The National Register.
London, England, 1818-11-15 00:00:00

POLICE.

ROW sTitEr.T.
SHOCKING OCCURRENCE.
Wednesday Mr. Horsley. of Canontenry.lane, lalington,
who, on Sunday lost his son, who together with his Infant
sister,had been taken out by a female servant in a child's
chaise, attended before Mr. Hicks and Mr. Bernie, the sitting
Magistrates, accompanied ley a friend, and stated, that they
had found a witness who had seen a man take the infant,
which is only a year and ahelf old, out of the chaise, which
was left near the Asylum, and walk away with it. It ap-
peared to the man a singular circumstance, and he was in-
duced to follow the thief, who, in the Boroughs, went into a
Signor shop, where he hail • glass of gin I the witness also
went into the liquor shop, and had a full view of the man and
the child ; and from his description there is no doubt of the
infant being Mr. Horsley's. The thief left the liquor shop,
and proceeded towards London.bridge, where the witness lust
sight of him. Mr. Horsley was so much affected, he was not
able to state his ease; and Mrs. Horsley being in a pregnant
Mate, he was fearful of the consequences. The eirctme
stances, however, were clearly related by his friend, who
mated that they considered the seduction of the ut girl
away, as an underplot to getting the child ; there was no
doubt, however, but that she had been induced to take the
children in that direction ; for she was restricted from tak-
ing them out of Canontenry.lane, or very near it ; whereas
she had been seen going away, on Sunday, crossing the Shen
herd and Shepherdess-field, and polling the chaise with both
her hands, apparently as fast as site could. She had not
taken any precaution for herself to stay out, as she had no
other clothes but those she had on. It was strongly stispeeted
.that she went to a house of ill fame in blead's•row, near the
Asylum, kept by a woman of the name of Patch. Her pa.
rents, nor any of her relations or friends, had not heard any
thing of her. They suspected that she had been dered
or had destroyed herself, but they did not state their reason
fnr thinking so. They stated that they hail been to the Po.
lice-office, in Union-street, to give similar information, and
they intended to go to the Secretary of State's Office for the
Home Department, to apply to the Secretary and Under
Secretary of State.
The Magistrates appointed two constables to go and search
the house of ill-fsinse in Mead's.row, tear the Asylum, and to
bring the parties who keep the house before them, if ne.
cc's., y.
In a short time after, Mr. Horsley's friend announced in
the public office, that the servant was found, and taken from
off a stage coach iii Holborn. and that she had been bnsaglit
to the office: a considerable degree of exaltation was manifest-
ed by all present. The Magistrates determined on giving a
preference to the examination of the t, to any other
business which was then waiting, except what was immediate-
ly before them ; but after waiting some time, noon inquiry,
it turned nut that Mr. Horsley and his friend had been
misinformed ; for it was ascertaiued, upon inquiry, that
the servant was not in custody; they then left the office
to make further inquiries as to the report which they had
beard of the servant having been found.
After a considerable search, it was ascertained that she
.had been taken to the office of the Vestry clerk, of Islington,
where the guard of the Birmingham roach stated, that the
girl had gone by that coach from the Saracen's-head Inn, on
Snow-hill, on Sunday evening, to Birmingham, ender peculiar
circumstances. She presented herself to go by the coach as
ass outside passenger, just before they were ready to start,
and said her place was taken ; he looked at the way-hill, and
(mind that there was no •place taken for a female that was
ant filled; but' told her that there was a place taken by a Mr.
Atkins. who was nut yet come, when she replied that her
same was Atkins, whereas it is Elizabeth Holbrook ; but no
Mr. Atkins appearing, and the coach being ready to start, he
asked her where her cloths or luggage were; she replied
she had none: the clothes which she had on were not calcu-
lated to travel in, being very light ; bat she mounted the
coach and went to Birmingham. where on her arrival at the
Saracen's-head I 't was seen that sloe did not know any
person there. She is sixteen years of age, bnt small of her
age, and has a very young appearance : she therefore excited
the attention of the people at the inn, to ascertain her motive
for going to Birmingham; and they at length learnt from her
that she was come to be married, but that her intended
husband nits not in Birmingham, she having left him in
London, and he was to follow her to Birmingham to marry
her. This statement was sufficient to convince any reflect-
ing person that she had been the dupe of some designing
Villain, and they used their exertions in endeavesering to
persuade her to the same belief; and her supposed lover
wit arriving at Itirmingliani by Tuesday afternoon, she was
convinced that she had been deceived, and agreed to return
to London by the coach that afternoon. Some money was
collected by several lininaoe persons for her there, as well
by some ladies who came in the coach with her ; and it so
happened, that the same guard came with that coach from
Ilirmileghans as attended the coach she went by from
London. lie, therefore undertook the rare of her, and
the circtonstatices of Mr. Horsley's children being carried
off by a servant girl, having become a subject of great no-
toriety, 1w ascertained that she was the girl who had ab-
sconded with them. He therefore, determined on not let•
ting her go out of his sight, cm his arrival in London, till
he had delivered her safe into custody; and he delivered
her to the parish officers of Islington, where she was kept
in an extraordinary way, instead of being sent to Mr. Hues-
ley's house, or taken before a Police Magistrate for investi-
gation. She was even taken to Lambeth, in co:eminence
of the reports of a roan being seen there with the missing
child. This circumstance being known at Mr. Horsley's house,
Godfrey, the constable, went off with all speed to follow
her from Islington to Lambeth. On his arrival in Lower
Lansbeth.marsh, he met Godwin, belonging to this office,
who had also been employed upon this distressing business,
and learnt firms him, that the persons who had brought the
girl from Islington had taken her to Billingsgate, to en.
dcavour to noel wit a mail who had been seen there with a
child answering the description of Mr. Horsley's; he pointed
out a public-house in Lambetle.marsh, where several men
employed in the Coburg Theatre were brought before her,
to ascertain if any of them was the limn who had seduced
her to leave Mr. liorsley's children in the chaise; but site
knew nothing_ of any of them. It did not appear upon what
ground any of these men vice e suspected, except from general
report. Godfrey proceeded to the public-house in Lambeth •
marsh as elesei died, where he found Elizabeth Holbrook in
the custody of Mr. Brown, the be title of Lambeth parish ; he
claimed leer as his pri.uner ; having produced his warrans,
. the beadle resigned his charge of leer, and in a short time
after Godfrey. tq the desire of the persons who had brought
her from Islington, oils prevailed tin to take her to the Her-

culeb public tiuust, °pin). site the Asylnati the lautUady of