The Sun.
London, England, 1817-06-13 00:00:00

THE DASHING CIIILD,STEALER.

MARLBOROUGH •STREET.—Yesterday • b:s
was crowded by persons wislling to see flit- ;eui it
who calls herself Mrs. Margaret Nolinear
IlcirrLii-
fon, who is charged with stealing the infant child.
of Mr. HENRY PoRTER, botcher, N 0.2, Nev
Quebtc-street. Curiosity drew several persons of
distinction to the Office, but they were disap-
pointed, as Mr. BuTtua, the Solicitor for the pri-
soner, had requested the examination tn.he'put
off till Monday, to allow her to bring her friends
forward, and that the Magistrate had granted the
request.

The following was the evidence adduced at the
first examination, which has never been made pub-
lic

Mr. H. Porter (the father of the child) sworn.--.
On Friday evening, about six o'clock, his servant
girl, about fourteen years of age, was 'desired to
take his son Henry, a child about six months old,
a walk. She went out with it, and returned
about seven o'clock, and gave him the folloa ing
information :—She and two other girls, who bad
children-in their arms, were walking along Gino
cester-street, Montague-sqnare, when a Lady,
dressed in a black silk gown, black veil, and
white straw bonnet, accosted them, and looked at
all the children : she continued talking for some
time, and then gave the other two girls a 'penny.
each to purchase some biscuits ; when they were.
going, Mr. Portel,'s maid was about following
them, but was desired to stay by the Lady, who
remarked that the child was vivy pretty. The
two girls returned when they had bought their
biscuits, and the Lady told them to take a walk
in the Regent's Park. As soon as they were,
gone, she asked her to go on an errand for her to
No. 21, Lower Berkeley-street, to knock at the
door, and inform the servant that her mistress bad
been waiting for her a considerable time ; and she
put sixpence into her hand, and promised to give
her another when she returned. She said that her
mistress would be angry ; the Lady told her to
walk • lower down the street, and took the child
out of her hands, and said, " Sweet creature, let
me nurse it a little," and then pressed her to runa
on the errand : the girl wanted to take the child
with her, hut the Lady said, " You cannot knock
at my door if you have the child in your arms." She
ran as fast as she could, and when she got toLower
Berkeley-street, she was informed there were but
19 houses in the street ; she began to suspect that
she had done wrong, and ran back as fast as she
could, but neither Lady nor child was to be found.
She was not more titan five minutes in going the
errand. She told several persons of the circum..
stance, and some went iis-one direction and some
in another ; and when Mr. Porter received the
intelligence, he, bis,wile, and family, went in pur-
suit of the child : his wife returned home unsue•
cessful, and nearly distracted. About three
o'clock the following morning he was called front
his bed by Mr. ‘Voolbead, hackney-coach pro,-
prietor, who said that a female of the description
stated by the servant, had . hired his hackney
chariot, No. 1113, and he bad driven her to Croy.
don. He ordered fresh horses to be put to the
chariot, and set of after tier.

Mr. J. Woolimed, hackney-coach owner, stated,.
that on Friday afternoon last, about seven o'clock,
a lady, dressed as last witness described, came to,
the side of his chariot and ordered him to drive bee
to the White Ilorse Cellar, Piccadilly ; the water•►
man held the child which the prisoner had while
she got into the coach. He drove them to the
White Horse Cellar, and the child cried very •
much. She ordered him to drive to the Golden
Cross, Charing-cross, which he did ; when they
arrived the child was still crying. She ordered him
to drive to the Elephant and Castle, St. George's
Fields : when they arrived there she ordered bins
to go as fast as lie could to Croydon ; they arriv-
ed at Croydon about nine o'clock, and she ordered
a post-chaise for Riegate, paid hint his fare, and
he saw her into the post-chaise, and atter baiting
his horses, returned home by three o'clock the fol-
lowing (Saturday) morning. As soon as he got
home •he was informed that his neighbour Porter
had bad his child stolen ; and he was certain,
from the description,, that it was by the person
whom he had driven to Croydon. He immediately
informed Mr. Porter of his suspicions. Mr. Porter
lust no time in following the prisoner, whom they
traced to Brighton; the landlady of the New Ship
Inn there informed them, that a female with an
infant, answering the description, had taken re-
frethment, anti given the child some white wine,
and had proceeded on to Arundel. At Arundel.
they learnt that she had written a letter there,
taken refreshment, and gone on to Chichester.
They went . on to the Golden Fleece, at Chiches-
ter, whieb they reached between three and rime
o'clock, and upon inquiry,. found the prisoner and
the child were in the house. Mr. Porter took the
child, and his father secured the woman, and took
her before -- --- Wools, Esq. a Magistrate,
who ordered them to proceed IU town ; and upon
their arrival the woman' Ives' charged with the
robbery.
The prisoner, whose appearance is interesting,
and who was elegantly dressed, being called on for
her defence, said, that she was waiting in Glou-
cester-street with the child for an hour before she
went off with it. She did not like to leave it wall
strangers, and being compelled to go to Br iglitoo,
she resolved to take the child with her, knowing
that she should return to town. by the Oxford-road
in a few days, and she would learn where its friends
lived, and deliver it to them. Her same was
Margaret Molyneux Hamilton ; her father had
been for 30 years a Magistrate in Dublin. Mr.
Porter said, that the prisoner asked his servant to
whom the child belonged; and site informed her ;
and she might have brought it to its father's house,
which was only about 200 yards from the place
where she took the child. here is great reason
to believe the name she hes given to be fictitious ;
report speaks of her., as a person of rank. Sha
will be brought up for re-examination on Monday
next.

The Of eers of the Royal Horse Guards Rine
will give an elegant ball and supper at Winds►ar,
on Wednesday next, in commemoration of the Bat-
de of Waterlgo, and in honour of their Colonel,
the Duke of WaLLINOTort.