The Sun.
London, England, 1844-01-18 00:00:00

LAMBETH-STREET.

On Tuesday Benjamin 80u,,e11, who described himself as a
clerk in the employment of Mr. Chisholm, in Cook's-court,
Carey-street, Lincoln's Inn-fields, with two women residing in
Wellclose-square, arid Hall, a constable belonging to the parish
of St. George's-in-the-East, attended before Mr. Henry, for
the purpose of putting in the necessary securities required by the
statute, the 2Sth of George HI., to prosecute and give evidence
against the keepers of two brothels in Ship-alley, Wellclose-
square, in an indictment at the Sessions. Mr. Henry observing
that the name of a person named West appeared as the prosecutor
in the case, inquired who and what Mr. West was, when Mr.
Chisholm's clerk replied that he was a gentleman, en a thick-
set plain looking personage stepped forward and announced
himself as the Mr. West, whose name appeared as prosecutor.
Mr. Henry thinking it somewhat extraordinary that a person
who had been represented as a gentleman and who lived so far
removed from the nuisance should have been the party to pro-
secute, and not the parish officers, closely questioned him. He
represented himself as an accountant, and said that he had been
the prosecutor in several cases of a similar description in the
parish of St. Pancras.
Mr. HEN its', on referring to the statute under which the
proceedings were taken, found that each of the inhabitants pro-
secuting such a nuisance would be entitled to the payment of
101„ arid that the constable also would be entitled to his ex_
penses from the parish. This induced the worthy Magistrate to
investigate the matter closely, and on questioning Mrs. Smith,
the owner et some houses in Ship-alley, she admitted that at a'
late session holden in Wellclose-square she had applied to the
Chairman and Magistrates there for advice to know how she
was to get rid of the nuisance of two brothels, as her property
was considerably deteriorated thereby. The Court then, ad-
vised her to apply to the parish' authorities, who were bound
to prosecute, as the only means of getting rid of the evil. Some
days after the person representing himself as Mr. West called
upon her, and representing himself as the agent of a number of
clergymen and gentlemen who had associated themselves toge-
ther for the purpose of suppressing such nuisances, said he would
undertake the prosecution of the parties in her neighbourhood.
She expressed herself extremely grateful, and Mr. West got
her, as well as another inhabitant of the neighbourhood, to sign
an agreement to hand over to him (Mr. West) any sum or
sums of money to which they might be entitled from the parish.
Mr. West, who evidently felt annoyed at these awkward dis-
closures, confessed the fact that he made his living by such
Prosecutions.
Mr. HENRY, under the circumstances, refused to sanction
the proceedings in the absence of the parish officers, and post-
poned the case to yesterday.
Yesterday, Mr. Stutfield, the churchwarden, Mr. Johnston,
one of the overseers, and Mr. Howell, the vestry-clerk, of St.
George's, as well as the other partie before alluded to, were
in attendance, when
Mr. HENRY, after mentioning the circumstances to the
parish officers, said, on looking into the law upon the case,- he
.had discovered in the Ist ofl3arnewall and Alderson, page 694,
a case precisely similar to the present, wherein the Court of
King's Bench bad ruled that none but the parish officers could
prosecute in such cases.
Mr. Stutfield requested to state, that some days ago West
called at his counting-house, and presented a long list of names
of persons, whom he described to be clergymen and gentlemen
of the highest respectability at the west end of the town, and
who were members of an Association to put down the nuisance
of houses of ill-fame. He also said that he was about to under-
take the prosecution of the two houses in Ship-alley, and save
the parish the trouble of doing so. At this time he (Mr.
Stutfield) had no idea whatever that the parish would be liable
to pay 20/. for his disinterested services.
Mr. HxNY read from the judgment, in the case which he
had before quoted, the expression of Mr. Justice Bayley, who
said that it was very important that such prosecutions should
be conducted by a parish constable and not by a private indi-
vidual. _ .

The parish officers promised to indict the parties, and secure
the persons, and 111 r. West and 11. Ir. Chisholm's clerk left the
Court completel,y crest-fallen.
UNION-HALL.

Yesterday Henry Newman, a builder, residing at Stockwell,
was brought up for reexamination, charged with forgery.
Mr. Wilkins, the barrister, attended on behalf of the pri-
soner. _ . . _ _

Mr. Mark Markwick, stated that he resided at No. 16,
Arthur-street, Red Lion-square, and that he became ac-
quainted with the prisoner in August, 1842. In the month of
May, 1843, the prisoner was indebted to him a sum amounting
to between 1001. and 1501., money which he had advanced to
him from time to time. There was no account rendered, but
the prisoner gave him an order upon the Eastern Counties
Railway as security. In March or April last the prisoner said
he would get him a bill for 301., at two months, from Mr. H.
Pain, of the Loughborough-road, surveyor, he (complainant)
at the time being pressing for money in payment of the advances
he had made. On the 17th of May the prisoner brought him
a bill purporting to be accepted by Henry Pain for 201., and
he said that Mr. Pain refused to give a bill for a larger sum or
for a less date than three months. The complainant produced
the bill in question, and added that when it became due it was
then thaceYered that the aceepter'l MIS WU krgery.