The Sun.
London, England, 1859-06-22 00:00:00

hated, and detested. [Here she lifted up her eyes
for a moment, paused, and looked furtively into his 1
lordship's face, to see, probably, what degree of
encouragement was in store for her.] Nevertheless,
she felt it politic to appear to acquiesce in her re-
lative's suggestion, and left Carlisle as if for the
purpose of being married ; but instead of going to
the altar with her suitor she made the best of her
way to Newcastle, where she consulted some friends

as to what was best to be done. It was suggested
that she might perhaps be able to obtain a passage
to Australia as stewardess in some passenger ship,
and while some recommended her to go to Liver-
pool with that view, others told her that she would
be more likely to succeed in London. She took pas-
sage in a steamboat, and to London she came, land-
ing at some wharf somewhere against the docks, on
the night of Tuesday week. She took lodgings, she
said, in some street of which she did hot know the
name, but you went down the Minories to it, and it
was close by that place where the soldiers walk
about all day with those great high caps. [Conjec-
tured to be the Mint or the Tower] There she had
slept at night, making inquiry all day for employ-
ment, but without success. Worst of all, since she
had been in London—she did not know how, and
she did not know where [and she did not say when]
—some one had robbed her of all she had. It might
be at the house where she had lodged, for they seemed
to be a noisy, drinking set, but she could not say.
However, finding her money gone, she quitted that
lodging on Friday morning, leaving a quantity of
clothes behind her for 35., which she owed, and on
Friday night she slept at a`coffee-shop. Alarmed at
finding herself helpless and destitute, and fearing
for consequences, she ventured, in accordance with
advice she had received, to ask his lordship for
some little assistance to enable her to struggle on
till she could look further for a situation, or get
assistance from her , friends. [Here she gave ano-
ther and keener glance at the Lord Mayor's face.]
As for returning to Carlisle, that she hardly wished,
as her relative might still insist upon her marrying
the gentleman from whom she had fled. She would
of course rather—much rather not have mentioned
this at all, but—[with such an air of candour]—as
she was making his lordship acquainted with her
history, she felt it was better to tell him everything.
Having thus finished the recital of her history,
and put her claims to sympathy upon a proper
foundation, she bowed down her head, relapsing
into her original weakness while she awaited a re-
sponse to her appeal.
The Lord Mayor, who had listened very patiently,
told her she deserved some little sympathy if her
tale were true ; but upon that point he could of
course say nothing until some inquiry had been
made. Nevertheless, as her position in London, ac-
cording to her own showing, was a dangerous one.
for a friendless young woman, and as he was anxi-
ous to redeem her from destruction, he would do
something for her at all events. When could she
hear from Carlisle ? She could get an answer by
Tuesday, if she wrote that day, she said. Well,
then, she must write at once, and bring the answer
to the court on Tuesday. Meanwhile an officer would
go with her to her former lodging, redeem her
clothes, and then take her to a respectable house,
where her expenses for a week should be paid from
the poor-box. Whether any more were done for her
must depend upon the result of the inquiries about
to be made.
With an ostentatious curtsy, and a most melo-
dramatic " Thanks, my lord," she then retired with
an officer, leaving the impression that she had
carefully' studied her part, and got herself well up
for the occasion. She also left behind her a suspi-
cion that she was no stranger to the stage ; and alto-
gether it was apparent that she was no stranger to
the world and its ways, and by no meaas afraid to
battle with the little difficulties that a young un-
protected female has to encounter in pushing her
way onward and upward. While sitting below in
the officers' room, Munday, who is a good fatherly
sort of a man, gave her some sound advice, and
warned her against the snares which beset the
feet of the unwary in London, upon which she
became communicative and confidential, telling hint
that last night, as she was walking about, looking
for a lodging, she met an old gentleman who offered
her gold, and that she refused his offers with scorn
and indignation, for she would sooner die than do
such a thing ; and Mundav, in the plenitude of his
sympathy, believed her. Therefore, he made haste
to obey the injunctions of the Lord Mayor, by going
with her to her lodging in Burr-street, East Smith-
field, where he redeemed her clothes, and then
placed her with a respectable widow woman, living
In Fenchurch-street. But first he had questioned
her connexions by way_ of references, and she gave
the name of her aunt, Mary Bell, livingin Fort-road,
Carlisle, and also that of Madame la Comtesse de
Maricourt, or as she wrote it, in a scrawling hand
and very questionable orthography, " Counts de
Maricourt, Swinburn-place, No. 7, Newcastel."
Having fixed her comfortably, Munday left her to
the care of her new landlady, who, upon a sabsequent
visit informed him that her young lodger had been
doing nothing all day long but reciting plays. This
strengthened the notion previously entertained
that she was by no means a stranger to the stage.
It must be said here that Munday, although in-
clined to trust in the virtuous asseverations of his
protege, took his own steps to ascertain her real cha-
racter and history. In the first place he made pri-
vate inquiry of the landlady in Burr-street, with
whom Anna Bell had told the Lord Mayor she had
lodged since she had been in London, with the ex-
ception of the Friday night, and then, with the
strong instinct of his calling, he applied to the police
of Carlisle and Newcastle, as the fountain-heads of
information on such a subject, the result being that
he was soon placed in a position to lay before his
lordship the following report :
" Mansion-house, June 20, 1859.
"My Lord,—By direction of your lordship I have made
inquiries respecting the young woman, named Anna Bell,
who applied to your lordship for assistance on Saturdaylast.
I have seen Mrs. Stephens, who resides at 51, Burr-street,
East Smithfield, and who stated that the girl has been lodg-
ing at her house about ten days, but did not sleep there for
the last two or three nights; that she was at the theatre on
one of the nights she slept out, andthat she (Mrs. Stephens)
had a very bad opinion of her, from her manner of conduct-
ing herself. I have also communicated with the police at
_
Carlisle and Newcastle, the result of which will be explained
in the accompanying letters.—l am, my Lord, yours, &c.,
" G. MUNDAY, Mansion-house Officer?'
" City Police Office, Carlisle, June 19. 1859.
" Dear Sir,—In answer to your letter of the 18th inst.,
I beg to inform you that Anna Bell left Carlisle about
six weeks agp, and was said to have gone to Sunderland
as a dressmaker. While in Carlisle she cohabited with
an officer of the 3d West York Militia, then stationed
at Carlisle Castle. She formerly lived at Blackhill, near
Berry Edge, Durham. She is a native of Carlisle. Her
mother, a very old-woman, nearly blind, lives in Fort-road,
but she has no aunt living there. She is a tall, slender
girl, and is well educated; but she bears a very indifferent
character in Carlisle.—Yours, &c.,
" GEO. E. BENT, Chief Constable."
" Chief Police Station, Newcastle-on-Tyne,
June 19, 1859.
" Sir,—l have the honour herewith to acknowledge the
receipt of your. communication this morning, and, in reply,
to forward you the report of the officer engaged in making
the inquiries.--I am, sir, &c.,
" JOHN SAISBAGE, Chief Constable."
" Detective Department, June 19, 1859.
" Sir,—l beg to inform you that, in reference to the com-
munication from London respecting Anna Bell, I have seen
the Countess de Maricourt, who states the girl Bell was an
a
inmate of the infirmary in this town. The Countess was
visitor there, and she then stated to her that she belong
Cedarolnisle,
the acnodunotensshearndeowimisnhgedouht
eorf
ttho
ree
cthall
" JOHN ELLIOTT, Inspector.
to a situation. Thal is all she knows respecting
" To the Chief Constable, Newcastle-on-Tyne.'.'
cinomfteanrYd herh
With this information before him the Lord
.Mayor•
• his expected visitor,
who well prepared to receive her.
before him look-
ing,
who yesterday once mosred
appearedemure, and apparently as
as pretty, and
ox
She
his lordships'l •
with a curtsy and awaited
unsuspicious as ever. a
ascended the witness-box
The Lord Mayor did not keep her long in sus-
pense. He told her that the result of the inquiries
made since Saturday had, he was sorry to say, not
confirmed the truth of the statement which she had
then told him as to her having left Carlisle to escape
a marriage with a man whom she hated, as to her
having always. led a virtuous life, and her being
anxious for assistance to preserve her in an upright
course. He would read to her the result of the in-
quiries, in the hope that it would be taken notice of,
and s
Is
co
cpur
re
lve edn
hert h e
lri
pf m, in
ai mwpaovs i
wn imposing
iocnh owt ha
se rs .
meant to
be haughty, as his Lordship commenced reading
Munday's report ; but her smile soon relaxed into
a grimace, and a strong nervous twitching of the
corners of her mouth bespoke a state of mind any-
thing but pleasant. She endeavoured to interrupt
his lordship, but he requested her to remain silent
until he had finished, and he then read to her the
letters received from the police at Carlisle and
Newcastle.
"Then," she said with some excitement, " as to
that militia officer at Carlisle, as God is my Judge,
and as you, gentlemen, here, are Christians, it's all.
false. And as to Mrs. Stephens, where I lodged, I
never was out after 10 o'clock at night, except once,
and then happening to walk towards the West-
end, I asked where I was, and was told it was the
Wellington Barracks ; and if that is indiscretion,
I don't know what is."
The Lord Mayor—And you were then walking
with a soldier.
Anna Bell—No, I was not. Will you not allow
me to clear my character ?
The Lord Mayor—l am quite satisfied with the
result of the inquiries, and would rather let the
matter conclude here. After this it is quite impos-
sible for me to give you any assistance.
Anna Bell—lf 1 can prove myself innocent, what
is to be the result ?
The Lord Mayor—Why, if you are innocent, I
would advise you not to stay in London, or you
may not remain so.
With theatrical gestures she exclaimed, " With