The Sun.
London, England, 1821-11-22 00:00:00

CRIMINAL INFORMATION.

Mr. PEARSON' moved for a rule to shew cause why a crimi-
nal information should not be filed against fiVe persons, whose
names he abstained from mentioning. He moved on behalf of
two young females, named Ann Ensor Scarry and Ann Evans,
who complained of a conspiracy and false imprisonment. One
of the persons against whom he moved was a Magistrate of the
County of Stafford ; the next was a Gentleman of respectable
family and very large fortune in the same County ; 'the third
was the valet of that Gentleman ; the fourth was the Constable
of the Township where the transaction took place ; and the
fifth was a person into' whose custody the young women were
delivered. The substance of the complaint he had to lay before
the Court was—that these young women had been illegally,
wantonly, and cruelly committed. to the House of Correction as
vagrants, without any colour of pretence for such a proceeding.
The circumstances disclosed in the affidavits were these :—Ann
Ensor Scarry, a young woman of prepossessing manners and
person, had been married very early in life, and resided with
her husband in Ireland until the beginning of the year 18l j,
when he died, leaving her in a state of destitution. She came
over to this country, and lodged in London in the house of
married people of the name of Smith, and, by her industry as
a sempstress, endeaveured to maintain herself respectably. In
the course of this employment, she had occasion to o to dif-
ferent shops for work. The Gentleman of fortune to whom he
alluded met her accidentally in the street, and being struck with
her person and appearance, endeavoured to.prevail upon her to
disclose her place of residence. She, however, declined with
complying with his wishes. He. met her several times after-
wards in tae same way, and at each time urged her to discover
her place of abode, but without effect. It seemed, however,
that, by some means or other, he had attained his object ; for,
in the course of the summer, being tieken 'extremely 'at her
lodgings, she sent for a physician, and to her surprise when
the physician came he brought this Gentleman with him,
and introduced him as his relation. After this he sought
every opportunity of being alone with her, and made a pro-
posal that she should live with him in a state of concu-
binage. This she resented with indignation, and finding that
he could not effect his purpose, he gave her some shirts to snake,
which she did not feel herself justified in refusing to do, being
in the Way of her business, and she accordingly completed
them. Soon after this, finding great difficulty in supporting
herself by the labours of her needle, she accepted of an offer
made to her by Air. and Mrs. Smith to go out with thein to
Philadelphia, and seek her livelihood on the other side of
the Atlantic. After she had been at Philadelphia for about
two months, the Captain of the vessel in which she sailed, called
upon her, and told her that a Gentleman who 'had come from
England was in search of her, and had been making most anxi-
ous inquiries for her residence. In a day or two after Wards she
met at the door of her residence the Gentleman in question;
who told her that he had been seeking her out for a long time—
that he had followed her from England, and had now happily
found her. He put into her hand a letter, winch, he said, he
had employed a friend to convey to her, but as he had met her
himself he would deliver it. The letter was short, and express-
ed the anxiety of the writer to meet her to whom it was address-
ed ' • and alluded to the proposal which she had rejected whilst
in England, and the writer concluded by subscribing himself
her faithfully attached friend. Ile was admitted into the house,
and in the course of a long conversation, in which the proposal
abovementioncd was again fervently urged, "-she was at length
prevailed upon to accompany him to England. In the mean
time they lived together in America, and they passed as .man
and wife, she being designated by his name. She did not re..
turn to England until the beginning of the year 18'20, when
they proceeded together to London, still living together and
passing us man and wife. After some raonths residence in Lon-

• don, he took a handsome house for her at Brompton, and fur-
nished it. Part of his time he resided with her there, and the
remainder at his seat in the country. During his absence from
her in the country, frequent letters passed between them. In
those from him to her, he addressed her in the most affectionate
terms ; he styled her his dearest wife, and wrote• upon topics of
a domestic nature, which evidently'proved the terms of famili-
arity and mutual affection on which their intercourse Was
founded. In one of these letters he regretted that his ahgenee
was occasioned by his rural sports, and condoled with her on
her residence in London, on account of her inability to join in
such sports, even if she were with him. Alluding to this cira
curnstance he said, " When we join in the duet of ' To-
gether let us range the . fields,' you would more gladly think
bf Moorfields or Spaflelds." Many of his letters were
couched in these terms of playfulness and familiarity. The'
Learned Counsel read .several passages of the Gentleman's
letters to confirm his character of their intercourse. In Novem-
ber, 1820, he returned to London, and joined her at Bromp-
ton, where he continued to reside until the month of Feb-
ruary in the present year. Until this time he had treated her
With the utmost kindness, and he had never discovered any in-
tendon of doing what afterwards followed. One morning in
that month, he left her after breakfast, and she expected his re-
turn as usual in the evening, but he did not come. Several
other dhys passed and she did not-see him. At last the elder
brother of the gentleman called, and told her, that he had been
consulting with his friends, who had advised him to part with
her, and as that was determined upon, no better moment could
be fixed upon than then. The Gentleman who had seduced her
had frequently promised that she should never know digress,
and that he would settle upon her an annuity of 1001. but he had
! forgotten his promise. The elder brother, however, brought
her 1001.. with directions to break up her establishment. This
sum was soon exhausted in paying her rent, the wages of sera
vants, and little bills contracted in the neighbourhood.' Thus
abandoned by him who had seduced her from the paths of vir-
tue, she returned to her former habits of industry, and endea-
voured to support herself by needlework. Unfortunately, how-
ever, she was seized with serious illness, and being unable any
longer to work, she was reduced to the greatest distress. Beira;
indebted for rent, which she was unable to pay; the landlord of
the house in which she lodged, put in a distress on her goods,
and swept away what remained Of her little property. Finding
it impossible to maintain herself by industry, she determined
upon going to Dublin, where some of her relations resided, and
to whom she looked for some support. Collecting together
what money she could, she set off for Liverpool in company
with a Miss Evans, as 'her companion. When she arrived at
Liverpool her health became worse, and being unable to pro-
ceed on her journey, she soon exhausted the little money of
which she was possessed. In this situation shebethought herself
to write to the gentleman, and state the unhappy circumstances
of her case ; but having waited several days in expectation, she
received no answer, She then determined upon returning to
London as a choice of evils, and in her way stopping in Staf-
fordshire, to apply to him for some trifling assistance, to enable
tier to carry her intention into effect.. On Thursday, the 9th of
August last,she accordingly stopt at an inn near the gentleman's
house, to which the stage coach in which she travelled carried
her. She continued there during that and the following day ;
and on the Sattraday she determined upon applying to him by
letter. She sent the letter by Miss Evans, her friend. tihiss
Evans, on approaching the house, met the gentleman—stated the
unhappycircumstances of her friend, and presented him- -with
the letter. Ile immediately said, " I know from whom it comes,
and I won't receive it." •She returned to her disconsolate
friend: It was then determined that she should deliver it her-
self. She set out for that purpose, but she did not go to the
residence. She stood in the common road, and sent a little girl
with it to the house. The little girl accordingly delivered it to
the valet at the house, who received it, took it into the house,
and shortly afterwards returned it. In ~short time the valet
hithself came down to Mrs. Scarry and her friend, and asked if
either of them was the woman who brought the letter Mrs.
Scarry answered that she was the person. Upon which; he
said, that his master did not know them, and that unless they
went away, lie would find a means of removing them. They
then went into the Church-yard !in a disconsolate state,' and it
was not long before the valet returned to them, and said, that if
they did not take themselves off he would send for somebody
who would take them.off. Next 'morning being Sunday, Mrs.
Scarry returned back to the hohse lieiself,- finding there were no
other means of application left her, determined to apply to the
Gentleman in person. On going to the house the Gehtleman
passed her on horseback on the road ; she attempted to speak to
him, but he hurried on rapidly. She was convinced that he
saw and knew her, for helooked back several times, but rode on.
• She was then determined to wait his return in the adjoining vil-
lage, at a public house. After he returned to the house she
Went to the hall door, ' with an intention of seeing him at all
events. • She was answered by the same valet, who said that his
master did not know her, and rudely pushed her off the steps.—
He then said, " if you don't take yourself away I will send
you an officer." Ile behaved with great rudeness, and he car-
ried his threat into execution, for in a short time, the constable,
a butcher in the village, came to these' helpless young women,
seized them violently by the arms, and said, " If you resist I
will shew you something more," and shook his handcuffs at
them. The unhappy creatures, in their defenceless state, could
make no resistance, and, therefore, there was no Occasion to
add inhumanity' to injustice. The constable took them into
custody, conveyed them a short distance, and then delivered
them to another person who was no peace-officer,nor in Any way
connected with that situation. Ile carried them to a neigh-
bouring cottage, kept by a pauper, for the reception of va-
grants, until they were brought before the Magistrate thr exa-
mination. In this cottage there was. but one room above stairs,
and one bed, in which the man and his wife slept. Inhhis room
these two young women sat up all night, one of them being in
a state of ill health, without any other covering but their clothes.
Next morning a neighbouring farmer, taking compassion on
their distress, begged that he might be permitted to convey um an
to his house, where they right get some refreshment, 'pro
mising to the pauper who had them in custody that he would be
answerable for their return. He toOklliem Maier his care ac-
cordingly. They were overtaken on the Way by the valet before
mentioned, who abused them in the grossest language, and re-
monstrated with the farmer for liberating them, " for ley were
his master's prisoners." They were then taken to the house of
the constable, and in the evening, between 9 arid 10 o'clock,
they were conveyed back . to the. pauper's 'cottage, where
they sat up a second night in their clothes, without being per-
mitted to lie down. Next day they were informed that they
must go before the Magistrate, and between -three and tour
o'clock they were conveyed to a house for that purpose. When
brought into the presence of the Magistrate, the first question
asked by him was, whether both the yotaig women were pri-
soners ? The Constable answered—" No, only one," although
both had been detained as prisoners. Mrs: Scarry then under-
went a longer examination, and she related to the Magistrate all
the circumstances of her connexion with the Gentleman anion d
to. The iUagistratc said—" He tells me he does not know you,
and that you are an impostor." To put the matter out of doubt,
she produced his letter, and said to the Magistrate, that he
must be acquainted with the Gentleman's hand-writing,and told
him that he was at liberty to take them, to see if he would
deny his writing. Ile did take them, saying that he should re-
turn in an hour ; but before he left the room he was observed
talking in secret with the Constable. As soon as he left, the
Constable said todier, ." I will give you 21. if you will leave
this neighbourhood, and trouble this country no more." She,
however, declined taking the money. In an hour afterwards the
Magistrate returned, and the first question he asked was, "
,A re
you contented to take the 21. offhred you by the Constable r -
She replied, that she had already refhsed it, and she intended to
continue to do so. The Magistrate then said—" Then I Won't
finish your examination now, for the dinner hour of the Gentle-
man is now come." He then ordered them to be brought to
his own residence next morning, a distance of seven or eight
miles. They were then conveyed back to the cottage, and
passed a third night in the same manlier as before. Next day
they were carried in a cart by the Gentleman's coachman, to the
Magistrate's house. When they came there the Magistrate
asked them if they would accept the 21. offered them; and
upon being answered in the negative, lie said—" - Then I
will make out a wataant and commit you for trial or hard la-
bour." They requested that they might be committed for
trial ; but he said he should commit them to the House of Cor-
rection for hard labour, and added, " You had better accept
the offer made, for you will find very different treatment from
what you expect. You must expect hard labour, and if you do
not work you shall be whipped." lie then ordered the com-
mitment to be made out; and they were accordingly committed
to the House of Correction for one month as vagrants. On
the 15th of August they were carried in a cart to the Houst.‘ of
Correction, where they remained until the 6th of Seatamter,
when the Magistrate came to the gaol, and of his own accord
ordered thentto be liberated, when rather more than a 'week of
their imprisonment ieriisiiied unexpired. The Sessions were