The Sun.
London, England, 1851-10-08 00:00:00

THAMES.

Wilhelm Balser, a German, employed i❑ a sugar
house in Whitechapel, was brought before Mr. Yard-
ley, charged with assaulting and beating Catherine
Diebel, aged 16 years.
This case was presented to the magistrate through
the interference of the Rev. Dr. Ceppel, minister of
St. George's German Church, in Little Alie- street,
who said the girl had been most barbarously treated
by her taskmaster, who had brought her to this
country under false pretences, and that instead of
paying her wages, as he had promised her parents
before leaving Germany, he had never given her a
farthing, and did not supply her with a proper quan-
tity of food or clothing. The rev. gentleman also
stated that many others traded in German girls, and
after inducing them to leave their Fatherland, sent
them on the streets, either to sell brooms and solicit
alms, or for the purposes of prostitution, and if they
did not bring home a certain amount of money every
night, they were beaten by their masters and sent to
bed without any food.
Mr. YARDLEY made some very strong observations
on the nefarious traffic, and said the interference of
the Legislature was required to put a stop to it.
Mr. Strauss, a linguist, having been sworn as in-
terpreter,
Catherine Diebel stated, partly in German and
partly in English, that her father was a country la-
bourer at Weiper-felden, in the Duchy of Nassau,
near Frankfort-on the-Maine. The prisoner belonged
to the same place. About a year and a half ago the
prisoner brought her over to this country, and his wife
or woman, his daughter, and a baby accompanied
them. She remained with the prisoner and his
family up to the 4th of September, when no longer
able to endure the starvation and ill-treatment to
which she was subjected, she ran away. The pri-
soner sent her out every morning to sell brooms and
toy windmills, and he generally gave her eighteen of
one and six of the other, and expected her to sell them
all at a penny each, and bring home 2s. If she did
not do so, he flogged her. That happened very often.
On Tuesday, the 2l of September, sbe only brought
home 1 ld., and he then beat her in a most savage
manner with a large strap over her back and
shoulders. He beat her because she had not brought
home 23. He gave her no food that night, and next
morning she ran away from him.
In answer to questions by the magistrate, the girl
said she was sixteen years of age this month. Balser
made an agreement with her father to give her 8/. for
eighteen months' service, and plenty of food and
clothing. She was seventeen months with him. The
prisoner received all the money she obtained. She
did not know how much he sent to her father.
Mr. YARDLEY—This is very pretty. This is the
way the pennies go which are given out of charity to
' these people.
Mr. Strauss—The defendant says he sent her
' father 31. of the broom money.
' The girl said she did not know how much the pri-
soner had sent to her father, who, she thought, was
to come to this country at the end of October to fetch
her.
Mr. YARDLEY—After you have finished your Eng-
lish education.

The prisoner in defence said he never beat the girl
at all ; he never knew what she brought home ; he
never had her money, and he did not beat her on the
Tuesday night.
Conrad Schimpf, a German, said he was a skin-
dresser, and that the parties lived in his house in Col-
chester-street. They rented one room, in which they
all lived. The prisoner beat the girl fifty times or
more—he was always beating her. Sometimes her
body was black and blue all over. The prisoner beat
her with a strap, and at other times kicked her and
pinched her.
Mr. YARDLET—Why did you not interfere to save
this poor girl from such barbarous treatment ?—The
witness (with a peculiar grin)—Oh, it was nothing
to me.
Mr. YARDLET---I think it was a good deal to every-
body.
Schimpf—His room door was always shut, and he

was in his own room.
Mr. YARDLEY—Because he was in his own room
you considered you had no right to interfere ?
Schimpf—There were five or six lodgers, his coun-
trymen, in the front room, and they ought to have
interfered. I have said something to him. I heard
her scream very much, and heard him beat her, but I
did not see him beat her. She had nothing on but
rags all the time she was with the defendant.
Mr. YARDLEY-110W is it you did not interfere the
last night she was so severely beaten, and was scream-
ing ? Schimpf—No, I did not.
Mr. YARDLEY—You are an extraordinary man.
Schimpf went on to state that it was shocking to
hear the girl's cries and screams ; that she was now
living with him, and under the kind protection of the
Rev. Dr. Cappell. lie expected the girl's father over
soon.

Margaret Schimpf, aged 14, dAughter of the last
witness, said—l have seen Balser beat the girl with a
strap a great many times because she did not bring
home money enough. Balser often kicked her.
The girl Diebel was recalled, and said the prisoner
first took her towards Russia, intending that she
should sell brooms there, but they could not get into
the country. They only got as far as Hamburgh.
She got food in the streets from kind-hearted people,
when she sang her " Buy a broom" song at the areas.
But for the gifts of the London people, she would
have starved.
Mr. YARDLEY said he would like to see the Rev.
Dr. Cappel, the minister of St. George's German
Church, who had so kindly interfere 4 on the girl's
behalf; previous to his finally disposing of the case;
and on his being informed that the Rev. Gentleman
bad been compelled to leave the court on business, he
adjourned the investigation until Thursday.
Willis Ford, a strange ill-looking man, about 38
years of age, was brought up on remand before Mr.
Yardley, charged with indecently assaulting several
little girls, under ten years of age. The case was one
of the most painful ever brought into a court of jus-
tice. The evidence is unfit for publication. After a
long inquiry,
Mr. YARDLEY committed the prisoner for trial on
four different charges.
WANDSWORTH.

James Buyani, aged 35, George Wise, aged 25,
and George Taylor, aged 18 year?, described as
ostlers, were brought before Mr. Paynter for re-exa-
mination, on the charge of wilfully setting fire to
some premises at the Fox and Hounds public-house,
in the Upper Richmond-road, Putney, at which the
stables and piggeries were damaged and 14 pigs de-
stroyed, under very suspicious circumstances.
A good deal of evidence was given, without, how-
ever, any additional facts being proved beyond those
mentioned at the previous examination.
Mr. PAYNTER said the prisoners appeared to have
some guilty knowledge of the fire, and it was most
extraordinary that they did not alarm the people in
the house when the flames were first discovered. In-

stead of doing so, they ran away from the premises.
There appeared to be some irregularities in the house,
as the prisoners had full licence to enter the stables,
although they seemed to be in no person's employ.
He could not dispose of the case at piesent, until he
had examined some other witnesses who were not in
attendance.

The prisoners were accordingly remanded for that
purpose.

DESTRUCTIVE WHIRLWIND IN

LIMERICK.
A letter from Limerick, written on Sunday night,
and published in Saunders' of yesterday morning, con-
tains the following particulars of an unusually violent
whirlwind which raged in that city on Sunday even-
ing :—" At half- past five o'clock this morning this
city was visited by one of the most awful and destruc-
tive whirlwinds ever experienced in this part of Ire
land, or, I believe, ever known to have occurred within
these realms. The suddenness of the gale, with
its destructive consequences, are almost incre-
dible, but the following are the exact par-
ticulars :—The greater portion of the day was fine,
with occasional showers of rain, and now and then
bright sunshine. However, at the hour above stated.
the horizon assumed a bright yellowish aspect towards
the north, and a whirlwind set in from the north-west,
the effect being first experienced at the North Strand,
at the residence of Mr. William Gleeson, ship agent.
The noise in the air, as the whirlwind approached, re-
sembled the roar of steamers discharging waste steam
trom their funnels on reaching the quays. In a
moment the treed in front of Mr. Gleeson's house
were uptorn and born aloft in the air to a great
height, the leaves and huge branches dangling so
for a few seconds, when the dense body de-
scended, tumbled the chimney glasses, demolished
the window frames, and in a shorter space than I
write the word, rushed along the 'Wellesley-bridge,
prostrating those who were walking thereon, some of
whom only escaped being carried over the swivel by
firmly holding on by the iron paling ; but they were
injured by the trees which passed over them. The
terrific blast struck the office of the same gentleman,
situate at the south end of Wellesley- bridge, at the
city side of the river, and so powerful was .the gust
that the entire shop front, shutters, sash, window
glass, &c., were shivered to pieces, and displaced two
feet from the wall. An apple-woman who was
sitting in the locality was slightly injured, and
the adjoining shop windows instantaneously de-
molished. The stores in Brunswick-street and.
on Honan'-s-quay were stripped of their heavy slat-
ing, and the flues of the kilns hurled away
in the current. At Arthur's Quay sails were carried
off from the turf-boats in the river and fell upon
housetops in Denmark street. Two windows in
Cruise's Hotel, George's-street, were blown in with a
tremendous crash, some of the gentlemen stopping
there being cut by the glass. The shock was felt by
the inhabitants of other dwellings in the vicinity, and
caused utter consternation. The uncontrollable ele-
ment was discernible throughout its devastating pro-
gress, resembling a heavy body of dust blown
up from the earth, and took a circuitous route,
passing down Denmark-street, through Mungret-
street, and so on, to Thomond-gate, doing consider-
able damage to house property—unroofing many
dwellings, stores, warehouses, &c. The corn-market
in Mungret-street was considerably damaged, while
window shutters, frames, and door posts, were blown
about like so much tissue paper. Many persons were
lifted from terra firma and spun round like whipping
tops. Two men, I am sorry to add, were so badly
hurt that they had to be conveyed to Barrington's
Hospital, where they lie in a precarious state. It is
rather remarkable that this extraordinary phenomenon
confined its ravages to the localities I have enume-
rated, unknown until passed away to the inhabitants
of the other portions of the city. Darkness having
set in soon after, I am unable to furnish more in
detail. As I write crowds are congregated in every
quarter talking over this unprecedented occurrence,
which will be long remembered by those who wit-
nessed it. It is rather remarkable that in Mr. Glee-
son's timber yard, in Ellen-street, huge beams were
blown about."