The Sun.
London, England, 1852-09-06 00:00:00

SOUTHWARK.

Sarah Paynter, a well•dressed young woman, con-
nected with an organized gang of shoplifters residing
in Church-street, Whitechapel, was brought before
Mr. Combs, charged with having been concerned
with another woman, not in custody, in stealing
ribands to the value of 181. from the shop of Mr. Ed-
ward Muth)* haberdasher and silkmercer, Ne wing-
ton- causeway. She was also charged with being
concerned with the same woman in stealing several
pieces of ♦aluable riband from the shut) of Mr.
Slocombe, another tradesman i❑ Newington. cause-
way.

Mr. Mullock said, about a quarter-past six on the
previous evening the prisoner and another woman en-
tered his shop and purchased some small lengths of
riband. They were sitting close together at the
counter while being served. Witness had his suspi-
cions respecting them, which induced him to keep a
sharp look out, end, while reaching in the window for
a piece of riband, be saw the prisoner draw off three
pieces of riband from the counter. Witness then
walked up to her and seized her by both wrists. He
afterwards let go her right hand to get hold of her
companion, when the latter managed to escape. The
prisoner then put her hand to her pocket, and threw
some pieces of riband behind the shop door, together
with several pieces of riband which did not belong
to him. Witness then told her that she had stolen
some satin ribands, when she replied she had not ; but
at the same time she threw several on the floor. Wit-
ness had since examined his ribands, and had now
only five pieces out of 32, and those he missed be va-
lued at 181. The prisoner and her companion were
both together, and they were selecting ribands out of
the same box.

Sarah Armstrong, an assistant to the prosecutor,
said she attended to the prisoner and her companion
on the previous evening, when the ribands were safe
in the box, which she placed before them. Z hey
merely purchased small lengths to the value of 91,
but she did not see any of the property stolen. She
identified the ribands produced as her master's pro-
perty.
Harriet Littleford, assistant to Mr. Slocombe,
another silkmercer in Newington-causeway, iden-
tified the prisoner as coming into her master's shop
a little before six o'clock on the same evening. She
was with another woman, and they purchased two
small lengths of red riband. After they left she
missed several pieces of valuable satin riband, which
were found by Mr. Mullock in his shop.

Police-constable 139 M said he saw her throw
away two pieces of riband while on the way to the
station-house, and they were identified by Mr.
Slocombe.
Other evidence having been given, and the prisoner
declining to make any defence,
Mr. COMBS fully committed her for trial on the
two charges. He also directed the officer to appre-
hend her companion.

THE FORMER AND THE PRESENT
CONDITION OF B ARTLIOL 011I.E W FAIR.
This day Bartholomew Fair will close. On Friday
the Lord Mayor and some of the City officers went. ac-
cording to ancient custom, to stir up the dying embers
of this venerable institution of our venerable ancestors.
Stow tells us, that the fair was granted by a charter of
Henry 11. to the Monastery of St. Bartholomew, which
afterwards passed into the possession of the Corporation
of London and Lord Rich, whose descendants claimed to
be jointly entitled with the City, until the Common
Council, a few years since, purchased up the right from
Lord Kensington, to enable them to abolish the fair as a
common nuisance. Three centuries ago the precincts
of the fair were called " Ruffians' Hall, as being the
common rendezvous of ruffians and travellers of all or-
ders and degrees." Upon several occasions lives were
lost in midnight brawls, and in conflicts with the City
Marshals and the Dogberries of ancient days, and in
one affray one of the marshals was killed by the mob.
The grand juries frequently presented the fair as
s nuisance. At midnight hundreds of loose fellows,
principally journeymen tailors, used to assemble at the
" Hand and Shears," in Cloth Fair. They were called
Lady Holland's mob, and were accustomed to sally forth
knockingat the doors and ringing the bells of the peaceful
inhabitants, and assaulting and ill-treating passengers.
These ruffians frequently united in such strength as to defy
the civil power. As late as 1822, a number of them, ex-
ceeding 5,000, rioted in Skinner-street, and were for
hours too powerful for the police. But although Bar-
tholomew Fair had its vices and its violence, it had also
its amusements. Ben Jonson, in his " Bartholomew
Fair," and a quaint writer, in 1641, in a pamphlet bear-
ing the same title, describe the vrsearies which prevailed
in those days. "It is remarkable," says the latter, "and
worth your observation, to behold and hear the strange
fights and confused noises in the fair. There a knave
in a fool's coat, with a trumpet sounding, a drum beat-
ing, invites you to his puppets. There a rogue, like a
wild woodman, desires your company to see his motions.
On the other side Hocus Focus sits, with three yards of
ribbon in his hand, showing his art of legerdemain to the
admiration of a company of cockoloaches. Cloth Fair
is now in great request, and well fare the ale houses; yet
better may a man fare in the Pig-market, alais Pasty-
' lock, alias Pie-corner, where pigs are all hours in
the day on the stalls, and crying come eat me."
The fashion of things passeth away. As lately
as 1830, upwards of 200 booths for toys and
gingerbread crowded the pavements around the
fair, and overflowed into the adjacent streets. In 1852
only two stalls are to be seen. In 1830 Richardson,
Saunders, Wombwell, were in the ascendant, with their
menageries and equestrian and melodramatic shows.
Merry-andrews, puppets, and fools in motley abounded
in all directions—the air rang with the din and clangor,
the thumping of drums and the blowing of trumpets.
Public-houses and drinking booths were open until
morning challenged the night, and then only closed for
a brief respite, while by night as well as by day pick-
pockets, rioters, and loose persons of both sexes entered
the arena, and woe waited upon any unfortunate wight
who appeared among them without being qualified for
the association by belonging to one or other of these
classes. la 1852 not a single show is to be seen on the
ground—the public-houses are as quiet and orderly as
upon other occasions, and the two or three gingerbread
booths which, like the spirits of departed times linger
on the spot, will depart this day in all probability for
ever. This extraordinary change has been produced
by mild measures, adopted by the Corporation, in har-
mony with the advancing spirit of the age and the im-
proving manners of the humbler classes. For 300 years
the Lord Mayor and aldermen had tried orders and
proclamations, and juries had tried presentments, but
without effect. At length the Ctmmon Council set
themselves to work in right earnest to put down a nui-
sance which brought disgrace upon the name and cha-
racter of the Corporation. Having ebtained entire
control over the whole lair by the purchase
.of Lord
r
Kensington's interest, they refused to let standings
shows and booths ; and they prevailed
.upon thegnsLord
to
Mayor and sheriffs to give up the practice of
open the fair in grand state, with a herald to
Pocessior.
tar
it and officers of the state to marshal the fool c lga
The proclamations formerly stuck about the
tshfre'eedtsa,lsin-
terdicting rioting and debauchery during. ,
discontmued ,
the fair and within its precise:es,
they did but remind the evil-disposedweofr
d ceased to be
mentioned feormer practices,
which, when they ceased to be
remembered. The consequence of
altered condition of
of this course of pro-
ceeding;
went in his private
ceeding is now manifested by
the fair. The Lord Mayor,
carriage to Smithfield to through the necessary cere-
mony of reading the documentgo reciting the charter
under which the property is holden, was surrounded by
a few go,, d-ternpered fellows, who lingered about the
ip ,t in which the
•• humour lot Bartlemy Fair" used to
aremind and a few minutes ater the ceremony the place
e4in deserted.