The Sun.
London, England, 1836-01-05 00:00:00

THE SUN, LONDON, 'TUESDAY, JANUARY 5, 1836

POLICE INTELLIGENCE.

GUILDHALL.
Yesterday Jaws Parsons, a newsvender, was brought
before Mr. Alderma❑ KELLY, charged with selling un-
stamped newspapers, entitled the Sunday Times, Weekly
Dispatch, and Police Gazette.
The complaint was made by Samuel Morrison, an officer
appointed by the Commissioners of Stamps, who said he saw
the prisoner go up Ludgate-hill with a bundle of papers, co-
vered up with a wrapper, under his arm. Suspecting they
were unstamped papers, he followed him up Bell Sauvage-
yard and asked if he had a paper to sell. Prisoner said yes,
and handing him a Police Gazette, he asked him if that
would do ? Witness said," Yes, it will do, and now I will
have you." The prisoner went quietly to the Compter, and
had been locked up since Saturday evening.
The Clerk said he understood the witness that the pri-
soner did not offer the paper for sale till he asked him for
one. Witness replied—" Precisely so."
Mr. Alderman KELLY, after looking over one of the pa-
pers, asked if the witness supposed the public would be satis-
fied to have one of those publications instead of the stamped
papers of the same name, the contents of the one being so
inferior to the other ? Morrison said there was no doubt
about that, for immense numbers of the unstamped papers
were sold.

Mr. Alderman KELLY said, if so, it were an endless task
to go about the streets picking up the poor men who ven-
tured to sell them. He read the imprint of one of the papers,
and asked why the witness did not go there. Here it was
openly stated that the trade were supplied at that shop.
Morrison said he could only take persons selling in the
streets.

Mr. Alderman KELLY replied lie might prosecute per-
sons for selling in shops, and it would be more charitable,
and go more directly to remedy the evil, to prosecute the
publishers and the printers. He would answer for it, that
if he were to slip on an old great-coat, and take a bag
under his arm, he might buy 100 of each at the several
original publishers, and obtain ground for so many convic-
tions. Why were not the publishers sued before the ma-
gistrates for penalties, and steadily followed up ? Anybody
could get served in the way he had mentioned.
Morrison merely replied he had no orders to do so.
It was explained to the Magistrate that no proceeding
could be had against the original publishers but by the ex-
press direction of the Stamp Commissioners, and they would
not give such direction.

Parsons, who, when among his fraternity, is an eloquent
sort of man, and a bit of a wag, seemed struck aghast at
the possibility of being shut up in a gaol till the beginning
of the dog-days. ' He pleaded that he was merely carrying
tho papers for another person, that it was his first offence,
and that he would never do the like again.
The officer said he was not known to have been in cus-
tody before.

Sir. Alderman KELLY said the prisoner should have the
benefit of that, and discharged him, cautioning him to be-
ware of offending again.

Q UEEN-SQUARE.
Yesterday the Magistrates, Messrs. BURRELL and
W HITE, were oceupied a considerable portion of the day in
adjudicating upon cases relative to the unstamped newspa-
per trade.

A middle-aged man, of shabby genteel appearance, who
gave his name Edward Mesnard, was charged with having
in his possession, in the Waterloo-road, on Saturday even-
ing, a quantity of the Weekly Times, Weekly Dispatch, and
Cleave's Weekly Police Gazette.
Edward James Handley deposed that at 10 o'clock on
Saturday night he was on duty in the Waterloo-road with
Smith and Hall, officers of this establishment, looking out
for the unstamped vendors. Witness observed the prisoner
come out of the shop of a man named Reeve, a notorious
vendor of unstamped publications, with a quantity of papers
under his arm, and suspecting that they were unstamped,
he followed him ; a man and woman went up and asked
him for an unstamped newspaper, whereupon the prisoner
took the paper produced from those under his arm, and
tendered it to him ; the man inquired whether it was the
Weekly Times ? he was answered in the affirmative, and
was about to pay 2d. for it, when the prisoner observed
witness watching him, and hesitated upon taking the mo-
ney, upon which witness immediately went up and seized
the paper which had been purchased, and took the prisoner
into custody. A. number of unstamped newspapers were
in his possession, all of which were retained by Susi& and
Hall.

The officers added that their instructions from the Stamp-
offiee were not to press for a conviction upon a first offence ;
but the papers were to be confiscated.
Mr. BURRELL—Is this the first offence of the prisoner?
Smith—l believe it is. He has not been here before.

Mr. BURRELL ordered the prisoner to be discharged
upon his promise not to offend again in a similar manner.

The next case was that of a lad named Henry Roberts,
the son of a newsman residing in Symmon's-street, Chelsea,
who was charged by the same officers with" having two
copies of the Weekly Times in his possession.
The Magistrates severely reprimanded the father, who
was the principal in the case, and cautioned the boy not to
offend for the future.