The Sun.
London, England, 1844-05-24 00:00:00

MARYLEBONE.

On Wednesday John Walker, about 45 years of age, was
charged with having attempted to obtain money from Mr.
Charles Dickens (Boz), Devonshire-terrace, New-road, by
means of false and fraudulent representations. The prisoner
seemed in great distress of mind, and, in the course of the in-
quiry, he frequently shed tears.
Mr. Dickens, on being sworn, deposed that he had received
a number of letters signed " John Walker," the first of

which set forth that the writer was suffering from want, and
that he should be thankful for any assistance ; the said com-
munication bore the address, 9, pper Crown-street, West-

minster, and in order to satisfy liiisiself of the truth of the ap-
plicant's statement, he sent his brother to make inquiries, the
result of which was, that he (Mr. Dickens) forwarded by his
servant to the prisoner a sovereign and a suit of clothes.
After this he received another letterin the same handwriting,
stating that the applicant was in arrear thirteen weeks' rent,
at 4s. per week, and that unless the demand was immediately
satisfied, he and his family would be turned into the street.
Upon this appeal he (Mr. Dickens), who had never seen the
writer, sent him cash to enable him to pay the landlord, and
soon afterwards he received an acknowledgment.
Mr. RawlaNsox—Are either of the letters you have
alluded to here ? Mr. Dickens—They are not, Sir, I cannot
find them, but there are a number of others in the same hand-
writing, which have been addressed to me, and they are
here, in the possession of Mr. Knyvett, of the Mendicity
Society.
Mr. Knyvett, who is Secretary of the Institution referred
to, produced them, and they were read in regular order, with
regard to their dates, by the Magistrate.
" No. 9, Upper Crown-street, Westminster,
March 30, 1844.

" Sir,—How can I return you thanks to your silent yet
truly emphatic reply to my request ? Words are but a poor
conveyance of my feelings and the extent of my gratitude.
Allow me to acknowledge the receipt of the sum of 21. 125.,
by the hands of your servant, yesterday evening, with which
I immediately discharged my rent, and by so doing, through
your kindness, removed a rock that must have crushed me
to pieces. Can I possibly do anything in return, such as
copying? I shall be most happy, if but to show you in a
trifling way how truly thankful lam to you. Pray do not
hesitate trying me. With my wife's most grateful thanks as
well, I remain, Sir, your ever obliged andobedient servant,

" To Chas. Dickens, Esq. - " JOHN WALKER."
The second letter was dated from 5, Mitre-street, Webber-
street, Lambeth, May 3, 1844. It was a lengthy epistle,
commencing with an expression of gratitude for the kind as-
sistance afforded him, and through which he was enabled to
remove to his present abode, a small house, at the rental of
two guineas per month. He had let eff a portion of the
dwelling, and he had no doubt of being able ultimately to
get on, if he could obtain 51., as many things were required
to be purchased, viz., a water-butt, &c. He concluded by
assuring Mr. Dickens that if he would be security to a loan
society for the sum alluded to, he should be truly grateful ;
or if he (Mr. Dickens) would be kind enough to advance the
amount, he should be punctually repaid at the rate of 1/. per
month. If he could not in this instance be befriended, he
must sink again.
Mr. Dickens said that upon the receipt of the letter just
read, he sent a reply, to the effect that he could not assist the
writer any further.
A third letter ran thus :
" Sir,—Pray do not be angry with me for again writing to
you, but have patience to listen to me for another moment.
Last night I thought my wife would have died—overcome
with fatigue and anxiety, she miscarried, her pains were
dreadful, and I thought every moment would have been her
last. If you are a married man you can sympathise with me
—it' you are not, your imagination must picture to you a
night of sorrow. Judge, then, in addition to this, with what
acuteness I read your note, and its effect on my poor wife,
from whom I could not conceal it, it being delivered in her
presence in the bed-room, by ene of my boys. Although I
know you must be overwhelmed with applications from the
needy and miserable like myself, and you have given me a
denial, my peculiar situation compels me to break through
all common bounds, and ask you, or rather implore you,
once again to be my friend.. Will you send me a couple of
sovereigns for a short time, and I promise most faithfully,
sacredly, I will return them to you. I shall be eternally
grateful to you, and so will my poor wife. Could you see
her, lam sure you would do it. Pray forgive me, and do
oblige me this once.—Yours, in great grief,
" To Chas. Dickens, Esq. " JOHN WALKER."
Fourth letter : " May 9, 1844.
" Sir,—Pray forgive my persecuting you this way, my wife
is dangerously ill, and I have not money to buy medicine or
anything for her; pray forgive me this annoyance. I am
single-handed—not a soul to help me—like but one man on
board a ship dismasted, water-logged, and every way so
crippled, that sink or starve I must, unless a friendly vessel
heaves in sight and saves me. I implore you to hold out a
friendly, a benevolent hand to me once more, and help me
to administer to a wife who is ill indeed. lam most grate-
ful for what you have done, beyond words to express.—Pray
pardon this ; it shall be the last annoyance from, Sir, your
very grateful servant, " JOHN WALKER."
Pifth letter : " Sunday, May 12.
" Sir,—Did I not deem that I should be an accessory to my
wife's death, if I did not use every means in my power to
save her, I would not again write to you. I have no rela-
tion to apply to ; who then can I, but the stranger who has
been my friend ? You class him among the common eases
that make appeal to you. Supposing so, and lam one of
500 poor wretches who are wrecked, and are floating down
the stream of adversity, would you not hold out your hand
to save me ? My brother James was wrecked in the Baltic,
and his life, with others was saved entirely through the hu-
manity of strangers, who perilled even their own lives in so
doing. 'Tis true, a wreck is a more exciting scene than a
family suffering every privation at home ; but is it a worse
scene ? Look at me now, in poverty, with four helpless
children, with a wife near dying, worn to death through want
and anxieties. I tell no untruth. Come and look at her
yourself—look at us all—inquire minutely into everything,
and you will find I have done all I could do to avert this. When
my wife lies a corpse, and I am left with my children, it shall
never be said they were left motherless through the supineness
of their father. Sir, you have depicted the horrors of misery
and want strongly—come and witness an illustration. Tlie
father who, not long since, was goaded by misfortunn and
failures in his appeal to the rich, and in desperlttion hurried
his children untimely into eternity, follewini their shades to
make retribution in another world, was not, in his cirenni-
stances, so badly off as I am—his wife was well he had
solicited alms of the rich in the City, and they were deaf to
his appeal, though a pound or so would have saved him' and,
perhaps, his soul ; when the deed was done they heaped gold
in the lap of the poor, lone, bereft widow. Oh! what pangs
must each piece have conveyed to her heart, to think, to
know, that one of earth's baubles would have saved her hus-
band and her poor children. It is the curse of the world to
like morbid cases—[the Magistrate here said, " Very true, it
is so"l—this you know, Sir. I ask you again, Sir, as a man
—a fellow-creature—nothing mord—in God's name to help
me. At the year's end you will be as rich a man, and ono
thing, certain, a better man, good as you may be. Grief
drives me to this, not rudeness. "J. WALKER."
Sixth and last letter:—
"5, Mitre-street, Webber-street, Lambeth,
Friday, May 17.
" Sir,—My poor wife is dead, God rest her soul I She is now
in Heaven, I trust, for she was a good mother and a good
wife. In few words, can you spare a few crumbs that fall
from your table for my children. I shall be grateful.
" Yours, in the lowest depth of misery,
" To Chas. Dickens, Esq." "JOHN WALKER.
Mr. Dickens said that upon the receipt of the letter last
read, lie caused inquiry to be instituted at the writer's re-
sidence, with the view of ascertaining if the statement made
to him was correct, and if it were so it was his intention to
afford assistance ; but it was discovered that the wife who, as.
alleged, was dead, was still living. Under these circumstances
he had communicated to the Mendicity Society, In whose
hands he placed all the letters now produced, It was painful
to him to appear in such a matter as the present, but as a vast
number of applications fox relief were continually forwarded
to his residences ancl having been fully satisfied that the