The Sun.
London, England, 1825-01-12 00:00:00

CHILD STEALING.

Bow-STREET.—The gre'ater part of Mr. MEN-
SR ULL'S time for the last three days has been occupied in the
investigation of a charge of child-stealing, of an extraordinary
nature.

On the Bth of August last a poor woman, of the name, of
Burke, the wife of a labouring man, then living in Church-
street, St. Giles's, was delivered of a male child, and in seven
or eight days after she was on her way with her infant to St.
Giles's workhouse to obtain medical assistance, when she Was
accosted by a woman of respectable appearance, who asked
her several questions about her state of health, the age of the
child, &c., and asked her to take some porter, observing that
it would refresh her. Mrs. Burke accompanied the stranger
to a public house, where they had some porter, and the latter
having ascertained her residence, gave her sixpence; said she
knew a lady who belonged to a charitable institution for re-
lieving persons in her condition, and site would speak' to that
lady in her behalf, and call again on a future day. She kept
her appointment, and it was agreed by them to go to the Lady
on the following Friday, the twentieth day of August. The
stranger treated her with great kindness, and staid upon that
occasion and ironed a cap for Mrs. Burke and the child,- and
also brought some flannel and other things for the use of. the
infant. She was on that occasion about an hour arid a half in
the room. On the 20th the stranger came, and after remaining
some time there, she and Mrs. Burke, with the infant,started to
go to " the Lady's." When they arrived in Graterstreet; Lin-
coln's Inn-fields, the stranger said she thought' Mrs. Bi.irke
must need rest and refreshment, and propoa, d .going into-the
Sun public-house, which they did. '1 he stranger called for a
pint of porter, and then proposed to have something to eat ;
gave Mrs. Burke some money to go out and puichase bread and
cheese and onions, directing -her which way to go to find a shop.
Mrs. Burke left the child in the arms of the stranger, and'When
she returned in a few minutes with the provisions, boil) .were
gene. The poor mother, thus strangely. bereft of h& ;only
child, became almost frantic, and ran to this Office and.ielated
the occurrence to the Magistrate then sitting, who hUna.anely
ordered hand-bills to be widely circulated at the' expence of
the establishment, and an officer to make all possible search
for the delinquent and the child. All was unavailing,' how-
ever, and no trace was obtained of either until (we under-
stood) on the 21st of December, when Att.& Burke,. who sells
tay laces and other things in the streets, was standingiii-New-
gate Market, and saw, the person now accused, whom'she im-
mediately fixed upon as the person who stole her child-. Mrs.
Burke continued to follow her until she went into a shdp, when
,she also entered, and directly accused her of stealing her child.
A crowd having collected, several persons took part With the
accused, and went so far as to give Mrs. Burke in charge to an
officer, and she was conveyed to the Compter for the night,
and before the Sitting Alderman at Guildhall the following
morning. The Alderman, after hearing the charge of the ac-
cused, and the answer of Airs. Burke (who was then of 'course
the defendant), discharged the case altogether. Subseqnently,
namely, on Friday last, Mrs. Burke and her husband came to
this Office, and upon the information, on. oath of theTOrmer,
a warrant was issued by Mr. Alinshull, against Cie accused,
for felony, in stealing the child. On Saturday she was brought
here attended by several of her friends. Her name iS "Miry
Edingtun, and she has been many years in the situation of
housekeeper to a highly respectable per Son of the Mime of
Evans, who is a surgeon's instrument maker in Old Change.
' • After a lengthened examination the defendant was admitted
to bail till the evening, when the case was again gone into, and
deposition of witnesses were taken. Mr. iI.SNSHULL affetwards
ordered her to be brought up for re-examination on Monday
night, when two women,named Barry and Delaney, theformer
the landlady, and the later a lodger in the house in Church-
street, where Mrs. Burke lodged at the time of the trapsaction
in question, swore that, to the best of their knowledge, they
'believed the prisoner to be the person whom they saw in Mrs.
Burke's room, once; when she ironed the caps, and again on
the Friday, when the child was stolen.
Mr. PHILLIPS addressed the Magistrate in behalf of .his
client with much earnestness. Ile was not unwilling that the
case should go to a Jury, but he urged the propriety of.the pri-
soner being admitted to bail. tier health and that of her son,
who was a delicate child, might be 'endangered by her being
committed to Newgate.
Four respectable persons then offered to give bail to the
amount of 3,5001. but Alr. AI IN sit ul.t. rejected the proposition.
Yesterday morning (the
.priioner having been placed in the
watchhouse for the night) the parties again attended, when
offers were made to give responsible bail to the amount of
20,0001. if that would obtain her liberation until trial: • This,
however, Mr. MINSHULL refused, and atm was fully com-
mitted, but with liberty to remain at a watchhouse until trial-

TILE LOST POCKET-Boox.—G. F. Bonham; ESq., (and
not Sir G. F. Bonham, as stated by the applicant on Monday)
presented himself at the table, and requested to be allowed to
state, that the narrative detailed to Sir R. Birnie by a waiter,
who said he had found a pocket-book containing 3401. in drafts,
belonging to him (Mr. B ), was entirely false, except as to the
fact of the loss of the book and its restoration. He left his
pocket-book at John o'Groats, in Rupers-street, and feeling
confident that it was of no use to any one, and would be re-
turned, he gave directions to the waiter at Grahame's to pav
the person who brought it ss. When the waiter.brought it, he
demanded what was to be given him for finding the book, and
that he was entitled to 5 per cent. on the 3404 He (Mr. 8.1
informed him that they were useless drafts, and the memoranda
were of no value ; he had therefore directed the ss. to be paid
as a remuneration.—Sir 11. BIRNIL was satisfied with the ex-
planation, and trusted this explanation would, injustice to Mr.
Bonham, meet with due publicity.
•

The Gentleman who was unfortunatelcyf,,tilraown_
ed on Saturday evening last at Gravesend, was Mr.. W. BIG.
lam., '2d Officer of the Hon. Company's ship p:vhe, and not
Mr. JOBLINO, 3d Officer, as stated by mistake in twur Piper
yesterday. Mr. IVl'N.ata was sworn in second h
'yesterday.—(Morning Post. )