The Sun.
London, England, 1834-07-30 00:00:00

//2

TELLIGENCE.

MANSION-HOUSE. Some days ago a little boy, aged 10 years, was brought by
she parish officers of Aldgate before two Aldermen, for the
purpose of being bound apprentice to Mr. Bolton, a chimney-
sweeper of very good character in the city of London. The
child had been a regular workhouse babe, the mother being
long in her grave, and the father having so far forgotten his
boy as never to have made any visits or inquiries about him
which were known to the parish officers. The consent of the
parish was all that was esteemed necessary upon the occasion,
and the boy expressed himself well pleased with the experi-
ment he had made of the art of ascending, as well as with the
change of dress, aliment, and general appearance, and was
bound accordingly. No sooner, however, had the forms been
completed than a cobbler entered the justice-room and asto-
nished the parish officers, the master chimney-sweeper, and
the new apprentice himself, by claiming the boy as his son.
The man declared that his son should never be used as a
broom, particularly up a chimney, and reprobated the conduct
of the parish officers in taking advantage of his absence, to
make a complete d-1 of the bov.
The parish officers asked what place the man came from,
and how it happened that he had never shown himself before?
Shown myself, said the newly-made parent, why should I?
Wasn't it enough for me to be supporting out of my poor
means the boy's sister, and while I was in the country to see
her, off you lug my poor boy to be mopped up and down a
dirty flue for a morsel of victuals !
The overseer said that the man was a perfect stranger, and
turning to the boy, who was staring at the person who claimed
him, asked him whether he knew his own father ?
" Yes," replied the boy, " my father was a man as lived in
Backchurch-lane, but I a'nt seed him a long while."
Overseer.—" Is that your father ?"
Boy.—" Not a bit of it. I never seed that ere gentleman
before with my eyes. I'm sure he arn't no father of mine.
The ALDERMAN asked the boy whether he had now any ob-
jection to the trade which he had chosen?
" Not a bit of it," said the boy, " I likes it more nor ever,
tothere's nothing like getting as high as the tiles without nobody
help you."
The ALDERMAN said that if the cobbler peristed in claiming
the boy as his son, he must apply to the magistrates of the
county, the workhouse of Whitechapel being the place from
which the child had been sent to be bound into the City.
The Complainant accordingly applied to the authorities of
the county, and yesterday he again appeared at the Mansion-
house to request that his son might be restored to him.
Alderman COPELAND ( who sat for the Lord Mayor) having
been informed of the strange particulars, asked the complainant
why he had never exhibited the least care about the poor boy,
until the binding had taken place ?
Complainant—Because I've been obliged to bring up his
sister. Here she is ; and I defy any one to say they an't like
one another; and if they an't both like me, I an't a living man.
When I went for him they made a sweep of him.
The Aldgate Overseer said he was convinced that the cobbler
was no more the father of the boy than he was himself, and that
the Magistrates of Lambeth-street seemed to have entertained
the same opinion, for they had refused to interfere. The cob-
bler, no doubt, took advantage of the accidental resemblance.
Complainant—I have plenty of work in my own trade for
the boy, who is no other man's son ; and what will he have now
when he is out of his time ? Nothing but a break-up. He'll
be nothing but a vagabond. What good will he be able to do
in a chimney when he grows up ?
Mr. Bolton.—He'll have 101. or perhaps 15/. to go to ano-
ther trade when he grows up.
The Aldgate Overseer.—lf I wanted to put my son to a
chimney_sweeper, this is the man I'd put him to.
Alderman COPELAND.—I have no ground for cancelling the
indentures. There has been no trick used that I can see, and
if the complainant is the father, he has acted very unlike a fa-
ther in neglecting his child for 10 years, and then suddenly
starting up with the feelings of nature strongly upon him on
this occasion. I think that whatever be the fact, and I have
no means of ascertaining, the boy will be much better under
the care of this chimney_sweeper, however unpopular the trade
may be, than under that of a person subject to such extraordi-
nary forgetfulness.

WORSHIP-STREET.
Yesterday two notorious prostitutes, named Ann Smith (a
second Lady Barrymore), and Sarah Butler, were brought
before Mr. BROUGHTON, from the parish of Stoke Newington,
in consequence of having for weeks past nightly annoyed the
inhabitants by their iniquitous proceedings.
Police-sergeant Mellish stated that about 12 o'clock he was
sent for to assist in taking the prisoner Smith into custody, for
none of his men dare attempt to take her alone. On arriving
at the spot he found that most of the inhabitants had been dis-
turbed out of their beds by the obscene language made use of
by the prisoners, who were both disgustingly drunk.
Mr. BROUGHTON—Which of the two do you think is the
greatest blackguard ?
Sergeant (smiling)—lt is impossible to say ; yet, if there is
a shade of difference, it is in favour of Butler. Smith, when
drunk, is a terror to the neighbourhood. She has repeatedly
attempted to stab our officers, and my belief is that she will do
it some day or another.
Smith—(assuming a contemptuous look)—What will you
say next ?
Serjeant Mellish—After I thought I had got secure hold of
lira, a~ii v, as conveying her to the stanon-nouse, Aie-managou
to escape from me and run off towards the canal bridge, where,
seeing me close upon her, she threw herself on the grass and
set me at defiance. Determined, whatever the consequences
might be, to make her my prisoner, I at last succeeded, but not
without being severely kicked by her and bit in my finger, a
piece of which she actually bit out.
Mr. BROUGHTON—There must have been some mistake when
she was born ; she was never intended for a female.
Serjeant Mellish—No ; for when drunk she is a savags.
Smith—The truth is you have taken a dislike to me. Your
Worship, I can get a 'good character from the matron of the
prison I was last in.
Mr. BROUGHTON—Because when in prison you were deprived
of gin, which destroys all the senses. It is well known that
Lady Baarymore, whom every one recollects, was not sober one
month out of twelve, and yet no woman could behave better
when sober.
The prisoners were both committed to hard labour in the
House of Correction for one month each.
The prisoner Smith, on leaving the bar, muttered some
threatening language to the serjeant, upon which the Magis-
trete called her back, and told her that, on leaving the prison,
if -she dared to lay a hand on him, he would order her to find
good bail.