The Sun.
London, England, 1862-03-19 00:00:00

THAMES.

SCANDALOUS ROBBERY OP A SEAMAN.—Mary Hayes, a
most infamous and desperate woman, aged 32 years, who
has been repeatedly in custcdy for robberies and assaults,
and whose husband is now under sentence of four years
penal servitude for burglary, was brought before Mr.
Woolrych on remand, charged with stealing a coat, a pair
of boots, and a waistcoat, the property of Antonio Gomez,
a seaman.
A few nights since a police-constable named Donald
M'Kay, 215 K, was passing along Ratcliff-highway and
met the prosecutor, a foreigner, who was half naked, and
who made known to him that he had been inveigled into a
most infamous den, No. 4, Angel-court, Angel-gardens,
Ratcliff-highway, kept by the prisoner, where he had been
robbed of everything but his shirt and trowsers. M'Kay
kindly provided the poor fellow with shelter and a seat by
a warm fireside at the station-house, and went to the den
kept by the prisoner, who was taxed with the robbery. She
audaciously admitted that Gomez was plundered in her
house, that he came there without any money, and that lls.
was raised on his coat and boots, and that she had re-
ceived 2s. of the money. She then handed two pawn-
broker's duplicates, one relating to the coat and the other
to the boots, to the constable, and told him he might do his
\ best or his worst. He immediately took her into custody
and locked her up.

Gomez said he W 9.6 taken into the prisoner's house while
he was intoxicated, and she took his whole kit away from
him.

Two pawnbroker's assistants produced the foreigner's
coat and boots, which he identified. He gave 13s. for his
jacket and 15s. for his boots on the very day he was plun-
dered.
The prisoner, who carried a baby which kept up a tre-
mendous squalling while she was making her defence, said
the sailor came to her house without any money and gave
the girl who accompanied him his coat and boots to pawn.
Gomez said the prisoner had not told the truth. He
was stripped of his clothes and boots while he was insen-
sible. His hat and waistcoat were also gone.

M‘Kay said a great many sailors had been kidnapped
and robbed in the prisoner's house. He knew that five
mariners had been skinned there in one week.
Mr. Woolrych asked Gomez when he was going to sea,
to which he replied "I am going to sea this week."
Mr. Woolrych said he was very sorry for that. A severe
example ought to be made of the prisoner. Nothing could
exceed the audacity of the loose women and the keepers
of the horrible dens to which they resort in the district of
that court. He would have committed the prisoner for
trial if the sailor had intended to stay here another week.
To prevent a total failure of justice, he should convict the
prisoner of illegally pawning, and sentence her, in default
of paying a fine of £4, and 315., the value of the goods, to be
imprisoned and kept to hard labour for two calendar months.
The coat and boots must be restored to the prosecutor.
The prisoner, an Irishwoman, no sooner heard the sen-
tence than she invoked the bitterest maledictions on the
magistrate, the prosecutor, and the constable, and she was
removed by the gaoler swearing loudly, while her child
shrieked, and her infamous companions at the back of 020
court were calling out " Qood bye, roll."