The Sun.
London, England, 1816-09-07 00:00:00

PUBLIC-HOUSES.

, Arc the public-houses licensed before your
Board of Magistracy ?—No, it is done. jointly;
the police taagistratesin the district are summon-
ed to attend, with other county nitigistiates, on
the licensing days; nod I occataionally attend ofr
those'days, whets not loevented by niy official
duly.

Are you rigid in your examination of testimo
nials of character, prior to granting the license to
open a new house ?—We certainly are, and morc
particularly as to the necessity of opening a new
house, for a certain portion of the magistrates,
go round and look at the situation in whiCh the
new publie-house is proposed to be opened, and
see whether there is a sufficient number already to
answer the purpose for which public-houses were
intended ; and if we find there are, in 'general
(vithont some special reason) it is rejected : our
primary object is. ,to reduce the number, except
ou,sopte occasions where it interferes with private
propetty, and there we are tender. •
Is it an objection to a house of that sort, that

it
linown.to he the resort of infamous diorite.:
ter., persons engaged in plunder ?—Most cer-
tainly; and if it c.ante to the knowledge of thie
toN..,istrato, I. have no doubt. the license would

not be, renewed ; but with respect, to those houses
which it bus gone abioad there ate a great number
of in thistown, rind which arc technically called
flash houses," I 8111 free to say that there are
houses of that description, and though certainly it
Is a great evil to society that such houses he per•
witted, yet at the sante time, as a police magis-
trate, I am bound to tell the Committee that
many of lb• most notorious thieves would escape
if it were not fur those particular places of remie4.-
eons, which afford us the means of getting those
offenders into our power. The officers go into
those houses at night, where they see anti mix
with five or six men whom they know to be
thieves: and if there has been any information of
a robbery haviug been committed, and they miss
one or two of those men on a particular occasion,
Suspicion naturally fulls upon them (owing to
their being absent front their usual haunts) that
they are in' some mischief; our officers chime...,
diately take the risk upon themselves', and appre-
hend the parties. Those omen, upon beiiig brought
so the office, and notice ,being given-to perscrns

who haw been robbed, they are frequently ideAJ
tilied, and from no other • cause but that of
being absent from their place of rendezvous, and
being known to the officers as notorious diorite.:
ters. The officers will go into one of those houses,
and find six or eight notorious characters 4.ssetn.:,
bled ; the thieves will say, "Master, do you want
me.? whom do you want 1" Upon receiving an
answer, they will go out and stiffer themselves to
he searched without any difficulty in the world:
At the same thug I would wish the committee.dis-.
tinctly to ontlerssand, that if it came to our know--
ledge that there was any particular. public-house
ihat was a notorious receptacle for thieves, we,.
.should make a memorandum of that-house, and
should certainly try to put a' stop to the license;
.tlie consequence of that would be, they Would-
be driven from, that house, and would go to an-
other; and as there always will be thieves, the
place of resort of those -thieves will naturally.
be the public-!rouses ;. and it certainly is the
principal means of our knowing where notorious
offenders are to be taken. 1, have no doubt the
public. are surprised; when an offence takes place,
at the offender being .so soon taken-into custody;'
but the cause is explainud from what I have stated)
h3ve been %old by an intelligent officer at lintton-
garden-, that when Ihieves.qaarrel amongst them-
,elves, they often, trout d ptinciple of revenge; tell
the officers„ Ali! Jack such a one was one nt
the persons 'concerned in tUe burslai}' the oth..r.
hig!it, and he was one concerned another
offence;" then away go the officers and tike this
man up; the. rousequencc k, anit the public arc
sometimes surprised ;,torious offenders,.,
lir, in custody after, • t g the, offence, bin
this circumstatice: being, explained, the Anysiciy'l
ceases

• Do you not think that, thotigh it be true, that
tit advantaves 'co he gained to public justice
seizing the offe,ndvrs wntre you know their haunts
ate conciderable, the very establishment of those
limits, by bringing persons together into a sQ-
ciely of thieves, pdrtteularly by Winging young
boys• to he tranted thjev,ek, does more mis-
chief to society •than good by the apprehension
of the offenderi—l can only answer that question
by saying,' that in my 'opinion we should very
rarely get hold of notorious offenders, if every
place of this sort was done away..
Is there tint, in point of fact, a regularly under-
stood system bettveen the inferior police-officers,
for ti,e mikintenance and support of certain public;
houses where the thieves are accustomed to. resort?
—Not that ever came to my knowledge.
'Are you not of opinion, that though those
hnneses-may facilitate the discovery of offenders,
;.they alsolavilitate the commission of crimes, by
being notorious rendezvotts.for persons disposed
to enter into schemes of that sort, and by bring-
ing them acquainted with each other?--'There is
tt great proportion of the public-houses fat will
not adobe persons, of this description ; at the saute
time there are a great many that openly encou-
rage them, and,l dare saY would conceal them it
they hA an'opportnnity.
Are the houses which are the resort of thieves
partienlarly marked for riotous and disorderly.
conduct of the persons who frequent them /—I
am not prepared to answer that questiOn.
Do yin, not see that the existence of those
houses, Flash-houses as they are called, serves the
purposes of the discovery hut that at the same
time they have a direct tendency to increase the
number and facilitate the commission of crimes
—I ant decidedly of that opinion.
is Whitecross-street, Saint Luke's, within your
district ?i—One side is.; 1 ant not certain whether
the whole is. ,
It is not a very long street ?---4 think not.
Do you' recollect the number of public-houses

und.dr-din,Aropo there kin that Street ?-1 do not

A paper before the Chairman states, there and
23 public-houses mid dram-shops lieenced in that
street, and that the street measures three furlongs
you not think that number
thirtevn poles ; should
of public-houses and dram-shops mast intolerably
large ?-1 should think it very prejudicial.
And much ht. yond the necessary call ?—I should
think so..

And titre ;bele not many 'called « Houses of
Call," where her sons merely step in to Enke (hams
and pass on ?—Yes.
Is hiolden•lane within your district ?--One side
Of Golden-lane is, the other side, I think, is in
the city of London.

It is ;tared to the Co►ntn►ittee that there are

twelve pubnc.honses licenced in that lane, mea-
suring two furlongs and five poles 1-1 cannot
speak to the• number.
Within theSe few years do you think tbere has
been a great increase or dram-shops I—There has.
I think the'nuMber of dram-shops in this metro-

otis is one the greatest evils existing ? and. it

is always a prim try object with me, as far as I
am concerned, to endeavour to prevent as many
of those from being licensed as possible ; for it is
not the laborious, hard working, honest labour-
!TT man, that resorts to dram-shops, he generally
is content with his porter ; but it is the loose and
the dissolute wha are in the habit; of drinking
drams, and they drink to such excess as to reduce
.themsetres to fl state of partial .madness,, when
.they often commit the most desperate crimes.
Where is the place Where you keep persons who
are accosed, prior to 'their examination ?---4n the
back yard there is a place fitted up, that was for-
merly a stable.
How long,are they ever lodged there /—lf they
•are committed. for ['Hither examination, they are
generally sent immediately to the New Prison or
Coldhsth-fields ; but they are sometimes kept in
the lock-up house atliatton-Garden till the Ma;
gistrate goes away at night ; and the last thing
done then is' to send for the officer (who has the
custody of them), to inquire whether there is any
person in confinement ; and if there is, he is im
mediately ordered to he carried to the prison ex-
pressed in,the warrant of commitment.

Is it a fit place to confine prisoners ?—lt is

clean.

Is it without windows, and damp, and without
a floor ?-1 here are two rooms, one for men and

'the other tor women, who Maybe brought to the
office of au evening after the office hours, and are
examined when the Magistrates come to the of-
fice in the morning; thbse rootts ItaiT strong oak
boarded floors, the walls are .perfectiy dry, and
.it is 'act place lwrfectly cleau4 1 cougat tOl- any

place that Cali be better, and t barb never heard
the slightest complaint of it. There is also ano-
ther room, where prisoners are confiued in' the
day, during the time they arc 'wider examination:
the floor of that room is not boarded, but is pave
ed with fing-stones :.persons are never shut up
'there all night : that is not so clean as it ought
to be, but directions have been given to put it is
a proper state. I consider those two rooms pert_
tectly sufficient for the wants of the office.

Fro be continue(l

CORONERS' INQUESTS.

- SUSPICIOUS DEATII.—An inquisition was taken
at the Ship Tavern, Camden-street, Islingtotp,
Green, before THOMAS STIRLING, 'Esq. Corond
for Middlesex, upon ,the body of James Pairneto•
better known by the name of Jemmy. the Fi4llolllost
in the parish of Islington, who was found drowned
on Wednesday night last in the New River. The
Jury sat several hours before they brought in theft'
verdict, in consequence of some suspicions arising
in their minds upon viewing the body of the de"
"ceased, there being several marks of violence in
d:fferent parts of it, particularly one pleee.,,under
t he, right ear, was quite block, and had an appear"
:ince of strangatition about the neck.--,Tlie,Jurt
returned, by their Foreman, the foll Owing ver"
diet :—" Found drowned in the water of the New
River; but how, or by what means, he or°
" into the water, there was nnevidence to prove,'
" and their tipinioniis, that there were marks of
" violence upon the deceased."
Yesterday an inquest was held at the Landon
(-I,lintspyiatna.l,Johyecf(ze:
-UwaNi7elrt:
bEe
,q,.l)vilig
to 00od,'
h
London DoCks, who, in assisting:, to discharge the
cargo of a vessel, fell dorrn it 4 a fit of apoplexy"'
verdict accordingly.
Also, by the saute Coroner, at the sone place,.
on view of the body of Thomas Park, r, when
it
appeared from the evidence of Francis Wakefield.,
a cooper employed upon a vat for Mr. Hanbuti
the brewer, the deceased was upon the top of a
scaffold inside the vat, and fell down in lowering
some Wards, the distance of Irr feet. Wakefield:
who was under the vat at wqrk, hear the fall inla
a groan ; • he instanily ascended the latter to go
down to the assistance of the deceased, wheln
be
found him very much bruised about the head, Ito
speechless. Ile cried out For assistance, turd thr
deceased was carried to. the
.London Hospital!
where he exlaitell. Verdict—Accidental Death..
.A boy of about 14 years of age hung bini3clibl:
a. house in \Yemen-Street, .13irmingW.m.
eCypernoitlilegr: sr
eJt
rry:; *v
rci at:el eft
isoastv
inogn the' may 'lbd
ce r
.naccurately, and without anysiiiingtettrioviellolliiterV.
" lug away his life, did hang himself

ROOMY OF A HACKNEY COACHNIAN.•Th
Togisda'y night, about twelve o'clock, Smith,
di iver of the hackney chariot No. 1127,
called to by three men, well dressed, just al lie be (f
put down a fare in Fenchurch-street. One
them asked him if he had a good pair of horse!o
he said he had—.the man said they waited
as far as Bow, and to return the following MI;
ing; he told them his horses were fresh and
would undertaketo do it. They immediall'irgos
1
,t
into the coach, and he throve off; they toiled
of the wifidaiv to him to pay the turupike',7,,1•1
they would pay him- again, which he did. %;1:
he arrived at Bow, they ordered him
down Bow•lane towards Bromley ; when theY"';
rived about the middle of the lane, where it ‘7,-,
dark and narrOw, they ordered him to, stoP
did, and they -got out of the coach, awl 9'",s,
him what was his fare, he told them nine shill'
and sixpence, which was in fact less than his lorei.
They asked him to change a pound DOte ; he "1
them he had but 9s.' 6d. which he received folio
a Gentleman whom he put down at the Plae,
where he took them up; as goon. MS lie 1/111" L.
spoken, one of theni took hold of the horses rcleg►
and the other two knocked Win down arvi 1.1 •
his pockets, when he who held the reins, cat
them With a large knife, and threatened to till.°
him into the river if he made a noise ; they th)t
ran off towards Blackwall.

- On Wednesday, at Chisliwiißcitl,lllthe Lady of Joseph Fletcher°
vi,Ef,(4) ft, ow}f'reari dishaoln,A. i.un :thiei
nRi
se:erre a
oft , tsheee
tLii a die
Lambeth
etthhe
cßbeet. p.eT l aoir I 1
39
. 0/I:;tneathDrua:ll:3ErYdsinq-f;Hsotf. o nansdtea,nuegaaiwirtimlrsah.'irtbuelne usbirdey,
ofthe
G.Liavd.} F.
.of, M. I:P°
0
Es_q. pfaisarqgnaarteltdßlieetilrb.ow. p
wife of
Moory-Sbro )shire, of a son, afterobf etamminesanrreien i pinind
without' issiltr.
_......
dbirun'etocien'y-earb

Yesterday, Mr. CharlesMA Butler,RRIED of Clapham Conial:st.
Sarah, eldest daughter of Richard Butler, Esq.._ of „,",;(r:
Halt, Cheltenham; also Mr. Thomas Butler, of l'ate:r6o4
row, Cheapside,. to Sophia, eldest daughter of Mr'
nett, of the same place. .
• On Thursday, at St. Mary-lc-bonne, Lieutenant naillA.
the 6th Foot, to Anne, eldest daughter of J. ThoistP)fli
of Hal les-street, 1-4tvendis It-square. Tl'e
At Prestvigu, Raduorshire, the Rev..lollll Bode"'
to Mariafine, eldest daughter of the late Join)
;ham, Esq. of Grote-House, near Presteigu. 4 VOA
At Kingdand. near Leominster, Joseph George
Esc;. of the lion. E. I. C.'s Service, to Miss May, 0' '—
,Court. .001'
• At Itadipole, near Weymouth, Mr. Trim, affetl4
three, to Miss Gis ooden,maiden lady,
acedghtY rid'

On Friday evening, at his mouse, Upper lielgralblaCell"- ;•
rbine:lt'eladsbeyldrfic, Esq. in the aotb year: 1 his age, rhovins •
behind him an unblemish d utatio ' Exeter iGh'"
_rep a at
)l
f the la"'
isßiletY.huCagat:;4l,ol hsatillGeftrahaue;aileilaL,lednf cLaan'llhanc:raneslieel:r°?,ankrs:Ysa4"(.llautiug"il:tr-earnt:' °Q:
On Monday last, the Lady of John Frank Novt°ll'
Burgate-House, Ford;ngbridge.
samel
MO
The day, at Keutish Town, after a lingering
sincerely regretted. Mrs. Barry, late of Dond-street.. 14e' Duly
On the at) inst. in hii I Sth year, John Barry
14:11
sin) of Colonel Wilkes, late (inventor of St. llriev3' Jahn
f
On the 7th nit. aged e 4, Mrs. 'napkins, wife
rem
0
Hopkins, Esq. of Upper C:idogan-Ossee. fAll
At Madryn Carnar.vousitire. CONCtillenCe %I 4 oga IF
'his horse,. award, fifth fion of T. Jones Parry, `"s(l%tftleric*
years; he had recently rqttirtie4 front the Array in
'and France. . Aron
-141e)y..itt }Tenger, Merlons':oslll're; Leis.utlef
lig. Captain in the Royal Merionetl4 turd eldcst'!/ piol4J
late Rev. flohert Anw 1-f Criccieth Cara,rr.„
, rector o ,
.; ,

ft
LONDON :` Printed by J. u: dAttgr Ants , NO.,
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at tba Stltz-Orrica. Nn..112, StrrixAb?fi
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