The Sun.
London, England, 1829-12-22 00:00:00

They paid him some rent, but there was then due
to him 51., and on last Saturday he missed some
articles out of the room, which they admitted they
had pawned for 9s. He then sent for an officer.
Pilkington, an officer, was sent for on last Satur-
day by the last witness. I found the prisoners
sitting in the room, and on questioning them as to
the property they instantly said that distress alone
obliged them to pawn the articles, but they would
release them as soon as possible. They gave him
the duplicates.
The prisoners being called upon, the first stated
that her name was Catherine Sloane and was the
wife of surgeon Sloane, of Noble-street, in the city,
and of Argyle-street, Soho, and was married to him
fourteen years ago at Liverpool, in the sixteenth
year of her age, according to the rites and ceremonies
of the Catholic Church, which was the religion of
her's as well as his ancestors; that they had lived
together for ten years, during which time she gave
birth to several children, three of whom are now
living. About four years ago he turned her away
without any reasonable cause, upon an allowance of
1/. per week, which he afterwards reduced to 108.,
and for the last eleven months he gave her so
allowance whatever; and that he was in the habit
of visiting her lodgings occasionally while he was
paying her the weekly allowance; and in six weeks
after his total desertion she gave birth to her youngest
child, nine months old. She then handed a car-
tificate to the following effect :

" January Bth, 1816, wete married Alexander Sloane
and Catherine Petit. Present—John and Elisabeth
Warnock."

" Taken from the hand-writing of the Rev. William
Turleton, Seal-street, Liverpool, August 10th, 1826."

" V. GLOYEa."

Eliza Warnock—Said she was sister to the other
prisoner, and was present at her marriage, in Li-
verpool, with surgeon Sloane. Her husband was
a native of Belfast, and was the captain of the Echo,
a trading ship, in the timber trade, between St.
John's, New Brunswick, and Liverpool. On their
last voyage hence (20th October, 1827) the ship,
in a heavy gale, struck upon Sable island, and, in a
few hours, became a complete wreck. The pas-
, sengers and crew all reached the island in safety,
with no other property except their clothes. Sable
island is visited every six months by a government
ship with stores from Halifax, and to carry away
the crews and passengers of such vessels as may be
lost off the island. The government ship had
sailed a few days before they reached the island,
and her husband, becoming intemperate at the
idea of being locked up there for six months,
formed the desperate resolution of rigging and deck-
ing the long-boat, and he and six of the crew sailed
for Halifax, but none of them were ever heard of
since. (She here burst into tears.) She remained
on the island, at the house of Governor Hudson,
whose wife treated her with great humanity, and
in six months after she reached Halifax, from which
place she was sent by the Honourable Michael
Wallace, one of the Commissioners, on board one of
the East India Company's ship:, called the Astel,
Capt. Levy, and she landed in London last October
twelvemonth, and found out Mrs. Sloane, her sister,
with whom she has since resided; and to questions
from the Magistrate she said her husband had some
of his property insured, and site signed the neces-
sary papers before the proper authorities at Halifax;
but as the owners of the ship reside in St. John's,
that accounted for the delay, and she every post ex-
pected 49/., and assured his Worship there was no
fraudulent intention in pawning the articles.
Mr. BROUGHTON (in astonishment)—Let Gerard
stand forward. He then asked him if he believed
one of the w omen at the bar was the wife of surgeon
Sloane, or was there any truth in her statement ?
Gerard—l believe every word she states to be true,
and I know her to be his wife, for ,when I Wm..
moiled him to Guildhall for 4/., a debt contracted
by her, he defeated me, upon the point that he was
married by a Roman Catholic Priest.
Mr. BROUGHTON (in increasing astonishment)—
Pray, Mr. Gerard, since she has lodged at your
house have you seen any thing in her moral conduet
that could excite even suspicion in the mind of her
husband ?—Gerard—None whatever; I believe her
a virtuous, industrious, and heart-broken woman.

Mrs. Sloane (in tears)—Your Worship, 1 wrote
to my husband, saying, if he would give me the
means of getting some clothes, I would go to ser-
vice to earn bread for my infant; arid I protest to
God I had eaten no food for forty-eight hours before
I was brought to the watch-house.
Hale, an officer, said, he that morning waited
on Mr. Sloane, who acknowledged he married her
at Liverpool, when she was only 16 years of age,
but it was by a Catholic priest; and if a shilling for
a rope to hang her was of any use he would give it,
but no more; He (witness) understood he was
clearing 4,0001. a-year, and was living with his ser-
vant girl.
Mr. BROUGHTON—Whatever private opinion I
may have of the conduct of the hu,band, poverty
cannot be pleaded as an excuse for crime. She
ought to have applied to the parish authorities.
Mr. Staines (the beadle)—Upon the same prin•
ciple he defeated Mr, Gerard at Guildhall, so he
would defeat the parish.
Mr. BROUGHTON—But she is one of your casual
poor, and you ought to relieve her first, and then let
us try the validity of the marriage at er.
Mr. Staines—Your worship don't seem inclined
to commit them this night, and here is an order for
the workhonse for them both.
Mr. BitpuptyrciN—But I must have security for
their appearance to-morrow.
Lam, u watchman, with that true openness which
characterises John Bull in his genuine colours, in-
stantly threw his hat upon the floor with violence,
and exclaimed (strikini, his breast with his hand)
" I will bail them, and will bail Mr. Gerrard for
the return of his goods at 2s. per week." The poor
fellow's feelings here got the better of him, and he
was obliged to retire. In the mean time, Curtis, a
headborough, gasye them ?s,
The Magistrate ordered them refreshments, and
they left the office to return the following (this) day.
Williartt Sfrgr, the young. man charged with at-
tempting to hang his" wife in Crown-street, Fins-
bury, was again brought before Mr. I4Nt:TT, and
the prosecutrix not answering her name the poisoner
was admitted to bail.