The British Press; or, Morning Literary Advertiser.
London, England, 1824-10-01 00:00:00

CIIILD.STEALLVC.

This abominable practice has latterly become almost as prevalent
as clilld-dropping ; and although both are distinguished by an
equal degree of cruelty, yet It is somewhat singular that the latter
'is punishable to a ninth greater extent. The following case, cow-
tounteated from the best authority, exhibits a pretty fair picture of
the brutality exercised towanls the little innocents thus spirited away
from their natural protocol :--
About three weeks ago, James Thorpe. a fine boy nearly five
years old, son to Mr. Thomas Thorpe, ship-carpenter. of Black.
wall, suddenly disappeared from hone. As the boy had been in the
habit of following his father to the river-side. it was at first appre-
hended that he had fallen into the i.ater and perished ; search was
made, hut no tidings could be had of the poor buy for two days, when
the child's mother happenin; to mention the circumstance at a
neighbouring public-house, the bar-maid stated that she had seer:
young Thorpe on the evening of his disappearance, in company
with a strarge woman, and an itinerant tinker, who were subse-
quently traced to London, having taken a boat for the Tower.
stairs, at Blackwell, arid brought the boy with them. The poor
father, by dint of inquiry, and the offer of la considerable reward,
at length got some intelligence of the route they had taken.
which was towards Islington; and at a house much frequented by
those traielling gentry, he obtained further intelligence of the man
and woman as described by him, but none of the buy t the woman
was said to have quarrelled with her companion, who was then
disposing of his merchandise, and the tonna. had, in the interim,
carried away the boy somewhere towards town ; however, as the
tinker bad left a donkey in the field, it was presumed he would re.
turn to take ft sway, and Mr. Thorpe was advised to wait his ar-
rivel, as It was most probable he might be compelled to disclose
the woman's haunts, or, at all events, be made to assist in the re.
every of the child. Agreeable to expectation, the tinker returned
to the usual rendezvous at night, intending to take to the road at
an early hour on the following morning. Mr. Thorpe being
apprised of hi* arrival, procured the assistance of one of
the local constables, and took the fellow into custody ; at
first he aueinpted to deny all knowledge either of the woman
or child, but being threatened with prosecution for abetting in the
crime, he confessed everything. The woman's name was Margaret
Parker • she had been fur sonic years an active member in the cc-
lebratettgipsy gang that are known to infest the road from Muni-
low to l othdon, but from decrepitude and age, combined with many
external causes, she has latterly abandoned tbe fraternity, and be-
come kidnapper, having carried off several children with the view
of inducing the parents to offer large rewards fur their rourratieu ;
and when that has failed, she generally disposed of them to
her old confederates, who put them to the torture until they
acquired a certain degree of agility in dancing and tumbling on
the road-side, so as to attract the notice of passengers. I runt
the tinker's statement, it appeared that he was not at all
connected in the business. except occasionally meeting the old
harridan in the outlets. Un the following morning he accompanied
Mr. Thorpe to bondon, and the latter having availed himself of the
assistance of the police, proceeded to a wretched hovel in Fox's-
court, St. Giles's, to which this dealer in human flesh generally re-
sorted. The woman of the house, who was the very prototype of
the one sought fr, denied having any knowledge of such persons;
but the officers being resolved not to take her word for it, proceeded
to *earth the house, when, in one of die upper apartments, they
discovered the principal object of their inquiry—poor little Thorpe,
In a state of wretchedness that have melted to comras-
lion the most obdurate heart t wont to a skeleton by hunger, file
little limbs exhibited on alternate shade of red and blue stripes, as
he lay stretched on a truss of foul straw, with the tattered remnant
of an old petticent, by way of covering. When restored to Warms
of his fattier, the miserable infant b.carne so frantically overjoyed
that he was shinty instantaneously attacked with convulsions;
and if it bed not been for the prompt efforts of surgical skill, there
is little doubt that his sufferings and his lite s lave tertniusted
together.
The woman (if we may call her one) to whom this crime his
been fully traced, had gone out on one of her predatory excursions,
and therefore for the present esesped appreheasion.

Information was yesterday sent to Peal, jun. of Jiatton-
garden Office, that a young tnan, named Robert Bowes,
about nineteen years of age, acting as a goneral agent, has
absconded, with 4751., the proikrty of Mr. Edward Grias,
law of the Black Horse publiahouae, Mile End. Ile had
resided with his father, who is a public-house broker, at
133, Goswell-street, St. Luker. Ibe draft fur the money
was drawn by Messrs. Freeman and Banbury, on Messrs.
Ilanbury, 'Tailor, and Lloyds, bankers. Since he presented
the draft, a few days ago, and received the cash, he has
not been heard of.

A De-riret. Sow.—A jockey in this town wishing to
make an advantageous display of a horse that he was dcti-
rous of selling to a bystandtr, placed his bey upon the back
of the beast, ordering him to " ride hint around a short
distance." The boy, though well instructed in his trade,
unfortunately, in this instance, knew no: whether the
horse was already his father's, or yet to be bargained for;
being anxious,•therefore, to learn the will of his father, he
stopped after riding a short distance. and inquired with a
loud voice, " Father. shall I ride this horse to buy or to
Haven