The Sun.
London, England, 1844-11-11 00:00:00

LAMBETH-STREET.

Friday Captain Harwood, a respectable master-
mariner; voluntarily appeared to show his non-lia-
bility to support his wife, who is at present charge-
able to the parish of Limehouse, and an inmate of
the Workhouse of that parish.
Mr. Warren, the relieving officer of Limehouse
parish, was present, as was also Mrs. Harwood, in
the workhouse costume.

Captain Harwood stated, that upon going on his
last voyage to the East Indies he left 2644 in the
savings' bank, to be drawn out by his wife as her ne-
cessities required, besides an order for 6/. per month
upon his owners, and a house well furnished to live
in. Upon reaching home he proceeded as usual to
not only He, however, soon discovered that she
nly.drawn out every shilling from the bank,
hhaisdh o
and spent it, in addition to the 6/. per month, but also
had, obtained goods to a considerable amount on his
account, which she instantly pawned, so that alto-
gether she had involved him to so serious an extent
that he was actually compelled to take the benefit of
the Insolvent Debtors Act. This, however, was not
all. Information had reached him which left no
doubt whatever on his mind that his wife, soon after
he had left her, had commenced leading a most pro-
fligate and abandoned life. He was prepared with
evidence to show that eight months after he had gone
away, she had had a miscarriage, being at the time
but three months advanced in 'pregnancy ; and he
could prove acts which could leave no doubt upon his
worship's mind that she had been guilty of the most
shameful acts of adultery. Captain HarivOod then
called _ _

wife of an engineer, who
deposed Elizabeth
that
.when Woodfield,
Mrs.
rt
sh. e
Harwood was without a
servant, which was frequently the case, she used to
attend upon her at her house, in Totten-street,
Stepney, and had first become acquainted with her
about twelve months ago. In the month of January
or February last Mrs. Harwood had been attended by
a nurse, and she had then a miscarriage of a three-
months child. About the same time and before that
period, Mrs. Harwood had been visited by a gentle-
man, a foreigner, whose name was Spennell, who
used to be very frequently alone with her, and who
used to stop in the house to a very late hour of the
night.
Mr. NORTON—Did you know what this gentleman
was? Witness—No, your Worship ; but he used to
come there frequently.
Captain Harwoed—He is a clerk in a mercantile
house in the City, Sir.
Mr. NORTON (to the witness)—Have you ever
noticed any impropriety between this young man and
your mistress ? Witness—Yes, Sir; I frequently saw
him kiss her.

Mr. NORTON—Anything worse than that P—Wit-
ness stated, that having one night entered the parlour
rather abruptly, she had observed that which could
leave no moral, doubt of Mrs. Harwood's guilt. The
witness further stated, that in consequence of this
discovery, she discontinued to attend her, but Mrs.
Harwood subsequently called upon her, and proposed
an arrangement to meet a person named Richardson,
a friend of hers, there, but this witness refused to
assent to.

Mrs. Harwood interrupted the witness several times
during her evidence, and at the conclusion declared
that the witness was totally unworthy of belief ; that
she was a professed fortune-teller, and was no doubt
handsomely paid by her husband for coming forward
to malign her character.
Mrs. Woodfield declared she had not received a
farthing from captain Harwood.
The next witness called was Miss Mary Fergusson,
who knew Mrs. Harwood from her having taken
lodgings some time ago at her mother's house. At
the time Mrs. Harwood came to the house there was
a gentleman of the name of Spennell, a foreigner,
also lodging there, and both became so very familiarly
acquainted that it was considered but prudent on the
part of her mother to give Mrs. Harwood notice to quit
as soon as possible. Shortly after she left the house
Mrs. Harwood called there one night to ask for Mr.
Spennell, and an opportunity having presented itself,
she ran up stairs in the dark to that gentleman's bed-
room, and when he was in bed at the time. Witness
followed her up, and upon stopping at the door for an
instant, she heard Mrs. Harwood say, " Oh, you vil-
lain, what I have suffered for you this fortnight, and
this is the way, you serve Me. I thought, said the
witness, on hearing this, it was quite time for me to
enter the room, which I did, and from what I saw I
was induced to exclaim, " I only wish Captain Har-
wood was here to witness what I do at this moment."
This was at eleven o'clock, and the parties wished to
remain together_all night, but this beiniF positively
denied, both parties got into a great passion, left the
house together, and Mr. Spennell did not return until
five o'clock the next morning. Mr. Spennell had left
her lodging on the arrival of Captain Harwood.
Mrs. Harwood declared, that Mks k'erguaaon and

Mr. Spennell were on very friendly terms; that there
was no truth in her statement, and that her coming
forward was altogether the result of jealousy.
Captain Harwood here handed to. Mr. Norton
several of the letters that had passed between his wife
arid the young foreigner alluded to, and the purport
of which could leave no doubt on his Worship's mind
as to the criminality of the writers. •
Mr. NORTON, after reading them, remarked, he
thought Captain Harwood had very just grounds for
refusing to
.maintain his wife, and, therefore, he should
make no order on the subject.
Mrs. Harwood said, it was quite clear that her hus-
band; money had settled the question, and she was
the victim.

Mr. Nowrorrtold her, that until: she removed the
whole of the evidence apinst her (which he believed
to he impossible), there was no law to compel her
husband to support her:
Mr. Warren, the relieving-officer, said, that from
inquiries hellad made, he had obtained the most sa-
tisfactory proof that Mrs, Harwood had been leading
a moat Abandoned life.
Captain Harwood, before leaving
_the court, de-
clared that within the. but .two years his wife had
squandered upwards'of 1,0001.