The Sun.
London, England, 1833-10-19 00:00:00

RESISTANCE TO CHURCH-RATES,

KENT SESSIONS.—MAIDSTONE, Ocr. 17.

Nicholas Chatfield, Zachariah Baker, and James
Taylor (not in custody), were indicted for riotously
and tumultuously obstructing the parish officers of
Sevenoaks in the levying a distress for church-rates.
The prosecution was instituted by the parish for
the protection of their parish officers in the execution
of their duty in collecting the church-rates. They
did so with regret, but it was necessary to put an
end to a general disposition to resist this rate, which
was growing in this parish. The charge was for
obstructing the parish officers in the district, and
rescuing some pigs that had been seized for church-
rates.

In August last Mr. Morphew, a churchwarden of
Se,enoaks, had made several demands on the
defendant Chatfield of Bs. 3d. for church-rates, and
he hail always been refused payment. He then
procured a Magistrate's warrant, and went with a
constable to Chatfield's residence to distrain. He
was refused admission, but got over a wall into the
garden, and seized two pigs, which were there in a
sty. Chatfield went to his neighbour Baker, and
borrowed money enough to cover the share of rate
to which the garden was liable, which he offered,
and brought Baker to witness the tender. Morphew
refused to take less than the whole, and went to
fetch a cart to take the pigs away, when Chatfield
took down the sty and let the pigs loose. The con-
stable secured one of them, but the other escaped,
Baker, according to the constable's evidence, driving
it away, but, according to his defence, trying to
catch it, crying, " Tig, tig." A great crowd had
by this time assembled, who hooted and hissed the
churchwardens and constable. Taylor was beating a
stewpan a la gong.
The prisoners, in their defence, looked upon a law
which enabled one man to take anorher's goods, in
support of a religion which he could not enjoy, as
being as bad as a law would be which authorzed one
man to rob another on the high road.
The Jury immediately acquitted all the prisoners.

They were then indicted, together wfth James
Within Parish and James Whitehouse, for riotously
obstructing the sale of the pig in Sevenoaks. The
Jury also acquitted them upon tkis indictment.
The defendants then complained that a demand
had been made on them by the officer of the Court,
on Parish for 2/. 14s. for Court fees, and discharging
their recognisance; and on each of the defendants
the sum of 4/. Bs. They complained warmly of the
hardship of being dragged from their homes on such
a trumpery charge, and put to such expense. They
refused to pay it, and were told that their recogni.
zances would be estreated.

POLICE INTELLIGENCE.

MANSION HO USE.

James Cant and William Clarke were put to the
bar, under the following circumstances, previously
to the statement of which, Cant begged that the
persons who had charges against them should be
examined separately.
Mr. John Robert Greer, a merchant of Bristol,
stated that seversl men in business had been the
victims of the schemes of the prisoners and an-
other person, named King, who moved about as
tradesmen in Tautron, in Somersetshire. Clarke
had been shopman, and Cant porter to King, who
set up an establishment for the purpose of plunder-
ing the public.
_ .

The LORD MAYOR—AVIA has been the extent
of the robberies imputed to them ? The Attor-
ney to the complainants—lt amounts to several
thousands.

Cant—Nonsense; that's all stuff, you know.
It's no such thin.
The LORD MAYOR—How much then? I dare
say you can tell.—(L tughter.) Cant—Oh dear.
It's not more than 1,200/.—(Great laughter.)
Talk of thousands ! Besides I know nothing
about it.
The LORD MAYOR—You seem to be a commu-
nicative person. Pray, what were you ? Cant—l
have been a grocer, hut lately I have been em-
ployed by Mr. King. Oh, it's all stuff to talk about
thousands.

The LORD MAYOR—Yes, yes; but pray, where
is Mr. King ? Cant—l know nothing about him.
I was merely employed by him to do work
Toe attorney to the complainants—Mr. King
took the house at Taunton, and stocked it. Some
opinion may be formed of the e,tablishment, when
I stye that chere were a great many pieces of lump
sugar about the concern, but when we tasted them
we found them to he salt.—(Great laughter.)
Cant—Oh de tr, oh dear.—(Great laughter.).

Mr. Freer said that King sent to him some orders,
and referred him to Messrs. Harris and Co., soap-
boilers, of Bristol, a highly respectable house, who,
having had dealings with King, and being regularly
paid by him, represented as much.
The LORD MAYOR—Don't you know that it is
the practice of swindlers to deal with respectable
firms, for the purpose of referring to them Why
it is one of their regular plans.—Mr. Freer said
that King had taken care to secure more than
one respectable firm. He had dealt with three
or four, whom he paid regularly. The first dealing
witness had with King was in an affair of Irish
bacon, to the amount of .50/. It was paid regu-
larly, and another order followed, and was honoured
in the same way. At last, however, ten fiikins of
butter were ordered, and the payment was minus.
Mr. King was in the habit of paying partly in cop-
per, and lie asked in his letter what amount in
copper witness could take. Witness said 101. The
matter was agreed upon, and the butter was sent,
but Mr. King immediately afterwards altogether cut
Taunton, and came to London, leaving his creditors
in the condition which might be expected. Wit-
ness also found that King had an establishment at
Chard, which dropped down just in the same way.
Cant—l can find bail for any sum.

The LoRD MAYOR—I dre say you can, but I
shill have a little conversation with your bail. You
made up the loaf sugar, didn't you ? Cant (laugh-
ing)—No; I know nothing of that, but the fact is,
that it looked like sugar, and I was taken in as well
as others.

Mr. Freer believed that King was in London.
Witness found his butter at the Elephant.
Cant—l didn't leave Taunton till King had no
goods to sell.—(Laughter.)
The LORD MAYOR—No. That was not part of
the system. But pray where were the goods sent ?
Cant—l cannot say any thing about that.
The LORD MAYOR—You seem to admit that
Mr. King, who employed you, is a very worthy sort
of person. I think you had better say what you
know about him. It would not do any injury to
you to let us know a little about him.
Cant—l had no objection until I was so ill-
treated by the police, and I think it but right not
to give them any facilities. But, my Lord, there
is nothing in all this. It is all a fair mercantile
transaction. Mr. King ordered the goods, and they
were sent, and the thing wa4 a debr.
Roe, a City officer, said that, in consequence of
information, he had followed the prisoners, and
found them in complete connexion with the goods
at the Elephant, in Fore-street. Tney had been
traced to the Elephant, and from thence to Wands-
worth, with a cart belonging to King, the principal
in this conspiracy to plunder.
The LORD MAYOR—Pray, Mr. Gint, from what
place
hdyo, ymoyu
Lcoomme;
laihidavhemivivheadveilyou livedi
u?ntryC. an
am a Scatchman, and I receive assistance from my
friends.

The Louß MAYOR—It is not often they send re-
is it ?—(Laughter.)
then remanded.
liefTfhroempitihsoenNerorwtahs,
MARLBOROUGH-STREET.
NEW WAY OF MAKING LOVE.--Arehentiah
M'Carter, a worthless old fellow, of threescore and
„haards, was charged with having beaten Harriet
icing, a female welt stricken in years, and with a re-
markably red nose, on Sunday last.
The complainant took her pitcher to the water-
butt on Sunday afternoon, for the purpose of reple-