The Sun.
London, England, 1803-04-02 00:00:00

CASTLOW ail. FROST.

This was an Anion to recover a sum of money,
for goods sold and delivered to the Defendant.
'Mr. HAGAR, (Mille part of the Plaintiff, stated,
that the goods, consisting of a bed and pillows,
curtains and other articles,lot which this Anion was
brought, had beep regularly purchased of his client,
and delivered at the house of the Defendant, who.
had resisted paying for the same,, pretending that
his wife had eloped from him, and had given or.
tiers for the things without hit consent. It had
been fuither allcdged, that die kept a. house. for
'the reception of girls of the town, and. that she,
was living in a state of adultery with a man
named . Featherstone, when the goods were sent
to her house ; all of which, he said, had nothing
. to do with the debt in question, as the husband
was bound by laW to pay . the 'debts contrafted
by his wife, while she was living with him. The
Learned Counsel had never, during his praniee,
heard, Alia the keeping of a bad house, and giving
encouragement to vice and immorality, could be
urged as a defence for not paying a lawful debt ;
he therefore did not doubt'but the Jury would con.
Sider his Client entitled to. their verdict.
The only evidence called was Mary Lendon : she
said she was a servant to Mrs. Frost, who lived near
Wellclose,square ; she knew of the goods 'having
been purchased of the Plaintiff', at which time her
mistress was living with a person of the name of
Featherstone, and that her husband (a butcher)
was living'at his own, house in Whitechapel. She
bad not observed the Defendant come but once to
her Mistress, and theh he advised her to leave her,
Line of life, andreturn and live with him. The at-
tides for which this aftion was brought, were or-
dered by Mrs/ Frost only, who'had also taken the
house 'in Wellclose.square by the advice of aNts.
Ward, her acquaintance.
Mr.LocttflAß.T stated, that this cause was highly
important to the public, as it would A& how far
an. English Jury would decide upon the irestiOn.of
the husband's being obliged to pay' those debts which
an abandoned wife might contra& , His Learned
Friend had opened the case with stating,, that the
Defendant had been guilty Of keeping an infamous
house for prostitutes ; an assertion without founda.
tion, which he should he able to contradin. rt
must appear to all who beard the evidence, that
the man was blameless on such a charge. The case
would turn out to be, that the wife had been in.
dueed to quit the Defendant, at the instigation of
Mrs. Beard, and not only to forsake her own repu.
tation by living with Featherstone, but to have in.:
troduced others into scenes of vide and infamy, by
keeping a. common brothel ; the befendant was a
stranger to her transactions ; she eloped without his.
knowledge ; took the house without his knowledge,
for the purpose of living. in .a state of adultery, and
in that situation bought the goods in question. flf
Mr. Frost had been acquainted. with her proceed-
ings in the 'manner described, her would. have been
'at the house soots 'after it was taken ; on the
contrary, it had been proved that he had only
visited once, and the only occasion of his going was
to reclaim .his wife from the abandoned state in
which she was living. It therefore could not be in-
fermi, that the Deleodant was acquainted with his
wife's condun, or that according. to law he was
compelled to pay. for any 'unnecessary goods she
might have purchased, while she was living away
from him. It had been said, that the gesods, ,were
sold to. his Client ; which was not the case ' there
bad appeared nu evidence to prove he had ever
'seen them, or that he had, any knowledge of the
seller. The Jury would therefore observe, :hat a
satisfaCtory case had not been made out on the part
of the Plaintiff; and that the Defendant Was en.
titled to a verda.' •
. Mr. Serjeant MARSHALL observed to the Jury,
that the question, which they had to
_decide upon
was, whether the goods which had been sold, were
pureltaied, with the knowledge .of the .Defendant ?'
if he ordeted theist, he was obliged to pay for the
same ; but if they thought that the property had not
been bought by his order or-authority, but merely by
his wife, while she was living away from him in a'
• state of adultery; in that case he ought not to pay,
the husband not being bound bylaw to defray her
, expeneed. It had appeared that' the .Defendant's
wife had eloped from him,
.and had kept a house to
afford .a resort to .persons of a profligate charaner.
It Was not reasonable to suppose her husband was
acquainted with her condua... The question there-
fore was, whether he had any subsequent communi-
cation Tespening the canton?. If the Jury were of
ap opinion that- he bad not, they would decide in fa-
vour .of the Defendant ; if they believed- that be
bad, they would give a verdict for the Plaintiff.
The jury, without hesitation, gaVe a verditt for
the Delendayt. •

of different doscriptions;-and a quantity-of forged
bank notes. He also apprehended the man who
owned the cabin where the offender was discovered ;
,his name is Maurice Smith. They'were both lodged
in the New Gaol.

Shaughnessy, above five years • ago, was •ap-
prehended- by Mr. Archer, when High Sheriff
of this city, was tried and conviaed la utter-
ing and making forged bank-notes, and sen-
tenced to death.. He afterwards obtained a reprieve
for transportation, and was one of those tohat was
brought from on board a vessel in the river bound
for Botany-bay, who, hrough lenity, obtained by
misrepresentanan, not wilful, have since.done much
mischief to the Public.

We hear that Justice Bell also seized in 'another
place, a complete ;apparatus for making bank-note
forgeries, such as rolling-presses, &c. &c. This
must be a pleasing hearing to the Public, at this
time, when such numbers of forgeries are in circu-
lation, some of which are deteaing every day.