The Sun.
London, England, 1826-04-27 00:00:00

POLICE INTELLIGENCE.

GUILHALL.+CALL AGAIN TO.MORROW.CAN'T YOU ?•
One Mr. White appeared upon summons before Mr. Alderman
Cox, yesterday, to answer the complaint of Mr. Gardner, Parish
Clerk to one of the churches in the city.
According to Mr. Gardner's account the affair between them
was thus:—Mr. Gardner is indebted to Mr. White in the sum of
two pounds odd—the balance of an account for goods sold and
delivered; and Mr. White is so ravenous after this balance, that he
never suffers a day to pass withourcalling at Mr. Gardner'i house
and kicking up a row about it. One day he raised such a' mob
about the house, that Mr. Gardner was constrained to send for
a constable to remove him; and the constable did what he
could, but he never would have been got out had it not
been for the assistance of a friend. On the following day
he did not call himself, but he, sent a very impudent young fellow
—a sort of deputy dun, who said " I am sent here by Mr. White
for that balance of account, and he has specially instructed nie,
either to knock the money out of you, or knock the devil in?"
This was a system of annoyance which Mr. Gardner could not.
bear, and therefore he earnestly implored the Alderman to put a
stop to it.
While Mr. Gardner was telling his tale, Mr. White made
a dead Set at him, and as soon as Mr. Gardner had made an
end of speaking, Mr. White said to him " Now you have done ?"
—" I have," replied Mr. Gardner. Very well," rejoined Mr.
White; " your story is told then—and now I will tell mine ;"
and thereupon he opened a very voluble defence, by which it
appeared firstly—that he is a broker, in Sun-street, Bishops-
gate, iu a small way, with a large family; secondly, that
Mr. Gardner had looked out certain articles of household
stuff at his shop, representing himself to be an independent
gentleman with a fixed income of 80 pounds a year ! thirdly that,
when the said household stuff was delivered, instead of paying
ready money, Mr. Gardner required credit, fourthly, when the
credit was expired, the money was not forthcoming, but in lieu
thereof, he was "loWd off, with a " call again to morrow, can't
you P" Fifthly, and lastly, said Mr. White, I saw there was no
end to it. Month after month, week after week, day after day,
it was " call again to-morrow,—can't you ?" and very often the
door was smack'd in my face—sometimes by Mr. Gardner, and
sometimes by his Good Part.
" What do you mean. by his Good Part?" inquired the
Alderman.

" His wife, your Worship," replied Mr. White; and then he
proceeded to state that finding there was no hope of getting his
money by fair means, he went to the house, and having obtained
admission, he " hung up his hat," vowing he would not quit
until he was paid. " Whereupon," continued he, " Mr. Gard-
ner sent for the constable, but the constable knew his duty too
well to lay violent hands upon me; and while we were squabbling
about it, a large friend of Mr. Gardner's somehow or other pi-
nioned my arms,
_and in that form he pushed me before him out of
the house—up Noble-street--down Staining-lane—to and again—
and at every other step, bumping me behind with his kuee ! If
this was proper treatment for an honest tradesman seeking for his
just rights—why I have done."
Here the large friend alluded to stepped into the witness-box,
and declared that he should not have interfered, had not the con-
stable charged him to aid and assist in the King's name; and that
Mr. White resisted the operation so furiously that he (the large
friend) was eventually thrown down and got his thrumb sprained
shamefully.

Mr. Alderman Cox decided that both parties were to blame.
Mr, Gardner ought to have got rid of the annoyance by paying
the debt ; and Mr. White ought to have recovered the debt by
due course of law, instead of personally annoying Mr. Gardner.
He therefore dismissed the case, by admonishing Mr. White not
to repeat the annoyance ; and recomeuding Mr. Gardner to
avoid a repetition of it by discharging the debt forthwith.
BOW-STREET.--A man of very respectable appearance, named
Owen, who once kept a public-house, in a large way of trade, in
St. Martin's parish, and who has since been a coal-merchant, a
timber-merchant, and in various other ways of business pro tem.,
was brought before Mr. HALLS, charged by the officers of the
parish mentioned, with deserting his wife, and leaving her charge-
able to the parochial funds.
Mr. Rix, one of the overseers, Mr. Rawlins, the clerk of the
workhouse, and the prisoner's wife proved that, between three
and four months ago, he suddenly left his house, and his wife
(seemingly a well-bred woman) being destitute, was compelled to
seek relief from the parish, which was readily granted, and a war-
rant, as a matter of course, was issued to apprehend the husband.
A short time ago he returned to London, and as soon as the pa-
rish officers learned that fact, they caused him to be taken into
custody. When taken he was in a respectable situation, which he
had recently procured.
'ln answer to the charge, the prisoner stated, that he bad no
wish to desert his wife, but that circumstances which he could
not control obliged him to go into the country for a time. He
was now willing to take his wife to a home, and to pay all the
expences which the parish might have incurred ; " and that of
course," added the defendant, " will be satisfactory ; nothing
further can be required."
•,

Mr. HALLS said, he begged to set the defendant, and others in
similar situations, right upon that head. Society would soon
be in a pretty state indeed if a man were allowed to desert his
family whenever he choke for a time, and then return, reimburse
the parish, live with them for a while, and when his rambling fit
came on again, leave them once more to be supported by the
parish funds. The desertion of a family by the husband was an
offence punishable by law, and was no more to be passed over
than any other crime, except under particular circumstances. He
had no desire to press hard upon the defendant in the present in-
stance, but it was fit he should know that as the matter at pre-
sent stood he had the power to send him for three mouths to the
House of Correction, to be kept at the tread-mill; and certainly
if a recurrence of the offence took place, he should exercise that
power in its fullest extent.
Mr. Rawlins sail, there would be no objection on the part of
the parish, for that once, to abandon the charge on the expenses
being paid.
The prisoner expressed his readiness to pay, but on being fur-
nished with an account, said he had only a sovereign, which he
in part of payment, but it was refused by Mr. Rawlins,
that he was sufficiently acquainted with Mr. Owen to
know,
illo said
w,etl that if he once trusted him out of sight without full satis-
faction of the demand, he should in all probability never see him
again.
Mr. HALLS.—It is trifling with the parish, and I will not allow
it. _ _The prisoner must be fully committed.

Mr. Rix, the overseer (who is an ironmonger), said he had a
charge of another complaint to make against the prisoner. He
stated that in 1821 the prisoner applied to him, for some
stoves and grates, to furnish a house he had taken at Lambeth, for
which he offered to give ready cash. The person sent with them
however was foolish enough to leave them without the money.
The prisoner made many promises to pay, but he shortly after-
wards decamped with the stoves, Bc.c. and complainant had never
seen him since until he came iu contact with him in the present
case in his capacity of overseer.
Ford, the gaoler of the office, who some time ago was in re-

apectable trade, said the prisoner had cheated him of 281. by or-
dering goods and disappearing with them the next day.
The prisoner, without attempting to answer these charges, said
he was now prepared to settle with the pariah, a friend in the of-
fice having advanced him the money. -'
Mr. HALLS said it was too lafe ; he would not suffer- suck
trifling. An offence had been clearly proved against Ihe'prisoner,
and he must stand committed to the House of Correction for one
month, there to be kept to hard labour at the tread-mill.
The prisoner was committed accordingly. He seemed terribly
abashed at the sentence.