The Sun.
London, England, 1864-07-18 00:00:00

The Pitman or the Eel t

At the Worship-street Police Court on Saturday, William
Pitman was charged before Mr Cathbert Ellison with an
indecent assault upon Isabella Israel, a young Jewess,
living in Lamb-street, Spite Melds. -
Complainant said—About an hour since I was in the
market purchasing a piece of salmon, when I suddenly felt
something on my log just below the knee. Some eels were
being weighed, end I first thought that ono of them had
fallen and wriggled up my dress, but on brushing it down
I distinctly felt a hand. Defendant was on his knees, and 1
I am certain it was ho who committed the offence. I told my
father, and then preferred this charge.
Cross-examined by Mr Graves—Not any of the eels were
In the ground. The hand held me tight—the eels were
, .
firultr, about on the stall.
sci„iers, 91 H—When I took defendant into custody he
said tnat h," was inn69ent of the accusation—that an eel
had been taker: from the eXale, and that he picked it up, in
doing which it co.tainly might have touched her leg or
thereabouts.
herself a "market widow")—l
Mary Swan (describing
was weighing 21b of live ee:s for a gentlemen—one of 'em
wriggled out. Mr Pitman, which he btis a wife and Fix
small children, picked it up and Aung it on the stall, say-
ing, 4' There it is where it was."
Mr Stafford (clerk)—Did you lose eight of defendant's
hand while he was looking for the eel?
Witness—No, I didn't ; and if he did anything wrcing
I must have seen it. The eel might have touched the
young lady just above the boot; but no higher—oh, no—
no higher 1
Thomas Hart—l am a shopkeeper in Spitalfields-market,
and Mrs Swan's stall is just opposite me. I saw the young
:ady standing on the pavement buying some salmon, and
her hoops, when she leaned forward, reached right across
to my shop front. I could see all her legs quite high, and
I said to a customer, " What a disgusting fashion this is 1"
Just then an eel slipped away, and this young man (de-
fendant) snatched it up from close by her legs, but I swear
he never touched them; the fish might, they knows nothing
of manners. (Much laughter.) l've known this person
twenty years ; he is a moral man with a large family.
Mr Ellison—All this may be true, and yet he might
have committed such an offence as is charged against
him. However, upon the strength of tLe combined evi-
-1 donee, I conclude that the eel was the guilty party. and
I therefore order the discharge of the person who held it.

Cunard AMERICANs
teacirikAlA:
Arabia, from
STEAMERS
THIS WEEI--There are three steamers due at Liverpool '
this week, with the mails from Canada and the United ,
States, viz. :—l'he City of London, from New York on the
9th, may be looked for off Cape Clear or Queenstown this
evening (Monday) cr early te-morrow morning ; the liiber-
or-U—k -Eol'tTheLll"" t
FisllEßx.—ThiesoC:£llsi
nian, from Quebec, also on the 9th, will no doubt rem':
Londonderry in the course of to-morrow; on Saturday, the
expected to reach Queenstown•
THE IiERIZING
gs. 13th, may be
boatssswhere very
engaged in the herring fishery on the Irish coast
fortunate last week, having made trona
Mr Corsbie, salesman, of Newlyn,
disposed of £2,500 worth of herrings, per boat ;
The Cornwall, reports having
Irish and Scotch
boats have also had good luck, but their:
were
taken
alortly
alter
tii.,
~,,,, principal catches
ht,:i,ternent of the season.