The Sun.
London, England, 1860-07-28 00:00:00

THAMES.

MACBETH DISCOVERED.—UTILITY OP POLICE REPORTS
IN NEWSPAPERS.—A few days since a poor Scotch woman,
named Macbeth, with five starving children, came before
Mi.. Yardley, and stated that her husband, who was ad•
dieted to unusual drinking and very unsteady, abandoned.
her in Scotland, five months ago, and hearing that he was
in London working at his, business of a watchmaker, she
came here in search of him. She had been all over Clerken-
well, and at every house of call where watchmakers are
likely to be found, but could obtain no tidings of him. She
was in great distress, and her children were in want of food.
Mr. Yardley said the conduct of the husband was selfish
and heartless in abandoning his wife and children as he had.
done, but the unfortunate applicant had acted imprudently
in coming here. He gave her five shillings from the poor
box fund to relieve her present necessities, and advised her
to seek parish relief and get back to Scotland as soon as
possible. The case having obtained publicity, several
benevolent persons forwarded money to Mr. Yardley,
in the course of the week, for the use of Mrs.
Macbeth and her little ones. The family were ad-
mitted into the Whitechapel Union Workhouse, and it
was intended to send them back to Scotland at the expense
of the union if Macbeth could not be found. Mr. Free-
man, one of the churchwardens of Whitechapel and a
guardian of the poor, waited upon the magistrate, and said
that a man called at the workhouse and inquired what
would be done with Macbeth if he did not take his wife and
children out of the workhouse and maintain them, and he
was informed that a reward would be offered for the ap-
prehension of the runaway husband, and that he was liable
to three months' imprisonment and hard labour if he did
not support his wife and family. A few minutes afterwards
Macbeth appeared at the workhouse gate in person, claimed
his wife and children, and said he had been at work in
Reading, Bucks, where he read an account of his wife's
application to the magistrate in the newspapers. Macbeth
received his wife and children, who were much gratified at
meeting with him, although he was in liquor at the time.
Mr. Yardley said Macbeth's wife described him to be a
drunkard when she applied at that court for relief, and.
that accounted for the abandonment of his family.
STEALING AN INGOT OP COPPER.--Charles Benjamin,
carpenter of the ship Empress, lying in the East India
Dock, was charged as follows :
A constable in the employ of the East and West India
Doak Company, said that he was stationed at the entrance
gate of the East and West India import dock, and saw the
prisoner leaving the dock and walking in a very unsteady
manner. He also observed the prisoner was very bulky.
He stopped the prisoner, searched him, and found an ingot
of new copper, weighing 301b5., concealed under his clothes.
The prisoner said he had brought the copper from the ship
Empress. The mate of the Empress said the prisoner was
ship's carpenter, and was engaged to proceed upon an in-
tended voyage to Madras. There were 150 ingots of copper
on board. The prisoner, in defence, said he was very sorry
for what he had done—he had never done so before—he
had good testimonials of character and conduct.
Mr. ,Yardley—You were carpenter of this ship, the
Empress, and confidence was reposed in you. You were
a kind of petty officer on board who ought to have shown
a good example. You were receiving very good wages, and
you must begin pilfering. The owners and captain of the
ship have had a very narrow escape of taking a thief to sea
where you would have had an opportunity of plundering to
a much larger extent. You say you are sorry. No doubt
you are, because you know you are going to be punished.
sentence you to be imprisoned and kept to hard labour for
two calendar months.