The Sun.
London, England, 1822-09-14 00:00:00

CONSPIRACY.

Yesterday Thomas Combes, Thomas Mance, and Elizabeth
were indicted for conspiring together, to cheat and
defraud Jacob Russell, of the sum of 31. ss. on the 11th of
May last.
Mr. ALLEY appearing-, as Counsel for the prosecution, stated
the case to the Jury. appearing;
of the defendants, it appeared, were
informers, and the ether (Mance) ,was a messenger belonging
to 'Worship-street Police-office. The prosecutor Russell,
was a pawnbroker living in Shoreditch, and against him various
informations were laid by two of the defendants, for charging
more than the legal interest upon goods pawned at his shop.—
The charge against the defendants was for compounding for
these informations, and conspiring to compel the defend-
ant to pay the sum of 31.55. in the reign of Elizabeth a
statute passed, subjecting informers to severe punishment for
the offence of compounding informations; but the common
informers, who now practised the trade, by a late decision were
found to be exempted from the penalties of the statute, and had
therefore openly carried on the business. It was to be hoped
that the present prosecution would put an end to such nefarious
practices so long persisted in in defiance of all justice.
After a Jong trial, the jury found Mance and Combes
and acquitted the female.
Mr. BRODERIP exhibited articles of the peace against a
young man of the name of Charles Campbell, for threatening to
toke away the life of a Mr. Wright, in consequence of some dis-
putes which had arrisen.
Mr. Campbell, a very young man, who it seems has been in
the army, appeared at the bar, and complained of having been
unjustly confined for eight days, and his bail refused.
Mr. BRODERIP said the bail turned out to be sham.
The articles of the peace were read, and:the Court ordered the
defendant to find bail, himself in 1001. and two sureties in 501.
each.

REFORMATION PRODUCED BY TIE BRIXTON
MILL.—On Thursday the ToAvn-hall, South-
wark, presented the rare novelty of a maiden
Session, there being no charge either of felony,
misdemeanour, or assault, within the whole ex-
tensive district of the five parishes, from the
night before ; and in consequence the strong
room, or gaol, was thrown wide open. The
worthy Alderman (J. J. SikuM took his seat on
the bench at 11 o'clock, and disposed of an
affair of no interest whatever, in which the cita-
tion had been granted on a former day and about
a quarter before tiVelve he went away altogether.
—That a wonderful diminution has taken place
in the business of this office, and of Union Hall
too, within the last year, cannot be denied,
especially in the number of felons committed;
and it is equally certain that this decrease is en-
tirely owing to the heavy and tedious labour im-
posed upon prisoners at the mill. When an of-
fender is sensible that the sure punishment at-
tendant upon the c9mmission of crime is very
hard labour, it will,req,uire very little exertion
of his philosophy to convince him that it would
be as well to work for himself as for others,
from whom he gets no remuneration. A mill
has been, or is about to be, introduced into Tot-
hill-fields Bridewell and Coldbath-fields' House
of Correction.

We have heard many damsels, most of them
to be sure, old enough to know better, declare
they would sooner " live and die in single
blessedness," than submit to the horrid regula-
tions of the New Marriage Act. To such we
must needs say, it has been an act of grace, in
having once more enabled a parcel of old maids
to give themselves airs, after years of utter hape-
lessness.—(Mecclesfield Courier.)