The Sun.
London, England, 1834-07-07 00:00:00

MARYLEBONE.

Captain - Knatchbull, formerly of the 12th Regiment
of Light Dragoons, was charged with havinv robbed his ready-
furnished apartments of a quantity of plate, linen, &c.
The prisoner was fully committed for trial.

COURT OF REQUESTS, JULY 5.

" THE DISOWNED."

John Hollingson, the plaintiff in this matter, who described
himself as a " wender of_dogs' and cats' wittles," claimed from
Mr. Samuel Peter Furzebush, a grave, courteous-looking
elderly personage, the sum of 2s. 4d., for horse-flesh and
other feline dainties, alleged to have been furnished to the
defendant, for the sustenance of his cat.

The defence against the plaintiff's claim was not based on
the " general issue," but rested on the more formal ground
of a denial, on the part of the defendant, of all property in
the cat.

" Please your Vurthy Vertships (began the plaintiff), this
here good gentleman for the last three veeks, has been sot
down in my mind as von of my regular customers, consequently
I makes a pint on it to call at his house and leaves his cat a
hap'orth of wittles. Now, yens somever I has 'spectable cus-
tomers, as is 'spectable, I always sarve'cm vith my goods, and
never axes'em for the ha'pence down, but I lets the bill run on
for veek after veek. Vell, your Honourable Vertships, I
sarves this here good gentleman's cat reg'lar with her wittles
sometimes a pen'north, and sometimes a ha'porth o' liver, as
might be, and so I continued to sarve for veeks—
" Without orders from me, as my. housekeeper, Sally, will
presently satisfactorily prove," said the defendant, nodding to
the Bench.

" Arter I'd done this here," continued the plaintiff, " ven I
seed the young hooman as alvays opens the street door to let
out the cat—for, your vorship, the cat nose my woice as natral
as if she know'd vet I said, I ax'd, with all the civility in the
uniwerse, for to pay a little summut orft the score, as I vos
only a poor wender of cat's meat, as goed to the nakkers to
buy my goods, who vould'nt never give nobody no credit with-
out the ready money down. So, sis she ' Lauk 1 mister cat's-
meat-man, it aint my cat—nor it aint my master's cat, vot
you've been a feeding—it's only a wisitor—as belongs to
som of our neighbours.' Werry well, marm, says I—that's a
rum go, marm, says 1.-but blow me, if it'll fit—and as she
stuck out and stuck out, vy, I made up my mind to put the
arms of the law on 'em.

" Your Worship," said the defendant, in a strong nasal
twang,' peculiar to a certain class of Sunday orators, " my
housekeeper, Sally, is in court, and as she is acquainted with
all my private domestic matters, she can prove that the cat was
not my property. Further than giving the poor creature a little
drop of milk or so, my housekeeper, Sally, will inform your
Worships that I have always denied being the owner of the cat
in toto."

The defendant's housekeeper, Sally, a plump, black-eyed,
pink and blue-ribbon bedizened lass, with a handsome boa
round her neck, came forward, and assured the Court that not
a thing was done in the defendant's house but what she was
privy to, and therefore she could safely swear that the cat's-
meat-man had never been authorized by either party to leave
his " wittles" at her master's house. She could not tell to
whom the cat belonged, and all her efforts to drive Miss Gri-
malkin away were entirely fruitless.
" In fact (said the defendant), my rest has been so much
disturbed, that I have been forced to get up in the night and
expel the cat with a broom-stick, as my housekeeper Sally can
prove."
" Yes (said Sally), me and master have both got up together
to stop her ' molrowing,' and when we have got to bed"—
" That's enough (said the defendant stopping her), his
Lordship must feel satisfied with your corroboration."
The plaintiff still insisted that the cat belonged to the de-
fendant ; and, in proof of his opinion, said that Miss Puss had
recently had an accouchement in the defendant's house.
" Not in my house (replied the defendant), but in the dust-
hole, which is detached from my house this event took place,
as my housekeeper Sally can prove."
The cat's-meat-man having stated that if allowed a short
time he could produce evidence which would place the ownership
of the cat beyond doubt,
The Court allowed the matter to stand over for a few days.
Mr. Furzebush bowed profoundly to the Bench, tucked his
"housekeeper Sally" under his arm, and walked gravely out
of Court.