The British Press; or, Morning Literary Advertiser.
London, England, 1825-09-28 00:00:00

THE BRITISH PRESS.

POLICE.
MANSION-HOUSE.
Yesterday Mr. Atkinson, a gentleman who resides In the City,
was summoned betore the Lord 51ayor, upon a very singular charge,
that of having confined one of his servant maids in her bedroom
with a bundle of ropes.
The complainant stated that she retired to bed on Saturday night
at eleven o'clock. On Sunday morning, at half-past seven o'clock,
her mistress, came to her door, and wished to get in, but walked
down stairs again as the door was not immediately opened. Her
master soon afterwards came up with a bundle of ropes, and tied
her door to the banisters, and in the room she had to stay all day
and night without victuals. For this imprisonment she sought re.
dims. She had received notice to quit some time before, because
she refused to eat stinking meat.
Mr. Atkinson said that the complainant could never be prsvaiied
upon to rise at a sufficiently early hour, and he had threatened to
tie up her door if she persevered in her lazy habits. He had ac.
cordingly done as he had promised, upon finding that nothing could
correct her ; but instead of complaining of the continement as a
grievance, she had told her fellow servant that she was delighted to
have a holiday. With regard to the charge of stinking meat, he
could only say that he and his wife had eaten at supper of the meat
which had been rejected in the kitchen at dinner.
The LORD MAYOR severely condemned the conduct of the
defendant In confining his servant, and observed, that such punish.
ment might have been attended with very bad consequences. The
vice of laziness was very bad certainly, but is was too great a
stretch of authority to confine a poor girl, or to punish her in any
other way than that of verbal reproach or dismissal. His Lord.
ship, however, felt convinced that Mr. Atkinson did not, in pars
suing the plan he hail adopted, Intend any injury to the girl.
.Ir. Atkinson said the complainant should find that whenever
her character should be inquired after, she should have no reason
to suppose that this charge would tend to injure her in the minds
of her master and mistress. _

The case was then discharged.
GUILIMALL.
STRANGE Awn FRIVOLOUS NIGHT CIIARGES.—The gob'.
Miry conduct of watchmen and coostables of the nii,ht, in talti'cg
persons into custody On frivolous pretences of their being disor-
derly, or of obstructing them in this exercise of their olhce, has
fveguent_iy of late been the atilOet of much public animadver-
sion. The trifling, MC ire* Wood. charge upon which
they detain individuais if custody all night, when preferred be.
fore them by others, is an evil, however, scarcely less deserving of
repycliensiml:.

A poor fellow, named George Canes, a sort of little pig jobber,
was brought up yesterday before air. Alderman Woo!), the
Rifting Magistrate, on a charge of felony, under which ha had
been detained in custody the whole of the previous night.
The facts of the case, when stated before the Magistrate, were
these :—One Ragan, a pig-jobber, had conic up from Ilford to the
Smithfield market on Monday, and in the course of hie business
had purchased some pigs of a stranger, for which lie was to pay
61. Ills. After the bargain had been concluded, and the seller gone
away, Ragan discovered that he had paid him 91. Ms. instead of
Si. 181. Ile knew neither the name, the residence, or even the
person he had been dealing with. The prisoner Canes, however,
though unacquainted with the stranger's name, was well acquainted
with his person as a frequenter of the market, and thought he knew
where to find him ; and in consequence Ragan agreed to give him
3s. to hunt the man out, and get the three sovereigns returned. In
both of these commissions Canes succeeded ; but as his clue was
somewhat imperfect, and it had cost him upwards of four hours,
and takes him a circuit of nearly twenty miles to find his man, he
thought himself entitled sit his return to a greater reward than 3s.
mere especially as ha: had lost all that he should have earned in the
time in the market, and had also been obliged to treat the man with
Is. Worth of liquor before be would return the sovereigns. Ragan,
I however, would have nothing but the bond, and persisted that he
was only entitled to the 3s. tholes being equally positive as to his
extra demand, anti beginning to regale himself with some liquor
by changing one of the sovereigns, Ragan became alarmed, and
getting a constable, gave Cases into custody upon a charge of
felony.
On hearing this statement, Mr. Alderman WOOD observed, it
was really too great a stretch of authority to detain the man in cue.
tody under such circumstances. There was no pretence whatever
for charging him with a felony, and he must therefore be iantnedia
ately set at liberty. As to the sum he was entitled to for his trouble,
he of course had no authority to interfere. lie should however
think that 3s. was much too little, and that he had fairly earned at
least double that sum.

Ragan was content to take the Magistrate's hint, and Canes ac-
cordingly returned him the balance, after deducting the tis.
On the previous day a decent-looking feinale, named Ante
Southgate, was brought up before Mr. Alderman Cox, having been
detained in custody all night on a charge eren still less defensible.
She had tendered a shilling in payment for some ale at the
White Horse tap in Fetter-lane, which was refused as bad. She
changed it immediately with another, which was also said to be a
counterfeit one, and, on her saying that she had no ethers, Mr.
Jones, the landlord, called the watchman, and gave her into cue-
tody for uttering base coin. The prisoner, though very well known
in the neighbourhood, did not happen to be known to Mr. Jones,
and whether he subsequently learnt who and what she was, or for
what other cause did not appear, though he had sent the woman to
the watchbouse, he did not go himself to prefer any charge against
her; notwithstanding which, end although upon examination at
the watchhouee the two ghillie.' turned out to be good, she wan sent
to the Corapter, and detained tsll night. No prosecutor appearing
when she was brought up at this office,
Mr. Alderman Cos reprp4tod the conduct of Mr. Jonas in
strena.terms as volume of delft 0110Celeed la Mat Iraympet Aston-
non, and directed her to apply to him again on the next day if in
the interim Mr. Jones did not make her suitable apology and
reparation for his ill-treatment towards her, and he would give di-
rections to the City Solicitor to prosecute him on her behalf, for
the false imprisonment.
Whether Mrs. Southgate misunderstood the Alderman, she did
not attend at this office yesterday. One of Mr. Harmer's clerks,
however, came to inquire if Mr. Jones had been there to offer any
apology for his conduct, and learning that lie had not, intimated
that they should proceed against hint forthwith foe the false bu-
prisonment.
BOW-STREET.
Mn. MARTIN AWD BLACKWOOD'S Illaoantstn.—Yesterday
morning Mr. Martin again entered the office, attended by his young
legal friend.
As soon as Mr. Balls, the Presiding lilairstrate, had concluded
the business in which he was engaged, the worthy Member corn-
tnenced—" Before, your Worship, I proceed to the immediate ob-
ject I have In view in appearing this day, that of the libel which
has been published in Blackwood's Afaaazine, and which I consider
to have been the toot of all those other atrocious libels that have
subsequently been directed against me, I cannot but mention that
it was the first cause of the unwary libel; I must say a few words
Inileindication of that portion of the Bench, and what transpired at
the close of the proceedings when I last had the honour of appear-
ing in this office. Much censure had been passed upon the tact
of the Bench permitting one person to make an elaborate speech."
Mr. llaxxs—Mr. Martin, this relates to what did not pass in
my presence. and I cannot tisereforelisten to it.
Mr. Martin—l should have been more pleased if a larger portion
of the Bench had been here.
Mr. BECKZTT—I was here.
' Mr. Martin—All interruption is
Mr. HALLS—If you will tell me what business you now have I
shall be happy to hear it.
Mr. Martin—l wish to say that the Bench was in error. I feel
that I ought to take a part in the blame, for 1 was greatly account.
able for the length at which that individual (rilr. Adolphus) went
in my presence. 1 certainly, by every gesticulation in my power,
endeavoured to obtain a hearing for hum.
Mr. Ilatts-1 know nothing of that case, and cannot hear an
allusion to it now.

Mr. Martin—But your colleague does. I wanted to reply. But.
Sir, 1 was on that day guilty of an act of great intemperance, I now
uknowledge it, and I now come to male an apology to the Bench
for what I then said.

Mr. BECKET T-1 thought the Brooch was perfectly satisfied at
the time with what was said.

Mr. Martin—My Bill goes to prevent cruelty to the brute
creation, and I wan the more inexcusable to be betrayed into the
exptesaLn 1 thew wastoal had wasiewlwisb a finds, without reason
and without discretion. (He was here going.greater lengths than
we choose to follow him.)
Mr. HAILS again interrupted him, but Mr. Martin continued,
notwithstanding repeated interruptions, for about a quarter of an
hour, and concluded by saying, that as Mr. Minshull was not pre.
sent, and as Mr. Halls did not hear the former case, he would defer
bringing fotward his present business, which was, that as he found
Mr. Blackwood was not arr.w.abie to that Bench, he had to apply
to their Worships to tall until Mr. Cadell, th^ publisher of the
work in London, to enter into recognizance% for the libel. In jut.
tice to Mr. Blackwood he must mention that he had received two
letters from that gentleman, expressing great penitence and sorrow
at the libel's having been inserted, which be further stated had
been published without his knowledge. That gentleman also said
that in the ensuing number an apology Would appear, but whether
he (Mr. Martin) might deem it as such was another thing. He
would, however, wait and see it. Mr. Martin then said he should,
as he understood Mr. Minshull sat to-morrow (this day) wait upon
that gentleman to submit his application to Min.
QUEEN•siQUA RE.
Yesterday a man named King was brought before the Ma.
gistraies. on a wumni, charged with having assaulted a gentleman
named Brooks.

Mr. Brooks stated. that the defendant had for some time past
been in the habit of insulting him in the streets, in various shapes,
and on Saturday last he met him in Grosvenor-place, and after
using most invective language, struck him a blow, which consti-
tuted the assault complained of.
The Magistrate asked Mr. Brooks if he had given the defendant
cause or provocation ter the assault ?
Mr. Brooke said, that he accused him of being the father of
his deughter's child, which he had every reason to believe was not
the fact.

The defendant said it was too true ; he had been the seducer of
his daughter, and the chid she now held in her anus was thcresult
of their illicit intereaursa
The Magistrate told tbe defendant he made every allowance for
his feelings ; but if what he said was true, there wu a legal method
for him to pursue, either by obtaining an order of affiliation against
the father to make him support the infant, or by an action for
seduction. Ile had no right to assault the complainant, and it was
his duty to call upon Win to put at bail.
The defendant said, that he (the complainant) had procured a
license to marry. his daughter, and in doing so he had committed

hitnaelf falsely. As to the aasault complained of he never com-
mitted any ; he accidentally met Mr. Brooks, and spoke to him
civilly, requesting to know if he meant to allow a support for the
child, and on his refusing to come forward, he told him he would
bring his daughter and child to his house, and would expose
him every where he met him. As for striking him, he denied It
most solemnly 3 but, on tho contrary, Mr. Brooks gave him a
violent push.
Mr. Brooks denied having pushed him at all, and handed In •
letter to the Magiatrate he received from the defendant, wherein
he declares he will expose hint to the world, by posting-bills and
advertisements, and that he would insult him on every opportunity.
The Magistrate said, enough had been shown to authorise him
to call upon the defendant to put in bail, and if he was satisfied
Mr. Brooks was the father of the child, he would advise him to
apply to the parochial authorities, who would see Bast be main.
tamed it.