The Sun.
London, England, 1827-04-26 00:00:00

POLICE INTELLIGENCE.

GUILDHALL.—James Augustus Gleeson, the
lawYees clerki: was 'again placed at the bar upon a
charge of assault, .-yesterday, but he no longer exhi-
bited the merry:contented countenance which seemed
so natural to him two days before.
" What, here again ?" said Sir P. LAURIE.
Gleeson—l am, indeed,'Sir. lam charged with
assaulting a-young woman, who lodges in the house;
but I assure you it is nothing but a conspiracy to
send me to a prison, while my wife sells off all the
property.
It was stated by two or three persons, that he had
been behaving in the most outrageous manner, and
had been beating his wife,
Sir PETER.—Where is the wife ? Really this
man must not go unchecked.
The wife, a little wonr,n, apparently double the
age of her husband, soon appeared, and was asked
by Sir PETER why she did not attend to make her
complaint on the previous occasion.
Wife.—He begged so very hard for mercy, and
promised so faithfully to leave me and go into the
country, that I believed I should never be troubled
with him again. But he came home—
Husband.—l hope you will not allow her to take
an oath. She does not believe in God ! Ido assure
you she is an atheist, your 'Worship.
" Oh, dear me, Sir !" said the wife, addressing
herself to the Alderman, " that is out of the ques-
tion. I can't keep a comb in my head," added she,
producing a lock of her hair, and the pieces of a
comb, folded carefully in paper. " This was done
with a poker last Saturday, and he smashed another
a day or two before. I—"
Husband.—She is speaking falsely. I declare to
you she has no faith in the book she has her hand
upon.

Sir PETER—You acknowledged the other day
you were courting her for two years. You must
have learnt her principles, and why did you marry
her?

A portly old dame, a neighbour, stepped forward
to vindicate the wife's religious opinions, alleging,
that while she was Miss Thomond she went regu-
larly to church on Sundays, and that she believed
the husband's accusation was quite unfounded.
Sir PETER—Let me hear the present complaint
against him.
Emma Batten, a girl about 16 years old, imme-
diately stepped into the witness box, and stated that
on the previous evening, while she was scraping her
shoes at the door,. Gleeson struck her in the face
with his clenched fist, without any provocation, and
sent her reeling into the next house. She had not
said a word to him, and all he said was " Go along,
-- you."
The girl's father and mother were present, and
the Alderman being satisfied they were well-dis-
posed holiest people, said he should order the pri-
soner to find bail for this assault, and he then re-
verted to the case of the wife.
Mrs. Francis Innel Gleeson was then sworn to the
assault upon her on Saturday last. She said she
kept a small haberdasher's shop in Shoemaker-row,
Blackfriars ; but his " goings on " had broken up
her business, and finding the landlord had put in a
distress for three quarters' rent, her husband became
outrageous at being disappointed in selling off her
property for his own benefit, and began smashing
some panes of glass. He was continually drunk,
and had not earned a " dolt" since their wedding-
day..

The Husband—That is because she sent me to
the Compter one night, and caused me to lose my
place. I shall be heard, I hope, presently.
" Certainly," replied the Alderman, " you shall
have your turn."
Wife—He has not exerted himself to find em-
ployment.

Sir PETER—How came you not to discover his
had qualities during your long previous acquaintance?
Wife—Oh ! Sir, there is such a difference be-
tween being in company for an hour or two of an
evening, and for whole days together.—(Laughter.)
" That's very true," replied the Alderman : " I
suppose he married you for your property. You had
a little money, perhaps."
Wife—No, Sir; but I had a settled trade, and a
good home.
Some neighbours came forward to corroborate
Mrs. Gleeson's statement, whom the prisoner charg-
ed with being gin,drinking companions of his wife.
Sir Peter did not think it necessary to examine
them, but ordered the prisoner to find bail to answer
for the assault on his wife, who was crying bitterly,
and seemed really apprehensive of fatal violence if
the prisoner should obtain liberation. •
The third charge of assault was preferred by the
wife of the constable, who had taken him into cus-
tody. She said he had twice kicked her husband
severely, where he ought not to have kicked him,
and called on her husband to show the marks of the
muddy shoes upon his apron.
The constable cried hush, and cast a very angry
look at his wife to enforce silence. She, however,
repeated her complaint in a louder and more indig-
nant tone, which he " pished" and scowled in vain
to repress.

This charge, however, came to nothing, a more
serious one being immediately broached—namely,
that the prisoner had embezzled 11. while in the ser-
vice of Mr. Dodd, of the Bank-buildings, solicitor.
Mr. Dodd stated that the prisoner had received the
money from a fellow clerk, and had never accounted
for it.
" That is but a debt," said the prisoner, very con-
fidently.
The Alderman, however, thought it was a charge
that might send him out of the country, and he re-
manded the prisoner for further examination on
Saturday.
MARLBOROUGH-STREET.—George Car-
rots, a soldier, belonging to the Coldstream Regi-
ment of Foot Guards, was committed for trial from
this office yesterday, on a charge of assaulting, with
great violence, a young girl,named Mary Anne Soper,
about 1.1 years of age, with intent to commit a rape.
The poor girl had been examined by Mr. Brooks,
the surgeon, who found that the prisoner had barely
escaped completing an offence that would have risked
his life.

'Arr. Grogan, a wine-merchant, residing in Prince's-
street, Hanover-square, appeared to answer one of
those friendly informations that are now going the
rounds of the police-offices, charging persons with
purchasing game from poulterers.
Mr. Grogan, it seems, is one of the customers of a
Mr. Wallace, a poulterer in the neighbourhood, who
was kind enough to sell him a hare in March last,
and was still kinder now to prefer tins information
against him for 1)T-chasing it. Mr. Grogan pleaded
" guilty," and paid the usual penalty of .5/.
UNION-HALL.--A youth named Judson was
brought up to this office charged on suspicion with
having committed divers burglaries and robberies
.in
the county of Surrey.
Brewer, a constable, stated, that several houses
have been recently broken into about Camberwell
and Brixton by a gang who have long infested the
outskirts of the town. The prisoner, who has been
suspected as one, hitherto eluded the vigilance of
those who have been looking after him until the
morning of the execution of the unhappy men for
coining, at Horsemonger-lane gaol. On that morn-
ing, the constable above-named, being present, ob-
served the prisoner very busily engaged in trying
the pockets of many of the spectators who were at-
tracted thither to view the dying moments of the two
malefactors. Brewer immediately took, him into
custody, and in his possession found some India
pocket-haakerchiefs, which it was evident he had
taken from the pockets of the surrounding multitude
during the bustle and confusion incident to so awful
a scene.

The magistrate, on remanding the prisoner for
further examination, observed, that he had scarcely
ever met with an instance of greater depravity than
that exhibited by the prisoner, who, notwithstanding
his having been aware that the officers were in quest
of him, respecting some houses that he was strongly,
suspected of having broken into and robbed, ap-

peered under the very-gallows that-he was one day
very likely to expiate his life upon for his offences,
actually in the very act of picking pockets.
Several licensed victuallers have been recently
summoned before the magistrates of this office and
fined, some for keeping their houses open later than
the laW prescribes, and others for serving during the
hours of divine service on the Sabbath. In conse-
quence of the above restrictions, which are rigidly
enforced in this district, the landlord of a respectable
public-house in Rotherhithe attended at the office,
and stated that his house was situated close to the
river side, near where there was a ferry, which plied
every day in the week. The watermen, and very
frequently the passengers, called at his house during
the time of service on Sundays, in order to get re-
freshment, and very often to obtain change. Some-
times on Sundays the former were in the habit of
getting wet to the skin, and unless they livd some
house of accommodation near the spot where;hey
laboured, their situation would be most uncomforta-
ble indeed. The men working at the Thames Tun-
nel
also complained of the injustice, as they termed
it, of having the doors shut against a class of men
who stood in so much need of refreshment during
their labour. The object of his (the landlord's) ap-
plication, was to ascertain whether he should be
running a risk of endangering his licence by admit-
ting those persons on the occasions above mentioned.
The Magistrate, in reply, observed, that he was
not empowered to give permission to the applicant
to admit those persons whom he had named into his
house during service. " If," said the magistrate,
" your house should be complained against when the
officers next went round, and that you should be
summoned, I have no doubt the facts you have stated
would operate in your favour, and tend to have the sum-
mons dismissed. At the same time," added the ma-
gistrate, " you will recollect that you have not my
permission."

ZOOLOGICAL SOCIETY.-THE KING'S

DON MIGUEL.

Could it be supposed that a Prince, who, in,
the face of Europe, was proved to have conspired
against his father, and was banished for heading
the revolt, was entitled to the protection of 11
character against the publication of the truth.
Like that of the rest of his family, his education
has been extremely neglected. His habits con'
sequently led him, and his opportunities enabled
him, to form his associates rather from the most
profligate of the nobility, or the most mischiee
ous of the lower classes, than from those who
would judiciously have directed his mind, or
modelled his manners as became a prince. BY
such associates, the natural impetuosity of his
temper, and the overbearing obstinacy and self-
will of his character, were rather praised and en-
couraged than censured or repressed. His tastes
and pursuits were suitably low, and his sports
often wanton or cruel. His father was latterly
terrified at his presence, and it was not safe for
any person about Court to refuse compliance
with his most capricious wishes. His favourite
amusements were bull-fighting, horse-racing, and
" playing at soldiers." His skill and intrepidity
in the former of these exercises would have done
him honour, if any superiority in an occupation
so incompatible with his rank csuld have been
considered as honourable. In pursuing this
sport he as often betrayed the feelings which it
was calculated to engender, as the boldness which
habitual familiarity with its dangers was fitted to
inspire. On one occasion, it is related that
he ordered a favourite domestic to enter the
ring and to contend with a bull. The man,
entirely unaccustomed to such a formidable
pastime, and terrified at the dangers to which
his inexperience would expose him, wished
to decline the contest, and prayed, on his knees,
that he might be released from the fulfilment of
the command. The Prince was inexorable, de'
claring the natural alarms of his attendant the re'
sult of cowardice, and the poor puppet of his
cruel caprice, in attempting to execute his unrea-
sonable orders, was tossed on the horns of the
furious animal, and killed on the Spot. The
scene of these sports was a place surrounded
with a wall, of no great height, which eages
sportsmen of the lower orders sometimes attempt"
ed to scale on the outside, in order to catch $t
glimpse of the glorious amusements of their bet'
ters. On those occasions it seemed a gratifica-
tion second only in intensity to that of the inter-
nal combat, to use his sword against the hands
and fingers of the spectators who tried to peep
over the enclosure. I shall only add to these in-
stances of wanton malignity connected with his
bull-fighting exploits, an act of despotism, which
would have become the late Emperor Paul in the
height of his insanity, and which was made the
subject of complaint to the British Ambassador.
The Portuguese Royal Family have hitherto in'
sisted on people alighting from their horses, or
carriages, when they pass them, and on pedestri-
ans taking off" their hats and getting on their
knees. An Englishman, about four years agog
who had newly arrived at Lisbon, did .not
know of this practice, and had nearly fallen
a victim to his ignorance.. The Prince, with
some of his Aides-de-camp, riding furiouslY
down one of the streets of the new part of the
town, saw this Englishman with his hat on, and
levelled a blow at his head with his drawn sabre,
from which he escaped only b), stooping suddenly
behind one of the pillars which border the foot
way. Our countryman represented to Sir E.
Thornton the brutality of the attack, but, of
course, in such a case, could obtain no redress.