The Sun.
London, England, 1851-02-13 00:00:00

MR. HALL ANL) THE LICEN

VICTUALLERS. Ott
A press of Parliamentary and other matter o opted pbeceuse evanescent interest, has hitherto prevda.
from painting public attention to en extraordinerYte, as
cision given by Air. Hall, the sitting
Bow-street, on Fri.lay last. Two females, It llPPtieblice
went on the previous day into the Two Brewers I)
tv of
house, Holborn, and ordered each a certain gee° 'was
ref, eshment, which, in the usual course of business
r,
given them. They immediately drank off the',l fer
and then hurried out of the house without PaY„',.33,7,weti
what they had received. The barman instantly I°liv 10.
them, and taking hold of them, demanded payleeut''aited
stead of paying for what they had got, they 10813,, 00
the barman. They were taken to the station-110°00
the charge of having assaulted the barman, and braris„
magistra
oro,
before Mr. Hall tl-:e following morning. The mod
:rens having heard the complaint of the barnian'o be
learning, in answer to a vestion from himself, °book,
had taken hold of the defendants to bring them bated
before they ,tssaulted him, said, that he had ebrii
the first usseult, and that as the defendants had °PT,
'f'or lb
curred a debt by taking the liquor without paying ibeet
the remedy of the landlord was to proceed against
in the county court.
A more extraordinary decision, or one tb°l.e,,,ifiaavre:
ingly at variance with the law, was never, we b
betore given. It would be impossible to imagine oat
taing more monstrous, than the magisterial dictuehooy
a person who, as was the case with this barmall,; yfitti
lees hold of parties, without violence of any. kill" oat
a view to get the price of goods with which, in
first
ts
nos
sdnuni
intg. doing--should
this
d he
ee
law,
helda the 'usual
way of business, he bad supplied them; and is Assad the
is neither. iess
'ice nor common sense. It is an outrage on all our td
of both.
ite
gall
But the other part of the decision given by —rieow•
is, we know, not law. That gentleman's lee! ,er of
ledge is hero demonstrably at fault. The ptoPrie",,-oode
the premises who had been thus defrauded of his b ourt
itacserhtaaivnilnyg comet 'Dia
has no remedy against the parties at the county ced of
The law does not recognise the right of the landlvi, ter,
a public-house to recover the puke of spirits sold, ;ye,
the price is under a guinea. Oct that
ea
piing Act is clear. - Here • the- price would have lese
under a shilling, and, consequently, the partY
barred all right of action in the county court. ,
right to
If the proprietors of public-houses have no ,ob.
seize those who defraud them by asking for rt r fot
merits tor which they have no money to PaYte'-a o
point th
which they do not mean to pay, that respectable no jos
men are iu a much worse
of tradesmen in her Majesty's domiuions. If a party
position than any other
into a baker'e, or butcher's, or grocer's, and sitertribe
chasing an article, goes away without paying for 1" the
person who is sought to be defrauded can follownvot
party, and forcibly take his goods from him if be cstnala
get payment. It is otherwise with the licensed inc are
lers. The liquor. which are ordered are at once dreeP,
off, "and there an end." If they do not get their ILIA
it is impossible they can get anything. If, therehoe
Mr. Ball's construction of the law were good, thqfraed
no means of protection. They are exposed to the „era
and roguery of every person who chooses to make 1"
victims.
It is hardly worth while to advert to the absurdittid.
the course which Mr. Hall recommended as a PreleTbsiot
tive against the dishonesty of their customers.
_re to
recommendation was, that publ cans should- take oat sae
receive the money before supplying the parties wlti'c'sbie.
liquors asked tor. That would be wholly iloPrsc basi•
The licensed victusllers could not carry on theireatiee.
nese at all, we re:they to make that an uni.erra pray
Respectable customers would feel themselves am-bverore
were they to be asked to put down their moneeYaneces•
receiving the required reireahtnent; and it is...",,,wever
sary to say, that the most experienced landlord• I", can.
skill, dhe ewe be in the science f physiognetar)aLco se
nor, in all cases, decide by mete external appee_.
to who is 1-e.nrs!. and respectable, and who is Dets.. foot
On one point, we repeat, Mr. Hell is entirelya is
vriniigchthutisa,
Her.
whenleat Iht teiole,:yl:eddgoe
w;'andn
tn,w, epertilinnnioptleb.etliheavten_sictliske!
whom it is sought to defraud. ad:lY neuvey is
back, without violence, and detain until the 03._`'we are
paid, the party seekieg tG defraud him. Of 0.15 high
gatecer ta :Inh,
that so
it'
jue.l
s' bt
ane the law
enactment a top,
nrueisdenbte, loritse with
erased from the statute-book.----Advertiser.

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