The Sun.
London, England, 1827-10-27 00:00:00

POLICE INTELLIGENCE.

MANSION-HOUSE.—Yesterday a householder was
summoned before the LORD MAYOR, for having refused to
pay a turncock, who attended at the house for the purpose
of extinguishing a fire.
The complainant stated, that he went to the house upon
hearing that there was a fire, and upon going up stairs, he
found a room full of smoke. He had done what was ne-
cessary in turning the cock, &c.
The defendant said, that the fire was extinguished before
the complainant made his appearance, and that all he might
have done was of no serv: .c.

The Loan MAYOR heard this statement confirmed by a
witness ; and the complainant, in answer to a question
from his Lordship, said, that he did not know whether or
not the fire was extinguished before he reached the premises.
The Loan AL.Yolt—There has been a palpable want of
diligence here, and I shall make no order against the de-
fendant.

Mr. Hobler observed, that he had paid 10s. to a turn-
cock once who swore that there had been a fire at his
hcuse, and that he laid on the water ; and it was proved
afterwards that there had been neither fire nor water.—
(A laugh.)—The trra nek was, however, sent about his
business.

Mr. Sprat, the landlord of the Hole-in-the-Wall pub-
lic-house, in Fleet-street, was summoned for having kept
open his house after seasonable hours on Saturday night, the
20th instant.
Cartile, the patrol, and another, stated, that they observed
two men and a woman go up the court at 25 minutes past
12. They afterwards saw the door open, and some persons
within. The door was, however, shut in their faces, and
the landlady refo,ed to admit them, although they said that
,'• were officers.
he defendant raid Ilat he had closed his door at 12, and
had never drawn a drop afterwards; that there were no
persons in his house; except those of his family; and that
any person who walked up the court must have gone to
sore other house in it.

H:- waiter swore to the truth of this defence, and the
charge was dismissed, his Lordship at the same time stating
that, puTic-fhouses must close on Saturday as well as all,
other nights at 11 o'clock.
GUILDHALL—On Tuesday afternoon, after Mr.
Alderman SCHOLLY bad retired from the Justice-room, at
Guildhall, the Overseers of Cripplegate attended to apply for
a wm-rant to apprehend a man, who lived in Golden-lane,
on suspicion of having sold the corpse of his deceased wife
to the resurrection men.

The defendant lodged next door to a notorious resurrec-
tion man, and his wife died on Sunday of a complaint in
fro head. On Monday'he came to the overseers, and pro-
testing he was in great distress, obtained from them the
grant of a shell. That same night he got drunk with the
resurrection man and his friends, and on the following
morning he left his apartment (in which the corpse was
lying) as early as half-past four o'clock, giving the key of
the room to the resurrection man's wife, and leaving the
street-door open. The watchman saw two men lurking
about, and at an early hour the body was missed from the
shell, and there were no marks of violence upon the room
door. When the husband was informed of the circum-
stance at the shop where he works, he neither put on a
show of surprise or concern, but kept on at his labour,
coolly remarking to the messenger that he could not help
it, or something of that kind. Now, if upon being appre-
hended, a considerable sum of money were found upon him,
when he was known to have been recently in great distress,
the applicants presumed this would, coupled with the other
circumstances, amount to a proof of his guilt.
Mr. Payne, the clerk, replied, that it .was contrary to
the practice of our law to draw the evidence to convict a
man ont of his own mouth. The selling of the body was
undoubtedly an act of gross indecency, for which he might
be punished, but the circumstances stated amount to suspi-
cion, and not positive proof.
The gentlemen said, they were extremely anxious to give
the resurrection men a check. They had very lately made
a bold attempt to steal another corpse from this same
house. Perhaps, they could be allowed to take a sharp
officer with them to the husband, and endeavour to draw
him into an impeachment of his tempters.
Mr. Payne said the Magistrate might perhaps grant them
a auutn►ons if they would apply on the following day, or
there would be no great harm in their trying what they
could make of the case with the assistance of an► officer,
and he recommended them to Brand the marshalman.
The latter course they adopted, and we understand the
officer learnt that the body was conveyed away in a cart
about day-break. The deceased led her husband a sad life,
she being addicted to drinking ; and he had been beard to
threaten that he would sell her carcass to the surgeons as
soon as she was dead ; whether in revenge for her miscon-
duct, however, was not stated.
The churchwardens and overseers, satisfied, we presume,
that they cannot make out a sufficient case for commit-
ment, have not since repeated their application at Guildhall.

BOW-STREET.—Yesterday morning Messrs. Cribb,
Richardson, Goatly, and Machin, respectable inhabitants of
St. Pads, Covent-garden, two of whom, we believe, are
serving the office of churchwardens, waited upon Sir R.
Blame, the sitting Magistrate, whom Mr. Cribb addressed
very nearly as follows :—'; We have come, Sir R. Birnie,
for the purpose of contradicting some observations, part of
which are attributed to you, that have appeared in the
newspaper which I now hold, charging us and the other
authorities of this parish with not doing our duty in put-
ting down the nuisances with which we admit it abounds.
It is our desire to be set right with the public, and we
therefore take this opportunity of stating
,that we have used
every means:in our power to remedy the evils complained
of, but we have not been enabled to effect that object.
Mr. Cribb then handed to the Magistrate the Times
paper of last Saturday, and called his attention. to the re-
port of a case which it contains under the head of " Bow-
street," illustrating the manner in which night houses are
conducted in this parish, the laxity of duty which exists
somewhere, and the Magistrate's observations thereon.
Sir ItiCIJA4I) BIRNIE, after reading the report referred
to, asked Mr. Cribb of what lie complained.—Mr. Cribb
.....We complain of being censured without a cause. We
have done all in power to close the night-houses.
• Sir RICHARD BIRNIE inquired who was the ground land-
lord of Grubb's house.
A gentleman replied, that he believed the Duke of Bed-
ford was, but this was denied by another person.
" If the Duke of Bedford was the ground landlord," said
the Magistrate, " I should fed it my duty to represent to
his Grace the sort- of house which this is."
The four gentlemen soon after took their leave, the Ma-
gistrate assuring them that they should receive at this office
every facility to Carry into effect any plan which they might
adopt for remedying the abuses of the parish.
Some time after the gentlemen bad withdrawn; Bethel

and the other beadle presented themselves before Sir R.
Amin, • saying that they heard his worship wished to see
them.

Sir RICHARD BIRNIE—Not I. I wish to see you on,
your duty a little better than you do. Bethel.—What are
we to do, Sir Richard?

Sir R. BIRNIE.—You have got a very well paid vestry-
clerk—he will tell you what to do.
Bethel.—We know that the public-houses are open half
the night, and longer, but the oyster•shops, the snuff-
shops, the coffee-shops, and eating-houses, are as bad ;
people are coming out of them at all hours.
Sir B. BIRNIE.-Why don't you report those places?
—Bethel : We do report them, your Worship.
Sir R: BIRNIE.-In what book ? Not in the watch-
book, for it comes to this Office every day, and I never
saw such a report in it yet.—Bethel : The report, your
Worship, goes before the watch-committee.
Sir R. Bra wrE.—A select committee, I suppoee ?
Bethel: I suppose so, your Worship.

Bethel and his brother beadle then retired.
Sir RICHARD BIRNIE—Have you indicted them?—Mr..
Cribb—No, we are at a loss for evidence to do so.
Sir RICHARD BIRNIE—Oh ! we will furnish you with
evidence.—Mr. Cribb—Then we will adopt that course.
Sir RICHARD ButNu—But what is your Vestry Clerk
doing? Have you applied to Mr. Roach? He ought to
supply you with evidence.—Mr. Cribb—We admit it ;
but we wish you to point out the way in which we
should act. •

Sir RICHARD BIRHIR—I have already told you what
to do—indict the owners of all those infamous houses, and
we will furnish you with evidence. Do you mean to cause
your officers to follow up the business by a bench warrant?
that is the proper course, and it rests with you to take it.
Mr. Machin—We are desirous to do our duty.
Sir RICHARD RIRNIE—I do not say to whom the neglect
is to be attributed, 14ut this I will say, without fear of con-
tradiction, that the watchmen of this parish are the very
worst in London. In the very street where this office is
situate, and where I live, I am in the constant habit of see-
ing the watehmen consulting and drinking with prostitutes.
Mr. Machin.—Have you ever mentioned the circum-
stance to Mr. Roach ? Sir R. ButiglE—Ay, fifty times
to Mr. Roach. It is to the want of a general superin-
tendent of the watch that many of the evils are to be
attributed.

Mr. Cribb—lf you say we have the power to enter such
a house as Grubb's for the purpose of clearing it, we are
prepared to do so, but our legal adviser has informed us
that we would not be authorised to do so. Now there is
the house of Godfrey over the way, and the Grapes next
door, both of which are open at all hours ; now, with sub-
mission to the bench, we think that the Magistrates of
this office have power to close those houses, or make them
keep better hours.
Sir R. BIRNIE—I should be glad to know in what way.

—Mr. Cribb—By suspending their licences.
Sir It Braruz—Ay, and lay ourselves open to an ac-
tion at law. Magistrates can only proceed upon informa-
tions on oath. There is nothing more easy than for the
watchmen to swear that they saw persons go in and come
out of those houses at two or three o'clock in the morning ;
but the fact is, that they are every man of them bribed by
the publicans, and thains the grand secret.
Mr. Goatly—You were kind enough to say you would
furnish us with evidence to indict those parties. It is our
desire to do so.

Sir R. BIRNIE.—You shall not want for evidence, and
I hope you will begin with Bow-street. I can only tell
you, that my Brother ➢lagistrates and myself are willing
to go hand, in hand with you to remedy the nuisances of
this parish, whenever you set about the task.

MARYLEBONE. —William Albert, a tall respectable
lookingyoung man, who, by his own confession, was libe-
rated from prison yesterday morning, was almost immediately
afterwards placed at the bar of this office, and charged with
felony, under the following extraordinary circumstances :
As Gibbs, the officer, passed through Marylebone-lane,
at 12 o'clock, on duty, Mr. Benjamin, of No. 59, a clothes-
salesman, who was standing at his door, said, " Gibbs, that
young man," puinting to the prisoner, " robbed me nine
months ago of a pair of trousers ; I have not seen him since,
but I am sure he is the same ;, if you like, you may fetch
him hack, and we will hear what he says." The prisoner
appeared to be aware of what was going on, for he ran
away. Gibbs followed him, apprehended him, and brought
him back. When they searched him, they found a new
pair of blue cloth trousers in his hat, not Mr. Benjamin's,
but a pair he had that instant stolen in the shop of Mr.
Lazarus, at 54, in the same street.

In both cases, he selected a suit of clothes, paid a deposit
of 15.,. marked them, and promised to cad again, which
gave him an opportunity to steal the trousers. As others
may have suffered in a similar way, he will be re-examined
on Tuesday.
.UNION-HALL.—A man named George Hughes, a
glass-blower, in the employment of Messrs. Pellatt and
Green, the glass manufacturers, was charged with having
absconded from his work contrary to his agreement.
It appeared tbit the defendant had entered into a con-
tract to work for the firm for a period of five years. lie
remained with them for one year, during which it was
stated that he earned on an average a weekly suns of 2/. 7s.
Considering, however, that he could earn even more at a
large establishment newly set up in the same line at Man-
chester, he absconded from his employers, and entered into
a new engagement in that town. An officer was despatch.
ed after him, and he was taken into custody and brought
up to this office.
An expence of upwards of 15/. was incurred in appre-
hending him, 12/. of which he was ordered to repay his
employers by weekly instalments, or be committed for three
months to hard labour.

Mr. Pellatt was -satisfied with this arrangement, and
the warrant was ordered to be kept open in the event of
the defendant not strictly adhering to the terms of his
contract.