The Sun.
London, England, 1839-11-06 00:00:00

INSOLVENT DEBTORS' COURT, Nor. 4

" A TENANT-AT-wlLL."—Dennis Driscoll, a fresh-
coloured native of Erin, was opposed by Mr. Cooke on
the part of a gentleman named Maughfling.
The insolvent had been a " tenant-at-will" of a house
in New Gravel-lane, Shadwell, for some years, without
paying any rent. Mr. Maughfling was his only cre-
ditor, at whose suit he had been confined since August :
he seemed to consider himself " a very ill-used man."
It appeared that the rent of the house was 181. a
year, and when the collector to Mr. Maughfling, who
had seven houses in the same street, called on the insol-
vent, lie refused to pay him or give up the possession ;
he had kept it some years, and would not quit the
premises.

Mr. Cooke—A man who will neither pay rent nor
give up possession is, I believe, always called a " tenant-
at-will."—( A laugh.)
The collector said such was the definition of the
term by those who paid no rent. The insolvent would
not quit ; he threatened violence ; a row ensued, and
he was bound over to keep the peace. Mr. Maughfling
ultimately brought an action of ejectment to get his
property. He obtained a verdict, and with great diffi-
culty succeeded in getting possession ; he was obliged
to call in the police. Some of the doors were removed,
the fixtures gone, and a partition broken to pieces.
The insolvent said he had kept possession since the
year 1829, and paid no rent.
Mr. Cooke—Why did you not give up possession to
Mr. Maughfling? Insolvent—Cos he hadn't a title.
Mr. Cooke—What title had you

The insolvent looked perplexed, but in a minute a
thought seemed to strike him. " What title had I?
Vy I had possession."--( Laughter.)
Mr. Commissioner BOWEN said the insolvent must
go back for a month to amend his description.
The case was adjourned to amend the description,
and the insolvent was taken to prison, there to remain
for upwards of a month.

MIDDLESEX COURT OF
REQUESTS.

A CASE FOR THE " SUPERIOR COURTS."—H/L7li and
Haines," shouted the crier.
" Here's Hunt," said a jolly-looking person, very
much like John Reeves, of " immortal memory."
Where's Haines ?" inquired the officer. " I attend
for Mr. Haines," squeaked a fierce little fellow of the
the guinea-pig class of the genus honzo, over whose
nativity the genius of Pump-court, Temple, had un-
doubtedly presided ; " I'm his clerk, and am prepared
to plead to the action."

" What is the debt for ?" said the COMMISSIONER.
" The debt is a guinea for a hat," answered the plaintiff.
" Do you admit the debt? said the COMMISSIONER
to " the extremity of the law." " Mr. Haines pleads
privilege," answered the "fag-end." " I here exhibit
his certificate ;" and the woeful little representative of
the privileged attorney spread out the strip of shell)
skin to the view of the Commissioner.

" Will yo❑ swear," said the CommissioNEn, " that
Ambrose Haines, the defendant in this action, is the
Ambrose Haines named in the certificate 2"

" I will," said the clerk, looking as sharp as a snipe.
Mr. Commissioner 'Juno's—Such a plea does Mr.
Haines no credit. _

" Nor no discredit neither," pertly replied the clerk.
" We offered Mr. Hunt 17s. for the hat, which we can
show was the price agreed upon, and we now make the
same offer in Court. If he won't accept the tender
made to him by us, let him take us into the Superior
Court."

Mr. Commissioner Dunnls (addressing the plaintiff')
—Do so ; I warrant you Mr. Haines will not show
himself in such a shabby ease. Mr. Haines might here
have proved the agreement, if any was ever made, for
the 17s.

" We do not choose to plead here," said the clerk.
" And I think you will not choose to plead anywhere
in this matter. Take him into his own court, Mr.
Hunt," said the COMMISSIONER.

Mr. Hunt—l will, Sir ; he shall have the privilege
of trying the hat case on in his own court.
" Give me the certificate," said the little clerk, pom-
pously, to the officer of the court ; and having received
the bit of sheepskin, he retired with as much dignity as
if he had been marching to the woolsack.
DEBT AND COSTS.—Some people go to law for the
same reason that a certain stage hero wished to see a
man "thawed up," as the Yankees have it. " Kill
him," said he of the sock and buskin, " kill him ; I never
saw a man killed in my life." It was the novelty of the
thing that was so charming. So it is with many of
those who are desirous of argufying their own causes,
and having fools for their clients. The only dif-
ference is that the martial stage gentleman required
the experiment to be tried upon any case except
his own ; he cared little about the debt—of na-
tare, or the cost which such a debt was "heir to ;"
but the gentlemen and ladies who rush into the
novelty of " speaking for themselves," generally do
execution upon their own persons, coming in pretty
usually for both debt and costs. But then the novelty
of " having it out" at law with the butcher or baker at
the cost of a matter of 3s. 6d ! Pleading before a judge
with a wig on! and "telling the waggerbun as had the
imp'rance to summon you, a bit o'yer mind, and as how
you dont care a-- for him !" And all these delight-
ful things for a matter of 3s. Gd. "It's quite irresis-
tible !" thought Mary Mullins, we presume, when the
baker threatened to summons her for 2s. Gd. for three
quartern loaves and a couple of rolls.
Mary walked briskly up to the table, presenting in
her own sweet self a fine study of the " low forensic"—
her arms akimbo, her best foot a little in advance, and
her head expressively out of the perpendicular. She
was of the Tartar race, with a squab nose, ferret eyes,
and her mouth --. It forcibly recalled to our recol-
, lection a bit of dialogue we heard years since between
two jolly sons of Neptune, in what they call the Bogue
of Tigris :
" --- My eyes, Jack," said the captain of the
fore-top to one of his messmates, " look at that there
Qui Si singing out in the chop under the bows—what a
bight of a mouth he has."
" Ah hah !" chuckled his messmate, " Why, when he
opens his mouth his head's half off, and get's right on
it's beam ends."
" And his nose," added Jack, laughing outright, " is
taken all aback."

In fact Mary Mullin's nose, which had a most pug-
nacious appearance, seemed to have hugged itself close
off the dangerous Charybdis gaping below it.
Mr. Commissioner Dußois (to Mary)—Do you owe
this money? " No, I don't," said Mary, emphatic:a:ly,
" I don't owe it ; I disputes free (three) ha'pence on
it. He carn't recover no costes, cos I've hoffered him
a legal tender, as Bill Gibbins is a witness on."

" I hi's," said Gibbins, who backed up Mary, "
seed Molly Mullins put the blunt on the counter."

" Q'vite right," observed Mary Mullins, "and he
carn't recover nuffen (nothing). I hoffered him two
ahillin' in silver, a Joey and a ha'penny in copper.
" The worry ticket," chimed in Mister Gibhins.
" And I means to dispute," added the fair defen-
dant, " as I howes him a blessed farden more."

Mr. Commissioner Dusoss—Let us know how you
make out this statement of yours.
" Why as this here," said Mary, looking as if Hale
and Bacon inspired and invigorated her, " Mister Duf-
fey, the plaintiff in this here cause ticketed up his bread
at 9d. a k'rvarten, and I produces a bill (handing it in
quite professionally) as 'll prove as he's had the williney
to charge me 9d. a k'rvarten. He say as this here
hextra mag as he's clapped on is for a trustinc, on me,
but, my Lord and Gentlemen of the Jury, I never
agreed to no sich a hagreement. I aint such a--
fool, am I Bill ?"
" Not a bit on it," said Gibbins.
" Have you any family ?" inquired the COSIMIS•
SIONER.-" Yes, I have," answered Mary Mullins,
" I've free (three) blessed babbles, and they sharnt be
robbed by nobody, if so be as I knows it?
" Really," said the COMMISSIONER, " the defendants
to these small claims act most dishonestly towards their
own families. Here is a debt of 2s. 6d., and rather
than pay it this woman comes here to rob her family of
3s. Gd. in the shape of costs."
" Butt aint to be done out of free ba'pence," voci-
ferated Mrs. Mullins.
" The halfpenny. on each loaf is the charge, woman,
which bakers invariably make for credit."
Worry fine, my Lord," replied Mary, " but why
should I pay this here free ha'pence ? I never agreed to
no such a thing. Suppose my husband, as works in the
dust-yard agin Somer's-town, was for to put a ha'penny
on every ninepence as he yarns, cos they don't let him
have the blunt till such times as it's Saturday night—
eh What'ud master say to him, my Lord and Genel-
men of the Jury ? I axes you what you supposes they'd
say ? What'ud they do, Bill Gibbins ?"
" Sack him like a cock in a brace o' two twos I" re-
plied Gibbins.
" To be sure they would," said Mary, triumphantly,

PRICE sd.

" he'd have the go, and no gammon ; and I shoul d like
for to know why this here Mister Duffey should have a
hextra mag, cos ve don't pay afore Saturday night. It
ain't justice."

Mr. Duffey denied the tender, and observed that the
only chance he had of getting the 2s. Gd. was by bring-
ing them into Court.
Mary told him he was a sanguinary postponer of the
truth, and that he might -. She'd "be biled twice
in biling bile afore she'd pay' a farden, for she'd
have six penerth of it ;" that is, Mary Mullins meant
she would retire into prison six days for the Gs. debt
and costs.

A TEA-TOTAL AFFAIR.—The " tea-totallers" set
out with the axiom that " all the world are drunkar(ls ;"
Bohea, Twankay, and Hyson-skin, with their auxil-
liaries, Howqua and Assam, are therefore called upon
to take the field against " Old Tom" and " Heavy
Wet." When the victory is achieved, and " total
abstinence" is in the ascendant, then, as they say, a
moral millenium will extend from New York to John
O'Groats ; but, as we say, not till then. A raw-boned
Scotch tea-pedlar, ugly enough for a " Hong" mer-
chant, whose patois might have passed for real " Chi-
nese," presented himself at the table to claim 2s. Bd.,
the price of half a pound of tea supplied to one Mrs.
Mary Jones, a feminine Falstaff, who might have dis-
puted the " temperance" medal with any twenty-cu
" friendly brother," or " social sister" of any teetota
society on this or the other side of the Atlantic.
The Scotchman, with some difficulty, made the Court
and jury comprehend that Mrs. Jones, by way of open-
ing a tea account with him. had consented to take half-
a-pound of prime " Pekoe" as a sample. He had re-
peatedly called for payment, but he had always been
" fobbed off" with excuses, and at last with a peremp-
tory denial of the debt.
The lady, who possessed untiring activity of tongue,
said the plaintiff had hound out that she had lately joined
the " Temperance" Society, and had " seduced" her to
try his ware, under the plea that he was tea-dealer in
general to the " United, Rational, Social, and Moral
Bethnal-green Teetotallers." She allowed him to leave
a small package, upon the full understanding that if not
approved of nothing was to be charged. She drank out
the quantity, and then discovered that the quality would
not suit, and so she told the plaintiff.
The jury were of opinion that the debt was a just one,
and their award was accordingly in favour of the plaintiff.
Mr. Commissioner Dußois—Now, Mrs. Jones, how
will you pay this? Mrs. Jones (snappishly)—Shan't pay
it at all.
What is your husband ?—What is he ! why he's has-
matical.—( Laughter.)
I mean what trade does he follow ?—He don't follow
nothing. When people wants him they comes arter him.
What rent do you pay ?—We don't pay none. Our
lodgers pays our rent. _ _

That won't do, Mrs. Jones. You know what I mean,
and you must say the amount of rent you pay ?—Twenty
pounds, when the landlord gets it.
You will pay the debt and costs at Is. a week ?—I
shan't, I can tell you. The tea was'nt only sloe-leaves.
I dare say you find the. tea very bad now.—The
summons was wrong.
But we will make it all right.—No you shan't. I'll
prove my allybum. I aint Mary Jones, my name's Mar-
garet.

Mr. Commissioner DUBOIS—We don't want your
name. Mrs. Jones ; we'vetkot you, and that's better.
" You ugly willin," said the discomfited Mrs. Jones,
turning on the plaintiff, " only let me ketch you up our
court !"
Mrs. Jones went off in a passion.

POLICE INTELLIGENCE.

GUILDHALL.

FEROCITY of A DUMB BOY.—Yesterday William
Sryfall, a boy about thurteen years of age apparently,
chargedi,h with
emast being a d
era
respectable
lookingr ly apprentice.
m a
n
was placed at the bar before Mr. Alderman HUMPIIERY
stated that he
was a shoe-maker, and that the prisoner who was his
apprentice was deaf and dumb. He been induced by
the parents of the boy to take him, and he had been
bound by the parents, but he constantly refused to do
any work, and if remonstrated with he would seize a
knife and run at complainant attempting to stab him ;
he would also throw knives at and person who offended
him. The persons at the asylum where the boy had
been educated had used every means to reclaim him but
without effect, and he became so incorrigible that the
complainant felt himself called upon in self defence to
bring him before the worthy Alderman to request him
to cancel the indentures. He was willing to return 101.
of the premium he had received with him.
Mr. Alderman HUMPHERY thought that under this
circumstances the complainant had made a very fair
offer, and directed a document to be drawn up in ac-
cordance with this suggestion, and tendered to the boy
for his signature.
Complainant—He will not sign it, Sir ; he refuses
to do any thing.
The prisoner stood for some time with the pen in
his hand, but notwithstanding every attempt to induce
him to change his resolution—he refused to sign.

Mr. Alderman HUMPHERY—The indentures bad
better be left at this office until you can arrange some-
thing with the parish officers who bound him. In the
meantime I shall commit the boy to the Compter.
The prisoner was then removed in custody.