The Sun.
London, England, 1836-11-29 00:00:00

UNION-HALL.

Yesterday John Winter, a dealer in furs, was brought
before the Magistrates, charged with excessive cruelty to a
dog, for the purpose of procuring its skin. Thomas Hawes,
a policeman of the R. division, on Saturday afternoon re-
ceived information that a man was in the act of skinning a
live dog at the rear of a public-house called the Feathers,
in Bermondsey. He immediately repaired to the spot,
and saw the defendant deliberately at work, with a fine
dog between his legs, stripping it of its skin. He had a
sharp-pointed knife in his hand, with which be had made
an incision from its throat to the lower part of the
belly, the skin from which on each side he had drawn
upwards, and placed over its back, so as to leave the flesh
bare right and left. The fore paws of the animal were also
divested of the skin, and although it must have suffered
very great agony under such a brutal operation, yet it made
no noise, but trembled with pain while undergoing the
process. The moment the policeman saw the fellow in
the act he interfered, and asked him how he could be-
have so brutally to a dumb animal, when the reply was
that the dog was his own, and that he had a right to
do what he pleased with it. The dog at this time pre-
sented a spectacle of the most revolting description, for the
moment it got out of the hands of its cruel tormentor it
began to run about divested of half its skin, and as it was
quite evident that it could not survive the atrocity of its
brutal owner the policeman destroyed it without loss of
time, and took the defendant into custody. The defendant
afterwards said that he intended to have skinned the dog
for the purpose of procuring the fur, which was rendered
more valuable when it was taken off the animal alive.

The Magistrate said that if the defendant had wanted
the skin of his dog he ought at all events to have destroyel
the animal before he commenced the cruel operation of
skinning it.
The defendant said that it was a common practice to
skin animals alive, so that the fur might retain its natural
gloss, and that he was only in the act of doing that which
was done by many others when he was taken into custody.
He added that he considered it a hard case that he should
have been taken into custody for doing what he liked with
his own property.
The Magistrate said that the very defence made by the
fellow showed that he was of a brutal disposition ; and to
show him that the law did not permit such acts of cruelty
to be committed with impunity he should be fined 40s.
The defendant would not pay the fine, and again ex-

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claimed against the hardship of not being allowed to do
what he liked with his own.
The Magistrate immediately sentenced him to be impri-
soned fourteen days in default of paying the penalty.

WORSIIIP-STREET.
A young man of the name of Jones was placed at the
bar on a charge of having been found incapable of taking
care of himself. He was dressed in a butcher's smock-'rock
and his feet protruded through his shoes.
Mr. BROUGHTON asked if any one knew the prisoner?
Inspector Brindley said that the prisoner's father live.
in Finsbury-square, and was a physician of very consider
able practice. The prisoner was educated for the medical
profession, but intoxication had brought him to the deplor-
able state in which he at present appeared.
Mr. BROUGHTON inquired of the prisoner in what way
he supported himself? The prisoner replied that his father.
was dead, and that his mother allowed him 19s. a week for
board and lodging, on which he depended.
The policeman said that on taking off the prisoner's hat
at the station-house, there was inside twenty cigars, one of
which was lighted.
Mr. BROUGHTON discharged the prisoner.