The Sun.
London, England, 1867-01-03 00:00:00

The Clerkenwell Casual Wards.

-
Yesterday Mr. Corbett, one of the Poor Law
Commissioners for the metropolitan district, held an
inquiry at the Clerkenwell Workhouse, respecting
the alleged refusal of the officials to admit persons
to the wards certified under the Houseless Poor Act.
The complaints appeared in the newspapers of the
24th and 31st ult., and the first had been commu-
nicated to the Poor Law Board. This was that two
wayfarers, under circumstances of great hardship,
had been refused admission to the wards, and the
second was that an applicant had been expelled with
violence from the place when asking for admission.
Mr. Boulton represented the guardians, of whom
many were present, and Mr. Inspector Potter, of the
G division, represented the Police Commissioners.
William Taylor, the porter to the casual ward, was
called to speak to the first case. He said, in the
course of a very long examination, that a little be-
fore one o'clock he refused admission to two casuals,
who had the appearance of being excavators or labourers, because they were intoxicated.
He had only refused them a few minutes and got into the
house when he heard a very loud knocking. He re-
turned to the door and saw a third person there,
who demanded the reason why the men were refused
admission, and he told this third person that he
was drunk, ordered him to get out of the forecourt,
and threatened to give him into custody for knock-
ing
at the door. The third person subsequently took
the casuals away. In cross-examination by the
gentleman, whose name was Mr. While, the wit-
ness said he was a policeman before he became
porter here. He was tried and convicted for an
assault, and was discharged from the force, in
which he had been for eleven years without any
other complaint having been made against him.
Police-constable 158 G deposed to having his atten-
tion attracted to the wards by hearing a very loud
knocking at the doors, and he then saw down in the
forecourt a gentleman and two casuals. The gentle-
man was somewhat excited at having been told that
he was drunk by the porter at the wards; but wit-
ness, who turned his light full on the person, was
convinced from all he saw that the gentleman was
perfectly sober. He thought, however, that the men
had had some drink. He thought so from their ge-
neral appearance ; but he did not see much of them.
He heard the porter refuse to admit the men, and
without assigning any reason, and he saw him ad-
vance upon the gentleman and order him to leave
the forecourt, and the gentleman did so, saying that
he was not going to give the porter an excuse for
committing a breach of the peace. Mr. While, the
gentleman who had made complaint to the Poor Law
Board, then detailed the circumstances witnessed by
him. He saw the two men, who seemed thoroughly
tired out, and, to his mind, perfectly sober, crouch-
ing in the shelter of the casual wards door. He
waited for a time to see if any one came, and the
men, in answer to his question, telling him that the
porter had refused them admission, he knocked at
the door. No answer came, and he knocked again
louder, and no one coming, he knocked still more
loud. The porter then came, told him he was drunk,
refused to give any reason for not admitting the
men, threateningly ordered him out of the forecourt,
and then threatened to give him into custody for
knocking at the door. Witness called the attention
of the constable and Mr. Northfield, a neighbour, to
the affair. The List-named gentleman also deposed
that Mr. While and the two casuals were perfectly
sober. Inspector Potter, in answer to Mr. Corbett,
said that there were repeated complaints at the dis-
trict police stations with respect to the manner in
which these wards were managed, and he handed in
a statement of some of the complaints, which were
not made public. Mr. Corbett stated that the evi-
dence would be reported to the Poor Law Board,
who would give their decision in the case. A conver-
sation arose between the guardians, and it transpired
that orders had been given that no one was to be
admitted to the wards unless introduced by a guar-
dian. Mr. Corbett, in conclusion, toldther bringingguardiatis
they ought to be obliged to Mr. 'While for
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Poor
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Binonairedn,dserdeptoh.retm,
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faosryistuteymeabtyl,ewlsiiithem, without
shoulbe checked.o
d
dhe refusals to asil,mheit applicantsruai.dian;
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terminated. At\i'lhainchksbtaod tedonfollirinsisait'onnyerCouarnsd,

A Prussian national school is to be built in the
park of the Exhibition. It will in all respects be
an exact copy of an ordinary school in a Prussian
village.

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