The Sun.
London, England, 1844-09-16 00:00:00

WORSHIP-STREET.

George Oberhausen was brought up for final exa-
mination, up ort a charge of robbing his employers,
Messrs. De la. ;Rue and Sons, an :committed for trial.

BRENTFORD.

CRUELTY TO A CHILD.—On Saturday a person of
respectable appearance, named John Tolfree, an
excise-officer, living at No. 6, Mary-street, Palace
New-road, Lambeth, and also in Linkfield lane, Isle-
worth, appeared before Mr. H. Pownall and the Rev.
11. S. Trimmex, the sitting Magistrates, to answer a
charge of cruelty to his own child, a boy eleven years
of age.
Mr. Lewis, assistant overseer of Isleworth, attended
by desire of the Board of Guardians of the Brentford
Union to support the charge ; and Mr. Nicholas,
solicitor of New Brentford, appeared for the defendant.
John Tolfeee, a good-looking, intelligent child, was
the first witness called. He deposed that he was a
son of the defendant, and was living in the house in
Linkfield-lane, Isleworth, where his father had several
times chained him up. On the previous Saturday
week, as he sat at dinner, about half-past one o'clock,
his father mune in and immediately took him up
stairs, where he went to a box and pulled some chains
out, with which he took him to a back room, and
having nailed the chains to the floor, fastened them
round witness's right leg with a padlock, and
left him there. He remained there chained
down all that day and all that night. At night
his father's housekeeper brought him up a piece
of bread and butter, and on the following morning
(Sunday) he succeeded in getting loose from the
chains, and rent down stairs ; but on the house-
keeper seeing him, she called his father, who took him
up stairs again, to the back-room, and again chained
him by the leg, that time adding, also, chains to both
hands. On thait day (Sunday) the housekeeper
brought him up some breakfast about twelve o'clock,
and about one .o'clock his father unlocked the room-
door, and unchained one hand, giving him at the same
time a piece of dry bread. He remained in that con-
fined state until the following Thursday, when he
again succeeded in freeing himself from the chains,
and got out of the room. On the Monday he had no-
thing but dry bread and water, but on the other two
days the housekeeper brought him some meat, and
told him that his father had ordered him to have
dry bread only. While in the back room he had
no bed to lie on, but laid on the floor. On the
Thursday, when he got the chains off, he went
out into the street, and told Mrs. Russell and
other neighbours the treatment he had received.
By the Bmsca—His father had often told him not
to call him ‘‘. father." While confined from the Sa-
turday to the Thursday had water once to wash with.
His father had beaten him very much, but not so
much lately. Had not at times as much as he
could eat.
By Mr. Nicholas —Had done nothing to deserve
such punishment.
The Bench then examined the boy's legs. The
right leg bore evident marks of the effects of the
chains, but the worst was the left leg, which was
covered with bandages, and on their being removed
there was found a wound above the top of the instep
of the size of a crown piece, the effects of the chains,
which excited indignation from all who witnessed it.
Four other witnesses, neighbours of the defendant,
were then examined, who corroborated the statement
of the boy.
The defendant, in answer to the charge, acknow-
ledged having chained the boy up, but, in extenua-
tion, pleaded that the boy was a liar, thief, and every-
thing that was bad.
Mr. Nicholas proposed to call witnesses on behalf
of the defendant to prove his statement; but
The BENCH said they could not go into that part
of the case, as it was one of too serious a nature for
them to decide summarily. They had made up their
minds to send the case to trial, and they should re-
quire the defendant to enter into his own recognizance
of 501., with two sureties in 251. each, to appear at
the sessions. _

The defendant immediately found the required
sureties. _

Mr. Lewis was bound over in the sum of 401. to
prosecute.

RICHMOND PETTY SESSIONS.

On Saturday, William New, a shoemaker by trade,
was charged before Captain T. Price, Chairman, and
a full bench of magistrates, at Richmond, Surrey,
with having on the 22d of last month stabbed his wife.
The wife of the prisoner, who made every effort to
evade appearing against her husband, and who gave
her evidence with considerable reluctance, was exa-
mined at some length. From her statement it ap-
peared, that on the 22d of last month, while at din-
ner, her husband and herself had some words, when
the former made a lunge at her with the knife he was
using with his meal, and stabbed her in the side near
the lower rib. On observing her blood flow from the
wound, her husband absconded, and had not after-
wards returned to his home.
During the examination of the wife she endeavoured
as much as possible to exonerate the prisoner, declar-
ing on her oath that she did not believe he intended
to injure her, and that the injury was inflicted in the
heat of passion, during a quarrel between herself and
her husband. The magistrates, however, took a very
different view of the charge, and it being the opinion
of the medical gentleman who attended the wife, that
if the wound had been a little more in front of her
person it must have proved fatal, they fully committed
the prisoner to take his trial at the Central Criminal
Court, on the capital charge of stabbing with intent
to murder his wife.

VESSEL RUN DowN.—A fishing lugger, belong-
ing to Peel, called the Utility, John Collister, master,
has been missing for some weeks, supposed to have been
run down, whilst riding at her nets ; it has since trans-
pired that this fearful apprehension of her fate has been
too well founded. The unfortunate vessel was sunk, in
the darkness of the night by a steamer, on her passage
from Belfast to Liverpool, and the whole of the crew,
seven in number "in the depths of the ocean buried."
Four were married, and had families,—Manx Liberal.

HERRING FISHERY in SCOTLAND.
FISAERROW, FRIDAY.—Our port for the last fort-
night has presented a scene of unusual bustle and
activity. The herring made their appearance off
luchkeith on the 23d ult. Their whereabouts was
made known to our fishing community in rather a
singular manner. Two young lads, the sons of a
widow, had been left behind on the departure of the
others for the fishing ground, in the expectation
of being enabled to catch haddocks for
their own and their mother's support. All
their attempts, however, had failed, and the old
woman began to suspect that, the haddocks being
entirely gone, some other fish had taken their place.
She, acting on this suspicion, ferretted out two or
three old nets from their repose in a garret, and sent
out the lads again to try their luck. The next
morning they returned, to the old woman's surprise
and gratification, with five thousand herrings, which
they sold at three shillings per hundred. This
lucky capture immediately got wind, and the boats
came in rapidly from the eastward, and a most steady
and most plentiful take has been the consequence.
The shoal was close in with the rock, and very
often the nets were shot in two fathoms' water. The
sea around presented an oily appearance, and so nu-
merous were they that the nets were borne down by
the weight of the fish as they went over the boat's
side. From this plentiful take, their price was much
reduced. At Dunbar they were selling at 11 s.
a cran. One of our most active curers has nearly
filled a thousand barrels, and at Cockenzie 500 barrels
were cured in one day. They have everywhere met
with a ready market, and have afforded to all classes
a cheap and plentiful supply of food. Other countries
will also benefit by their abundance. Several French
vessels from the ports of Dunkirk, Boulogne, Dieppe,
Fecamp, Caen, and Gravelines, have been during the
whole time off the Inch, fishing with their own boats,
purchasing from our fishermen, and curing their car-
goes on board. It is not often at this season that the
he,rring have come so high up in our Firth. In 1793
a similar shoal made their appearance off Cockenzie,
and about seven years ago another equally plentiful,
in the bay of Kirkaldy.
BEAWICK.—The take throughout this week has
been the best the fishermen have had during the
season. The shoal from which our fishermen ob-
tained their supply last week, lying to the north
of the harbour, at the latter part of it removed fur-
ther in the bay ; of this circumstance the Eyemouth
men were apprised by the crew of a vessel, and proceed-
ing to the place on Friday last, were amply rewarded.
This induced our men to proceed to the same place
throughout the week, and with the exception of this
morning there have been great quantities of herrings
caught. While there are instances of boats having
on each morning only one cran, others again
have had as many as forty, and in some few cases as
many as sixty. Last night the boats proceeded as
usual ; a change of weather, however, took place, and
the most of them thought proper to return in the
course of the night. A thick mist, with an easterly
wind, rendering it extremely dangerous to continue
at sea, excited considerable anxiety for those re-
maining out. During the morning there were still
three boats out, and as the thickness of the atmosphere
prevented them knowing their position or finding out
the harbour, guns have been fired by the Skylark
cutter brig, in the port ; and the bell at Spittal chapel
has been ringing throughout the morning to assist
them in finding out their course. The fishing will
in all probability close next week ; some boats have
two hundred trans for the season, while others have
below one hundred.

WICK, SEPT. s.—The fishing may be said to be
fairly over for a season. The total catch for the week
will not add much more than three-fourths of a cran
to the general average for the season, which is about
ninety-nine crans, or eight crans lower than that of
last year. The highest take any day this week has
been 28 crans, and the quality has continued to be of
the finest description. Notwithstanding the amount
of the general average, we do not remember of a
fishing so extremely irregular ; for, while many of
the boats have exceeded 300 crans, a considerable
number have not reached 30. All the south boats
have left for home—those belonging to the West
Highlands and Orkney are rapidly leaving, and the
home boats are being drawn up as fast as possible. It
is not likely that any further attempts will be made
this season. One hundred and twenty-four vessels
have been entered at Pultneytown for exportation,
and many more will be required ere the total quan-
tity caught be carried off. It may be safely affirmed,
that the general take over the whole coast is far
below an average one ; for, while the fishing at Wick
has been good, there has been a considerable falling
off at other stations. The consequence has been a
brisk demand for fish, in all quarters, at a rise in
prices. 17s. 6d has been freely given in Wick for
crown brand, and 17s. without any brand, and in
several cases these have been refused by the curers,
who seem confident of a further rise.