The Sun.
London, England, 1822-11-05 00:00:00

POLICE INTELLIGENCE.

. BOW-STREET.--PAWNEROKERS.--SUICIDE.—Wm. Hen-
derson, a pawnbroker at Somers Town, appeared yesterday to
an information under the Pawnbrokers' Act, for unlawfully and
knowingly taking articles in pledge from one Mary Anne Noke,
which had been entrusted to her for a particular purpose, and
which she was not authorised to pawn.
The information was exhibited by Robert Whitmore, Esq.
of Woburn-place ; and it appeared that a laundress named
Mary Anne Noke, living in Weston-street, Somers Town, had
been for some time intrusted with his family washing. Find-
ing that some of the things were repeatedly kept back in spite
of remonstrances and peremptory orders to return them, AIL
Whitmore on Wednesday last applied to the Magistrates here,
and Sadler,,one of the conductors, went to make inquiry of the
woman as to what she had really done with the things; but
when he arrived at the house he was saved the trouble by the
husband, who informed him that his wife had drowned herself
in the Regent's Canal the evening before. The husband at
the same time gave Sadler a number of duplicates for property
belonging to Mr. Whitmore, which his wife had pledged at
the shop of the present defendant.
Mr. Whitmore, in preferring his charge, said he thought it
his duty to the public to proceed against the defendant ; for he
firmly believed that but for the facility which had been afforded
to the unhappy woman in getting rid of his property she would
have been alive now. His grounds for charging the defendant
under the statute with " knowingly" taking in the goods, were,
that they were pledged in the name of Anne Noke, although
every piece was marked " R. W." in large letters; and that
she living only 50 yards from the defendant's shon, he must
have known that she was a laundress. She had pledged there
almost every day for months past; and five or six of the du-
plicates were dated on following days. The articles which he
had selected to proceed upon were in a dirty state.
Mr. Henderson, in his defence, said he did not know Mrs.
Noke was a laundress; and as she so often pledged articles,
and redeemed them, he considered her to be a-respectable
woman, and that the things were her own.
After a discussion of considerable length, Sir R. BIRNIE
expressed his opinion that although the case was one of very
strong suspicion, there was not sufficient proof of the guilty
knowledge to warrant the infliction of the heavy penalties
awarded by the Statute upon the defendant. The case failed in
proof, but Mr. Whitmore had acted very properly in bringing
it forward.

Mr. HALLS coincided in opinion with his worthy colleague.
Sir R. BIRNIE said, if any linen rough dried, or in a state of
progress in any shape, had been taken in, he should consider it
,1 a strong case.
Mr. Whitmore's servant said some of the articles which she
had seen at the defendant's shop were in that state.
The present complaint was dismissed ; and it was understood
that Mr. Whitmore would select the articles described by his
servant, for the purpose of exhibiting a fresh information, which
he is empowered by the Statute to do.
saiIU.EEN-SQUARE.—A LUNATIC.--A poor woman, who
her name was Sarah Shipley, and that she lived in Char-
lotte-court, Whitechapel, was brought up by Mr. Birch, the
Deputy Nlarshal of. St. James's, who had been sent for to re-
move her from the Duke of York's door in the Stable-yard, St.
James's, where she had made repeated attempts to pass in, for
the purpose of speaking with his Royal Highness, and on
being denied admittance refused to leave the place.
The unfortunate creature said that the Duke of York wished
to see her, and the King particularly desired that she would go
to him. They both came from Scotland on her account, and
she ought to have gone to them three years ago, but she did not '
like to be at the trouble, and now that she did go, the servants
behaved spitefully to her, and would not let her in.
The Magistrate said he was afraid some ill-natured persons
had been imposing on her to induce her to believe that the
King and Duke of York wished to speak with her, when pro-
bably neither of them had ever seen or heard of her.
The poor creature replied, that it was " the Lord's doing ;"
and she could hear what the King said, even when he was
three or four hundred miles off, and so could the King hear '
her, though he never saw her, and he had repeatedly desired
that she would call, but when she went the servants would not
let her in.

The Magistrate told her she must not mind what she heard
them say about her calling, but should wait until she got a
letter from them; and he ordered her to be taken care of, until
some inquiry could be made of her friends.