The Sun.
London, England, 1830-10-18 00:00:00

now.sornEor.

On Saturday nighty about o'clock, as Mr.
Limas, the sitting Magistrate, was disposing of a
ease of no public interest, Mr. Thomas, the police
superintendent, entered the office in a hurried
manner, and was followed by Mr. Charles Kemble,
Mr. Meadows (the comedian), Mr. Pierce Egan,
and others. Mr, Thomas immediately advanced to
the bench, and whispered something to the Magi,.
trate, who requested that Mr. Kemble should be shown
to the bench, where he took a seat accordingly, Mr.
Halls telling him that he would attend to his busi-
ness in a few minutes. The occasion of Mr. Kemble's
visit was soon whispered about, and it having trans
pired that a fracas had taken place between that
gentleman and Mr. Wesmacott, the reputed editor
of the Age newspaper, the appearance of the latter
pet son was looked for with some curiosity, it having
been stated that he had just received a severe casti-
gation in the lobby of Covent-garden theatre from
Mr. Kemble, in consequence of some scandalous
allusions which were published in the Age, reflecting
upon the moral char:icier of Miss Fanny Kemble.
The appearance of Mr,: Kemble as be entered the
office indicated the excited feelings under which he
laboured, and that circumstance, together with a
formidable bamboo stick which he carried with him,
afforded pretty strong evidence of the use to which
it had been just applied.
When the busioess before the bench was disposed of
Mr. thus, addressing Mr. Thomas, understood
to say that some person had a charge of assault
to prefer against Mr. Kerable : • if so, be (Mr. Hulls)
was ready to hear it.

- Mr. Thomas—Mr. Westmaeott, of the Age, is
the complaining party,
Mr.Ams—le he here P—Mr. Thomas—No,
Sir, ho is not; but, at 'he accused me of partiality
in uto tatting Mr. Kemhlo into custody for assault-
ing him In the theatre, I requested Mr. Icembla to
accompany me here to meet Mr. Westmacotes
charge.

hfr. Kemble here stepped forward, observing that
he Was ready to unin.er any ebarge that might be
preferred against him.

Mr. there any person present ready to
prefeen charge against Mr. Kemblel4—Mr.,Thomss
replied in the negative.
Mr. llaus—Then I 4011 Certainly not detain
Mr. Ketnble a moment longer.
Mr. Kemble bowed, and IVitio libollt to retire, when
Mr. Thomas observed, that he bad sent an officer
to apprise Mr. Westmaeott of Alr. Kuria;la's at-
tenthutee, and perhaps it. would be us well for Mr.
Kemble to wan the return of the messenger.
Kemble is quite at liberty to go
when he pleases, but as the messenger will probably
soon ram wilt, an answer from Mr. Westmaeott,
Mr. Kemble will, I dare say, have no objection to
wait a hale longer.

Mr. Kemble--Certainly not, Sir; an expect as
a gentleman 10, that I may not be detained in the
absence of any charge against me.
Mr. Thomits—llere is this messenger.
A police constable, accompanied by a young man
employed at the Age office, bete came forward, and
the latter said (114 at Mr. We+tmacott Iltltlbie to
attend, in consequence of the injuries ht, had ri-
eeivesl from Mr. Kemble.

Air. Kemble, in n satemtie manner, asked the
young man whether Mr. Westmaeott wss so fa
disabled as to prevent his walking to the office ?
The young man replied, that Mr. Westmaeott wns
wholly unable to walk ; and added, that he did not
consider Mr. Kemble had uny tight to cross question
him.

Mr. Ittus—Were you present .nt the nssault,
young men ? The young meu replied that he bed

not witnessed the transaction, but he was ready to
*pose to. the situation, in which hehad left Mr.
pestmecot t.
Mr. HALIS—IS any person present who saw the
assault committed ? Mr. 'Thomas--I was witness
to the' latter part of it, but as I did not see the com-
tnencentent of the affair, perhaps it would be as well
to procure some other evidence. Mr. Westmacott
received certainly severe punishment, but it did not
disable him from walking from the theatre.
Westmacott's messenger here said that he
was instructed to request the Magistrate to defer the
hearing of the ease to Tuesday morning.
Mr. HALLS--Certainly ; and I dare say Mr.'
Kemble will have no objection to attend then.
Mr. Kemble—l shall be quite ready to attend
your summons, Sir, whenever my presence is re-
quired. Mr. Kemble then bowed to the Magistrate,
and left the dice.

The fracas, it appears occurred in the passage
immediately behind the second tier of boxes. Mr.
Westmacott was sitting in the boxes a few seconds
before it took place; but whether he was sent for to
the lobby, or came out by accident, we could not
ascertain. As soon, however, as he appeared in the.
hlobby, Mr. Kernble met him, and after a brief and
rather violent altercation, the noise of which drew
severel gentlemen from the boxes, Mr. Kemble
struck Mr. Westmacott a violent blow on the side
of the head with a stick, and continued beating him
Has he lay prostrate at his feet. Mr. Kemble is re.
ported to have been very much agitated, and he was
heard to exclaim as he struck Mr. Westmacott," You
villain I will teach you to call a child of mine a
----." Mr. Westmacott appealed several times to
the gentlemen who were present to interfere; but
the feeling was so arcing against him, that the
;chastisement which be received appeared to give
general satisfaction, and as he retired from the
theatre be was loudly hissed. On the appearance
'of Mr. Thomas, Mr. Westmacott claimed his
protection, and called upon him to take Mr.
Kemble into custody and convey him to Bow-street.
This Mr. homes did not at the moment feel him-
Self justified in doing, and Mr. Westmacott immedi-
ately charged him with a dereliction of his duty ; in
consequence of which, Mr. Thomas undertook to
procure the attendance of Mr. Kemble before the
magistrate, Mr. Westmacott at the same time under-
taking to appear and substantiate his charge. With
reference to the very gross expression said to have
been applied by Mr. Westmacott to Miss Fanny
Kemble (and which weliave given on the authority
of a gentleman who distinctly heard Mr. Kemble
use the words above stated), our reporter was unable
to learn when or how it had been used. In the
Age of Sunday, the 10th instant, will be found a
coarse and unjust criticism on the acting and per-
sonal appearance of Miss Fanny Kemble, but we
could discover no allusion in that article reflecting on
the chastity of the young lady. A full explanation
will, however, in all probability take place before the
magistrate, should Mr. Westmacott feel inclined to
follow up the charge against Mr. Kemble. The
affair has excited a considerable stir in the theatrical
world, and at a late hour on Saturdey night several
gentlemen who were cognizant of the assault called
ut the office of the Age for copies of the previous
Sunday's paper, which contained, as they conceived,
the offensive paragraph. The gentlemen, however,
could get no satisfaction on that point, and the door
was soon after closed to prevent the admission of
strangers.

A lad, about 16 years of age, named George Cle-
ments, was charged, in the course of the day, with
having absconded from his master, Mr. Harrison, au
ironmonger, residing at 106, Tottenham-court-road,
and embezz'ing the sum of la, which he had re-
ceived to take up a bill of exchange. The case was
remarkable for the extraordinary determination of the
lad to take to the highway after he had spent the
money, for which purpose he bad actually provided
himself with a pistol, powder, and bullets.
It appeared that he absconded with the money on
the 2,1 of October, and, from information received
by Mr. Harrison, Gardner, an officer, proceeded to
Rochester on Friday last, where he found the pri-
soner detained by the person at whose house be
lodged. That person told the officer that he dis,
covered the lad in the act of stealing from the house
on the previous evening, with a pistol primed, loaded
and cocked, concealed beneath his coat, and sus.
pecting that he intended to do some mischief he de-
4sined him. The officer, on questioning the prisoner,
drew from him that he bad spent nearly the whole
of his master's money in a circuitous route from
London, and having read of the exploits of several
famous highwaymen, ,Dick Turpin and others, he
had determined to commence the life of a freebooter,
and with that intention purchased the pistol, powder
and bullets, and was about to take " to the road,"
when he was stopped by his landlord. The boy
added, that while yet a mere child, an old woman
told his mother that he would surely come to the
gallows, and so strong bad this prophecy worked
upon his imagination, that he thought it must be
fulfilled, and was, therefore, cureless as to what he
did,

Mr. Harrison, the hoy's master, gave him a good
clunacter previous to this trarisacti"
?Ir. lints, after observing upon the mischievous
efi'ects of such books as the " Life and Adventures
of Dick Turpin," remanded the prisoner for further
examination.

A charge or compounding at information under n
penal statute was preferred against Johnson, the
nefarious informer.

The result was, that Mr. Lints directed that no
information should, for the future, be received from
Johnson at Bow-street dim

MARLBOROUGH-STREET.
On Saturday n very fine youth, about 12 years of
age, respectably dressed am! carrying a wallet well
stored with linen and other necessary articles of
wearing apparel, was brought before sit%DYER, the
sitting Magistrate, under the following circum-
stances :

One of the new police constables stated, that
.about six o'clock in the evening biforo, just as it
wee getting dark, he met the youth. in Piccadilly,
and seeing from his appearance and manner in the
street, looking about him as if ignorant of where be
was, and having his wallet on his shoulder, that he
was evidently a stranger in London, and, on quce.
tioning him, finding such to be the fact, in order to
prevent any mischief happening to him, he cop;
veyed him to the police station for the night, where
the lad:gave the account of himself which he WOUI4
now relate to the Magistrate.

The youth, who seemed to be a very intelligent
lad, on being questioned by the Megistrate as to
how he came to be east alone on the streets of Lon-
don, stated that he wars a native of America, heving
been born at a village within a few miles of New
York, his father being an Irishman, and his mother
a native of America, and the former a pensioned
soldier, belonging to the 26th English Regiment of
Foot. About two years ago, he said, his tither and
mother died within a short space of time of each
other, in America, and he was left quite destitute,
alone and unprotected, having neither brother nor
sister; but the people of the village very humanely,
tOok charge of him, and he was not suffered to
want for any thing while he remained there', nor
should be still, had he wished to continue with
them. About nine months ago, however, he said,
not feeling disposed to be u burden upon strangers,
no knowing that he had relations, particularly an
uncle, in Ireland,ll4lo were very well off,and he was
,:are would do something for him if he could get to
he quitted his native village and Came down
t,l New York, where he hung aboin the shipping in
the harbour there for several days, getting a bit of
Toad now end then, as he could, in the hopes that
4
some Captain of a skip would. take compassion on
him, and bring him over to England; and
fortunately at last he was successful, for the
Commander of an American trading vessel to this
country, on hearing his little tale of distress, took
pity on him, end gave him a free passage, &c to
Portsmouth, where he landed 1. "him
as, en gave
SR, on putting him ashore. Having often, he said,
heard his father, talk-a great deal about
Chatham,

and that it was the depot of the 26th regiment, he
stet off from Portsmouth, and' walked to Chatinitn,
Itvhere, on his arrival, in February last, he made in-
4piiry if any of the 26th regiment were there, and
Ite was fortunate enough to find out a comrade of
leis father, a pensioner also of the same regiment,
and an Irishman too. This man took care of him
at his own lodgings, fed and clothed him, and paid
as much regard to him as if he had been his own
Son, from his arrival in Chatham until Friday last,
..the day the policeman found him in the street. On
that day the pensioner brought him up to London
;from Chatham, as l►e was coining to receive his pen-
sion, and after having got paid he purchased the
wallet and all the things it contained, and gave them
to him, and then took him to a public-house, and
gave him his dinner and 12s. in money, afterwards
,walked with him through three or four streets, and
then suddenly stopping, he told him he was very
sorry to be obliged to part with him, but said that
he could not afford to take care of him any longer;
and as he was not returning to Chatham himself,
but was going to another place far distant, he must
leave him to provide for himself as well as he could,
end the man then quitted him and disappeared in
an instant into another street. Being a total stran-
ger in London, he was wandering about, not know-
ing where to look for a bed, although he had money
to pay for it, when the policeman stopped him, and
.took care of him for the night.
The Magistrate, who seemad considerably inte-
rested in the boy's storyund his artless manner of relat-
ing his adventures, would take care the youth should
have a safe conveyance to Ireland, and immediately
sent for the overseers of St. James's parish, where
the boy wits found, and where he slept at the police.-
station the night before.
The overseer, on hearing the particulars of the
lad's case from the Magistrate, said that the youth
could not be properly considered altogether a
pauper, inasmuch as he had some money to support
himself with; and the parish, therefore, was cer-
tainly not bound to take charge of him ; but, under
all the peculiar circumstances of his interesting case,
and at the desire of the Migistrute, he (the over-
seer) would take care that the lad should be safely
passed to Ireland by the usual conveyance, without
any demand being made on his little stock of money,
as most probably he would want that in Ireland be-
fore he could reach his relations.

The youth seemed very grateful, and so expressed
himself for the kindness shown him; and flinging
his little wallet over his shoulder, he bowed to the
Magistrate, and departed ut►der the care ofthe overseer.