lie
had sold them to the prisoner for Iris., about the time stated.
Mr. Hertmen contended, that this evidence, coupled with that
of the workman who had actually made the reins (and alto must,
of course, be quite competent to identify them), was conclusive
testimony in favour of the innocence of his client. It should, be.
sides, have been considered that lie was ten years in the com-
plainant's employ, and that during that period he bad maintained
a character of irreproachable honesty., sobriety, and attention.
The prisoner was then discharged, and it was intimated that
proceedings would be immediately taken against Squires for false
imprisonment.
OBSERV•NCE or THE SA.BBATII.--JaMeTbfaSOCI, the landlord
of the Noah's Ark public-house, Woodbridge-street, Clerkenwell,
appeared to a summons for allowing drinking in his house during
dime service nn Sunday last.
Mr. flute, high-constable of the Finsbury division, stated that
he found between thirty and forty persons of the very lowest cha.
raster, drinking in a back room, on the first floor of the defendant's
house, between the lours of twelve and one o'clock on Sunday
Inst.

Bugg, the beadle, spoke to the same effect, and described the
Noah's Ark as a very 111.conduct.d house, constantly open to low
and depraved characters.
. . . . . . .

The.defendant contended that the people found in the house
were either lodgers, or the frieade of lodgers, whom he had no tight
to turn out.

• Both Mr. LATWO and Sergeant SELLON expressed their disap.
probation of such a defence being set up, as on that pretext the
tap-room company might be invited up stairs by the lodgers, and a
constant scene of riot and c.isorder kept up at a time when they
should be otherwise employed.
. The defendant was fined in the mitigated penalty of 40s. and
costs, with an admonition that the nest time ho was found so of.
finding, the heaviest punishment that the law allowed would be
inflicted.