The Sun.
London, England, 1864-07-14 00:00:00

WESTMINSTER.

A FEMALE IMPRISONED WITHOUT A FlNE.—Mary
Anne Clarke, a married woman, and of a most violent dis-
position, was charged before Mr Salfe, with assanitin
Ellen M'Gowan, also a married woman, who, in conse-
quence of a wouud inflicted on her head by the prisoner,
was obliged to be taken to the Hospital.

It appeared that the complainant and prisoner lived at
No 8, Great Peter-street. About 12 o'clock yesterday, the
prisoner attempted to break in the door of complainant's
room without any provocation having been given by the
complainant. The latter about two o'clock went to the
Police-court to gat a summons for the damage. On her
return she saw the prisoner, who told complainant that if
she got hold of her she would kill her. Complainant, who
is near her confinement, then went into a room and
remained there till the evening, wishing to avoid the
prisoner. In the course of the evening the complainant
left the room, but she was no sooner in the presence of the
prisoner than she gave her a heavy blow on her head with
a blunt instrument, which she had succeeded in concealing
somewhere. Complainant bled severely from the wound,
and was taken to the hospital. She afterwards attacked
complainant's husband with some gingerbeer bottles, which
she flung at him. She also (the same day) broke open the
shop door of the landlady's part of the house.

Each complainant gave evidence, and said that the
prisoner had no provocation to act as she had done, and that
on former oce4sbns she ought to have been brought to that
court.

Mr Selfe observed that she was a violent and most dan-
gerous woman, and must be punished.
_ _

She was sent to prisoner for a month, and was held to
bail to keep the peace for the same period,

MARLBOROUGH-STREET

EXTRAORDINARY APPLICATION,—REFUSAL TO GIVE
ur A DEAD BODY.—Mr Pearce, barrister, accompanied by
Mr Wall, of the firm of Smith and Wall, New•inn, Strand,
attended before Mr Knox this morning under the following
circumstances

Lir Pearce said he attended on behalf of the executors
of a gentleman to apply for a warrant against a person
named Herman, who kept a cafe in Dean street, Soho, but
as he observed that person in court, perhaps he would giva
such an explanation as would not necessitate his doing so,
The dead gentlemen had for some years resided at Chelsea,
but uafertuuately for him had be decoyed into the house

of Mr Herman, and after being there little more than a
month, during which time he had led a very diss!pated life
he was found dead in his bed. An inquest was held on the
dead body, and the executors sent in a leaden coffin, and
made the necessary arrangements for the deceased's inter-
ment at a cemetery, but on the deceased's friends going to
Mr Herman's to remove the body Mr Herman refused to
permit them doing so, setting up a claim for more than
£lOO, although the deceased had spent nearly £6OO during
the few weeks he had been staying at the cafe. He (Mr
Pearce) wished to state that there was no excuse for Mr
Herman acting as he was doing, as the executors were
persons of undoubted respectability, and would satisfy
every claim, if just.
Mr Knox asked whether the body was still at the cafe.
Mr Pearce said it was, and that the executors could not
get it away, although the undertaker had gone with the
hearse for it. Had Mr Herman not been present he should
have asked for a warrant against him, so that he might
show cause why he detained it. With regard to the coffin,
that was clearly the property of the executors, and being of
less value than £l5 his worship had jurisdiction in the
matter. It was no doubt an offence at common law to keep
a body above ground, and had the body not been soldered
down a sufficient nuisance for interference could have been
caused.

Mr Herman said ha was told his bill should be settled
before the body was taken away.
Mr Knox said Mr Herman's claim was against the exe-
cutors. _ . _

Mr Herman said that he should not be able to get his
money for a long time.
Mr Knox—Suppose I order the coffin to be given up, and
leave you with the dead body.
Mr Pearce said he could give the names of gentlemen
who
Knox
would pay any just demands.
said Mr Herman could go to a court of justice
and assert his claim, but as for thinking he could detain a
dead body, that was all nonsense. Mr Herman had evi-
dently been speculating upon that melancholy transaction.
He would tell Mr Herman that the result of the offence
would be that ho would be left with a deady body, and got
no money at all.
Mr Herman refusing to give up the body,
Mr Knox said he would order an immediate detaining
summons to be made out, and would order—supposing Mr
Pearce's case made out—that the coffin should be given up,
and then the Board of Health could interfere and make Mr
Herman do something with the body.
Mr Pearce said that surely, if Mr Herman had one spark
of decency left, ho would give up the body, and he would
then find no difficulty in the matter.
A summons was ordered to be made out.
Mr Knox told Mr Herman that the summons would
issue, and he might depend upon it that, if he touched
the coffin, with the view of taking out the body so as to
detain it, he would be sent to prison. He considered Mr
Herman's conduct a disgrace to humanity, and he had no
hesitation in saying that his conduct, in supplying the de-
ceased with drink and the means of dissipation, had accele-
rated the unfortunate man's death.
The summons was then ordered to issue forthwith.