The Sun.
London, England, 1804-10-29 00:00:00

CHILD STEALING.

- -
POLVCR UFPICII,, UNION HALL.—The
feeling was unusually excited by an examinatiori
which took place on Saturday last before the Ma:
gistrates of this Office, of a woman who her
name was Ann Afairay., and who was charged,with
'having taken away a tamale child from Depiford on,
the day preceding, whose name was Eleanor Win.
term, aged near five years.
It appeared by the account of Dorothy Guttersor.,
that she lived next door to the child's:parents ; and
that, about twelve o'clock the day before, shp ha 4
sent the child to a mangler.—(where she had f 15..
quently been befote)—to fetch a bond/coiflinen that
she had left there to be mangled ; that.the child nor
returning for twos hours, she went to its mother tca
inquire for it, who not having seen her infant,. went
to the mangler's, and. found that the child had taken,
the linens and had then been gone an hour and, a.
half ; that she then made all possible search afterit
in the neighbourhood, and after a considerable time
„taken up for this pßrpoSe, she at length ,heard ,it
'had been seen with a woman leading it towards to_
)therhithe, at vlrith time the child' was crying very
mucit ! The mother .being naturally much alartned
at this account, went to her husbapd, a baker in
the King's.yard a Deptford, informed him of the,
circumstances, and requested him to gO in pursuit of
the woman.and child.

John Winterm, the father, stated, that he had rut-
sued the woman, and had obtained information at dif-:
ferent places on the road, that she. had ,been.,ae4,n.
.coming towatds London with the,child ; in eonse-
Auence of which he made all possitile haste to,l„.'on'slcso,
,bridge, and went as tar as Cheapside, but did not fiod,
the woman, or gain any farther tidings,.iespeBing
her or the child ; that he returned
.back towards.
London.bridge, and, intending to take a, ditFerent
direction in his return home, proCeetred: down
Tooley.street ; that it was now seven o'clock in the,
evening; that as he approached Black Lion Court,.
which is a notorious resort of thieresi rostittites,
and all kinds of abandoned and profligate charaEter.;,.
he thought he observed part. of a child's gartnew,
jolt tinning round the corner to go down the aiirt,
hut which he could scarcely discern, from a waggon
standing before thq„eoo,,,of,.,t4gi collft that his
Anxiety of mind, however, induct him immediately
to cross over the way ; after enietleg
Court, he had the. happiness•andqttrfo fit%.l that it
was his child,, and :Iticita,ho4.lle44,4l Irtnlcije"':4Y
discovered Et the very in.stant- h clkl, mit;:t
.•
been lost •tO him for ever, without theyossibllitycf
his ascertaininginwhat manner it liitilA7O diyos!!tl
of, At the time the father entered the Court, the
woman had the child, leading it in one hand, shod
the bundle of linen it had got from the manglet's
iincier her other arm, tied up in an old apron of her
own. 'the father. immediately Lei'2,44 the woman
and the bundle ;--rescued iii ecstacy.his last child
from the wretch—and gave an 'Marin; in conseii,
ipience of which a mob' assetuhled, who were so e):.‘;
',operated at the Priaonees condo t, that they would
have torn her to pieces, bad she not fortunately
been taken into the .shop ,Wir.,•WoO:d;''the Cone
stable, near the spot, who took charge of her, and*
with dilllculty, secured her from the violence of the
mob, by condofting'her to the watelLhouse.
Mrs. I,enhatp, the mangkr,deposedoira' t
'delivered the. "articles in the bundle to the child
about twelve o'clock the day preCeding., Mrs.
Gotterson identified the linen, a's belonging to her,
The mother of the child stoke to tlie'wearineap.
its the possession of the
parel it, had on when found
Priebtier..

The 'Magistrates after all these' positive fads
committed her for trial upon the two'charges—
tit. For stealing the bundle of linen taken froth the child,
belonging to Mrs. Guuerson ;" and
:AY. For stealing the wearing appareLthe child was dress-
ed in, the property of.its. parents,
The Prisoner appeared to be about so years of
age ; was meanly.dressed sand when a4ked what
.she had to say ? informed the Magistrates, that site
had met the chiWcrying in the erect,. and out of
kindness was „Ong tW t4kt,care of it till she could
find to whom it bel(Tged ; and then intended to take
it home in a hackney coach, '
Eleanor Winterm, the child herself, contradided
this account .; ,aud,althoughpot.five:yeus old, gave
a, very: corral interesting statement of
,what, had
passed between her and the Prisoner, who, she said,
first rook hold of her as she was coming from the
mangler's, gave her stone cakes, anti said she would
take her homel but the child knew 'she Was not go.
I'l home; and did nut liitcl4 woman. She there.
fore began tó cry, and then. the woman gave her
some halfpence, and' sotut mote cakes ; but she con.
tinued.to cry, and did nntlike to go with hers—.
She was found in A Mint and agitated state when
her father: discovered her, 'to whom ,he gave three
halfpence and a farthing that the wornan,ga.ve„ her
at diMrent times corning along the road, and also
part of the cakes she lnid given her,. The-Tappearnee
of the child was an admiralrie display :Of itinocer ce anti
simplicity ct)ntial,:ti with a degree of good sense
far beyonci her tender year Si. Herylain
and unafreetedeloqueoce had a very wOdelfulintu—
ence on the Court and those present. 'the Prisoner
was ordered to be conveyed to the County Gaol,
in Rotaempirger Lane,

The mob, which was immensely numtrookotaside
the Hall, became very, violent and chimoraus; anti
it Wwwirbveat:clitliculty that the Officers could
proteCt the Prisoner from their fury, winch thej at
length effeeted hrgettihg.her into a 1-4knepoosch;
The mob, however, followed her to die gaol, his ping
and hooting theyrisdner alkthe.way, anti lepti*at.
ing her in the strungeourtanner.