The British Press; or, Morning Literary Advertiser.
London, England, 1824-12-31 00:00:00

TUE DANDER AND MS BRAM.

Mr. Meaty, the barber of Threadneedle-street, app. ...e
the Lord Mayor upon a summons, to answer the nmipinint mad.
by an elderly femnle of keeping several hears, which were not in a
sufficient state of restraint to prevent them injuring his Majesty's
sobjvcts. Mr. Along was summoned some time since on a com-
plaint of a 11111ilit nature, made against him and a rival barber
named M`Alpine. It then appeared, that not only the masters but
their bears were in the habit of quarrelling, to the gnat annoyance
of the neighbour*, and the obstruction of the public thoroughfare.
lint!: then premised that their bears, which were often at large in
their shops, should in future be au confined as to prevent their in.
jarring nay oue.
The complainant stated, that a few days since she was passing
by the house of the defendant, rinse to the cellar window, when
site was suddenly seized by the clothes, and stopped. Ifn turning
rotund she perceived, to her great horror, that a bear, which was in
the defendant's cellar, had put its paws out and seised them. She
was an frightened that she was unable to make any attempt to re.
lease herself trona the savage creature, but a gentleman who was
passing mime up mid tore her clothes from it. She hail suffered
very hutch from the terror into which the attack had thrown her.

. . .
Mr. Money expressed his concern for what had taken place, but
he deebtred that the complainant must he in error when she stated
that tissi bier thrust out Its paw, tor the grating wan purposely
made se narrow as to render it quite impossible. The probability
was that she ventured too clime, and that her clothes tell though
the grating in such a manner as to enable the animal to catch hold
of it.. 'l'he poor creature meant no hens ; it only intended to ainuse
itself •lisle ; and as to the charge brought against the whole of the
bears which lie kept that they were ferocious, he denied it in foto.
Ile stated that he kept twenty of them in that !AMC cellar, where
they all lived together as harmlessly and as playfully as lambs. it
grieved him exreedingly that lie hail been obliged that morning to
•' shook" *ix of them. Whatever injury the complainant had sus-
tained, be was ready to tuake her compensation tor; but he must
maintain his right to keep these creatures, and could not allow a
Aaron r to be Kited them whit h they did not deserve.
The lined Mayor said, that the defendant had certainly a right
to keep hears if he thought proper, but then lie must keep them in
a state of greater security, and take care that the passengers were
nut endangei ed. or the neighbour► disturbed by thew- His id"-
ship expressed his willingness that the parties should retire and
settle the matter. This .111 done, when Mr. Money came thrward
and intimated that the affair was accommodated. lie promised that
tin opportunity for compland sha6bi b: given in future. The case
was then dismissed.

BAIRBAROUS MURDER c.

From the Il'ohArrhomplem Cronick, I)ce. 29.1

A cottage, called the liorse Renoir, in the parish of Iteshbury,
situated on the turnpike-road, leading, to Cannock, and between
three and fur miles only from this town, became on Srednesday
last the scene of • most dishonest murder, perpetreted in the
broad light of day, upon .Inn Spencer, a poor and aged woman,
the wife of Edwaid Si:ricer, a labourer ; the circumstances of
which we as follow :

About three o'clock on the day mentioned, one of ('alone! Ver-
non Graham's servants called at the cottage with a peek of malt,
as a CIITIMMUI present for Spencer and his wife; the door being
open he went in, and upon the kitchen floor perceived some blond,
which excited his alarm, and receiving no answer to his call few
the inmates, he proceeded up stairs, where the dreadful spectacle
presented itself of the niiird•red hotly of the poor old creature, still
warm, lying on the etriiiilar floor, her long hair being turned
over her face so as to mime it ; her head was dreadfully mangled,
and there was a violent wound under her right Cie, and a severe
bruise upon the back of her hand, which she must have received
in endeavouring to ward cot the blows of her inhuman marderer,
which are supposed to have been inflicted with a hammer, or
wine heavy instrument. There is little doubt but the horrid
deed was committed io the kitchen (a considerable quantity of
blood being smeared about the floor), and the body afterwards
dragged into the chamber above; and the stairs being steep and
narrow, it was thought that more than one must have been con.
eerned, from the great strength it would require to convey the
corpse up them.
The unfortunate victim had been at a neighhour's house, at a
short distance, for unite time, and which she left about half an
hour only before the discovery ; it is therefore certain that her
own dwelling had born entered during her absence, and on her re-
turn the munlennis ;ovue was made. The door had been forced
open with a potato fork, the marks of the prongs being still visible,
and that the plundering of this honest and industrious couple was
the villaotaus object in il.is atrocious rinse is evident, because the
house bad been stripped of several articles of wearing apparel. A
reward of MM. was immediately offered for the discovery of the per.
petratoni; and on Thursday morning, -Mr. Richard Btiggory, an
Active assistant covetable of this town, found that at file. Moores,
pawnbroker, in Barlingtoreatreet, several articles, vie., a black
coat and watsecost, a pair of corduroy small-clothes, a shirt, two
shifts, two shawls, and a handkerchief, had been pledged on the
preceding night ; end they have all been identified as those which
were taken front the cottage and the same night lie succeeded in
apprehending ninnies Powell. the person who had pawned them
in his own nume, but who then denied the circumstance. though
.Mrs. Moore was glebe positive as to his identity. The neat
morning, however, he acknowledged having pledged the articles,
and said they were given to hint by Wm. Edwards, better known
by the name of I 'odsall Will, who has since been apprehended, but
he denies the transaction altogether.
A Coroner's Jury was summoned by Ilenry Smith, Esq. on
Friday, to the !Memel Eseington and the gentlemen composing
it took a view of the body, which a as alto insreted by a surgeon ;
but no 'annul:lo.m of witnesses was entered into, and the inquiry
was adjourned till Friday next.
On Sunday the interment took place at Rushbury ; and after
the ceremony, the Iteir. .1. Clare addresses' the spectators on the
subject of the iiithmeholy scene they had assembled to witness, by
which they were deeply affected.
The deceased was upwards of severity yeses of age, and was the
mother of several children, who are all in creditable situations. Tim
cottage has a garden in front, and though on the turnpike-road, is
in a lonely place, on the edge of Ifilton.mak, there being no other
house very near, and it had before been robbed twice within toe
regent year.
Powell and Edwards arc both kept in safe custody in this town.
The limner is about thirty years of age, rather short, and stoutly
made, very fresh-coloured, and has remarkably straight !leek
hair. He coitus from the neighbourhinel of Stained, and 011
Monday underwent an examination at our Police-office, aid was
committed on a charge of breaking into the house of Charles Mar-
shall, near lenkridge, uo the Fdth inst., and stealing some articles
of wearing apparel, tend s gold ring.
Yesterday se'ilnight an inquisition was held at Tinton, before
Henry Smith, Eat. ))))) nee, and by adjournment on Alone's! last,
Urall the body at William Bowater, when a verdict of," %Viten'
Itirder" was returned against Janus Bunt, under the following
circumstances, as detailed in the evidence.
. .

..... --..---, .
On Saturday, the 111th instant, • pint company, consisting of
thirty-six men, who worked at the Moat Colliery, asrembled in the
hovel, at six o'clock in the evening, to drink, and several of them,
among whom were llovrater and Hunt, remained till twelve at
night, whm they all left, and no quarrelling hail been heard be-
tween them. Bunt and Bowater proceeded towards their homes
at Coady, and when on the road were heard wrangling, and Hunt
used these expressions, " If you don't be qnirt, cursing and black.
guarding rue, I'll strike you ; ' and " Bill, 1 am not able to stand
against you." Shortly 'fill', Ilowatcr was found lying upon the
ground, the blond flowing copiously from his left thigh ; and being
asked what was the matter. replied, " Oh ! good Lord ! he has
stabbed me." Hunt was standing by crying and tearing his hair.
A. chair was procured and the woituded man taken to a house
which wus near, but in so exhausted a state front the leas of blood,
that the only answer he made to questions put to hint was, •• Let
me he down ;" anti in about twenty minutes ufter lie expired,
before surgical Main:MCC wan obtained. Hunt appeared in a state
of great anxiety and distress, and repeatedly called to Donate',
" Do, (Sod blear you, Hilly, speak to me ;" but he was so faint
that he could not reply.
From tht examination of the body by 'a surgeon, it appears,
that the wound on the thigh is about two inches and a half long,
and three anent.' deep, which seems to here been inflicted by
knife or noire very alisrp instrument, and slurs is also a small
wound in the inside of the left ars: _ _

liunt has absconded, ■nd has not since been heard of, and an
advertisement, describing his person, and offering a reward of
teem, guineas fur his apprehension, has been published.

Mumma or A TITIIi PROCTOR.—Thera is a myste-
rious story in circulation, of the murder of a tithe proctor,
on Wednesday last. It is stated to have occurred in the
house of a gentleman near Blessington. We are not in
possession or further particulars, than that the deceased
was at the time engaged in the collection of his dues, and
that the owner of the house is a Protestant.—Dublin Paper.
The haggard of a farmer, named William Ilaycs, redid-
lug at liallyscatilan, barony of I ippt.r Connelloc, in this
county, was set tire to on Nlonilay night by some malicious
incendiaries, and all the hay and oats contained therein
consumed. The perpetrators have not been discovered,
although the police made every search.—On Monday
evening last James Lynch was waylaid on his return from
time lair of Newmarket, county of Clare, to his residence at
Mogbane, by a large party of men, who beat him in such
a barbarous manner that ho died the Btu day.--Linierick
rvn

A melancholy spectacle was presented on Tuesday in the
lam or passage between Broad-street and the square : a
wretched looking man, in the agonies of death, lying on
wine straw in a car, attended by two Roman Catholic
clergymen, who, on hearing of his being there, promptly
repaired to administer the last rites of religion to the dying
creature. After lying in this state for some time, exposed
to the gaze of the passing crowds, he was at length removed
to an unoccupied house in the square, where he soon
ceased to breathe. We understand that lie had been
brought into town in the morning by a humane country-
man, who found him lying on the road side, about four
man west of the city, nearly imoo-ible, errantly ham
holier Frc-nr,m's • hildllriod.