The Sun.
London, England, 1839-09-03 00:00:00

THE NEW POLICE ACT.

At the meeting of Magistrates for the Hundred of
Wahington, at Croydon, yesterday, an application was
made on behalf of the licensed victuallers of Carshalton,
which is within the distance of fifteen miles from Char-
ing-cross, a ith a view to ascertain whether they were
bound to comply with the regulation of the New Police
Act, which enjoins upon houses of that description their
being closed from I') o'clock on Saturday night until 1
o'clock on Sunday afternoon. The applicant stated that
there appeared to be a considerable diffcrence of opinion
upon the subject, as in some parishes the houses were
closed, and in others they were kept open, and he was,
therefore, desirous to ascertain the opinion of the Bench
upon the subject.
Mr. PENFOLD, the Clerk to the Bench, who had
been appealed to by the Magistrates, said that the New
Act merely confirmed the provisions of the original
Metropolitan Police Act, and authosised its extension
to a d:stance of 15 miles, instead of 10 ; but by the 2d
Clause of the Act, this extension would only take place
beyond the present limits, by an Order in Council, and
until an Order was issued, declaring the different parishes
and districts to be within the jurisdiction of the Act, it
would not affect them, and therefore the public-houses
that were beyond the range of the present limits of the
Metropolitan Police might carry on their businesses usual,
and were not bound to close within the hours specified.
Mr. SUTIIERLAND inquired whether it would be ne-
cessary for the different districts to apply to the Govern-
ment for an Order to be issued to place them within
the jurisdiction of the Act ?
Mr. PENFOLD expressed an opinion that no applica-
tion would be necessary, but that the Government
could make the necessary arrangements ; the whole of
the districts within the distance prescribed by the Act
would be brought within its scope.
Some conversation then took place as to the probable
course that would be adopted with regard to towns like
Croydon, Kingston, and others where a police on the
same system as that of the metropolis was already
established under the control of the local authorities,
and the Magistiates appeared to be of opinion that it
would be found much more advantageous to the public
that the whole should be placed under one uniform ju-
' risdiction.

•
After some further remarks from the Bench, the ap-
plicant was informed that until an Order in Council
was issued, the uew Act would not in any way affect
the district from which he was instructed to make the
application to the Magistrates.

FIRST AFFAIR OF A THUG.—The men were
silently warned to be at their posts; and each man, or two
men, as it was necessaary, placed himself close to the one
to whom he bad been assigned. By designed obstructions
in front, the k.ullocks belonging to the Sahoukar, with their
attendants, were brought immediately about the cart in
which he rode, and the whole being gathered into one

place, were the easier to be secured: The preparations
again roused me, and I grasped the handkerchief firmly,
thinking every moment that the signal was about to be
made ; but we still crept on at a slow pace, for the road
was narrow and lined by thorny bushes ; and the
men in front proceeding as slowly as possible, we
were kept exactly in our proper place, and expected
every moment to reach the spot. As we approached the
small hills, the jungle became pretty thick, and appeared
doubly so by the moonlight, and we passed many places
where I thought the deed might have been done with ad-
vantage. But I was wrong ; for the Lughaes had selected
an admirable one. A man came from the front, whis-
pered a few words to my father, and again went on ;
this increased my anxiety. We crossed a small hollow,
ascended a bank, and below us I saw what I was sure was
the place. The banks of the rivulet were high and steep,
covered with thick underwood matted by trailing creep-
ers. A few higher trees nearly met over its bed,
in which could be just discerned a small thread of
water, looking like a silver snake as the moon's
rays fell on it through the dark foliage. A hundred
thieves might lie there, thought I, and who could ever
know the fate of a traveller who might so easily be sur-
prised in such a spot ? I was roused from my train of
thought by my father, as he called out " Hooshiaree
(caution.) This was the preparatory signal. He went
to the side of the cart, and represented to the Sahoukar
that we bad reached the stream, and that the bank was so
steep and the bed so stony, that he must get out and walk
over to the other side if no further. This was quite suffi-
cient ; the man got out, and after seeing the cart safely
down the steep bar.k, was preparing to follow himself,
The whole scene is now before me. The bul-
locks and their drivers, with the Thugs, were
all in a confused group in the bed of the little
e
stream, the men shouting and urging on their beasts ; but
it was easy to see that every man had a Thug close to him
soTolaireryowthat it
p wa
were only a few feet below us;
nomtehedeiffi•
ari
reached the bottom. Above, stood my father, Hoosein,
ca awaitingun ldty the
ael streamet ieul sdls‘ntvaaailfd in its bed, especially with
whe s
and m)s-slf, the Sahoukar, one of his servants, and several
other Thugs. I was eagerly waiting the signal ; I tightly
grasped the fatal handkerchief, and first myvictim was
within a foot of' I behind •
me. went him as being pre-
ferable to one side, and observed one of the other
Thugs do the same to a servant. The Sahoukar
moved a step or two towards the road ; I instinctively
followed hint; I scarcely felt that I stirred, so intensely
was I observing him. "Jey Kalee !" shouted my father;
it was the signal and I obeyed it. As quick as thought
the cloth was round his neck—l seemed endued with su-
perhuman strength—l wrenched his neck round—ha
struggled convulsively for an instant, and fell. I did not
quit my hold ; I knelt down on him, and strained the
cloth till my hand ached : but he moved not—be was
dead. I quitted my hold and started to my feet I was
mad with excitement—my blood boiled, and I felt as
though I could have strangled a hundred others ; so easy,
so sireple bad the reality been. One turn of my wrists
had placed me on an equality with those who had followed
the profession for years: I had taken the first place in the
enterplite, for I had killed the principal victim. I should
receive the praise of the whole band ; many of whom, I
was confident, had looked on me as only a child.—Con.
fessions of a Thug.
ANOTHER CASE OF STABBING.—WiIIiam
Bennett, a sailor lad,
was charged on Saturday, at Lam-
bah-street office, with stabbing John Salter, an appren-
tice on board a merchant vessel. From the evidence it
appeared the tlJe prisoner and two other youths, about his
0„, age, were at breakfast at a lodging-house at Poplar
on that morning, when one of them ( Salter) took up the
bread and butter of the prisoner in mere joke, and the
latter instantly stabbed him on the right side with a table
knife. The wounded lad is in danger. Prisoner was
remanded.

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