The Sun.
London, England, 1858-09-09 00:00:00

POLICE INTELLIGENCE.

MANSION-HOUSE.—Edward Alfred Brooke
was charged with annoying his brother Mr. H. B.
Brooke, of 4 and 5, Poultry-market, Leadenhall,
under the following circumstances :
The complainant having been sworn, said—About
half-past 8 this morning the defendant entered my
shop and demanded a suit of clothes. I told him I
would give him neither clothes nor money, and
requested him several times to leave the premises
as he was obstructing my business. He brought a
crowd of between 30 and 40 persons round the shop.
He refused to go away, and I was at length com-
pelled to give him into custody. At the station-
house I. did not wish to press the charge, and con-
sented to his being released. When I returned to
Leadenhall-market I found him in the shop with 40
or 50 men about him.. He declared he would have
a suit of clothes or money, and I was compelled to
give him into custody a second time
The Lord Mayor asked the defendant what he
had to say in answer to the charge.
Defendant—l have been a citizen and liveryman
of London for years, and for many years carried on
a very large business with my brothers in Leaden-
hall-market, as poultry and game salesmen.
Through adverse circumstances and law expenses I
became a broken-down man, and about two years
ago left London for the purpose of seeking my liv-
ing in, the manufacturing districts. I worked very
hard at Liverpool and Manchester, and latterly at
Sheffield. About six weeks ago I was taken very
ill, and upon partially recovering I walked from
Sheffield to London, where I knew I had good
friends, and relatives and brothers.
The Lord Mayor—What has that to do with the
case ?

Defendant--I went to my brother Henry Brooke,
who is not only my brother, but also executor to
My father. He is my own flesh and blood, and
knowing he was well off, I spoke to him civilly,
and told him if he would give me a suit of clothes
I could do for myself.
The Lord Mayor—He told you that lie could not,
and you ought then to have
.gone away. After
that, you had no right to remain and demand a suit
of clothes. If you have any legal claim upon him,
that is not the way to enforce it ; but I dare say
your brother has very good reasons for what he has
done.

Defendant—Many times I have lent my brother
hundreds of pounds, and he has never given me
one farthing, _ _

The Lord-Mayor—Your brother, I dare say, has
very good reasons for refusing to assist you.
Complainant—There are very good seasons, my
lord.

Defendantlf he would only give me • a suit of
clothes, I would not annoy him.
The Lord Mayor—Your brother very kindly
released you from custody once, and you imme-
diately returned to his shop and annoyed him

again.
Defendant—But he is my own flesh and blood,
and if he does not assist me, I should like to know
who is to do it ? If I had gone into his shop as a
strangei, it would have been a very different thing.
The Lord Mayor (to the complainant)—He makes
a promise that he will not annoy you again. Will
you be satisfied ?
Complainant—Yes. I have no desire to punish
him, provided he will keep away from my shop.
Mr. George Brooke, another brother, stepped
forward, and said—Will your lordship allow me to
speak ? lam a brother of the complainant and
defendant. I saw the occurrence referred to, and
I consider that the complainant acted very wrongly
in giving the defendant into custody simply for
asking a question.
The Lord Mayor—Will 'you give the defendant
a suit of clothes ?

Mr. G. Brooke—l have parted with my all with
him, and will do so at this moment. I will not only
give him tt home, but he shall never want a home

while I have one. -
The Lord Mayor—l have nothing to do with
family squabbles ; all I have to do is to protect the
complainant in the conduct of his business.
Mr. G. Brooke--If I were Your lordship's brother
and in poverty I should come to you, and I know
that you would not reject my application.
A man who appeared to be an artisan here called
out—l will give half a suit of clothes, !my lord, if
his two brothers will find him the other half.
The Lord Mayor—He is as well able to get his
living as you are. (To the defendant)—Your bro-
ther was perfectly justified in giving you into cus-
tody. You created a disturbance in his shop.
Mr. G. Brooke—He did not, my lord. I think
it is the duty of a younger brother in poverty to
apply to an elder brother, who is better off, for as-

sistance. -
The Lora Mayor It i's an annoyance to the comp
lainant in his business to bring a crowd before his
door, If you, defendmit,-Tfill promo me the,t yoq

will not go to your brother's shop again I will dis-
charge you.
The defendant gave the required promise, and
was discharged.

WORSHIPiSTREET. Sarah M'Donald, a
shrewd-looking brunette, was brought before Mr.
D'Eyncourt, on remand, charged with having ob-
tained from Mary Ann and Eliza Gable several
pieces of money, by unlawfully pretending to use
certain subtle craft, with intent to deceive.
Mr. Gomm, from the offices of Mr. Young, at
Stepney, attended to defend the prisoner, and the
court was crowded during a second lengthened in-
vestigation of this singular case.
Mr. D'Eyncourt—ls there any further evidence
to be offered ?
Horton—l have not any, sir.
Mr. Gomm—But, sir, I should not be doing my
duty to the prisoner if I neglected to put the com-
plainants under a cross-examination. In fact, I
have no hesitation in saying their evidence is not
reliable. Mrs. Gable is decidedly not in her right
mind.
Mr. D'Eyncourt—lf the complainants are here,
let them stand forward:
Mrs. Gable, on entering the witness-box, was
observed to evince less anxiety and restlessness
than on the first occasion, and replied to the ques-
tions put to her in a satisfied tone and manner.
Mr. Gomm—How do you feel to-day ?
Mrs. Gable--Oh, I am better, sir ; the pains are
not so acute as they were. Previously they were
so bad I was obliged to hold my nostrils.
Mr. Gomm—Did you find the human bones do
you -any service ?
Mrs. Gable—l never tried human bones. You
will understand that my system is still suffering
from what occurred before the prisoner was brought
here.

Mr. Gomm—Have you not told the prisoner that
yourself, son, and daughter, were full of vermin ?
Mrs. Gable—Yes, and we certainly were so, they
gathered in the hair. That was when the spell
was upon us. The pains in the eyes, nose, and back
part of the head at such times were dreadful.
Mr. Gomm—Did you not go to the gipsies and
give them the gown you wore ?
Mrs. Gable—That is a mistake. The gipsies at
Wanstead took a fancy to my muslin gown, and I
afterwards told Mrs. M'Donald that I regretted
not having given it to them off my back.
Mr. Gomm—ln your opinion what occasioned
the pain you have spoken of ?
Mrs. Gable—Why, the vermin of course ; and
they came from the spell she set upon us.
Mr. Gomm—Do you recollect the prisoner say-
ing to you, " You have some curious notions, and I
must humour you a bit ?"
Mrs. Gable—l do not recollect. She might have
said so ; but I do recollect that when I first
went to her she said, " One person is the same to
me as another, for I have to get my living, and I
expect that those persons who come to see me will
pay me." I have known her street door to be open
at all hours, the Sabbath included.
Mr. Gomm—Did she ask you for money ?
Mrs. Gable—She did not exactly ask, but I knew
what she had said about expecting it. She said
she was going into the country, and I said a little
money would be useful to her.
Mr. D'Eyncourt—Did the prisoner charge for
the powders, Mrs. Gable ?
Mrs. Gable—She did. She always said that the
powders were sixpence each, and it was sixpence
also for laying the cards. I made her extra pre-
sents for relieving pains in my head, and body, and
mind. She made no charge for that. She never
asked for payMent of anything. I did not give her
occasion to ask.
Mr. D'Eyncourt—The question is, whether Mrs.
Gable gave the money-voluntarily or was asked for
it.

Mrs. Gable—lf I might be permitted to speak I
would say that it is very hard to be punished in
this way for five years, and by
Mr. Gomm—Have you ever been a patient of
any other person than Dr. Ramsbotham ?
Mrs. Gable—Yes, of Dr. Frampton ; he gave me
same beautiful medicine that made me better, but
then the spell (looking at prisoner) came upon me

again.
Mr. Gomm—You say that you are better now ;
how do you account for that ?
Mrs. Gable—Why, I attribute it to Mrs. M'Do-
nald's absence from her house since her last exami-
nation, of course.
Mr. IYEyncourt—Then you believe your health
improved from the fact of the prisoner having been
locked up ?
Mrs. Gable--I think so in my heart.
Mr. Gomm—l will not put any more questions,
sir ; for it is clear that we shall get the same de-
scription of reply ; but, with your permission, I
will put a few questions to the daughter of this
lady.—Do you feel better this morning, Miss
Gable ?
Miss Gable—l am rather better.
Mr. Gomm—You have heard your mother speak
of the vermin—how do you account for their troll.
bling you ?
Miss Gable—Why, from the spell, of course.
Mr. Gomm—Are you annoyed in that way now ?
_ _ _ _

Miss Gable—Oh,wdear, no, they have vawnishel

There cannot be a doubt that she caused them to
trouble us.
M. D'Eyncourt—You believe that?
Miss Ga'ble—Of course, and (raising her voice) I

also believe that she can at her will-lay a person
on a sick-bed or raise them up from one. (Sensa-
tion in court.) On one occasion she gave my mo-
ther a root to burn, and shortly afterwards—l re-
collect it was on a Saturday night—we burnt it,
and I thought mother would have gone mad, she
was taken so violently ill. Before she was in cus-
tody I felt lost and bothered, but now I feel better.
I have not seen vermin, and am altogether different.
Mr. D'Eyncourt--Have you ever seen any per-
sons at the prisoner's house?

Miss Gable—l have seen numbers, policemen
and their wives, but not any superintendents, in-
spectors, or sergeants. Oh,
_I am telling you the
truth—the truth. She told, me that one person
alone gave her 9s. a-week.

Mr.-IYEyncourt (to the solicitor)—What do you
say about the 'case now ?
Mr. Gomm—l submit, sir, that the evidence
is not reliable that mother and daughter
are as much under a spell now as before ;
and I therefore contend that their uncorro-
borated testimony should not be credited. Several

persons are present who will give the prisoner an
excellent character.

Mr. D'Eyncourt—Well, I will hear them.
Emma Brumsby---I am married, arid have lived
opposite the prisoner's house seven years. I am not
under .a spell. Never heard any reports of the pri-
soner dealing in witchcraft. Never observed any
carriage at her door, except the doctor's. Never
heard that she had the reputation of being a for-
tune-teller.