The Sun.
London, England, 1861-08-29 00:00:00

or five hours later, when the prosecutor came to
hlm and complained that he had been cheated in
that house in tossing and betting. He (Mr. Parfitt)
said, " You had no business to toss or bet, and
you should not do it in my house if I was aware
of it." The prosecutor told him that about two
years back he was inveigled by a sharper to
drink ale with him, but detecting the rascal in
an attempt to drug the ale, he gave him
in charge, and the man got two years' imprison-
ment. When in company with these men he sus-
pected that they were swindlers, but thought with
his experience he could " best" them ; he, therefore,
tried to "have" them, but they were "too many"
for him, and so they " had" him. As to the three
sovereigns, he said he " posted" the money on a bet
that he would jump over some tobacco pipes, but as
he was going to jump one of the "sharpers" seized
the stakes and " bolted." Mr. Parfitt added that
all the prisoners were strangers to him; that he ,
had no idea that betting was going on • that he
never encouraged or knowingly permitted "shar-
pers" or other bad characters in the house ; that he
had held his licence for six years, and there had
never been a complaint against him, or an imputa-
tion on the respectability of the house.
Mr. Henry fully believed that Mr. Parfitt had
given a correct account of the transaction, and,
under the circumstances, he thought it quite useless
to send such a case before a jury. He should,
therefore, discharge the prisoners,

CLERKENWELL.—DREADFUL CRUELTY TO A
CHILD.—A BoY NEARLY STARVED AND EATEN TO
DEATH BY VERMIN.—A dirty, ill•conditioned look-
ing fellow, who from his appearance seemed to be
an habitual drunkard, and who gave the name of
Daniel Egan, was brought up on a warrant by
police-constable Tyler, 42 G, charged with desert-
ing and cruelly ill-treating his child, Daniel Egan,
a boy aged nine years, whereby he was become
chargeable to the parish of St. Andrew's, Holborn.
The appearance of the poor boy was most
pitiable when he was produced in court by Mr.
Anderson, the relieving overseer of the parish of
St. Andrew's. Although the boy has been in
the workhouse for some days, and has greatly
improved, he still bore evident traces of the ill-
treatment he had received, and the marks of where
he had been bitten by the vermin were still
visible. From the evidence it appeared that the
defendant's wife has been dead for some years,
and the boy was placed by the defendant under
the charge of an aged woman; but although he
earned a good deal of money he squandered
it away in drink, and when asked to contribute to
the support of his child he became very abusive,
and said he wished the boy was dead. The old
woman, who had barely enough to sustain herself,
was compelled to make the defendant take the boy
away. This he did, but had only had him with
him a few days when the prisoner, who treated the
boy with the greatest brutality, deserted him, and
left him without food in the streets. The boy, who
managed to keep himself alive by picking up what
he could, was found sleeping in the streets by the
police, and was taken to the workhouse, and was
at once admitted. The defendant was found, but
no proceedings were taken against him then, as he
consented to take the boy out of the workhouse,
and that his aunt would look after him. The de-
fendant paid the aunt for the support of the boy
only for a short time, and then he totally neglected
to do anything, and told the aunt that she might
do her best and her worst, for he was determined
that he would not pay a single farthing for his
bastard. Some weeks since the aunt became very
much distressed, and was compelled to take the
child to his father's, who she found drinking in a
public-house along with a number of low women,
whose drink he was paying for. He then said that
he wished the young was dead, and that he
would never do anything for it. He sent the child
out on some light pretence, and went away, but the
child again found him. and the prisoner then said
he had to get his living when he was seven years
of age, and the boy must do the same. He cuffed
away the boy, and for some days afterwards he had
to sleep in the arches in Victoria-street, better
known as " the ruins," a place, the arches of which
are infested with vermin of every description.
When the boy was found on this occasion, and
taken to the workhouse he was in a most emaciated
state, and in a state of exhaustion from want of
food. He was covered with vermin, some of which
had eaten into the skin, and had he not been taken
to the workhouse when he was, he would certainly
have died. The conduct of the parish authorities
is deserving of every commendation, for the manner
in which they had acted in this matter.
The prisoner, who treated the matter with the
greatest indifference, said that he was never married,
and the boy being a bastard he was not compelled
to support it. He only lived with the mother of
the boy, and when she died he did not wish to be
troubled any more with him. He had as well been
out of work.

Mr. Anderson said that the defendant could earn
very good money if he pleased ; but when he did
do any work he squandered his earnings in drink
and low women.

Mr. D'Eyncourt said that this was a very bad
case; and the prisoner's notion seemed to be the
poor child was to be deserted, and left to die. If be
could sentence the defendant to a longer period of
imprisonment than he was now about to do, he
would. The defendant was a bad fellow, and to
cheat the poor woman who protected his child was
disgraceful, He had left his child to starve, and
he should sentence him to be imprisoned and kept
to hard labour in the House of Correction for three
calendar months.

The poor child was again taken to the workhouse.

COUNTRY lIIARRETS.

HULL-Au G. 27.

Our market to-day was fairly attended by the trade, and
we had a large supply of English new wheat, which sold
firmly at the currencies given below. The samples of old
wheat which were offered, and mostly of a superior quality,
moved off freely. Foreign ruled dull, with a slow sale.
Malting barley met with a slow demand, at a reduction of
2s per qr. Grinding samples, however, in good request, and
holders firm. Beans realised full prices. Peas very little
sold. Oats rather in favour of buyers.

Wheat.... Old white.... per qr .. 54a Od to 57s Od
Old red 4os Od to 50s Od

New white .. » .
„ -
s Od
red .... ,
Dantzic, Konb , &c. old white 54s Od to 63s Od
Dutch, Belgian, and French. 60s Od to 58s Od
Baltic and Hamburg, red s4s Od to 55s Od
St. Petersburg and Riga, o 46s Od to 48s Od
Barley.... English malting 32s Od to 36s Od
Grinding 3os Od to 32s Od
Saal and Oderbruck
Holstein and Danish s2s Od to 54s Od
Grinding 27s Od to 29s Od
Oats English, old
Archangel and Riga, per at osl2id to 13d
Friesland and Dutch osl3d to 08130
Swedish and Danish osl2kd to osl3d
Beans ....English, old, per qr. .. 48s Od to 50s Od
New pigeon 42s Od to 44s Od
New tick, 4os Od to 42s Od

Egyptian 3Bs Od to 40s Od
Peas Foreign breakers
Grinding
Tares .... Spring. *
Indian Corn
Linseed, feeding s2s Od to 56s Od
crushing
Linseed cakes (Hull) £9 15 0 to £0 0 0
Foreign! BlO oto 9 0 0
Rape cakes 6 0 oto 6 5 0
Bones 415 oto 5 0 0