The British Press; or, Morning Literary Advertiser.
London, England, 1825-11-19 00:00:00

THE BRITISH PRESS.

It appears that the Company employ a vast number of carriers
to perambulate the metropolis with milk for sale, and these men,
when they enter the Company's service, are paid 20s. a week, so
long as they continue in the employ, but are bound by a written
contract, that a week's warning shall be given on both aides should
there be any disagreement; and the contract also prohibits any of
the Company's servants from setting up in the milk business dur-
ing one year after their discharge, within five miles of the Com-
pany's dairy, upon pain of a forfeiture of ten shillings for every
day they are detected so offending. The defendant entered into the
Company's service under these stipulations, and left in October
last, and set up for himself, contrary to the provisions of his con.
tract, and was detected by the Company's servants three different
days, serving milk to the customers of the Alderney dairy, and in
consequence this action was brought, to recover the sum of 305., be-
ing 10s. for each day, under the said contract.
The jury found a verdict for the plaintiffs, to the amount sued
for—Damages ifils.

POLICE.

MANSION-HOUSE.

.
Yesterday a Stockbroker was brought before the Lord Mayor,
charged with having appropriated to his own use, the sum of 3001.
intrusted to his care to purchase stock in the consolidated three
per cent. annuities.
The Rev. Henry Hodgkinson, of Arborfield, in the county of
Berks. gave testimony to the following tfrect :—He had been in the
habit of taking money to London, for Mm. Elizabeth Howard,
of Reading, for the purpose of investing it in the public funds,
and had several times employed the prisoner to make purchases
for that lady. On the 10th day 01 March, Mr. Hodgkinson
called at the prisoner's office, but not finding him, left an order,
directing him to purchase stock in the three per cent. coneols, to
the amount of 300/. in the name of Mrs. Howard. On the fol-
lowing day, he called again at the office, and prisoner informed
him that he had made the purchase required, and gave an account,
bearing his signature, and purporting to be in his hand-writing.
Mr. Hodgkinson having looked it over, paid the prisoner the
money, amounting to the sum of 2801. 17s. od. consisting of Bank
of England nova, and notes of the bank of Messrs. Stephens,
Harris, and Stephens, of Reading. The prisoner promised to for.
ward the stock receipt on the following day to 111 r. Hodgkinson,
but that gentleman never received it, and, therefore, wrote to the
prisoner, complaining of the delay, lie received by return of post,
the following letter:—
"London, March 21, 1825.
" Dear Sir—l an sorry to find by your letter this morning, that
you have not received Sirs. Howard's stock receipt. I sent it to a
friend on Friday, requesting hint to procure a frank and forward
it for me, but which, I am tearful, lie neglected to do. I have sent
to him this morning, but am informed he will not be in town till
to-morrow, when I will ea/1 and see that the receipt is forwarded,
if not already done.
" I remain, dear Sir, yours, truly obliged.
" The Rev. 11. Hodgkinson."
As Mr. Hodgkinson found that the acknowledgment was not
forthcoming, be went to the Bank, where he ascertained that thy
stock had not been purchased at all. The prisoner appeared to be
astonished at hearing of this circumstance, but said it was not too
late to rectify the error, which no doubt his clerk had made. The
rectification, however, never took place.
A clerk of the Bank of England corroborated Mr. Hodgkinson's
statement.

The Solicitor for the prisoner submitted that the prosecution
could not be 'supported, inasmuch as Mrs. Howard had instituted
civil proceedings for the recovery of the money.
Mr. Butler, clerk to Mr. Hornier, said that by the Act of Par.
!lament the injured person could seek both civil and criminal means
of redress.
The Lorin MAYOR said the case was a clear one.
Mr. Hodgkinson, in speaking of the transaction to the Lord
Mayor, said he had some months ago lent the sum of 30W. to the
prisoner out of his own picket, to relieve him in his necessity ; that
money he considered totally lost. He certainly attributed the con-
duct of the prisoner to misfortunes, arising from adverse specula-
tions on the Sank Exchange during the rage for the possession of
shares, and he had never before experienced any injury upon his
own part or the part of a friend before from him. The prisoner's
father and the prisoner himself had done business for bun for 20
years.
The prisoner's Solicitor assured the Lord Mayor, that the unfor-
tunate young man's calamity had been attributed to the right cause.
He requested, and it was with the consent of Mr. Hodgkinson,
that his client should be remanded for a day or two; he said he was
convinced that by that time something mare favourable would al.
pear in the case.
Mr. Hodgkinson humanely declared that he had not the slightest
objection, and the prisoner was accordingly remanded until yester-
day. When the case came forward for re.examination yesterday,
no person appeared aftainst the prisoner, whereupon
The LORD MAYOR said he had remanded the prisoner at the
urgent request of several persons of respectability, and particularly
at the request of the prosecutor himt.elf, who seemed to take a
humane interest in the situation of the young man. His Lordship
observed that he could well conceive why the injured parties for.
bore to attend, but the case upon the depositions laid before him
appeared to be of such a nature that he thought it his duty to
order the prisoner to find bail to answer to the charge that might
hereafter be made against him at the Sessions.
The prisoner was then bailed in two sureties for 50/. each, and
was discharged.
The LORD MAYOR, when the case was thus disposed of, said
he should in future be very cautious how he discharged persons
against whom charges of so serious a nature were brought, except
he saw that there was a palpable deficiency of evidence.

GUILDHALL.
A general feeling of disgust and horror was excited yesterday in
this justice-room, by the examination of a young woman named
Catherine Evans, who was charged before Mr. Alderman Ass-
LEY with purloining a very handsome large cat, with intent to
possess herself of its skin.
The complainant, a green-grocer, of the name of Long, in
' Clothfair, stated that he observed the prisoner come up to his door
about six o'clock the previous evening, and coax his cat to the
threshold, which, being a very kind and sociable animal, was no
difficult matter, when she suddenly snatched it up, hid it under
her cloak, and walked off with it. He let her proceed some dia.
tance before he attempted to arrest her progress, and when he
seized her she nppeared greatly alarmed, and immediately let poor
puss fall to the ground. Ile gave her in custody to Jones, the offi-
cer, who searched her, and found in her pockets the skins of six
more animals of the feline species, all quite warm, and all obviously
stript from the carcasses since dusk that evening. She had also a
proper knife for ripping off the skin, and a piece of cats' meat to be
used as a bait. Several of his neighbours, he said, had of late been
unaccountably deprived of their favourite tabbies, and one of them
had, a few mornings ago, found his cat actually crawling about
alive, though deprived of the whole of its skin.
The constable exhibited the skins and knife he had found on the
prisoner, and Mr. Long carried the cat about in his arms.
Corby, the streetkeeper of St. Andrew's, Holborn, recognised
the prisoner as what he called " a regular morning sneak," and one
whom lie had long suspected of being a purveyor of cats' fur. It was
now the practice, he said, to strip the cats up the first convenient
by-place, and the bare carcasses might be seen about some parts of
his pariah to the number of twenty in a morning.
Long, the prosecutor, also stated that he had seen above a score
of naked carcasses at a time under a gateway in Lincoln's-Inn-
fields.

The prisoner cried most bitterly, and in answer to questions put
by the worthy Alderman, said she got her living by selling fruit
and dealing in rabbit-skins ; that she lived in Tash.court, Gray's-
Inn-lane, and that she bought the cat-skins found on her from a
boy for is. and should sell them again for 7d. each.
'f he worthy Alderman seemed quite at a loss how to deal with
the delinquent, and remanded her until to-morrow (this day), that
he might make up his mind on the subject.
We need scarcely add, that stealing more valuable animal, a
dog, is not an offence by the common law, and that the statute only
imposes a tine upon it. There is no law for the protection of cats.

lIATTON-GARDEN.
Fottorly.--Yesterday Samuel Mappirt, an elderly man, having
in his appearance some claim to faded respectability, was charged
with defrauding Mr. J. Healey, glass-manufacturer, 58, Great
Saffron-hill, of certain goods and moneys, by forging and uttering
two bills, purporting to be drawn by Mr. George Richardson,
cutler, of High-street. Kensington, on Messrs. Rowbotham, Wing-
field, and Wade, of Tenter-street, Sheffield, cutters and factors,
and indorsed in the name of William Johnson, for 141. 10s. and
251. 103. respectively.
It appeared that about six weeks ago the prisoner called at Mr.
Heals 's house, and described himself as a dealer in general goods;
he said, that having an extensive connection, both in London and
in the country, he might be able to effect a considerable sale in the
article of glass, and that if Mr. Healey would do business on fair
terms, he would give him an order. Mr. llealey expressed his
readiness to do so, and the prisoner ordered about 61. worth
of cut-glass, and tendered one of the forged bills in payment.
lie described himself as being the indorses. " Wm. Johnson,"
and said that he had succeeded 31r. Richardson as town agent to
Messrs. Rowbotham and Co., and in order to satisfy Mr. Healey's
scruples he gave two references, one to Mr. 'lima and another to
Mr. Freik, of Leather.lane, both in the Sheffield trade. Inquiry
was made at these places, and they bore testimony to the respect-
ability of the acceptors. Mr. Healey did not hesitate to execute
the order, and the remaining 81. 10.. was paid to the prisoner on
the following day. In some time after prisoner called again, and
said that he wanted some cut glass basins to the value of 31. Gs.,
and tendered the second bill, similarly drawn, for 251. 10s., observ-
ing that he was very short of cash, and requested to have the
balance immediately. On examining this bill Mr. Healey observed
a strong similarity in the hand-writing of the drawer and the in.
dorsee, " Johnson," and pleading a want of money, he declined
cashing it, particularly is the former bill was then nearly due, and
he wished to ascertain its fate ; however, at the prisoner's earnest
solicitations he did advance 21. cash, together with the 31. fis.
worth of goods, and the prisoner premised to cal for the remainder
I on the 'l'uesday &Wowing, which he did not, nor had Mr.
Healey seen any thing of him until he was taken into custody.
The bills were presented at blesses. Ransom and Co.'s, Pen-
man, where the prisoner said McFall. Rowbotham and Co. kept an
account, but payment was refused, as that statement was altogteher
false. Some correspondence afterwards passed between Messrs.
Ruwbothani and Mr. Healey, from which the latter ascertained
pelf
that the bills had been for . The prisoner was taken into cus-
tody at No. 5, Pelham-p c, Grangsroad, Bermondsey, where
he tad given an address. 0 was at first denied, but when a
threat was made so search the house, be endeavonred to escape over

the palings in the rear. He was pursued with the cry of " atop
thief!" and captured.
The prisoner was asked If he had anything to offer in his defence.
He hesitated for some time, and Mr. Rogers told him that he
need not say anything unless he thought proper.
The prisoner then said, " I never either drew or indorsed the
bills. I had them front a person named John►on, in Shoreditch,
whom I have been looking after for several days."
The prisoner was remanded, in order that a partner of the firm of
Howhothant and Co., of Sheffield, and the bankers' clerk, might be
present at bia next examination.

SPORTING INTELLIGENCE.

HUNTING APPOINTJIENTS.

H. Jolittle. Esq.'s fox hounds will meet on Tuesday at Box-lull,
Thursday at Chipstedd Church, and Saturday at Platt'sjipssn—ai
eleven.
The Surrey fox hounds on Monday at Ramsey-green, Thursday
at the Crown, Ash-hill, and Saturday at the Half-Moon, Godstane
Wood—at half-past ten.
The hairier' on Monday, Wednesday, and Saturday, at Sander.
stead—at ten.