The National Register.
London, England, 1822-01-20 00:00:00

THE NATIONAL REGISTER

POLICE.

MANSION-HOUSE.

SINGULAR CASE or ROBBERY.—William Watson
was charged by Mr. Miller, of Lower Thames-street,
upon suspicion of having committed a robbery on Thurs-
day night, under circumstances of rather an extraordinary
nature.
Mr. Miller's evidence was to the following effect :
He has a cut glass and earthen warehouse in Thames-
street, but dues not reside there. On Thursday he found
that thieves had been on the premises, and he supposed
that on the previous evening some one of them had hid-
deal himself behind the packages, and remained till all
was quiet, for the purpose of giving Admission to his as-
sociates. The thieves, however, did not get much, but
while they were in the house they enjoyed themselves.—
They lighted a fire, and paid a visit in the wine-cellar,
front which they took three bottles of wine, and three
bottles of perry, which it seems they drank warm with
sugar ; and Mr. Miller received a very polite note from
one of them, acknowledging the obligation they were
under to him for the excellent beverage his cellar had
supplied.
Upon examining other ports of the premises Mr.
found Allier that his iron chest had been forced open.—
The instrument (a large chisel) with which the feat was
performed, was lying on the premis s, and a dark lan-
thorn. The petty cash dra wets of the iron chest lay open
empty, but when he left the warehouse there was a sum
perhaps not exceeding 21. The bills and papers were not
t tken away. SOGIC silver cruet tops were taken, but the
cruets were left behind.
The letter, which was written in a good hand, began
with the word " Attotett,' mid stated that they (the
writer and his friends) had called ; regretted that there
was ho " Wassel in the lob," (money in the chest) but
expressed the highest opinion of the wine ; begged par-
don for disturbing the papers, and expressed how happy
those who drank it would be to visit the premises upon a
future occasion. There was a postacript, stating that an
iron chest would be of no utility where the visitors might
think proper to go. Upon examining the letter, Mr.
Miller was of opinion that Watson, who hail lived as li
servant in the concern, and committed sonic dishonest
acts, for which he had been lately imprisoned, was the
writer. When the prisoner was apprehended and charged
with the offence, he suddenly turned round to the ser-
vant of Mr. Millar's brother, and charged him with
having been concerned in the robbery. With the view
of having the matter as clear as possible, Mr. Miller
cued the servant to attend the justice-runt, and be
confronted by Watson, although convinced that there
had been no intercourse whatever between the prisoner
and the servant, and that the latter was a person of
integrity.
The servant declared in the most solemn manlier, that
he knew nothin,r of the robbery, and that to the best of
his knowledge he had never seen the prisoner since he
had seen him tried at the Old Bailey, until the morning
after the robbery.
The prisoner was remanded for some days.
HATTON GARDEN•..

On Friday two licensed victuallers residing at Hamp-
stead, appeared to answer informations brought against
them by the officers of the excise, ior selling ale and
spirituous liquors without an excise license.
It appeared that the defendants had allowed the
time prescribed for renewing their excise licenses to
elapse upwards of three months, without paying the
necessary fees, and taking them up,Ly which negligence
they subjected themselves to a penalty of fifty-pounds
each.
The magistrates mitigated the penalty to the lowest
sum prescribed by act of parliament, namely, four pounds
each, and costs, which the defendants paid and were
dtscharged, on renewing their licenses.
MARLBOROUGH STREET.
Martha Bettelay, servant to Mr. Atwell, of the Edge-
ware rout, was charged with robbing her master ul 1101.
contained in a box.
Mr. Atwell went out on Sunday se'nnight, and on his
return he foubd two doors broken open, and a chest con-
taining the money, in a small box, from which it had
been taken. The prisoner, who was kit in care of the
house, with a young child, said she had taken a walk,
and the robbery was then vomit-tied.
She was suspected and taken into custody, and by the
visilance of some officers belonging to this establishment
she was traced to have carried the box, containing the
treasure, to the Golden Cross, Charing-cross, On the
Sunday afternoon, and at her request the clerk wink a
direction on it to her sister, and it was sent Mt. 'lllia
!ed to an additional clue, slid the prisoner still denied
any knowledge of the robbery, until the box was ex-
hibited before her, when sbe gave a piercing shriek.—
Finding the prisoner was in custody, the box was re-
tnmeti io the owner by some of tier ific.itis, with Got. iu
it. The prisoner was remanded.

Another instance of the unhappy mistakes which
arise from the similar appearance of oxalic acid to Epsom
salts, occurred on Tuesday night, the 16th inst., but hap•
ply without those effects which it has so often been our
painful duty to record :—The coachman of Mrs. Mount,
of Forest Farm, Winktield, on retiring to bed, had mixed
what lie thought a dose of salts, to be t..ken in the night.
He awoke about three o'clock, and swallowed the
draught. From the acute pain he immediately ex-
perienced, he became convinced of his mistake, and
recollected that he had half au ounce of oxalic acid in
his possession, which he had taken. With great pre-
sence of mind, he immediately got up, and saddling a
horse, rode at full speed to Windsor, a distance of lour
miles. lie was fortunate in obtaining assistance without
delay, from Mr. Chapman : who, by the most judicious
treatment, succeeded in saving him lrom the °Minot),
effects of this dreadful poison. Mr. Chapman prescribed
calcined magnesia, and having succeeded in producing
copious vomiting, afterwards took V•t, ounces of blood
front his affrighted patient, who is now doing well.

CORONZR'S INQUESTS.,
On Wednesday afternoon, pursuant to adjournment,
an inquest was resumed at the Barley-mow, Mount-
street, Grosvenor-square, before A. Gell, Esq. coroner,
on the body of a female infant that was Initial floating
on the Basin, Hyde Park.
A woman at Marlborotighttstreet, was charged on
suspicion of having disposed of her child under suspicious
eircumstances.—Clements, the officer, received instruc-
tions to :nake every inquiry, in the hope of ascertaining
how the child was disposed of,—and, hearing that a
child answering the description of the prisoner's had
been found in the Basin, in Hyde Park, lie attended the
inquest on Tuesday night, and caused an adjournment,
for the attendance of material witnesses, who were then
absent, it being strongly suspected that the deceased was
the prisoner's child.
Nathaniel Ellis, of the Engine-house, Hyde Park,
Was the only witness examined ; as it was his usual
custom he went to examine the Ba'.in in Hyde Park on
Monday night, when he found the body of the deceased
floating therein ; it was wrapped up in flannel ; there
were no marks of violence on its person, and he took it
to the workhouse.
After the adjournment Clements returned to the office,
Marlborough-street, and the prisoner underwent a second
examination before Mr. Conant, she being ignorant of
a child having been found. On being furtherquestioned,
she stated to the magistrale that she would tell the truth.
Ott leaving Mr. Huntley's lodgings, in consequence of
not being able to pay her rent, she was under the neces-
sity to wander all the night about the streets. She sat
down on the step of a dour, nearly famished, when her
child died in her arms. She knew not what to do with
it, until she at length determined on laying it near the
gate at Hyde Park Corner, that some one might pick it
up. She laid it down and remained at a short distance
front the spot, and she saw a gentlenhin pick up the
child, on which she fainted away in the street. Mr.
Conant informed her, that a child hal been found in the
basin. The prisoner answered—" Sue had not thrown
it in the water." The otlicer attended and stated the
above facts to the Jury.
Mr. J. Howship, surgeon, stated the deceased to I.e
three weeks old, and was perhaps dead three or four days;
he would not state whether the deceased had been thrown
into the water when alive or dead, nor could he trace
the cause of death. There were no uaarks of violence on
the person. A flannel wh ch was wrapped round the
deceased resembled one which the deceased used to
wear. Mr. Hurley, who kuew the child, was not in
attendance.
The Jury returned a verdict of " Found dead in the
Basin, in Hyde Park."
On Thursday afternoon another inquest was taken at
the Britannia, Golden-lane., Barbican, before Thomis
Shelton, Esq. coroner fL or ondon and Southwark, on
the body of Charles Stephen Hickson, a tine boy, only
three years old, son to Mr. Hickson, currier, of Golden-
lane. The deceased having got hold of a bottle contain-
ing some sulphuric acid, unfortunately swallowed great
part of the contents.
Mr. Gower, surgeon, of 35, Chiswell-street, said he
attended the deceased shortly after the accident had oc-
curred ; opened the body after death, and found the
stomach, throat, and other parts much inflamed and cor-
roded. lie was informed, that front what remained in
the phial, the deceased must have drank about an ounce,
but half a drachm would produce death.
Verdict—" That the deceased came to his death from
his having accidentally drunk sulphuric acrd."
DREADFUL AcciDENT.—On Thursday night at seven
o'clock, an Inquest was held at the Crown, Duke's-
court, St. Martin's lane, before T. Higgs, Esq. coroner,
on the body of Elizabeth Branch, 45 years of age, house-
keeper in the employ of John Hearne Tremayne, Esq.
M.P. of New-street, -Spring-gardens, who came to her
death under the following circumstances :
George Beckham, of No. 14, New-street, Spring-
gardens, stated, that on Wednesday, about one o'clock,
his fellow servant called him out of his master's house,
its consequence of a body of stroke issuing from the
upper part of Mr. Tremayne's house. The family were
nut of town, anti the deceased had beets taking care of
the house ; and witness being aware that there was no
one else in the house, suspected there was a fire, and
endeavoured to gain admission into the premises, but
could receive no answer. The shatters were closed,
which Was 110 t US(1.11, and he alarmed the persons in the
next house ; he theta I)lmi:tilled to the roof of the house;
the place was very hot; the 'asset windowWlS fastened
and he broke in the glass, wizen the flames rushed out ;
by this time the Phcanix engine had arrived, and the
flames had considerably increased ; the honses adjoining
were in a dangerous state; about two o'clock he heard
that the body of the deceased was found, and on going
up stairs he saw tier lying at the side of the bed, burnt
almost to a cinder; there was a lamp lying near the
deceased, but the cotton was not all hunt: out; the fur-
niture and upper part of the house were completely
destroyed. The house appeared to he in readiness lot
the reception of the family, and witness did not conceive
that thieves had been in the house ;mt searching nothing
was missing.
The Jury returned a verdict of—" Accidentally burnt
to death."

The great increase of houses of ill-fame, and of
prostitutes parading our streets, have induced the
committee or the corporation, to whom it was re-
ferred upon the petition of '2OOO respectable inha-
bitant householders, to consider the subject, to turn
their attention to the practicability of introducing a
bill in Parliante•tt to ficilitate their conviction by
some more summary mode of proceeding than the
present laws atlitrd ; for which purpose they are
about to confer with his Majesty's law-officers, to
obtain their sanction to a measure so highly de-
sirable to every well-wisher to the m 'rats of the
rising generation.

PI. • 'I

d

Duets.—A duel was fought in Dublin, on Saturda
last, at three o'clock in the afternoon, between Mr.
O'Meara, on the half-pay establishment, attended by
Mr. Crooke, also of the half-pay, and Mr' M'Loughlin,
of the Treasury, attended by Mr. Bayley. On the
second lire both shots took effect. Mr. O'Meara was
struck on the side, but the rib bone offered sufficient
resistance to prevent it from entering the body. The
wound is severe, however. Mr. M'Llatighlin was less
fortunate. The ball of his antagonist entered a little
below his hipbone, and has nut been extracted. NVe
state, with much regret, that the wound is considered
dangerous. He is attended by the Surgeon-General and
Surgeon Kerlin Mr. O'Meara is attended by Surgeon
Roney. It is a lamentable circumstance, that this is the
thing duel Imagist during the last week, arising from the
sante original cause of quarrel. The first was on Tues-
day, in the Phoenix-park, between the same principals.
Alter exchanging shots at fifteen paces' distance, the
parties and their friends quitted the ground without any
adjustment having taken place. At the moment of
quitting the ground, some altercation arose, which pro-
duced a meeting on Thursday afternoon, in a field ad-
joining Lord Charlemont's demesne, between Mr.
O'Meara and Mr. Clarke, also on the half-pay, who
acted as the second of Mr. M'Loughlin in the former
case, when, on a discharge of shots at ten paces, Mr.
O'Meara firing in the air, the affair was amicably ad-
justed. The third duel was fought on the same place,
between the original principals, with the unfortunate
result already stated. They stood at the distance of 12
paces. The saute gentleman was second to Mr. O'Meara
in the three duels.

PEDCSTK IANISM.—A match of 1Y miles for SO guineas
Wig run on Friday morning over a mile piece of ground
at Horton, near Chertsey, and it was a fine treat to 'the
spectators. The contemporaries were a Capt. Griffiths,
and a gentleman of the name of Harrington.—Each two
miles were performed as follows:

M. 116
First 2 Griffiths did in 11 2

M. s.
Barrington ... ll 2
Ditto ... l2 2
Ditto
Ditto ... 13 23
Ditto l3 32
Ditto l3 44

Second do.

Third do.
Fourth do. l3 26
Fifth du l3 SO

Sixth do.

Hour 1 16 32 1 Hour 1 16 44
It was one of the closest matches that has taken place
for years, by about sixty yards, gained chiefly by strength
in the last half mile. Mr. Barrington was backed at
even at starting, but it was 2 to I against hint after
doing the second mile.

Riot at Fronse.—A few days ago the master clothiers
of Frome reduced the wages of the weavers from I6d.
to 13t1. per yard ; this caused a considerable agitation,
all the men immediately refused to work, and assembled
in the streets in so tumultuous a manner, that the ma-
gistrates, very prol:erly, caused all public-houses to he
closed. The men, however, in a day or two again re-
turned to their work, and nothing serious occurred.--
The knowledge of this was soon circulated among die
weavers in Trowbridge, and the adjacent manufacturing
places; and, on Saturday, the town of Frotue was COM-
pletely filled with weavers front all the surrounding
country, who came with the intention to deter those of
notate front peaceably pursuing their employ at the re- -
&Iced prices. This immense concourse of people con-
tinued to crowd the streets of the town mail about three
o'clock in the afternoon, when the Riot Act was read,
and some few of them soon departed. The town was
still, however, crowded at the time our informant kft
at four o'clock, and the magistrates had just ordered the
public-houses to be closed, fearing the consequences
which might ensue, in case the populace should become
inebriated. I'he following extract is from a communi-
cation of our Frome correspondeut, dated Saturday even-
ing, six o'clock :—" Acts of violence were prevented by
the timely interference of that worthy magistrate, the
Earl of Cork, who was as usual at his post. and by a
suitable address to the deluded men, in which, in the
manner, he expressed his determination tp keep
the peace and put the laws in force, tbel left the town
and returned to their respective homes it is bin jusere
to add, that there appeared no disposition in theroivit
weavers to join them, or to s.lllCtioll their proceedinks.
We thiuk it should be paiticularly impressed upon me
minds of ibis nselul class of society, mat to get any
grievance redressed. is not by breakiug the laws of their
country, which thank (Jod, are at this Moe sufficient to
protect all classes."
SURREY Sess otas.—The Court were occupied, durin,r,
the forenoon of Friday, in hearing parish appeals. The
case of Ilford v. Langlord was argued at considerable
length by Mr. Tornio, fur the respondeuts, and Mr.
[lead), for the appellants. It was a case of considerable
interest to parishes, and one ou which the Judges of the
Court of King's Bench were divided in opiniou,and had
referred back to the Sessions for a re-hearing. The ques-
tion was, whether hiring a servant at monthly wages was
a general luring, that entitled the pauper to a settlement
in the parish where she had served on such hiring for
upwards of a twelvemouth.—The Court consulted for a
considerable time, and at length decided, by a majority
of one vrece only, that hiring by the month was a good
sees ice, that entitled the pauper to her settlement at

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A remarkable occurrence took pl ce a short time
ago at the Oldfield Colliery, Staffordshire : happening
in the night of Sunday, none of the men were at pork,
one 311 Y person near the place, except a young man at-
tending the engine to work the pump, who at that time
had laid down by the boiler, and was asleep. About two
o'clock in the utorning, a tremendous explmsion of the
hydrogan eas ',me pl, ce in the pit node' neath, which
agitated the earth to the surface so as to cause the man
to roll over ; it shook the inhabitants in their beds at
some distance, creating a fear that their habitations
would fah on them. Had it happened on any other
night oto,t likelf the lives of many of the poor collets
would have fallen a sacrifice.

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