The Sun.
London, England, 1845-04-01 00:00:00

IMPRISONMENT FOR POOR
RATES.
We have reason to believe that the following gross
cases of oppression will be brought under the notices of
both Houses of Parliament in a kw days :
THE CASE OF ANN WARD.—Ann Ward is a widow,
now in her 58th year, residing at Whitwick, in the county
of Leicester. Her husband was a collier, who was killed at
the pits some years ago by an accident, leaving her with
four children. She is very poor, and lives with tine of her
daughters, as a lodger. In January last a demand was
made upon her for 3s. for poor rates. She was unable
to pay, and stated so. She was not a heusehelder, and had
never had alevy made upon her, and had no property what-
ever chargeable to the poor rates. Ilensou, the collector,
summoned her to appear before the Ashl,v Beach. She
went there with Mrs. Lakin (the wife of Thomas Lakin,
now in gaol for the same cause as lierselt). Ashby is
five miles from ‘Vhitwick. When she arrived there,
John Bales, a policeman, asked her if she had brought
the money, and hearing that she had not, refused to let
her see the magistrates, and she went home again.
Shortly after this, the same policeman came with a
distress warrant, and asked if she had any goods ? She
replied that be knew she had none, that she was only a
lodger, having nothing to do with the house. About a
fortnight alter having been summoned to Ashby, a.
mentioned before, the same policeman brought a commit-
ment
from the Ashby Bench, and stated that she must
go to gaol ; in consequence of which, she next day
went to the constable, who brought her to Leicester
geol. An unknown gentleman at Leicester paid the
rate (35.), she was discharged, and went home to Whit-
wick. A fortnight after this she was told that she must
go to prison again for the costs. She had had no de
mand made upon her for costs ; she had not been sum-
moned again ; no further distress warrant was issued,
nor was she taken before any bench of magistrates
whatever ; she had heard nothing more of the matter
until she was told that she must go to prison for a
month to hard labour. She was accordingly taken to
Leicester gaol on the sth March, and has continued there
ever since.
The Magistrates who committed her are R. G. Cress-
well, Esq., and W. W. Abney, Esq., of Ashby-de la-
Zouche.
THE CASE OF THOMAS LAKlN.—Thomas Lakin iS 44
years of age ; he is a loader at a colliery in Whitwick,
in Leicestershire ; has a wife and four children, the
youngest six months old, and entirely dependent upon
his daily labour for subsistence. He is paid as a
loader per ton. His wages are sometimes as high
as 13s. per week, but this is very seldom, and at times
as low as 4s. 6d. And as he is obliged from slackness
of work in the summer season to incur debts which
must be paid out of wages in the more busy season,
he is always in extreme indigence. He pays Is. 6d.
per week for a furnished tenement of two rooms, and
was assessed to the poor-rates in the amount of ss. 4d.
Henson, the collector, having made the demand, and
being informed that Lakin was utterly unable to pay,
he was summoned to appear before the Ashby Bench.
His wife went to Ashby, a distance of five miles, but
having no money to meet the demand, was refused ad-
mission to the magistrates. A distress warrant was issued,
and it was found that Lakin had no goods to seize. In
consequence of this, Lakin was committed to Leicester
gaol, until the rate should be paid. He went on the
11th of February, and on his arrival there, an unknown
gentleman, having heard of the case, paid the ss. 4d.
He was discharged, and went home again. After
this a summons was served upon him for the costs! He
had no money to pay them, and a distress warrant was
issued ; awl it was found, as before, that he had no
goods ; he was then sentenced by the same magistrates
to a month's hard labour in the House of Correction ; he
was Wien there on the sth of March last, and is now
undergoing his sentence. He h•s never heard from his
wife and children since he has been in ga,,l , nor does he
know how they are supported, or where they are. Has
worked at Whitwick for fourteen years ; has never been
to gaol before in his life, nor ever been before a magis-
trate. He confidently appeals to his master, Samuel
Rade, of Whitwick, for a testimonial as to his honesty,
sobriety, and industry during the whole of that term.
The Magistrates who committed him are B. G. Cres-
well, Esq., and W. W. Abney, Esq., of Ashby-de-la-
Zouche.
The committal to prison for the rate is under the 43d
Elizabeth, cap. 2, no 4 ; the committal for costs is
under the 18th Geo. 111., cap. 19. It is believed that
this statute does not apply to such cases as these, but
only to misdemeanours ; this, however, is a question of
mere law ; but it must not be overlooked that the ma-
gistrates have the power to commit for a term not exceed-
ing one month ; and in this case, as well as in that of the
poor old woman, these Magistrates (Cresswell and Abney)
have sent the parties to hard labour for the longest period
that the laws would allow.

FRENCH PLAYS-ST. JAMES'S

THEATRE.

Mademoiselle Plessy, who is engaged for only six re-
presentations, made her first appearance for the season
last evening as Hortense, in Cassimir Delavigne's co-
medy L'Ecole des Vieillards. This comedy is doubt-
less well-known to the majority of our readers,
and the heroine, the young wife of an old
husband, a cognate character to Lady Teazle, was
admirably sustained by Mademoiselle Plessy. In la haute
comedie she is unrivalled. Nothing could be more
admirable, for instance, than the last scene of the second
act, in which she urges her husband to permit her to go
to the ball given by the Due de Delmar. She tries
coaxing and tears, and the transition from the one to the
other was exquisitely managed. She is, indeed, an
admirable artiste. Our old friend Cartigny was Bonnard,
me particular friend of the old husband (the Sir Oliver
Surface of the piece), and he acted with vast quaintness
and humour. The speech in the first act in praise of a
bachelor's life was given with great gusto, and was much
and deservedly applauded. The comedy was preceded by
a new vaudeville, entitled Les Surprises. This vaudeville is
from the pen of Scribe, and is such as Scribe alone could
write. It is full of point and bustle. Mademoiselle
Ozy, from the Theatre des Variet6', made her debilt in
this piece, in the character of Mathilde. She is a very
pretty girl, and a charming actress, and will prove an
acquisition to Mr. Mitchell's corps dramatique. The
house was well and fashionably attended.