The Sun.
London, England, 1833-09-20 00:00:00

giIdRLBOROUGILSTREI

A question upon the law of affiliation has been
decided by Mr. CHAMBERS at this office, which it is
important parish officers should be informed of as
the reverse of the decision has hitherto been held
to be, arid acted upon, as the law in such cases.
The overseers of St. Giles's brought a person
before Mr. CHAMBERS on Wednesday, for having
neglected to pay up the arrears of 291. which the

parish had paid for the maintenance of an illegiti-
mate child affiliated upon him.
The defence was, that in October last the de-
fendant had taken the benefit of the Insolvent
Debtors' Act, and this, it was contended, relieved
him from the claim of the parish.
The overseers, on the other hand, asserted that
the Insolvent Act could not be pleaded as a bar to
the prosecution of their demand, and Mr. Cham-
bers inclined to that opinion until he perused a
portion of the Act, which, after enumerating the
liabilities a person became freed from on procur-
ing his discharge under the Act, expressly included
those liabilities incurred in all civil and ecclesias-
tical courts.

Mr. CHAMBERS, after considering the tenour of
this clause, was of opinion that the Insolvent Act
relieved the defendant of just so much of the arrears
claimed by the parish as was due at the time of ob-
taining his discharge, but as arrears had accumulated
since that time, he considered that the defendant
was clearly liable to the parish for them, and for all
arrears which might accumulate in future. This
would reduce the amount of the claims of the parish
to somewhere about 91., which, if not paid, he
should order the committal of the defendant.

The parties retired after this ; but the decision
of Mr. CHAMBERS having been reported to the ves-
try clerk of the parish, that gentleman came to the
office for the purpose of showing cause why the
judgment should be reversed. The argument was,
however, directed to stand over until the next sitting
day of Mr. CHAMBERS.
QUEEN- S QUARE.

Yesterday, Mary Mitchell, a black lady, well-
known on the pave, whose residence is in the Al-
monry, was brought before Mr. GREGORIE, charged
by police constable Barton, of the B division, 68,
with being very drunk and disorderly at four o'clock
in the morning, in the Broad Sanctuary, near West-
minster Abbey.
The constable found Mary Mitchell rolling on the
Pavement, bawling and shouting " Liberty for ever ;"
he endeavoured to persuade her to go home, but she
declared that she was a free woman and in a land
of liberty, and she would not go home until she
thought proper. She was so drunk that she could
not stand upon her legs.
Mr. GREGORIE—WeII, Mary Mitchell, what have
you got to say to the charge ? Mary Mitchell—
Him polishman he talk de tam lies. I not disor-
dedly. I live in de Ammery, but I do not valk
dere, it such a tammed low place, no lady to be
seen dere but me; I not trouble your Vestminster,
I valk in de City, vhere I get de good friends, all
gendlemen ; then suppose I valk in de City, how can
me be disorderly in Vestminster ? Vy not de po-
lishman take me up before ?
Mr. GREGORIE-Why you have been here, I am
certain, above twenty times. Mary Mitchell—Oh,
not for weddy long time before. Me be free subject,
and have de right to go home when me like.
Mr. GREGORIE could nct allow the inhabitants to
be disturbed in such a manner.

Mary Mitchell—Me no sturb nobody, nobody say
I sturb in de City, all weddy polite to me dere, only
dis tam low place, Vestminster.
Mr. GREGORIE should commit her for 14 days to
the House of Correction.

Mary Mitchell (in a rage)—Me go to prison all
through dis tam rascal of a polishnaan. I sal gib it
him. I sal hab his lipe.
Hereupon Mary Mitchell flew at Barton the con-
stable, seized him by the hair, and then struck him
right and left. The constable struggled, and the
whole office was in confusion, Mary crying out,
" I'll kill this tam lying rascal." With the aid of
three of the officers, they with difficulty secured her,
and

Mr. GREGORIE ordered her to be again put to the
bar, and evidence of the assault was taken down,
during which time she used every endeavour to
break from the officers and get hold of the constable.
Mr. GREGORIE ordered her to pay 40s. for the
assault, or to be imprisoned for a further term of one
month.

Mary Mitchell—When me come out me give it
him again, a tam liar, if me get a twelvemont for it.
Mary Mitchell was then locked up, swearing
vengeance against the constable when she came out
of prison.
THAMES-POLICE.

Yesterday Mr. James Sergeant, the assistant over-
seer of St. Paul's, Shadwell, applied to 11.1 r. BRODE-
RIP for a warrant of bastardy to apprehend a man
named Michael Sullivan, in order that he might be
compelled to show cause why he should not enter
into sureties to indemnify the parish in the event of
the birth of a child, of which a very decent and
pretty young Irish woman, named Ellen Cavanagh,
was then pregnant.
Mr. Sergeant said the circumstances of the case
were rather peculiar. The young woman who stood
by his side was married to Sullivan according to
the rites of the Roman Catholic Church, at
Virginia-street Chapel, on the 18th of February last,
hut on the wedding night the fellow beat her
severely, and after living with her for three months,
during which time she experienced very bad treat-
ment from him, he basely deserted her, and had
since married another woman in the forms of the
Protestant religion, at Stepney church. He under-
stood that Sullivan was about to leave this country
for New York, and to prevent the infant becoming
chargeable to the parish, he wished to obtain a
warrant of bastardy.
The young woman, who appeared overwhelmed
with grief, became greatly affected on the overseer
using the offensive term.

Mr.
ISvoemena,ntwkhnoe:ev
ci th
awraaest
ear p
wan
sfuilatehpi
rnoga
efohrabt
iheeyoung,
but the parish had no other resource.
Mr. BRODERIP assured (he girl that she had corn..
mitted no moral offence: Though the law declared
the marriage null and void, it was, in the eye of
GOD, a just and binding contract, and her character
was not at all affected. He was sorry to see such
an excellent young woman in this situation. He did
really hope that the Legislature would do something
to put the law on a different footing. The it jury it
frequently caused was dreadful. In this case the
prospects of an innocent girl had been ruined, and
her child must be declared a bastard.
Ellen Cavanagh said, if she had not believed the
marriage was binding, she would not have married
Sullivan, and handed in a certificate from the Catho-
lic priest, to show that it was not solemnized clan-
destinely, but in the presence of witnesses. The
document was read as follows :—" It appears by the
register of marriages kept at Virginia-street Chapel,
that Michael Sullivan and Ellen Cavanagh were
married on the 18th day of February, 1833, by the
Rev. R. Horrabin, M.A., P. This marriage was
celebrated in the presence of John Dane, M. White,
and Ann Cavanaoh. Extracted from the Matrimo-
nial Register, this 19th day of September, 1833,
Catholic Chapel, Virginia-street, Wellclose-square,
by me, R. Horrauin."
caslSelr; Brvr.
itioDsEnytmPonssa, the idthcathief it
Clerk—That
is impossible
t
charge Sullivan with bigamy. Was not that the
cer-
tainly the case ; she can only swear the child to
Sullivan.

The young woman burst into tears and said she
had left a good place for the purpose of marrying
Sullivan.

Mr. BRODERIP pitied her most sincerely, and he
was sorry he could not make Sullivan support her.
He hoped the law would soon be altered; he was
only surprised it had been allowed to remain on the
statute-book so long.
A gentleman present took the liberty of suggest-
i ig to the magistrate that it would be advisable for
the Catholic Priest who married any of his flock to
direct them to have the marriage again solemnised
in a Protestant church while the law was in its
present state. lie had recently been present at a
marriage of twoColiolics where that had been done.
Mr. BRODERIP said it would he as well if the
Catholic Priests would always do so, and they would
prevent those scenes of distress which often fol-
lowed a Catholic marriage in England.
The warrant was then made out.