The Sun.
London, England, 1850-05-02 00:00:00

EXCHEQUE tt.-(T HIS DAY.)

(Sittings at Nisi Pitus, at:Westuainster, before Mr. Baron
ALDERSON and a Common Jury.)
RARMSWORTH V. SOLOMONS.

This was an action to recover compensation in
damages for false imprisonment.
Mr. Martin, Mr. E. James, and ,Mr. Bramwell ap-
peared for the plaintiff, and •the defence was conductAl
by Mr. M. Chambers and Mr. Finn.
Mr. MARTIN stated the case to the jury. The plaintiff
was a young girl, aged 16, and the defendant, Abraham
Solomons, was a furrier, carrying on business at 3,
Little Britain, and the action was brought to re-
cover damages for false imprisonment on the Ist of
February last, when the plaintiff, at the instance of the
defendant, was taken into custody, and detained at the
station-house all night, but was .discharged on being
brought before the Alderman, at Guildhall, on the fol-
lowing morning. If the facts which he should state
Were proved in evidence, this would turn out to be one
of the grossest proceedings which had ever been dis-
closed in a court of justice, more especially as it had
been taken under the guise cf the law. The plaintiff,
who was an orphan girl, had lived in Hampshire
until the end of last year. She then came to London
and entered the service of the defendant as a domestic
servant, and soon afterwards his son Joseph commenced
snaking suit to her; aril on a Sunday eight, or on a
Monday morning in that month, she found him in her
bedroom. Whin: took place there was not material, but
she complained next day to two lanale friends on the sub-
ject, bUt by their aivice the matter was allowed to pass
over, and she remained in defendant's house until that day
week, when, according to her statement, he again entered
her room at night, stupified her by piecing something over
her mouth, and succeeded in violating her person. She
communicated the circumstance to hie mother. The
jury would see in what way she-was treated. The next
step in the transaction was to call in a policeman named
Weed), to whom the son, it seemed, went and said
his father required him to take a young woman into
custody who had stolen a quantity of hank-notes.
The police officer attended at the defendant's house;
and after some conversation, which would be detailed
in evidence, she was given into custody for stealing a
small fur vicorine, which the defendant valued at 3s.
The unfortunate girl hereupon fell down on her knees
and begged the son who had so ill-treated her not to
allow her to go to prison, but she was taken to the eta.
tioe-howe, and as he hid already stated, was locked
up in a cell all night. When brought up at Guildhall
next morning she gave her account of the occurrence,
and the consequence was, that she was acquitted
of the charge, and the young man was placed
at the bar for having attempted to violate her person.
The case was adjourned nniit the next Friday, and the
prisoner was liberated on hail. Ilse girl IN as placed in the
charge ef a Mrs. Bradshaw, and in the meantime re-
peated applications were made to her to settle the mat-
ter; and it appeared that a meeting of the parties was
held at a public-house in Hatton-garden, where a
written agreement was executed to the effect that,
by the payment of fifty pounds to the girl, she
should exonerate the defendant from all claims in
respect of tho occurrence, and should not appear again
at Guildhall rigaitot his son. It appeared that the 501.
was paid to Mrs. Bradshaw. The girl accordingly did
not go before the magistrate at the adjourned ex imina-
lion, but went to Gravesend or _Deptford to be out of the
way, and the defendant's son took advantage of the op-
portunity to go abroad, and had not since been hears:! of,
and his recognizunces had accordingly been estreated.
The brother of the plaintiff, Charles Ilarrnsworth,
bad seen the report of the examination at Guildhall in a
Sunday newseaper, and is as determined that the case
should to farther investigated, but, us the young man had
absconded, lie had instituted the present action as her
guardian, to recover compensation for the injnry she had
sustaiued in consequence of the false imprisonment. The
defence which would be sre up ems, that the defendant had
released 'himself from all !lability by entering into this
agreement with the plaintiff, who received the 501. in
lull satisfaction of any claim in respect of the false im-
prisonment, but as she was under age she was incom-
petent to be a party to the agreement, which, therefore,
became null and void.
. Henry Webb, one oY the City police officers, proved
having teen requested on the I 1 th cf February, by
iniseph Solomous, to go to Ne. 3, Little Britain, as his
hither had lost some five-pound notes, and suspected the
servant. He asked him why he suspected her, and he
said, because she was going to leave their service. On
geieg to the house in question, ho there saw Mr.
t:lolornoes, his wife, his daughter, and his sou. The son
appeared t be about twenty-four years of age. They
said they had lost a silver spoon, which they suspected
the.giti had token. The girl was called into the room,
and,"on, being asked by the defendant where the spoon
was.,'she declared to God she knew nothing about it.
rr.-Selemens said the spoon was marked '•Abraham
Sedomonr;" and she replied, " Do you th nk if I was go-
ing to steal a spoon I would take one with a name on it,
when there are plenty without any names upon them ?"
.ri4 defendant then asked her if she had seen the notes
•
Which were in the pocket-book, and she declared that
she had not. He next alluded to a victorine, which his
spa had wound in her roam, and wished to know where it
was. The girl said she had found it in the chast•
hole, and thinking that it might be of some use, had
taken it up to her room, but as it turned out to be
worthless, she placed it again where she had found it.
Witness examined the dusthole, and there found the
article in question, which he now produced. The vie-
:mine, which was a miserably small one, and full of
Wes,
was here exhibited, and excited some amusement
id the court.
The defendant then gave her into
custody for the victorine. The girl ex-
clouted, thsisted il'g
would not have happened had it
ter Joseph." Witness . asked her
t
ilb been for Alas
what she meant, and she said .4 b e came into my bed-
room at night and effected m!heruwine.'n't
dWohwenn
ounitnheesrs
*as, about to take her away,4,
For God's sake, Master
knees to the son and said,jbgePh, don't let we go
"
to prison after seducing me."
Ile replied, " Oh, you will do anything, and put his
Maids behind his back and walked up stairs. She
added to me, that about a week ago ho came into her
*A put his hands over her mouth, and endeavoured
to effect her ruin, .but she screamed out, and his sister,
echo slept close by, inquired what w
he replied- that beup the servant. She
only calling
aiio said that on theasS
he Caine again toahu
her nose, which took etircl Sunday roeovini
tt
somethingthis conversa-
tion.ov e
beer ruin ; and on tellingw." her senses, and then effected
his mother of what had
happened,she only Observed
' " I suppose he has not killed
stated a little, end he .was ab:ut to take her away she re-
obliged to carry her down stairs.
The aye of the plaintiff was app bout 16 years.
She was loaked up in a cell wits
a drunken „orn„, b,
cause all the other cells were uroaec p a„.--d;b7sWm-e-d-
-so agitated that it was thought tiaeauo-eniepda'n, of a drunken
partneeleici:-(A, laugh.) The
woman was better than none
the police-
gs atrehension of
Witness then detailed the
ilble to hear of
court, an'd said he had a warrant for the
the defendant's son, but had not yet beeenaPa
hire.
Cross-examined by Mr. CHAMBERS—I attended Bevis-
relaicces at Guildhall. On the first and second
the plaintiff was present, bat she did not
neaande°cell hetn
pearance afterwards. I was sent in search of her,e and-
at
at last found her staying with her sister, Mrs,Graves,
Tithes was on the 24th February. I had beenlookirngyfe
her about a week. I had some conversation with her.
asked her where she had been, and she said to Gray.teslo-
end with Mrs. Bradshaw, who is the landlady
of h
house where Mrs. Graves Urea. I asked her why she