The Sun.
London, England, 1838-09-05 00:00:00

THE SUN, LONDON, WEDNESDAY, SEPTEMBER 5, 1838.

wished to knew if there were no means by which the father of
them, or his father, could be compelled to do something for
their support.
Mr. CHAMBERS said the grandfather could not be made to
contribute towards the maintenance of her illegitimate off-
spring, nor could the father be compelled to support his own
bastards. The new Poor-law obliged the mother to have the
whole burthen upon herself, and as the applicant had chosen
to have a family without having first got a husband, she must
suffer for her fault.
The woman said she had done wrong, and she was willing
to endure the consequences, but unfortunately the punishment
fell heaviest on her poor children.
Mr. CHAMBERS said it certainly was a hard law which made
the innocent suffer for the guilty ; but it was the law, and he
could do nothing in the matter. The only advice he could
give her in the case was for her to take her children to the
house where the father was, and there let them stand until
their father chose to relent. He would give her a trifle out
of the poor-box, in order to enable her to fill their bellies,
and that would allow them to make a long stay at the door
of their grandfather's house. As a man could not be corn.
pelted to support his own illegitimate children now, the only
course open to the applicant was to find out the father and
stick to him.
A shilling was given to the woman, who left the office
drowned in tears.
Dennis Leary and James Duffey, a brace of the 41 seven
millions," came before Mr. Chambers and Mr. Carwi▪
ck, to
have a charge of assault investigated.
As often happens in Irish assault cases, the complainant ap-
peared without a mark, while the defendant had his face bat-
tered and plastered over in various places, indicating that he
had got something very like " second best" in some affray.
Mr. CHAMBERS—Now, Leary, state your case.
Leary—Why, sir, yer honner, and plaze yer ludship, • that
same Jimmy Duffey corned up to me stall wid three stones of
coal in both bis fislits and a lump of broken glass in the other.
" Now," says he, sir, yer honner, plaze yur ludship, "come
out Dennis Leary and fight me fair like a man." " asy
now," says I, " bekase I've two sieves of plums which I've
just brought from the market, and in course I can't kick up a
shindy wid ye just now." " You're a
we wont have the likes of ye in our coort," said he. Then
Jimmy ups wid his stones and downs one under me stall, and
him and sivin more men murthered me intirely and mashed me
two sieves of plums into mummies.
Mr. CHAMBERS—Then there were eight men upon you all
at once ? Come, now let us hear how you make that out.
Complainant—There was Jimmy and his two sons, and Mor-
ris Lines and three more of his cushins.
MAGISTRATE—That's only seven; who was the eighth man?
Complainant—Why, Dinnis Leary's wife, to be sure, who
pegged away at me like a statue engine, wid the fut of an old
stockin'.
MAGISTRATE—WaII, that could not do you much harm, I
should think. Complainant—But may be she didn't forget to
put a couple of whacks of coal in the toe of it.
When the defendant obtained leave to make his statement,
he put a very different complexion on the case. The com-
plainant was his tenant, and being determined to remain so,
although he would not pay a farthing of rent, it had been ne-
cessary to put a broker in. The broker's job was a sort of
sinecure, for all he found in the room was a couple of stout
shillelaghs, one of which was flourished so close to his own
head, that he was glad to make a rapid retreat to his employer.
The defendant, however, stopped up the chimneys and took
away the door and window of the room, hoping thus to drive
his troublesome tenant out of possession. It was in revenge
of this proceeding that a number of the complainant's friends
set upon him in the court, and with qusrt pots and sticks gave
him the severe wounds which he had exhibited.
The Magistrates took a correct view of the affair, by di:-
missing the warrant.