The National Register.
London, England, 1821-06-17 00:00:00

THE NATIONAL REGISTER

office accompanied by his witnesses. It was understood
that the case is postponed sine die.
MA It LBOROUGH-STREET.
CHARGES or CHILD-STEALING.—On Friday, Eli-
zabeth Marks, a young woman about years of age, of
very respectable appeatance, was brought up in custody
of Humphries, a constable, of Paddington, charged by
several respectable inhabitants of that neighbourhood on
suspicion of enticing and stealing their children, and
also with robbing them of their clothes. The prosecutors
are, Mr. Evans, of the Harrow-road; Mr. Manning, of
the Edgeware-road ; Mr. Nichols, of Paddington-green;
Mr. Smith, farrier, of Stingo-lane, New-road, &c. seve-
ral of whom were in attendance, accompanied by their
little innocents, who had been enticed away from their
homes.
About a fortnight since a child belonging to Mr.
Evans, and two others of the families of Mr. Manning
anti Mr. Nichol, all under five years of age, obtained
leave from their parents to play neartheir father's houses
on Paddington-green. During their absence from home
a woman accosted them, and through the medium of
offering them playthings and cakes, they were induced
to follow her until they lost sight of their direction home
—then, under a pretence of taking them to their friends,
she led them across the fields through St. John's Wood.
On her arrival in a field near P • use-hill she stripped
two of the children, but was prevented stripping the
third in consequence of a gentleman appearing near the
spot, which caused her to make her escape. The pri-
soner then left the poor little babes to wander about in
the solitary fields, far front their homes, she having with
her their clothes. They remained there until a late
hour iii the night, when their mournings attracted the
attention of a woman who belongs to a brick-field near
the spot in which tlrey were left. She was induced to
proceed thither, on which she found the innocent little
creatures sitting altogether, cold, trembling, and almost
heart-broken, and nearly drowned in tears. The appear-
ance of the stranger seemed to endow them with new life
in their forsaken situation, and they begged to be taken
home. Mr. Manning's child lied the whole of its clothes
on, but the other two were merely left with a trifling
covering. On the woman inquiring of one of them
where its friends lived, all that she w.,s scarcely able to
utter was " Paddington-green." The woman accor-
dingly took the poor little wanderers to Paddington-
green, where she had the good fortune to trace their
almost distracted parents, whose feelings at beholding
their children, who had been lost during the whole
of the day, can far better allow of conception
than description. They had been searching after them
all day, and all hopes of finding them were con.
sidered vain, as some accident was concluded to have
happened to them. On questioning one of the children
as to how the offence was committed, she innocently
answered " that a woman took them all away to take a
walk in the fields, and they were to have a feast of cakes.
The woman wanted to take their frocks off, anti they
said, their mother would be so angry if she took their
frocks." The woman then went away from them, and
they could nut find their way house. Several other chil-
dren have been stolen, under similar circumstances, and
robbed of their apparel, but no discovery as to the thief
could ever be made until a short time after the above
children were stolen, when the same woman, which is
the prisoner, had the audacity to make her appearance
near the spot from which she had enticed them. She
was in the company of an elderly woman—the moment
Mr. Evans' child saw her near its father's house, it cried
and ran away, screaming out—" here is the woman who
took us away," aril was extremely 'tightened at her
appearance. Fortunately Humphries was passing at the
nine, and knowing that some children had been stolen,
he asked the child, which woman," and he took the
prisoner into custody. The old woman, her companion
was lost sight of in a moment. He took the prisoner
to the watch-house, and then brought her to the office.
She confessed having stolen the children, and stripped
them of their clothes which she afterwards sold in Ox-
ford-street. The prisoner stated that she formerly lived
with Mr. Ryder, of Maryletame-street.
Another inhuman case of occured about
a fortnight previous to the above. It appeared that Mr.
Smith of Stingo-lane suffered his child to walk with him
into the New Road. Whilst he went into the field to
get one of his houses, the child was stolen away, and he
was not discovered fora length of time afterwards, when
he was found in Bethnal Green workhouse, to which
place he was taken on being picked up in Bethnal-green,
under the most distressing circumstances, after being de.-
' gated by the woman who had stolen him away. The'
poor child was nearly 111 a state of nudity, and almost
starved.
According to the child's account, he was enticed away
by a woman, who offered hint cakes. She carried him
anolit begging, and made him beg also, and dressed hint
badly, after stripping him of his own clothes; she after-
wards deserted him. ;Rewards were offered for this child,
but no tidings could be traced of 11,111 through the me-
dium of the rewards alined. Mrs. Smith, in conse-
quence of the child's absence, and her sudden surprise
at its discovery, is now on a sick bed in a very precarious
situation. The child of another gentleman of respecta-
bility, residing in the above neighbourhood, has also
been stolen, and although missing for a lung time, no
tidings can be traced of it, and others have been stolen.
Mr. Farrant, the magistrate, considered the children
too young to become witnesses, and thought it necessary
that further information should be procured against the
prisoner.
Front the number of children that have been stolen,
it is suspected that there is a gang of wretches who gu
about for that purpose, and make a traffic of the chil-
dren's clothes.

If any person have lost Moir children, it would he
well that they should ;went: at tic, nom examination,
which will talie place at Fritl:vj next, w which ti we the
prisoner w.a remanded.
ATTBMPT Al ASSABSINATION.—Thursday wowing
great alarm awl anxiety were excited ac the west end of
the town, in conr•cptence of a desperate attempt upon the

- _
life of Major-General Eadon, at his residence in Berke-
ley-square, by a man named William Padmore, between
:it and 40 years of age, who, under pretence of commu-
nicating souse private business to the General, sought an
interview, and with a butcher's kink stabbed him in
several parts of the body. The prisoner was taken into
custody immediately, and carried to a watch-house, from
whence he was conveyed in a coach without loss f time
to Marlborough-street, handcuffed, in charge of several
officers, followed by a vast crowd of persons. On being
placed at the bar, he evinced extreme agitation. lie was
decently dressed, and, we understand, has a wife and
family. The crowd in the hall and outside of the office,
during the examination, was great, and the officers had
considerable difficulty in preventing persons from forcing
their way inside.
J. E. Conant, Esti-. immediately attended to the cue,
and Sir William Eadon, the General's nephew, and se..
veral of his servants, attended to give evidence ; in hearing
of which the time of the magistrate W 36 occupied several
hours.
Mr. James Earl, surgeon, of George-street, Portman-
square, stated that he came to the house of General
Eadon, and on his arrival found him weltering in blood,
and in a very faint state; examined his wounds, of
which he found there was one of a very serious nature.
Did not apprehend any immediate danger, but it was
impossible at that time to give a positive opinion. He
dressed the wounds, and had the General removed to his
bed, lie received a wound also in the hand.

The prisoner, on being called for his defence, main.
tamed at first a gloomy silence ; but at length turned
towards the magistrate, and said, " I have had cause fur
what I have done. 1 know the dreadful situation in
which I stand in consequence of it ; but my determina-
tion wasfixed, and my mind made up to abide the result.
I must decline for the present, saying more." These
words Were uttered with a tremulous voice, but with a
counienance frowning and sullen; and the prisoner
turned away from the bar, as if anxious to avoid the gaze
of the persons present.
Mr. Conant remanded the prisoner till Thursday.