The Sun.
London, England, 1831-12-10 00:00:00

QUEEN- S Q U. 4 R E.

Yesterday Charles Lawrence, of Lower Belgrave-
place, Pimlico, was charged before Mess's. WHITE
and HEATIICOTE with frequent acts of cruelty to
his wife, and threatening to take away her life.
Mrs. Lawrence detailed her husband's cruelty at
some length, from which it appeared that on one
occasion he had nipped her by the neck until it was
black arid blue, and at another tittle he had seized
her nose with his teeth, and bitten it, he was fre-
quently wishing her dead at his feet, and continually
threatening to stab her with a knife. His conduct
in fact, was so outrageous, that she went in danger
of her life.

The defendant, in reply to the charge, bad strong
suspicions of a certain person, who had been paying
attentions to his wife which he did not think proper.
Some time Ego he had given his wife leave to go to
one of the watering-places with her child, for the
benefit of the child's health. He accompanied her
on board the steam-boat at London-bridge, and pro-
cured her a good seat on the deck, and while he was
waiting to see the vessel off, he went on shore to
buy his wife a few oranges, but no sooner 'had he
returned on board, but he saw a gentleman sitting
next his wife, on the very same seat which he had
occupied.
Here the defendant became very much agitated,
and in the most vehement manner said that it struck
him so to the heart that it was most fortunate for
him that he had no weapon about him, as he should
have committed murder, even if he had to mount
the scaffold the next m;nute.

The Magistrates could get no answer to the
general ill-treatment of his wife, but a simple de-
nial ; and the only grounds of jealousy which the
defendant appeared to have against his wife was,
the accidental circumstance of a gentleman having
taken a seat next his wife during the few minutes
he was ashore to purchase oranges. The Magis-
trates could see nothing improper in Mrs. Law-
rence's conduct to warrant such ill-treatment, but—
" Trifles, light as air,
Are to the jealous confirmation strong
As proofs of holy writ;"
and so it appeared to be with the defendant, who
declared that he never could live with his wife again.
The defendant appeared to be so violent, on ac-
count of his imagined injury, that the Magistrates
ordered him to find bail to keep the peace towards
his wife, which he refused to do, and was conse-
quently locked up.
THAMES P OLICE- OFFICE. 0

Yesterday an elderly masculine-looking woman,
named Ann Newman, commonly called Nanny New.
man, a laundress, was charged with committing a
gross breach of the peace, and threatening the life
of Mrs. Ann Kerr, and collecting a mob in fron4of
her house, by giving out a report in the neighbour-
hood that she was a " Burker," and had" Burked"
several persons. The complainant, a respectable
female, had for many years kept a lodging-house, at
No. 2, Roger's-court, near the Hermitage-bridge,
Wapping; and a short time since she had occasion
to prosecute a young man, named Richard Banks,
the mate of a ship, who formerly lodged with her,
for stealing a silver watch. Since that occurrence
the defendant, who lived next door, from sonic cause
had taken every opportunity of annoying her; and
whenever she went out, abused her in the most vile
terms, and called out " There goes a Burker." She
was not content with this, but had actually promul-
gated a report throughout the neighbourhood, that
she had " Burked" several persons and sold their
bodies, and kept a common Bucking-house. Some
persons had been foolish enough to believe the story,
arid though on good terms with witness formerly,
had since shunned her.

Ann Baker, an interesting young woman, the
daughter of Mrs. Kerr, who carries on the business
of a dress-maker, stated that the base story invented
by the prisoner had done her very great injury, and
every time a person came to the door, she called
out, " They have Burked poor Banks." A crowd
of low characters had frequently assembled in front
of the house, and many persons had threatened her
and her mother with personal violence, believing
that Banks had been improperly disposed of, though
an account of his examination had appeared in the
newspapers. Their lives had also been threatened
by the prisoner, who had taken offence at their pro-
secuting Banks for a robbery.
Another witness, a female, said that the old
washerwoman (the prisoner) had persuaded her not
to go near Mrs. Kerr's house or she would be
" Burked."

The prisoner, on being called upon for her de-
fence, struck the bar with great violence- and ex-
claimed, " I did say Mrs. Kerr and her daughter
were Burkers, and I'll stick to them yet ; nothing
is so sweet as revenge." She accompanied these
words with the most threatening gesticulations to-
wards the complainant.
Mr. BRODERIP ordered the prisoner to find sure-
ties, herself in 201., and two sureties of 101. each, to
keep the peace towards the complainant for the next
twelve months. After she had been locked up se-
veral hours, the prisoner found bail, and was dis-
charged.