The Sun.
London, England, 1831-04-05 00:00:00

MIDDLESEX SESSIONS, APRIL 4.

These Sessions commenced yesterday, before the
Ciia;rman and a full bench of Magistrates.
John and.2l.fary Weller were placed at the bar
an indictment, charging them with keeping a
house of ill-fame, in the month of August last, at
N 0.87, Devonshire-"street, in the parish of Mary-
lebone. A second' count charged them with keeping
tk,irderly house.
Mr. ADoLPHus was sorry to begin the Sessions
with such a case, but the parish had thought it their
luty to lay the indictment, as the house had been
conducted by the two prisoners, who were married,
under singular circumstances of disorder.
Mr. Francis, a carpenter, residing in Devonshire-
-treet, deposed to the bad character of the prisoners'
noose.
John Smith, a s)oetnaker, living in Devonshire-
reef, corroborated this, and said that there were
constant noises in the prisoners' house which exceed-
ingly annoyed the neighbours.
Mr. C. PHILLIPS (who appeared for the pri-
soners)—lndeed. I should like to know if you
ever knew a house in which women resided, to be free
from noise ?—(Laughter.) You may go down, Sir.
Elizabeth Welch, resided in a house opposite to
that inhabited by the prisoners, and had frequently
complained of the noise that prevailed in it. People
were constantly going into it at all times of the
night in a " tosticated'' state. Witness was going
away from her lodgings in consequence of the die-
turhances in the prisoners' house.
Cross-examinee'.—There were five women in the
house in which witness lived.—( A laugh.)
Andrew Bundy, a police constable of the D
had seen women sitting at the windows with
their breasts exposed, beckoning to young mengoing
by. Had seen the girls come at late hours in the
night with young men.
Mr. PHILLIPS—Had the girls at the windows airy
gowns upon them ? Witness—Yes.
Mr. PlltulPs—And, pray, have you ever had the
luck to see ladies go to routs and the Opera ?
Witness—Yes, I have, Sir.
Mr. PHILLIPS—And have you not seen them
with their bosoms as much exposed as the girls ?
Witness—Why, yes, I have.—(Great laughter.)
A constable of St. Marylebone parish deposed
to the disorderly character of the prisoners' house ;
had seen girls come out of the house half-dressed
and walk up and down the street.
Mr. PHILLIPS—What do you call half-dressed ?
Witnes,—They had their shoes down at the heels,
and their stockings were over them.
Mr. PHILLIPS—Is that what you call undressed ?
—Yes.
This being the case for the prosecution,
Mr. C. PHILLIPS addressed the Jury. There

ad not been one tittle of evidence to
.I,rove thn

the house was one of ill fume, in which, according
to the count in the indictment, improper practices
had taken place for filthy lucre and gain. It was
clear, from the nature of the occupation of the wit-
ne4ses, that Devonshire-street was one to which the
lower classes flocked; and why should not the poor
girls, who had fallen from the paths of morality,
have an asylum there as well as any one ? Would
the July have those poor creatures cast out of
doors and die like dogs ? Oh, but it was said,
these women make a great noise, and annoy the
neighbourhood. He apprehended that the good
lady, who said there were five women residing in
the house in which she lived, was as noisy us any
of theta over her cup of tea, or her other cups,
which, being a widow, she would take to dry up
her sorrows. Well but (said the squeamish parish
officers,) these girls were at the windows with tlier
gowns so arranged as to show their brtasts. A
policeman, who had been thought to have made a
mistake, had said he had seen a similar exposure by
ladies who went to operas and rout. Why, if the
Jury went to the opera they might see the same
sight, not, perhaps, quite agreeable to him and them
as married men, but no doubt extremely so to bache-
lors acid unengaged *clinkers of the fair sex. He
supposed that if time immaculate parish beadles were
allowed to have their will, they would cause the
vestry clerk of the parish to go round the various
houses and measure the gowns of the ' ladies, in
order that they might not exceed the boundaries of
morality. They might even set down a certain
width for the gown, saying," thus far shalt thou go
and no farther." The Learned Counsel concluded,
by contending that then! was no evidence for the
Jury to find the prisoners guilty on either count.
The Jury found the male prisoner Guilty on the
second count, and acquitted the other.
The CHAIRMAN then sentenced him to three
months' imprisonment.