The Sun.
London, England, 1869-11-24 00:00:00

MORE BETTING CASES.

At the Marlborough-street Police-court, on Tuesday,
George Matkins, coffee-house keeper, of North-row,
Grosvenor-square, was summoned for using a house,
the Clarendon Arms, kept by Mr. Holmes, for the pur-
pose of betting ; and Mr. Holmes was also summoned
for permitting the house to be used for betting purposes.
Police-constable Littlechild, 46 X R, said that he went
to the Clarendon Arms, kept by a person named Holmes.
There was an ordinary partition in the bar, a part
being divided off so as to make it a private bar
It was about a quarter to twelve in the day time.
3latkins was in the private bar, and there was a man
assisting him, and as men came in the man handed them a
card, and communicated with Matkins. The card had on
it the prices against the horses marked in pencil, and he
saw Matkins make entries in a book, and saw something
passed to Matkins. He heard a person named Mills ask
Matliins what were the odds against Rosicrucian for the
Cambridgeshire Stakes, but he did not hear the answer,
and he had been to the house before and seen Mat-
kins there on two or three occasions in the day-time,
but not in the evening. The man he spoke of was not
always with Matkins. Sometimes he went outside. He
went on another occasion, Mills being in his company.
and ➢latkins was there with his book in his hand, and
persons came in and spoke to Matkins or his assistant. He
heard Matkins say, " Five to one against the field." He
saw Matkins make several entries in a red book. The
card shelved the names and prices of the horses for the
Cambridgeshire Stakes. He asked Matkins what he would
give against Rosicrucian to win and for a place in the
Cambridgeshire Stakes.

John Mills gave evidence, showing that betting was
carried on I,y Matkins at the Clarendon Arms.

Mr. Beard 'wished to take the magistrate's opinion
whether, as a point of law, it was intended by the Legisla-
ture that tradesmen who went into a neighbour's house
and made a trifling bet or two were to be held liable under
the Act ? There was no evidence to shew that the money
taken had any reference to horse racing. He was in-
structed that the defendant had only gone into the
house for ordinary purposes, and while there had in-
dulged in making a bet or two of a trifling character—a
proceeding that it was never intended by the Legislature
should subject him to the penal consequences of this
statute.

Mr. Tyrwhitt remarked that the Act made it an offence
to use the house as a place for betting purposes. When it
was proved that a person was found betting with persons
who resorted to a house, he could not escape from the
conclusion that the person so acting was using the place
for the purpose cf betting.
Mr. Biron said Matkins had been fined £3O for keeping a
betting-house.
Mr. Tyrwhitt would say it was very well to talk about
Tattersall.'s and the way great bets were made there; but
if fools could be found to risk their fortunes in that way,
it was their own doing. In these betting-houses there was
a temptation held out to poor men to engage in gambling,
and the pursuit sometimes became so bewitching as to
induce small gamblers to rob their masters and their tills.
It was to prevent such doings that the Act was framed
and passed. If men in higher stations were such fools as
to throw away their fortunes on horse-racing, that did not
make them robbers or thieves. With poor men, if they
did not actually steal from others they robbed their
families. He must inflict the penalty of £5O in each case,
or three months with hard labour.
William Holmes, the landlord of the Clarendon Arms,
North-row, was then summoned for permitting his house
to be used for the purposes of betting.
Mr. Beard said that, after the conviction in the previous
case, he thought the summons might be withdrawn if the
defendant gave a promise that nothing of the kind should
take place in his house again.
Mr. Biron would suggest that there should be an ad-
journment for three months, to see how the defendant
conducted his house in the meantime.
Mr. Tyrwhitt, in consenting to the adjournment, said
there must not be complaints against the defendant's
house of any kind whatever.

Henry Bowen, of Hartland-road, Kentish Town, was
charged with causing an obstruction for the purposes of

betting.

The case having been proved, Mr. Tyrwhitt fined the
defendant 40s. or a month.

DEMAND OF _MINERS FOIL AN ADVANCE.—The
Amalgamated Miners' Association of Lancashire, Cheshire,
and North Wales, have sent the following circular to their
employers :--" Having respectfully requested you to give
us an advance of wages on the 20th September last, and
not meeting then with a satisfactory reply, notice is
hereby given that we demand an advance of wages on or
before the 13th December next, equal to the amount that
ye were last reduced. If such advance be not given to
le, we shall feel in duty bound to use every lawful means
in our power to secure the same. We are, on behalf of
the miners in your employ," &c. The reduction referred
to in the above circular amounted to from 10 to 15 per
cent. The number of men who are likely to be affected by
the circular is about 20,000.

THE TRAFALGAR-SQUARE MEETINGS. -At the
last meeting of the vestry of St. Martin's-in-the-Fields
the clerk read a letter from the Under-Secretary of State
for the Home Department, stating that the Government
c€ uld not interfere with the processions and meetings held
in Trafalgar-square, as they were not illegal in themselves.
The Rcv W. Humphrey, the vicar, said that the afternoon
services at the church had to be stopped in consequence of
the late Fenian gathering in Trafalgar-square, as there was
so much noise arising from the shouting of the people and
the playing of the bands of music. After some discussion
it was resolved that if in future there was any attempt to
Indd meetings, especially objectionable in Trafalgar-
,quare on Sunday, the attention of Parliament should be
called to the matter.

THE FEEEMASONS.—A meeting of the Grand
r.t,dge is t. be held at Freemasons' Hall on Wednesday
-:-t, fr,ler to prcee.ed with the nomination of a Grand
-Kfts;ter room cf Earl of Zetland. It will be
iro;:,,,f!c(l. by Mr. J. R. Stet Ling—" That in the opinion of
Crand if,o(lge no future Grand Master shall hold that
fcr than three years in succession, unless in the
case of a royal pri:ice, when the restriction shall apply to
the pro,paadl master." By Mr. It. W. Stewart—" That
Lo brother (except a prince of the blood royal) shall be
el,: tible a:; Grand Master for a longer period in succession
than live pari." By Mr. Joseph Smith (Pursuivant)—
" That the office of Grand Master shall not be held by any
brother for a longer period in succession than seven years
except in the case of a prince of the blood." By Mr. John
Savage—" That the office of M. W. Grand Master shall
not be held by any brother for a longer period than four
years in succession. This law shall not extend to a
prince of the blood royal, but it shall extend to,4tny
ay a
brother whom he mppoLattyl the Fro-q_ra44
_

THE GREAT MORDAUNT DIVORCE CASE.

In Lord Penzance's Chambers, the case of " Mordaunt
v. Mordaunt and Cole" was mentioned, and, from what

Len transpired, it seems that the cause will without doubt

be tried,

Serjcant Ballantine and Mr. Inderwick appeared for
Sir Charles Mordaunt, and the former said that when the
case was last before his lordship, an order was made that
certain medical men should see Lady Mordaunt. He had
now to apply that two other medical men, Dr. Winslow
and Dr. Tyler Smith should also be at liberty to see her.
Mr. Searle, the counsel on the other side, said : I leave
the matter entirely in the hands of the court.
_ _

Serjeant Ballantine would wish that the order shoulet
be so framed that the medical gentlemen should be at
liberty to see the lady at any time.
Lord Penzance should say that it would be sufficient if
the medical gentlemen saw Lady Mordaunt twice, and, of
course, at a reasonable time. Just before he rose last term
Dr. Gull wrote, saying that he was not certain whether he
should be justilledwithout a license or the order of the court in
taking care of Lady Mordaunt. He had made no such
order, but had suggested that two gentlemen should be
called in to See Lady Merdaunt and give their opinion.
Serjeant Ballantine said that his side felt certain the
respondent was sane ; but they were not certain she would
remain so if the i resent system of espionage was carried

Lord Penzance : If that is so, it would be better to alter

the system.
His lordship then said that the order would be drawn
up so that Drs. "Winslow and Tyler Smith should see the
lady twice, and at reasonable hours.