The Sun.
London, England, 1869-09-14 00:00:00

THAMES.

LAMB AND Ponl►.—Sarah Morrison, aged GO years, was
brought up on remand before Mr. Benson, charged with
stealing a leg of lamb from the shop of Mr. Christopher
Wood, butcher, of G9i, Crist-stroet, Poplar; and Jane
Durrant, 32, was also brought up on remand, charged with
stealing a large pig's head from the shop of Mr. Thomas
Humphrey, cheesemonger, 127, Salmon's-lane, Limehousc.
Both prisoners wore seen to commit the robberies with
which they stood charged. Mrs. Morrison, who is old and
infirm, and who was suffering from a week's incarceration,
had hitherto maintained a good character. She was in
great poverty, the leg of lamb on the butcher's board
tempted her, and she was hurrying away with it when ar-
rested. She uttered loud cries for mercy, and assured the
Magistrate it was her first offence.

Mr. Wood wished her to be forgiven on account of her
infirmities and poverty.
Mr. Benson said the prisoner had been in prison for a
week, and he would accede to the prosecutor's wish and
discharge the prisoner.

Purrant did not fare so well. Sho is a denizen of the
thieves' locality, Kaate-street, Spitalfields, and is a disso-
lute and dangerous character. She made a stout resist-
ance when she was taken into custody
The prisoner said she was very sorry ; it was the first
time she had ever been in custody.
Mr. Benson—You have no substantial excuse. You
are sentenced to Seven days' imprisonment with hard
labour.

AN ARISTOCRATIC PAUPER.—John Smith, aged 32 years,
described as having no home, no occupation, with a sun-
dried face and horny hands, was charged with refusing
to perform the task of work assigned to him in the casual
ward of Mile-end Old-town Workhouse.
Thomas Davis, superintendent of casuals, said the
prisoner would never do any work, but he would eat his
toke (bread) and drink his gruel with enjoyment.
The prisoner, a tall man, with a certain amount of
dignity about him, although in rags, raised his head aloft,
and said, " I can not, indeed, execute such work as stone-
breaking and oakum picking. Really (in a contemptuous
tone) I cannot do such work ; no, no!"
Mr. Benson —You seek the shelter of the casual ward,
you are strong enough and healthy, you are provided with
gruel and bread for supper, a bed for the night, and apiece
of broad this morning, and you must do something for it
either at stone-breaking or oakum picking. You have
been here before, and if you will not do a few hours work
iu the workhouse, you must do it in prison. You are sen-
tenced to one month's imprisonment and bard labour.

The prisoner bowed politely and walked in a stately
manner from the dock.

WESTMINSTER.

-
EXTRAORINARY CHARGE OP STABBlNG.—Frederick
Dance, a boy 12 years of age, was charged with cutting
and wounding Henry Dance.
Prosecutor (brother of the prisoner, and. abont 15 years
of age, with his hand tied up) said—A little before eight
this morning I told my brother that he had my collar on.
lie said I have not got it. I repeated that he had, and I
would give him a knock on the side of the head, and I did
so, and he fell down, but not from the blow. He then got
up, and, seizing a knife from the table, followed me all
round the room, making jobs at me with it, and in defend-
ing myself my fingers were cut. My mother was obliged
to force him violently on the bed to get the knife away
from him.

The mother said, " My husband has left me with five
children, and I have to work as an ironer to a laundress
to maintain them." This boy is a great trouble to me.
lle absents himself from home and stays out all night.
Me also robs me right and left.. I don't know what to do
with him.

Mr. Arnold—Does he follow any employment ?

The mother—Ho won't. I got him places, but by pil-
fering and other misconduct he loses them and comes
home again.
Mr. Arnold—What religion are you ?
The mother—A Protestant.

Mr. Arnold—l must send you to Feltham.
He was remanded for the present.

TAKING DRINKS.—The Australian gold-digger is
in many rospects different from the Californian, but still
he evinces the most carelessness of money. It used to be
the custom for these men to come down to some village after
they had made a slight "pile," go to his favourite public-
house, and give the money into the landlord's hands, with
the information that lie "shouted" (or asked all and sundry
to drink) until it was finished. Then the landlord at in-
tervals would say, "Step up, boys, it's Jim Jenkins's
shout !" Then they all wished Jim luck, until Jim's shout
was out, and thon ho went back to his gully, proud that
ho had "spent his money like a man." On one occasion
a miner came down and handed his money over to the
landlord ; but, contrary to expectation, nobody would
respond to his shout. He had been a convict, and "lagged'
for some grievous offence. The man was at his wit's end.
At last ho struck upon the brilliant expedient of engaging
an idler at labourer's daily wages—eightshillings—to
drink with him. And so he got through his holiday.—
Dickens's "All the Year Round."