The Sun.
London, England, 1854-06-21 00:00:00

LAW INTELLIGENCE.—June 20.

COURT OF COMMON PLEAS.
'Sittings g Prius in Middlesex.—Before Chief Zustice

Jervis and a Common Jury.

BEGI'SBAL V. MARMAYSEB.-TRAFFIC IN FRENCH GIRLS
FOR IMMORAL PURPOSES.

The plaintiff in this case, Margaret Reginbal, a French
girl, formerly lived in a house of ill-fame, kept by the de-
fendant, Germain Marmaysee, and she sued to recover the
value of some clothes detained by the defendant, and also
about 701. for money due to her. The court was crowded
duringeihe hearing of the case, and one of the galleries
Were filled by French women, who seemed deeply interested
in the matter, and who more than once audibly expressed
their feelings.
Mr. Serjeant Byles, and Mr. Massey Dawson appeared
for the plaintiff, and Mr. Serjeant Miller for the de-
. fendant.
Mr. Serjeant Byles, in opening the case, said that the
plaintiff was a French girl, who formerly lived at Havre-
de-Grace, and she was something over twenty-one years of
age, and defendant, like the plaintiff, was a native of
France. The name of the defendant was Marmaysee, but
sometimes he was called Germain, and sometimes Le Bron.
He was one of those persons in this country whom he might
describe as importing young ladies from France wh
. to live in a house kept by him for a purpose which need were
not
be further mentioned. He had a great number of
fFinrenthche
girls living there with him, whom he had collect
course of his business, for the importing of there girls was
as much a trade as the purchase of cattle in Hollandtheir
was
only
the fact being that these poor girls, having lost
and
soldin
possession at au early age, were bought
inthyin otherthe
France and imported into this likecoiiinterrarect
w a
commodity, and they were, whe
and absolutely under hisn
walls of the defendant, entirely m
control • they were not eventodw:dfetommsteirdeonetewefiitahnoeut
e,
being attended: by a person c
a
a near relative of his, or by some other duenna. The
arrangement was this—the defendant said, "I expect you
to exert yourself to
make yourself agreeable, and get as
much as you can ; one
half of the
expenses
keepyourself, o
complimentseach girl areae and one
br e
to be about 275. a week, be
paid to you, out of which mustye,ruhe
half you will give
.to
me. The
sometimes considerably more
than this was charged. The defendant kept a carriage, and
the !dies rode olit in the carriage, for their own benefit and
for his;-and each lady was charged ss. for every ride in
the
uir!re ege, and this sum was set down in the expenses.
feeeea also the ladies took baths, and for each bath he
charged 2s. 6c1., end 2d. for the towel; and it was part of
the practice that they were not to be allowed to keep any
money themselves, but all their little savings were to be
entrusted to him as their banker. Every morning, at
breakfast, they had to state to him what they had earned
on the preceding day; but as the money had been paid to
the femme de confiance, he took care to interrogate both
her and the ladies, and so make one a check against the
other; and he regretted to say that on every Sunday morn-
ing the establishment met, and then there was a regular
statement by them of the sums they hail received in the
preceding week, and with the expenses with which those
aums were chargeable-in the meantime. The girls, how-
ever, were not entrusted with any money, nor to see any
friend, ,and he would not allow them to receive any letter
from:any person in England, although they were allowed to
receive letters from France. He was their banker, and
they- were not allowed to go shopping, for he sold them the
articles they wanted, and when there was any money
coming to them he had some articles of finery to show them,
end to induce them to buy. Most of these girls were very
• - ignorent ; but it happened that his client could write, and
she had kept, a regular book for herself, and she would be
able toot tell them exactly what amount- she had received
during every week, and what has been charged her for ex-
penses, and that would leave a balance due to her of about
701., which sum she ought to recover by the verdict of the
jury. The case would not depend upon her statement
alone, but he should be able to prove from other witnesses
circumstances which would leave no doubt that the defen-
dant was indebted to the plaintiff in the amount he had
mentioned ; and in addition to this, he should esk for
thcir Terdictlpirjhe value Of certain articles of wearing
apektel which hail been detained from the plaintiff. ,
Mr Serjeant lltilldf sail he hoped he should have the
• sancilien of his lordship in suggesting, in order to avoid
going iuto the detail mentioned by his learned friend, that
• some person should say in private what amount, if any-
thing, this plaintiff was entitled to. It would save a public
discuesion of these matters.
The-Chief Justice—As far as I am concerned, I think
that the time will not be in any respect thrown away—if
the statement of my brother Byles be at all correct—which
• may be devoted to exposing such a dreadful state of
things,. .
31. r. Serjea.nt Miller said he had no object in interposing
but the public benefit.
Mr. Serjeant Byles continued—He should make this as
nearly as he could a dry matter of account. He had said
that under the money demand, he believed he should be
able to show what this young person, the plaintiff, had
earned, and what portion of that amount ought to be de-
ducted. As he had told them, the plaintiff had bought of
the defendant•various articles of female apparel, such as
petticoats, stockings, Ric„ and, in addition to those, there
was one article, a riding habit, in reference to which there
were several pleas. This young lady, having now left the
establishment of this gentleman, was endeavouring to earn
her living in, at all events, a less disreputable manner, and
was about making her appearance at one of the public
riding schools of the metropolis, and she therefore wanted
this riding habit, and she had been obliged to hire for her
use another riding habit. He understood that the riding
habit had been sent to a party where she had-lodged, that
a squabble had ensued, that the attorney's clerk had at-
tempted to throw it into the house, and that by some means
it had been lost ; and therefore they should not ask for the
thing itself, but only ask to recover the value of it.
•e"Tfie fbilowing witnesses *ere then called :
' Edward Moons, a labourer in the London Docks, proved
that he had served on the defendant a notice to deliver
these• goods belonging to the plaintiff, and the defendant
said he would not give them up. Witness told defendant
he understood he owed her 701., and that under those cir-
cumstances keeping her things was rather too bad. The
defendant said he did not owe her so much ; he might owe
her 301., but not 701.
Cross-examined—He knew Mr. Levine, who was con-
ducting this case, but he had not appeared for him as a
witness in any other case than this. He did not appear on
the prosecution of an indictment against Mr. Colbert.
Margaret Reginbal was sworn and examined through Mr.
G. Albert, the interpreter. She stated that she came from
Havre de Grace, and was a native of Saffleur, in Normandy.
She had been sent to England by M. le Conte. He was
not the person who had seduced her, but he was one of
his friends. She did not know what sort of a place she
was coming to in England when she came to the defend-
ant's, but thought he was a perfumer. It was on
the 27th December last that she came to England. The
defendant, who called himself Germain le Bron, told her
some time afterwards that he hail paid 81. for her to M. le
Conte. She found out at last what sort of a house M. le
Bron kept, but not knowing any one in London, and hay-
• ing no other course open, she determined on remaining.
• He told her that one-half of the money was to be hers and
one-half his but from her half her expenses were to be
paid. He did not say how much the expenses would be
altogether, but he said the expenses for board and lodging
' would be about 308. a week, and that she was to pay. She
remained there some time, and whilst there she was not,
allowed to go out unless accompanied by the femme de
confiance, who was the ire-ter-in-law of M. le Bron, and
lived in the same house with him. Witness was not al-
lowed to receive letters from anybody in London, but
she was allowed to receive letters from France. She
had not been allowed to make any purchase from a
shop, but the defendant sold her ell she wanted, and
never allowed her to buy anything out of doors.
Sometimes the gentlemen paid money to witness, and
sometimes to the femme de confiance, in witness's presence.
When witness received money, she gave it to the
femme de confiance, and every morning she wrote down
what she had clone the night before, and that book
she now produced. Germain, the defendant, inquired
of Hermandine, his sister, every morning what had
been earned, and she told him, and gave him the money
before witness. Every Sunday morning they made their
accounts 'up for the whole week with Hermandine ; and
then it was settled how much for the defendant, how much
for the girls, and how mush for expenses. Witness, while
• there, was called Blanche. She received various 'sums
from gentlemen ; sometimes it, sometimes 21., simetimes
3/. From the 27th December, when she arrived at the de-
fendant's, until the end of the month, she earned 71. The
first week in the new year, from the Ist of January to 7th
inclusive, she earned as fellows—the first day 31., second
day 31., third day 31., fourth day 41., fifth clay 41., sixth
day 31., and the seventh day 31., making for the week 231.
The defendant never explained the expenses, but said they
were so much. The first week in the year the expenses
were 41. 55., and the expenses were always kept back. The
defendant had never given her any money at all, and, de-
ducting the expenses, he now owed her, according to her
account, 701. She left him on the 34 or 4th of April, and
asked for some money and her clothes before she left. He
said he had none to give her. She asked for her riding
habit and he said he had none to gave her. She wanted
the riding habit, but he refused to let her have it, and she
never kid had it. She left him because one day she asked
him for money, and he would not give her any. Her linen
was at a "male washerwonaau's." She wanted money to
buy several articles because some that he hail sold her were
too dear. She hail been practising riding since she left Le
Bron's house. She had learnt riding because she was tired
of her mode of life and wanted to get rid of it. She thought
that she might be engaged at a theatre. She hail had to
hire.a riding habit since about 18 or 20 times, and had
Paid ss. each time for it.
Cross-examined by Mr. Serjeant Miller—She had been
...vies with M. Calana, and he kept a house for women to
receive l'aentmetiel She herself had done so at, that house,
which woe
had been living t'hhee surveillance of the French police. She
there about four or five months before she
came to London_
at a house of the setae Before this she had lived at Marseilles,
description, kept by M. Lucie. She
had lived there nearly a
shtyer2ea:v.helswraeeviaowustothoertwheatreashee. had
e
been at Paris with,haeurdai
had been at Lyons
set toulived in an immoral house
there for about a year.
never, lived in Belgium.-
-when she was first* 'seduced she
At e SS about 21 years old,
wasenow 234 years old.
the trarvaceillelat
neethe pflaces she had
and
know
she
,wo the police.
mentioned she was under
When she left France she did not
a house of ill-fame in London.. She had bowie° coining to
to the thee-
' tre in London only oin3cnet,,beuetisstheer.hadshbeeeunssl zsiiiritoacctheea.
by the defent panied
places in a sear
ding She had taken lesson's in $O
master, whilst living in e in
-rnee
Mr. Allen, a riding
house, and the defendant paid for those lessons, and a
- for the riding habit. She understood her linen' had gonela°
to the laundress, who
said he would not give it up with
out being paid
i
for washing it, but ho offered it to Co;
She was only allowed to take
if she would pay for it.
her clothes and a few things
away. The defendant told her if
he would put her in prison.
. she wanted to go away from him
. He had not shown her her accounts entered into
her,
into a book
e
every week. She saw him write, and be said
' have so much, there is so much for expenses,
He did not show
and then there
/no
is so much foryou and so much for . .
• her the book, but he was looking at the book when he said
it. She did not look at it. He did not show her that she
owed him a balance of 61. when she went away. He never
spoke of it till she asked him for money. When she left
she went to Madame Caroline's, and lived at her house.
She was a lodging-house keeper, and let apartments.
Witness knew that she let apartments to any one coining,
'- but she did not know that they were let to women to re-
ceive men. Since she hail been at Madame Caroline's, she
liad regularly walked Waterloo-place.
Mr. Serjeant Miller—Who walked with you at Waterloo-
place ?
The Chief Justice—l suppose you are now coming to the
• point ; that is, that the defendant met her there and paid
her the money. (A laugh.)
Cross-examination resumed—e When she walked Water-
loo-plea+ she was accompanied by Madame Caroline, be-
ouse.shO did not halm anybody else. She had never seen
• ;
; no - - • • 1.

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