The National Register.
London, England, 1820-12-24 00:00:00

UNION HALL.

In C' ence of rep:ated complaints from the re-
:peva! ..thitants of Saint George's Fields, a private
search ant was issued front this office, on Thuisday
nittl the apptelicusion of all reputen thieves, dis.
ord, , la:le:kers, and prostitutes, iniAlit he found
ab .ter a piesciilsed hour. About 12 o'clock the
" w of the officers, aided by a strong detachment of
spee,ai parish constables, the whole under the direction
of toe chief clerk, set out on their mission. They lust
traversed Dover where they found all the tui clit

houses open, and heard music and dancing; they entered
the first, and found it full of women, some of whom were
full dressed, and others had only their under Garments
011 ; there were no men, or if there had been any, they
had found means of escape. Having apprehended the
whole of this wretched atsemldy, and lodged them in
the watch horse, the constables returned and succeeded
in securing another house full of similar company, with
the odtlition of a number of men, whom they found
carousing, and dancing on the tables, many of the k.
males being absolutely but half dressed I En the whole,
they apprehended sixty individuals of both sexes, who
were on Friday morning placed at the bar of this office.
Mr. Allen, Sitting Magistrate, assisted by Mr. Harrison,
(Chairman of the Quarter Sessions) examined the de-
linquents must minutely, and from their various state-
ments, it would seem, that the Borough is the general
receptacle or head (platters of all that is bad. Many of
the Avomen said they lived in Pye Street, and the Al.
monry, iii Westminster, but had gone to the BALL, in
Dover Street ; others had been drawn there for a similar
purpose, from Whiteahapel, Horseleydown, and other
distant part;. Several of them were committed to the
House of Col rect ion.

OLD IMILEY SESSIONS.

TUFFDAV, DEC. 19.

The whole of the trials having yesterday been Con..
Chided, the prisoners acre this morning brought up to
receive their several semen( es. The hour fixed for passing
sentence was 10 o'clock ; bat the Court was delayed, for
a considerable time, in consequence of the absence of an
Aldo man. The Recorder and other officers were ready
at the appointee! time. At length, at about 11 o'clock,
Mr. Attica Mall Thomas Smith arrived, and the poisoners
were brony lot into the (lock. 'flue whole number of poi-
soners brought up to receive sentence was 192; of these
31 received sentence of death; SP, were sentenced to
transportation for life; 13 to transportation for 14 years;
to ZO transportation fur 7 years ; and 70 received various
minor sentences. A great number of the latter were
sentenced to be publicly and privately whipped.
The following are the prisoners on whom sentence of
death was passed :
James Anderson, Samuel Jones, end William Dunn, for
burglary; James Reeves, Joseph Johnson, James Hunt,
and Joseph Colvin, ter highway rubbery; Ann Gibson,
for stealing in a dwelling-house; John Head and William
Lawrence, fur housebreaking; George Allen, for stealing
in a dwelling-house ; James Farquhar and Win. Fulham,
for housebreaking ; Elizabeth Holland, for stealing in a
dwelling-house; James Long and Henry Herod. for
housebreaking; Joseph White, Matthew Cooper, John
Samuel Chandler, and Joseph Martin, for highway
robbery; Robert Parker and William Paddock, for steal-
ing in a dwelling-house; J. Davis, for highway robbery;
Edward Burke, for stealing in a dwelling-house ; William
Wall, for burglary; Thomas Monday, ter horse stealing ;
Abraham llemtaingway, fur sacrilege; Catherine Mac-
donald, for stealing in a dwelling-house; Henry Tobin
and George Mason, for highway rubbery. The case of
the latter prisoner wits reserved for the opinion of the
Judges, and it has been declared a capital cffence.
Of the thirteen prisoners who were sentenced to 11
years' transportation, eleven had pleaded guilty to the
minor offence of having forged notes in their possession.
The sessions were then adjourned.
.4 new mode of apprehending hieves.—ln consequence
•

of the alarinimiineicase of iii.rect robberies in the Bo-
rough, some ollicers of Union Hall made a determina-
tion to set amongst the thieves by some means disguised,
and accordingiy a few nights ago Hall dressed himself
as an old gentleman, with a powdeeed perriwig, and
exhibiting a large bunch of seals, amongst which he
had ingcnioufly placed a number 01 sharp fish hooks.—
Ia this manner he travelled throughout the most daring
part of the neighbourhood, and even met many old
customers, but they would not angle, Ir:cause it seems
they suspected the Tait. Hall having no doubt hut that
he Was recognized, the next night sent a stranger, and
he also returned unmolested. Next [right the parish coo-
stable went forth, attired like an exquisite of taste, and
he performed his new character so well, that he was
soon picked up by two nymphs, whose exploits are well
known to the Police. They politely invited him home,
but he assured them pon honour, he could not consent ;
one,of them contrhed to pitrloiti his pocketbook, which
was quite empty, and the other made an attempt at his
watch ; but wired she felt the hooks, she exclaimed that
th..y were betrayed. It was in vain to attempt au escape,
the dandy and his assistants surrounded, and lodged them
in the wadi house, from whence they were brought to
the office and committed.

HIGHWAY ROBBERY—Saturday evening last, be-
tween five and six o'clocK, as James M`Gregor, shop-
-111311 to a baker in Chain-alley, Bermondsey-street, was
walking along along St. Thomas's Tents, (near the hos-
pital), three roflians suddenly tdpped up his heels, and
alter giving hint several blows, ran ith his watch,
and a loaf with which he was procreding to the house of
one of his master's customers. lie gave au immediate
alarm, and a constable who was near the spot, followed
the robi:ers, and apprehended one of them, after a little
resistance. On seaming hint, the constable found the
watch tip his s!cevt.., which he accounted for by saying,
that he had been kicky enough to pick it tip, and was
only" seeking for the right owner! lle was brought
before Sir John Pinithorn, at Union hall, and iden-
tilled as a noted otkitder ut the Kent-sueet gang. Ile
was remand' d._ _ .

DARING EU RGLARY.—Suneay iight last, during the
abwilee 01 the family loon home, the dwellitig•house
of Mr. S. Buck, chandler, No. 27, Hon:lcy-down-lane.
was eiliered by means of picklock keys, and the shop
and parlour wt re ransacked and plundered. The thictes
!hen proceeded up stairs, and broke into a room belong-
ing to one of the lodgers, which they cleared of every
thieitt portable, and got clear off with their booty.
Alotiday evening the house of Mr. Moles, in the City
road, was burglariously entered, and robbed of Bank-
notes to a considerable amount, besides a quantity of
plate, jtwellery, &c. with which the thieves got clear
off.