The Sun.
London, England, 1822-09-04 00:00:00

POLICE INTELLIGENCE.

MANSION-HousE species of imposition has been for a
length of time'carried on in the City, which we regret to state
' has not been reached by any Act of Parliament. Some fellows,
who contrive to keep good clothes on their backs, are constantly
in the habit of lurking about the Bank, with the view of ob-
taining money for good news, which they communicate at the
rate of ss. a head, and which consists of assurances that those
who are willing to pay that sum, and whom they yoint out as
having claims, shall get possession of certain sums_m the Bank
of England. tis the practice of these fellows to procure lists of
unclaimed dividends, and to write to people whom they think
they can impose upon; stating that the undersigned is able to
inform them of something to their advantage, on receipt of ss.
for the trouble. Letters of this description have been sent to,
all parts of the country, and poor people have been frequently
induced to scrape together all the money they could command,
to discharge their expences while employed in the important
task of making their fortunes by a journey to London, and a
visit to the Bank, to prOve their claim to some of the cash
that lies there without owners. The disappointment which
attends the application of these poor dupes has almost broken
the hearts of some, while others in their rage have gone in
quest of the gentlemen who supplied them with ss. worth
of information, for the purpose of inflicting immediate chastise-
ment upon them. In most instances the fellows have escaped,
and the unfortunate adventurers, who left their homes full of
hope, have been obliged to walk and perhaps beg their way
back. The clerks in the office of unclaimed dividends have
frequently the disagreeable task to inform applicants who pro-
duce a statement of their claims, that the money they demand
had been paid long before to those who had a more established
right--and to witness scenes of the greatest distress, arising en-
tirely from the misrepresentations of the class of speculators to
whom we have alluded.

Yesterday a man who corresponds very extensively upon the
subject, and sends printed circulars stating that he can render
benefits for five shillings, was brought before the Loan` MAYOR
in consequence of having threatened a Gentleman who exposed
him in the counting-house of Mr. Samuel Thornton.
Mr. Samuel Read, a respectable merchant in the City, de-
scribed the occupation of the prisoner, and stated that he
(Mr. R.) was threatened by him for exposing the secret of his
craft to some person from whom he was claiming ss. for the
purposes above-mentioned ; but the complainant stated that
his object being to caution the public against persons of this
description, he should not persevere in charging the defendant.
The LORD MAYOR said, that if any complaint of the de-
scription alluded to were to be made on any future occasion;
the closest investigation should take place, and, if possible, a
Jury should decide the fortune of the accuzal.

QUEEN-SQUARE.-CHILD MURDER.—Elizabeth
the young woman who was remanded on suspicidn of murder-
ing her male infant, was yesterday brought up frem
Tothill-
fields prison to be further examined. Millard, the constable who
apprehended the prisoner, said, that an inquest was held upon
the body of the infant on Monday night, before Mr. Stirling,
Coroner but the body was in such a state of putrefaction that
the medical gentlemen could not ascertain whether it had been
born alive. It did not appear that the child had been heard by
any
.person in the house on the morning the birth took place,
but it seemed to be a full grown child, and the Jury, after ma-
ture deliberation, returned a Verdict of Still-born, but impli-
cated the mother for concealing the birth. It seemed that she
had some baby linen prepared, which circumstance was much
in her favour. The Magistrate ordered her to be brought up
again this day, when the mode of disposing of her will be de-
termined upon.
UNION-HALL.—Yesterday a customhouse-officer, named
John Hammond Hedger, was brought before R. J. CRAM.
BERS and M. SWABEY, Esqrs. charged with having presented
a pistol at, and threatened to shoot, John M'Donald, a watch-
man. M'Donald stated, that about two o'clock on Tuesday
morning, as he was going his rounds, he observed the prisoner
standing at a door in Hughes-street, Union-street, in close con-
versation with a female • he desired them to move on, but the
prisoner swore he would stir an inch from the spot—said he
was an officer—and that no watchman should presume to inter-
fere with him. The witness proceeded on his rounds calling
the hours, and on his return he found the officer and his com-
panion in the same situation. He again desired the prisoner
to go away, when Hedger immediately pulled a pistol out of
his pocket, and presenting it at the watchman, threatened to
blow his brains out if he did not go about his business. The
witness instantly seized the prisoner, and conveyed him to the
watch-house. The prisoner, in his defence, insisted that he
had acted right, as no watchman had authority to interrupt gen-
tlemen in the street, and added, that it was very fortunate for
the watchman that the pistol was not charged, as, if it had, he
would have been a dead man. The Magistrate told the prisoner
he was a most unfit person to hold any situation under Govern-
ment, and care shoUld be taken to inform the Commissioners
of Revenue of his conduct ; he should also be held to bail to
take his trial for the assault at the Sessions.

,TowN-HALL,ScluTHWAßK.—Yesterday, iri consequence of
a Gentleman being summoned by a hackney-coachman for his
full fare, having agreed at the time of hiring to take a less sum,
the Magistrate (Alderman J. J. Smirar) adverted to the deci-
sion of a Bow-street Magistrate, in the case of Mrs. Hyde Solari
on Monday, in which the Magistrate decided that that lady
was bound to pay the full fare of Gs., although the coachman had
agreed on hiring to take 3s. The Alderman was sorry that a de-
cision should have been given at Bow-street (consciously he was
sure) contrary to decisions on the same question at the Mansion-
house, Guildhall, andiTown-hall. The clause of the Act did not
prevent a coachman from agreeing to take less than his fare, nor
did it empower a Magistrate to grant a coachman his full fare
from -the persons that had hired him, after an agreement between
the
.partiesie. take a less sum. The Act was passed to prevent im-
position on 'the part of drivers, and they were lible to fine and
imprisonment, if they took more than theirlegal fare. The Magis-
trate then read the clause of the Act, which was as follows

• " And be it further enacted, that no agreement or engage-
ment whatever, at any time or on any occasion,' made with the
driver of any hackney-coach or chariot, for the payment of more
than his established fare, shall be binding on the person or persons
making the same ; but any such person or persons may, not-
withstanding such agreement, refuse, on discharging such coach
or chariot, the payment of any sum beyond the established
fare ; and in case such person or persons shall actually pay to
the driver of any hackney-coach or chariot, whether in pur-
suance of any such engagement, or not, any sum exceeding. hiS
established fare, which shall have been demanded or required
by such driver, the person or persons paying the same shall
be entitled, on complaint against such driver, to recover the
overplus paid ; and such.driver shall be subject and liable, to a
penalty no. exceeding al." &c.
The worthy Alderman saw nothing in the above clause to
prevent an agreement between the coachman and the person
hiring to take less than his fare, and dismissed the case before
him, the driver having agreed to take less than his legal fare,
which was paid him. -
LAMBETH-STREET.—.A loquacious old man, named West,
appeared to a Simmons, 'to show cause why he refused to de-
liver up a watch, the property of a Miss Wilson, of Hackney.
road. The complainant, a young Lady, who took her seat near
the Magistrate, accompanied by two Gentlemen, stated, that
while out airing on Thursday last, she happened to lose her
watch from her bosom, and since learned, from good authority,
that the defendant had picked it up. She consequently ap-
plied to him for it, but his answer was, that he would not give
it up until hand-bills were distributed, offering a reward for
its recovery. The defendant admitted having picked up a
watch near Cambridge-heath Turnpike, but produced a common
pinchback watch, whereas that dropped by the Lady was a -fine
gold watch. The Magistrate regretted that he could afford the
Lady 'no redress, as no felony had been committed.
MARYLEBONE OFFlCE.—Yesterday Susan Petty, a young
woman of prepossessing exterior, was brought before the Sit-
ting. Magistrate by the pass master of Marylebone Workhouse,
for the third time, to be conveyed to her friendS. The circum-
stances attending this case are as follow :—On Wednesday
last the said female was observed liy.two gentlemen walking in
a most disconsolate manner on the batik of the Regent's Cr.nal
in a pitiless shower of rain ; they, suspecting her intention of
destroying herself, remained on the spot, and very soon after
she was observed to descend the bank ; the gentlemen instantly
ran to the spot, and succeeded in preventing her plunging into
the water; she was then conveyed before the sitting Magistrate,
who ordered the parish to take every possible care of her, which
they humanely did ; and on Saturday she was so far recovered
as to attend before the Magistrate, when it appeared she was
formerly in service, but had left her situation about eight weeks
since ; she had only an uncle in town, who resided in Cavendish-
square, but understood he had left 'town. Her intention was to
return home to her parents at Taunton, in S,omersetshire. The
poor girl, during her examination,. appeared in a very weak
state, and it was not until yesterday that the .medical gentle-
man in attendance at the workhouse considered she was able
to return home. Nothing transpired to prove the, immediate
cause of the rash act to. destroy herself, but she appeared per-
fectly sensible of her folly in attempting such a proCeeding,
and apparently_ seemed to feel the remarks of the worthy Ma-
gistrate.

INCREASE or CRlME.—There appears to be a
great increase of crime in the metropolis and suburbs ; up-
wards of three hundred prisoners have already been committed
for trial at the ensuing Sessions, which commenced this day,
being one hundred more than this time laseyear. Many of the
charges are of a very serious nature, and among them are a
great number for highway-robberies. It istcalculated that up-
wards of 400 will be committed before the Sessions conclude.