The Sun.
London, England, 1827-09-08 00:00:00

MARY ANNE VANDAVILLE.

A few days ago, a decedtly attired, woman,
named Vandaville, who reside, in Palmer's-
place, Somers-town, underwent two or three
examinations before the Magistrates at Worship-
street police-office, upon a charge arising cut of
the following most extraordinary circumstances :
It may be recollected that last winter, bur,
glaries to a very serious amount were committed
in the houses of many respectable pawnbrokers,
and that Mr. Woods, of St. John-street, Smith-
field had been a severe sufferer ; and, notwith-
standing the utmost vigilance of the police, in
their watching the receiving houses, no trace to
the prcperty could be had for some time, as the
plans which appeared to be adopted and acted
upon ty the robbers, were to pawn the property,
and not to bring it to a receiving house.
At that time, there resided in Drury-court,
Strand, two notorious robbers, named Couland
and Plumber. A woman, named Harmer, lived
with Couland, and Mary Anne Vandaville, a
young woman of very diminutive stature, and
daughter of the examinate, cohabited with Plum-
ber. In consequence of some private informa-
tion, Avis and Clements, two officers at Marl-
borough-street, took the entire party into cus-
tody, and brought them before Mr. Conant, and
although a great part of the duplicates of the
property robbed were found upon them, yet to
make the case complete, the ends of justice re-
quired an auxiliary in one of the party, and
Mary Anne Vandaville, from her apparent youth,
innocent appearance, and mildness of expression,
was selected, as the less criminal of the party,
and the more likely to reform. The others were
committed to Newgate, and two Sessions ago
they were tried and found guilty. Upon the
trial she necessarily attended as a witness, when
upwards of 400/. worth of the property was pro.
duced, identified, and given up. Coolant' was
executed. Plumber was transported for life, and
the woman (Harmer) for fourteen years. It is
said the police-officers, after examining the
houses which had been robbed, and observing
so little violence used, and contrasting such
appearances with the diminutive stature of
Vandaville,- concluded that she, must have by
some means or other either concealed herself in
the shop, or went down the chimney. Be it as
it may, after the trial, some moral and religious
ladies, who feel a " luxury in doing good,"
wished to impress upon her mind the necessity
of a reform in her habits of life, to which effect
they proposed to obtain her an admission into a
penitentiary asylum ; but a moral and secluded
life was not what she admired, and was therefore
deaf to their entreaties, and obdurate to their
admonitions. In a little time after, a char-
woman, named Fairman, recommended her to
the service of Mr. Robinson, a butcher, in
Brick-lane, St. Luke's. It appeared Mrs. Ro-
binson had a child about 18 in friths old, and
was far advanced in pregnancy. She also had
17 sovereigns in a cupboard in her bed-room, of
which circumstance Vandaville obtained a know-
ledge, and on the first Saturday she had been in
her new situation, the child becoming uneasy,
Mrs. Robinson desired her to take it out for
a walk. She took the child, and also con-
trived to lay her hands on the seventeen
sovereigns.Hospitashe had the
w artfulness On
aybyl St. Lulcer's...neas
to pe
suade a street fruiterers to take care of the
child for a few minutes while she should be
going a message ; she then went to the coach
stand at the City-road, and took a coach, since
which she has not been heard of. In the mean
time the child becoming more uneasy, and the
poor woman not knowing to whom it belon-
ged, had no other alternative but to leave it in
Clerkenwell workhouse. About the time she
was expected back with the child, and no tiding
of her could be obtained, the grief and agony of
Mr. and Mrs. Robinson may be more easily
conceived than described. The whole of the
evening and night were spent in making enqui.
ries ; and in the bitterness of their anguish, thriy
never thought of the money. The following
morning the child was restored to its afflicted
parents, who, after being a little composed, dis-
covered the loss of the sovereigns, information
having been given to Vann at Worship-street
office, he shortly ferreted out the coachman, wbo
informed him that a female answering the de-
scription, on the day stated, engaged him for 13s.
to drive her to Palmer's-place, Somers-town, and
from thence to two or three pawnbrokers in the
Strand, where he left her. Vann went to Pal-
mer's-place, and found her mother, whom he
took into custody, and after undergoing two or
three examinations before the magistrates at
Worship-street, where she solemnly protested
her ignorance. of the conduct of her daughter,
and there being no evidence to connect them, she
was discharged.

On Monday, the 3d instant, an inquisition
was held before Mr. Thomas Mander, CoroneT
for the Hundred of High Peak, on view of the
body of James M‘Own, an Irishman, who bad
been employed in the formation of the Cromford.
t
and High Peak Rail-road. After an investi-
gationittareveeanreindg,t that
deceased
was at the house of Mr. Daniel Pett, known by
t on Sttur-
daylast, of
about
eut hours,
sxin
the
sign of the Jug and Glass, at Hartington
Nether Quarter, with several persons ; that whilst
there he was drinking ale until
he became in
toxicated, and then engaged in a fight with
Joseph Heathcote, a labourer; that in the fight
the deceased received no injury of sufficient con-,
sequence to produce his death, but that `the
same was occasioned by a fit of apoplexy, with
which the deceased was seised some tun., in the
evening of the 3d instant ; and the Jury re-
turned their verdict—" Died from, a fit of apo,-
plexy, by the visitation of God; `....herby Re-
porter.

ALBIFICATION OF A Nr2ao.—...This was
the case of a man aged 50, in whom the change
of colour supervened upon a surgical operation,
the nature of which is not explained, althouglk
it had been attended with perfect success. pre-
vious to his metamorphosis he had suffered con-
siderably from an asthmatic complaint, which
from this time ceased to annoy him. After the
operation the cicatrix of the wound remained
white; the back of his hands were the first parts
that changed their colour, then the fore-arms,
and so the change proceeded in the upper ex-
tremities. It then took place in the lower, while
white spots began to manifest them I • %es on the
breast and shoulders. Itt the year 1820, and iLiter thew a
the course of a twelvemonth f ;--ete sh
ames
began, the lower limbs were perfectly white, with
the exception of a few greyish spots that wera
observable here and there. The head was so
white, that its colour could be seen through
the hair, which retained the original hue. The
surface of the breast, belly, and back, was dot-
ted with black shining spots.—Case reported
1y Mr. R. Hamilton, in Froriepic Notizen,
ke. 1826.