The Sun.
London, England, 1848-07-19 00:00:00

DiNNAN.)

.7ohn, Hadley, labourer, aged 26, was indicted for a
rape, in the month of June, 1846, in the parish of East
Haddon, upon Lucy Hasler, a girl of 15, daughter of his
wife by a former marriage.
'qr. Macaulay conducted the prosecution, and Mr.
Miller appeared as counsel for the prisoner.
The prosecutrix deposed that she was now nearly 18
years of age. She was delivered of a child about two
months ago. Her father was dead, and about seven
years ago her mother married John Hadley, the pri-
soner. She lived at home with them. On a day in the
month of June, 1846, the prisoner asked her to go down
to the garden, not saying for what, beyond working on
the ground. fie then took hold of her and threw her
down, and committed the offence charged, threatening
to kill her if she did not submit. He said that if she
told any body he would flog her. She called out, but
nobody came ; and she said no more about it. lie used
force and violence to her, and hurt her very much. She
went home and left him i❑ the garden. Did not tell her
mother, because she dared not, for fear he would beat
her. The connection had taken place several times
since without resistance on her part, and the child was
his. She had never had connection with any other
man. Had always been in fear he would beat her if
she told. _ _ _

The question was, whether on the first occasion in the
garden, which was at some little distance from the
house, but adjoined the public road from Itaventhorpe
to East Haddon, force and violence, and threats had
been used ? The prosecutrix now deposed to the em-
ployment of all three. She had, however, gone a year
ago to visit her grandmother for a week, and made no
complaint to her, or to any one until recently, and ad-
mitted the consent on all the subsequent occasions.
The prisoner, when taken before the magistrates,
stated, " Indeed, I don't know anything about it, no
further than what she said herself. She has said, before
her own mother, that I was not the father of the chill."
The second statement of the girl was, however, now
admitted to be true, with the exception of that part of
it relating to the coercion in the first instance.
The prosecution arose after so great a lapse of time
in consequence of the birth of the child, and the clergy-
man's then going to see and question the girl, and being
by her told the whole story as she stated it to-day.
The jury returned a verdict of Acquittal.
The Learned JUDGE then stated that he felt it to be
his duty to ask them whether they were of opinion that
the prisoner, in any the slightest degree, laid his hands
upon or touched the girl against her will, as by threats
or otherwise. If they should be of such opinion, they
would find him guilty of a common assault.
Such verdict was immediately returned, and he was
sentenced to imprisonment for two years.

MIDDLESEX SESSIONS.
(Before Mr. Sergeant ADAMS and a full Bench of
Magistrates.)
John Jones and John Smith were convicted of picking
pockets at Drury-lane Theatre, on the occasion of her
Majesty's state visit on the 11th inst.
Jones was sentenced to six, and Smith to eight Months'
hard labour. _ _ .

Henry Johnson, aged 30, a discarded coachman, was
indicted for stealing a shawl, value 101., the proptrty of
Miss Caroline Matilda Sarel.
Edward Pinnock stated that he was a coachman, and
on the night of the Spitalfields Ball at Drury-lane, Le
drove the Rev. H. R. Sarel, of Balcomb, Sussex, Mrs.
Sarel, and their daughters, to the theatre. While wait-
ing to take them up near the theatre at three o'clock in
the morning, the prisoner opened the carriage dour, and
stole the shawl from the seat.
The prisoner's defence was that it was all done out cf
a lark, to see if the coachman was " wide awake."
The prisoner was convicted, and sentenced to three
months' hard labour.

POLICE INTELLIGENCE.
MANSION-HOUSE.

Mr. Thomas Hawkins, of No. 5, Charlotte-street,
Portland-place, applied to the Lord Mayor upon public
grounds, under the circumstances stated in the following
narrative: —I consider it to be my duty to wait upon
your Lordship, knowing your anxiety for the protection
of the public, to complain of the conduct of the captain
of the Syron steam-boat, which plies between London
and Woolwich. I went on board at Greenwich yester-
day with some others, for the purpose of coming to
town. We were amongst the first who went on board,
and we found that the captain was shipping such multi-
tudes, that if he continued to do so any longer imminent
danger must be incurred. We requested that he would
discontinue the crowding, and he did so, and we pro-
ceeded on the passage. The boat was at this time so
crammed that we were all standing up, and a female
was seized with violent hysterics. When we reached
another pier, notwithstanding our condition, the cap-
tain took on board more passengers. I again repre•
sented the hazard of human life, and I solemnly de-
clared that if the vessel did not immediately go on with-
out increasing its numbers, I should represent the
case to the Lord Mayor. The threat had the desired
effect at that pier, but when we arrived at the Commercial
Dock Pier, at Rotherhithe, the captain, in spite of all I
could say, began to take in more persons. I wanted to
leave the boat, but was thrust back by one of the men,
and I then leaped from the vessel to the pier, followed
by others. The man who had thrust me back then
asked me for my ticket, but I refused to give it up, as I
considered it might be necessary to produce it as evi-
dence. He then said I should not leave the pier with-
out delivering my ticket to him, and he pushed me and
struck me ; but, as I could not patiently stand the blow,
I returned him, at any rate, as good as he gave ; but
there were four or five men with him, and I considered
it necessary to send a friend who accompanied me for a
policeman. The moment the policeman appeared the
man who assaulted me, and acted in other respects so
outrageously, said I might go, but I was determined not
to let the matter end in that way ; so, after some consi-
deration, I took the number of the policeman, who said
he should produce my assailant when called upon, and I
made up my mind to complain of the whole transaction
to your Lordship.
The LORD MAYOR—You considered the danger great
from the over-crowding before the vessel arrived at the
pier at which you were assaulted ?
Mr. Hawkins—Certainly. My great object in ap-
plying to your Lordship, as I have been advised by my
solicitor, is to prevent the dreadful catastrophe which
those who now daily witness the overcrowding of the
steamers are constantly predicting.
The LORD MAYOR—There is a clear case of assault
against the man who thrust you away when you wanted
to go ashore, and afterwards struck you, and I advise
you to complain of that outrage to the magistrates of
the district in which it occurred. As to that most se-
rious part of your complaint, which refers to the over-
crowding of the vessel, I am afraid that question will
only be settled by the intelligence, one of these days,
that 400 or 500 of our fellow-creatures have been hur-
ried into eternity.
Mr. Hawkins—l have been given to understand, my
Lord, that the bye-laws passed by the Court of Alder-
men
inflicted a penalty for the admission of every indivi-
dual above a certain number for which each vessel is
registered.