The Sun.
London, England, 1829-05-06 00:00:00

GUILDHALL.

BAD BEEF AND LAW.—We stated in our last that a
quantity of carrion beef had been brought to Newgate-
market for sale, in a cart on which was the name " Janes
Hitchcock ;" and that Sir Peter Laurie, on the applica-
tion of the Ward Inquest, ordered the " beef' to be pub-
licly burned in the open market, and issued his warrant
for the apprehension of the supposed owner of the cart,
James- Hitchcock.

Yesterday, James Hitchcock was brought before the
same Magistrate on the authority of the warrant; and he
readily acknowledged that he was the owner of the cart,
and described himself as a publican and small farmer at
Northholt, near Harrow.

" And now," said Sir PETER LAERIE, " you Will per-
haps tell me where you got that unwholesome meat ?"
" Why, Sir," replied James Hitchcock, " I had it

from"--

Here he was suddenly stopped by Mr. Harmer, who
attended for his defence, and said—" Hitchcock !—as you
have employed me in your case, you should leave it in my
hands ; and I advise you not to answer the question ;
you are not bound in law, to answer."
Hitchcock stared. He seemed to have had no pre-
vious notion of bow far a solicitor might be useful ; and
having stared at the Alderman and the solicitor alternately
for a few seconds, as doubting which was the greater
authority, he gradually gathered faith in his solicitor, and
remained mute.
" Hitchcock," said Sir PETER LAURIE, "whenever
Mr. Harmer has to defend an honest man, he invariably
recommends him to tell the whole truth ; but when he has
a bad man to defend, he as invariably advises him to say
nothing. Now it appears to me that he has mistaken
your character ; he takes it for granted that you are a
bad man, when in fact you may be a very honest one ; and,
if you are, you will answer my question freely. Where
did you get that unwholesome meat ?"
Hitchcock stared again at his solicitor, with a look
which seemed to ask—" What must I do ?"
" I repeat," said his solicitor, " that he is not hound to
answer any questions; and my advice to him is not to
answer any. Indeed lamat a loss to understand upon
what charge he is brought here ;—I have heard no charge
against him yet."
" He is brought here," said Sir PETER LAURIE, " to
answer for having sent a quantity of carrion beef for sale to
Newgate-market ; and he would hare answered had not
you clapped a plaster upon his mouth."
" Such questions are illegal," said the solicit( r; " for
no man is bound to answer questions which may tend to
criminate himself; and any evidence elicited from answers
so extorted would not be admissible in law."
t‘ I do not care for that," rejoined Sir PETER ; " my
Court is a Court of Inquiry, and I endeavour to elicit the
truth, for the purpose of punishing vice, in the way which
may appear to me best calculated for that end. Your
client may be perfectly innocent for aught I know ; and
his answer might have made his innocence manifest, had
you allowed him to finish it."
The solicitor still contended that a man was not bc•und
to answer until a case had been made out against him, and
that there was no case made out in this instance.
The constable who seized the carrion nosy said Hitch-
cock had confessed to him that he had it from a gentleman
living in the neighbourhood of Harrow; that it was part
of two cows which had been killed to prevent them d'ing
of disease, and that it had been sent to market to lie sold
for cats, dogs, and wild beasts.
Hitchcock, gathering courage every minute behind the
shield of the law, protested that he had isade no such
confession. But in answer to further questions put to
him by the Alderman, he admitted that he did say it was
sent to be sold for wild beasts, and that it was sent by his
boy and his cart.
Another constable described the appearance of the neat
as " shocking past every thing." The bones, he said,
were " covered with nothing but a thin skin filled with
red water."
The solicitor, upon this, said it was not possible that
any person could buy such stuff, mistaking it for beef ;
and it was fair to infer that it could not have been sent to
market for such a purpose.
The constable, however, replied that it was very pcs-
Bible, for those butchers who dealt in it had a knack of
stuffing the fat I/1 pork between the ribs, and skewering
it on in slices, so as to make it look like " very decent
meat." _ . _

" But there was no pork fat stuffed between the ribs
of this of your 's—was there, Hitchcock?" said Sir PETER,
LAURIE ; and Hitchcock, taken off his guard, popped his
head suddenly from behind the shield of the law, and re-
plied—" Oh dear ! nothing of the sort, your Worship !"
His solicitor shook his head at him for an incorrigible
simpleton ; and after some further conference, in which
the solicitor objected that the issuing a warrant against
him on such a charge was illegal, the Magistrate ordered
that his cart should be restored to him, and that he should
be indicted at the expence of the City.
Two fellows, who gave their names Charles Wilson
and James Whitmore, were committed to take their trial
fur disgusting and unnatural conduct, which we cannot
disgrace our columns by describing. The miscreants
were taken between the buttresses of Christchurch, by
some of the parish officers, as they were leaving the Ves-
try on Monday evening.

BOW-STREET.
Yesterday Thomas Cooke, who stands charged with an
attempt to commit a hurgl;try at the house of Dr. Knox,
Adam-street, Adelphi, was brought up in order to be finally
examined.
The evidence of Cuss, the constable of St. Martin's, was
read over, and being again questioned by the 111sgiArate, be

repeated that the prisoner was one of the six or seven Mel'
whom he met running from Dr. Knos house, on th
Knox e
morning of Tuesday week.
The prisoner in his defence declared that he knew nn'"
thing whatever of the matter. He was then fully cod;
mitted to prison for trial, and Mr. MINsHULL oboe"'
that the conduct of Brett was so very questionable, thatt
should feel it his duty to send the evidence to the Wit°
Committee.
It is strongly suspected that the plan to plunder Da
Knox's house was suggested by a young man who 11$
lived in his service a short time ago as footman. A 01111.:
tity of valuable plate was in the house at the time 0"---0
it was attempted to he entered, but the circumstance
not known to the servants who were left in care of the
premises.
A well-known "swell thief," named Charles fats
Osborn, was charged with robbing a young lady of 11"
reticule on the evening of Friday last in Oxford-strar. ",.
Miss Eliza Marshall deposed that at four o'clock on
day in question she was walking along Oxford-street 0;
company with her mother, when the prisoner snatched be
the
stopped and was about to run away with it, who' he Wg.
stopped by a gentleman, who happened to be passing atito
time. The reticule was found upon the pavement, 4,e.,
yards off. It contained a purse, with some silver in
roll of tiband, and a pocket-handkerchief.---The Pri6°ll"
was fully committed for trial.

QUEEN-SQUARE.
Yesterday afternoon Timothy Hurley was brenkibt be;
fore the sitting Magistrates, Messrs. WHITE and 14j*cy(
RIOT, for further examination, charged on suspiciel*
being concerned in the late mysterious transactiets.
Westminster Abbey. the
Dr. Costen and Dr. Edwards, prebendaries ef
Abbey, and the Rev. Mr. Vincent, the Chapter-eler
as4isted in the investigation.
A long examination ensued ; but not a tittle of evidenci•
was given beyond what has already appeared.
Before the conclusion of the investigation, the prisoo:
alluded to his discharge from the Abbey, which was •
suspicion of stealing le id, and declared his innocence.
Mr. 'WHITE had heard of the charge, but did not low
to have mentioned it ; however, as he had brought it for'
ward himself, he should have an opportunity of
ing the circumstances another time.
The prisoner wished nothing more, for he voll
nOcent.
Mr. WHITE trusted he was innocent; but he mot, bge
remanded for a few days longer, to make further inquirle'd
The prisoner complained that his wife and family ha
nothing in the world to support themselves with, sad his
Mr. WHITE ordered the overseer to provide for
family fora few days.

The prisoner was then removed.
The prisoner appeared quite careless during the investil.-
gation, and behaved with that happy indifference vvills'
usually considered the characteristic of innocence.