The Sun.
London, England, 1836-08-29 00:00:00

POLICE COMMITTEE, GUILDHALL.

THE RIVAL HATTERS.—StoweII, the informer, sum-
moned Messrs. Smith and Co., hatters, opposite Farringdon-
street, for having a handbill posted up in their windows
without the printer's name being attached to it.

Mr. FLOWER, of the firm of Harmer, Flower, and Co.,
appearad on behalf of the defendants.

•
Stowell took out the Act of Parliament, with great im-
portance, from his pocket, and was about to point the atten-
tion of the Aldermen to that part of it which specifies the
penalty incurred by publishing a hand bill without the prin-
ter's name, when

Mr. Alderman VENABLES inquired whether he had a
copy of the handbill in question with him ? Stowell--No,
your worship, I have not.
Mr. Alderman Venables—Then we must dismiss the
case. We can take no notice of a matter of which we know
nothing.
Stowell—Here, your Worship, is a written copy of it
(handing a piece of paper to the worthy Alderman.)
Mr. Alderman VENABLES—Oh, I don't want to see it.
Stowell—lt is a libel, your Worship ; still holding out
the piece of paper to the Alderman, who, however, declined
to look at it.
The Committee—The case is dismissed.

It appeared that the handbill in question was one of a
series published by Messrs. Smith and Co., in the course
of a violent paper war between them and Messrs. He-
rapath and Co., hat manufacturers, of 75, Holborn-hill,
nearly opposite. A better illustration of the adage
that " two of a trade can never agree" was never af-
forded. Messrs. Herapath and Co. had, it seems, their
house painted red, and consequently, by way of distinc-
tion, called it " The Red House." Their opponents'
place of business had been previously painted yellow, but
for some reason or other, they lately painted it red, and
also called it, like the other, " The Red House." Here,
then, there were two Red House hat manufactories ;
and Herapath and Co., not liking to be confounded with
the opposition shop, baptized their establishment--" The
True Red House," and that of their opponents—" The
Yellow Red Sneak." The proprietors of " The Yellow
Red Sneak," not relishing such an ugly cognomen, attacked
the others in another hand-bill, under the alarming title of
" An Exposure of Villainy," in which Messrs. Herapath
and Co. wese called reptiles, rascals, and so forth. They
retorted in " An Appeal to Englishmen," in which they
asked whether there could be " a more despicable character
than that of a dastardly coward ?" Messrs. Smith and Co.
say their hats are the best in the world, and their opponents
manufacture the worst—that, in short, they were only
would-be hatters. The latter aver, on the other hand, that
Messrs. Smith and Co.'s hats are mere trumpery—a perfect
disgrace to the trade, and that theirs " stand unrivalled in
the world." Messrs. Smith and Co. affirm that their op-
nents have been cheated the public ever since they were in
business ; the latter resent the imputation with proper
spirit, and, waxing poetical, exclaim -
Fam'd hatters, of Holborn, who gained great renown,
By their much-approved dealings all over the town.
This couplet, of course,
is meant to apply to themselves.
They conclude by asking what greater proof there could be
of the superior quality of their goods, than for their oppo-
nents to pirate their colours, and thus " suck the honey of
their exertions." The war still rages with unabated vigour,
and there is little prospect of a cessation.

BOW-STREET
Robert Heath was summoned to show cause why he
neglected to repay the sum of 10/., lent to him by the
Friendly Loan Society ; and Henry Fry and Thomas
Welchnzan, his sureties, for repayment of the money to the
society, to show cause why they should not pay the same,
in default of his doing so.
The secretary to the society stated that the money was
lent to Heath on the 10th of May, to be repaid by instal-
ments of 10s. a week, not one farthing of which had been
paid. Heath and Welchman were both out of the way,
and, he helievpd, insolvent ; and therefore his only remedy
was against Fry, who could pay the money.

A well-dressed man, about 60 years old, who said that he
resided at Slough, near Salthill, was charged under the fol-
lowing circumstances :
Clements, No. 102 E division, on Friday evening saw a
sob of persons round the prisoner, in Crown-street, Blooms-
bury, and perceiving that he was in danger of receiving a
severe chastisement, he conveyed him to the station-house.
He had with him a girl of thirteen, whom, it was stated, he
had been endeavouring to decoy to a brothel.
The girl, whose name is Hunt, and whose parent,: live
in Mitchell-street, St. Luke's, on Friday morning, was on
her way to Sion College, London-wall, where she was in
service, when the prisoner came up and asked her if she
wanted a situation ? She said she would like to change
her place. He then said that if she would stay with
him all day and the next night he would take her with
him in the morning to his sister, in the country, where
she would find a comfortable home ; and he gave her
Is. 6d. to purchase a pair of shoes. He led her about
for several hours, and in the evening be wished her to en-
ter a house in St. Giles's, and he went to several, but the
owners would not admit them. At last several women
came to them and abused the prisoner for his conduct to-
wards her, and the policeman came and took him away.
Two females confirmed the girl's statement, and her fa-
ther stated he had never known her misbehave herself.
The Magistrates said that, under the circumstances, they
would send the case to the Sessions.
The prisoner (who is said to be a very wealthy man) was
then locked up.

QUEEN-SQUARE.
Mr. Horne, of the William the Fourth public-house,
Commercial-road, Pimlico, was charged by the police with
keeping open his house during divine service on Sunday last.
The Magistrates fined him in the mitigated penalty of
40s. and costs.

MARLBORO UGH-STREET
John Smith was charged with having stolen three silk
handkerchiefs, the property of Mr. Stear, linen-draper,
Oxford-street.
The prisoner was committed to Newgate for trial.