The Sun.
London, England, 1866-03-20 00:00:00

Stealing a Penny.

The peculiar inaptitude of clergymen for the dis-
charge of judicial duties has, it appears, just been
exhibited at Redditch, according to a report which
we find in the Birmingham Daily Post. A Child,
named Emily Jane Ballard, a scholar in Inkberrow
Sunday school, it was alleged, on Sunday last, while
in the Inkberrow church, stole a penny out of the
pocket of a scholar. a The vicar, the Rev. G. R.
Gray, who is chairman of the bench of magistrates
for this petty sessional division, being informed of
the petty theft, after making some inquiries into the
case, instructed the village policeman to take the girl
to the lock-up, which was done on Monday last.
Substantial bail was offered, but the Rev. Mr. Gray
refused to accept it. The sympathy for the child,
who is about 10 years old, was so great that a sub-
scription was set on foot in the town, and in a short
time the fee requisite to employ a solicitor was raised,
and Mr. W. E. Simmons, of this place, was retained
for the defence. The case was to be heard at the
petty session held on Friday, and long befoie the
court was opened a crowd of persons had assembled
for admission to hear the case, so great was the in-
terest manifested. 'rho magistrates on the bench
were the Rev. G. R. Gray (chairman), and Messrs.
W. Tabberer and J. Smith. The chairman said he
hoped the case would be publicly reported, as he
understood it had caused a great sensation in the
town ; and he proceeded to give an explanation of
the circumstances, which he thought would make
the public less surprised at the detention. About a
fortnight ago, he said, this child, who was reported
to be only nine, but was in reality 11 years old, and
who had been in his school some time, stole a pen-
knife. The counsel for the child here interrupted
the chairman, denying the charge of knife stealing,
and the chairman then said he.never intended to go
on with the case; all that he wanted was to make the
child know that she could not steal a knife with im-
punity. The offence was the more serious as it was
committed in the House of God. The child had
put her hand into another child's pocket, and he
thought it was his duty to punish her. He had no
intention whatever to go on with the case, and ho
ierr.
e ys
He
himself
e nt
considered
her t o the lock-up
that a
t o
child
ldof
slightly
g nais
hne
was quite as able to know right from wrong as a
child much older, and especially in thel
God where the offence was doubly wrong.
who attends to the chil-
dren in church while the mistress is presidingat the Hese of
and explain the case, but from
some cause or other she
bad not done so. [At the
commencement
the hearing Mrs. Davis was
com of
several times, but did not answer.] He
iondly called
ntended to take no further notice of the case, and
lie hoped and trusted it would prove a lesson to the
child. If a child 11 years old would steal a penny,
she would not hesitate to steal a much larger sum.
r
organ) to attend u
de-
sired Mrs. Davis(a woman
The case would be dignissed, and the little pri-
soner discharged. The child then left the dock.—
Mr. Simmons objected to the case being settled
in that way. The case had cast slurs upon the
child's character, and his instructions were to go
fully into the case and have the matter
cleared up. He would consent to
thatd
or until ay.
ad-
journed for a short time then, have the case
week, to give Mrs. Davis an
attend-
ing. (An attempt at applause N
t
g gone into, and
was speedily suppressed by the p
0 p pioo.
Irstctel herei t y,
The
dceh,abit:
the
the child was brought back„dr.
Simmons applied to
again for a short time.
man acquiesced in
case
anbdeipnlace in the dock
have the child released on bail, which was granted."

.I_...oFlloway's Pills.—Winterly Draw-
spring and. whither they retire it is
not our present purpose to explain ; we desire to point out
how their ill effects in the human frame can bo neutralised
ggariesh.thern.i)ee'ss. et
bateAksn.fwirrhiesnEcemErrogs.
The blood must be freed. fTm superfluous carbon awi
mephitic taints by some purifying medicine like Holloway's
pills, which not only thoroughly cleanse the circulatio,,,
but adjest in every organ the defects imposed upon h by'
inflammations,
pillst.eh gl itd fluidaprorys
ean nt whend hassptraiegtsnear
vtiaotnbi
,:e,
ec
so
congestion,angt become
ifnosut linot
internal
andns
al ul
ii 1
lit
morbid matters
`irritations, and ulcerations; while expelling''
from the system they coolby their gently • .
aperitive action,
and strengthen by their tonic virtues

LONDON, TUESDAY, MARCH 20, 1866.

The public will learn with satisfaction that tho
terrible disaster at sea which in the early weeks of
the present year so greatly shocked and startled the
whole community has been brought under the
careful notice of the House of Commons. Although
the loss of the London had previously formed the
subject of a prolonged inquiry, yet therewere many
circumstances attending the case which called for
a closer inspection than the ordinary form of such
proceedings enabled the inquirers to make. The
non-member for the Tower hamlets seemed, indeed,
to think that the interference of Sir JOAN PAKING-
TON was harsh or unfair towards the owners of the
unfortunatevesgel; but we cannot doubt that Messrs.
~VIGRADI and Co._
are second to none in their desire
to sift the matter thoroughly, to ascertain as far as
possible the causes of the catastrophe. They have
not only the common feelings of humanity
which we might naturally to prompt
them, suppose would be
motive enough, but if they need
a dsaelsgheinto-
centive they have the heavy loss an:lc>tlrk:
the credit of their vessels. By all
accounts the
London was concidered a first-rate ship by all con-
cerned, and there call be no doubt that the weather
which she encountered was of exceptional severity.
Nevertheless there were some very unsatisfactory
points in the matter which the examination at Green-
wich failed to clear up. As the subject is of such vital
interest to the whole community it cannot be laid
aside or forgotten as a nine days' wonder. The
public sympathies have been deeply moved, and the
long list of premature deaths has left behind a wide
circle of mourning friends and relations. But the
serious aspect of the case is that we have no security
that such an accident may not be repeated again
and again. If there was no weak point in the
eclitiPinent or management of the vessel, no fault
in her construction, her loading, or her navigation,
what can we look to to protect us against similar
disasters ? It a first-class ship, commanded by a.