The Sun.
London, England, 1846-09-18 00:00:00

LAMBETH.

Mr. Lawrence, a manofrespectable appearance, who
described himself as a compositor in the printing
_establishment of Clowes and Sons, in Duke-street,
Stamford-street, applied to Mr. Elliott for his advice and
assistance under the following extraordinary circum-
stances:—

The applicant, who was accompanied. by his wife,
stated that on the night of the Bth of May last his wife,
then present, had been forcibly carried away from her
residence in the vicinity of Stamford-street, and taken to
a house of ill-fame in Orchard-street, Westminster, by
two men, and there used in a most shameful and shock-
ing manner, by tww persons, the one a cow-keeper and
the other an egg merchant. On the. following morning
at about five o'clock she was turned into the street, and
made the best of h2r way home, but such had been her
treatment that her person was covered with bruises, and
her head was so affected that he was obliged to send her
to Armstrong's Peckham Asylum for seven weeks.
• Mr. ELLIOTT, to the applicant—Have you any evidence
to corroborate this statement of your wVe? Applicant—
Only this, that when my wife was coming away from the
house to which she had been taken, and where, accord-
ing to her own statement, she was drugged, she was
accosted by a policeman on the beat, who told her he had
seen the shameful manner in which she had been used in
forcing her into the house on the night before, and if she
wished to proceed against the parties, whose names he
knew, he would come forward and give evidence.
ELLIOTT—HaveMr. you since seen that police-man?
Applicant—l have not, sir, though I have taken much
trouble to find him,

Mr. Eworr—How soon after returning from the
Lunatic Asylum was it that your wife made this disclo-
sure to you of her having been so badly treated? Ap-
plicant—About a month, sir; but she has since seen
both parties, and declare s positively they are the persons
who used her so shamefully.
Mr. ELLioTT—Well, I must say I am somewhat sur-
prised at the time which has been allowed to elapse
since you were made acquainted with the circumstances.
Applicant—The fact, sir, is, that I have been endea-
vouring to find out the policeman who had seen and
knew the two persons who had seduced and ill-used my
wife, so as to be enabled at once to give them into
custody.

Mr.-ELLIOTT—I cannot help thinking that the state-
ment of your wife is rather a singular one. Do you re-
collect missing her from home on the night in question?
Applicant—Most certainly I did, sir, and saw her the
following day in a dreadful state. Besides, my wife has
within the last two or three days learned from the waiter
at a public-house which the parties frequent that they
had been boasting there of what they had done.
Mr. ELLIOTT observed that it would be desirable to
have the wife of the applicant corroborated in some es-
sential part of her statement before persons of respect-
ability and character were given into custody on so
serious a charge.

Police-sergeant 22 B said that on the applicant calling
at the station-house he referred to the occurrence-book,
and could find no entrance in May last of any such cir-
cumstance occurring in Orchard-street, Westminster,
though it would be the duty of the constable, if he had
witnessed it, to make a report of the circumstance to his
superior officer. He had also made as much inquiry
into the circumstances as the time would permit, but
could learn nothing of th%occurrence. On that, as on
other nights, the constables would be mustered at the
station-house before going on duty, and the applicant
and his wife would, on attending there, have an oppor-
tunity of seeing each of them.
Mr. ELLIOTT thought this a good suggestion, and told
the applicant that when prepared with further evidence
he should afford him all' the assistance in his power.