The Sun.
London, England, 1827-10-09 00:00:00

LAW INTELLIGENCE..:-(THIS DAY.)

COURT OF KING'S BENCH.

The Court Was opened this day by Lord TEN-
TERDEN pro jOrma, and further adjourned until
:Monday- next the 15th of. October.

COURT OF COMMON PLEAS.
(Adjourned Sittings after Term.)
The Sittings for the trial of causes in the City of
London commenced this morning at Guildhall, be-
fore Lord Chief Justice BEST.
I‘IORIUSSON V. eeeeaee.
Mr. Sergeant WILDE stated the case. The :ion
bf the plaintiff, James Morriseon, was a deaf and
dumb boy, educated in the Institution for Deaf and
•
Dumb Persons, arid after arriving at the proper age
he was bound apprentice to the defendant to learn
the trade of e cooper. The defendant received an
apprentice-fee of 101. with the boy, and covenanted to
support hint after the first year orhiS apprenticeship.
Not satisfied, however, with the fee which he had
received front the Institution, the defendant had
some private understanding with the boy's father to
receive an extra fecr, and not being satisfied with the
Manner in which the father acted on this under-
standing, after six months of the boy's apprentice-
ship had expired, the master thought proper to send
the boy home, upon some frivolous excuse of his
riot having come early enough in the morning to his I
work. From that period to the present the boy
ovals supported by his father, and had lately been
humanely taken into the service of a shoemaker, at,
• which business be had made considerable progress.
The present action was brought to recover compen-
sation in damages for the loss of the boy's time, and
for that support which the defendant covenanted to
give him.
Thomas James Watson was Sworn to interpret
for such of the witnesses as were deaf and dumb.
He put the various questions suggested by the Coun
sel by means of signs, and they appeared to he accu-
rately and readily understood on every occasion.
James Morrisson, an intelligent looking lad, about
16 years of age, deposed that he entered Mr.
Leonard's service in August, 1822, and remained
until February, 1823. Witness never worked at
Mr. Leonard's subsequently to February, 1823. On
• a Thursday in that month witness went to work at
six o'clock in the morning, and was met by Mr.
Leonard,who said you are come too late to work, you
must go home. Witness was in the habit of going
to work at six o'clock, and sometimes later. In reply
to his master,
,when he said witness came too late to
work, witness replied that " he was sorry he
Iv" so late ;" but the master again said,"
you had better go home." Witnees went home
at eight o'clock, arid told his father what Mr.
Leonard said, and his father wrote a letter,
which witness took back to his master at 10
o'clock. (The letter was then put in and read.--e
The plaintiff merely inquired what was the rea-
son which induced the defendant to send home
the boy, and added, that if he desired his attend-
ance earlier in the morning, the boy should go to
work at any hour the master appointed.)—Upon
irnekereeipviiy,ng this note, the defendant wrote a letter
with which he sent witness back to his
father. From that period witness never learned
allYtbing from Mr. Leonard, nor received any sup-
Port from him. Witness has been supported since
by his father.
Cross-examined—Witness was carried twice be-
loore
the Magistrates, charged by his master with lin-
untiler
rroe
e behaviour, but never heard of those charges
after he left Mr. Leonard's employment.
Ins
M• r. Compton, Secretary to the Committee of the
titution for the Deaf and Dumb, stated that the
defendant appeared before the Committee on the
10th
February, 1823, and complained that the boy '
hid brandished an adze at him, and requested to have
he l'haAuentures cancelled. The boy explained that '
- only flourished the adze in play, without any
ire of insulting or hurting his master, and the
alt mittee dismissed the complaint as frivolous.—
Wit
''esg was also present before the Magistrate
had °ever refunded the apprentice fee, though he pro-
to do so.
l"e CHIEF JUSTICE observed, that if the master
i?uld not show that he had actually taught the boy
es trade, and supported him, he could have no an-
to this action.
Mr. Sergeant ANDREWS, who appeared for the
ir%mefen.clant, concurred in the view of the case taken
tYtitobeeCourtagnesd.addressed the jury only in miti-
-1.1 of dams He stated that the defendant
eels a
i person in very humble circumstances, living
wholr) a cellar' and that the evidence of the -boy wits
riirrervoirythy of credit. The facts of the case,
were, that the boy was a lad of vio-
le.nt , al
, dangerous temper, though the defendant, from
zini peculiar circumstances, was shut out from an
°PPortunity of proving the circumstances as they
really occurred.
f; The.LORD CHIEF JUSTICE.—Is there any objec-
A-:°11 to my asking those who know this boy, as to his
9potition?
Mr. Sergeant WILDE.—My Lord, I have none.
Mr: Sergeant ANDREWS.—My objection is, my
Lord, that boys don't show their dispositions in the
presence of their tutors
The LORD CHI
$g
they were
that the charges
susTrce in summing up, ob-
servedby the defendant against, i c nduct, made
by evidence, and extremetihymeSer
never beard of until the defend-aIII9 unsupported
The injury sustained by the t turned the boy away.
considerable, but the
rorr of damages was en-
quest. °OY was certainly very
Damages 251.
tirely for the Jury.
Verdict for the plaintiff--

it is
mis°tiltiakh:t loyftto
se
October seems to indicate
be, as is often the ease, one bf the plu:.
year.
LACE TRADE.—We understand
trade still continues steady, particularly t•
which are in demand ; a proof that the. foct).7":::::r,
better than it was some time ago. hoe fin trade is
meet with a rather heavy sale.—Leicester
MYSTERIOUS CIRCCINISTANCE.---(Z%,
day, a German woman, of no very prepossessin,-, „,„-
ance, lauded at Calais from the 'Lord LiverpooblasTeaatr-
packet, having in her comiiany a very interesting little WI
between three and four yearis of age. They want to Si".
nionds's Hotel, and after some time, the child bet'amine.
very restless and fretful, continually inquiring when her
mama was coming ; until, at length, it attracted the at-
tention of a gentleman present at -the hotel; who, seeing
the child well dressed in a white frock with lace, and a
beaver hat, began to suspect that the woman had not come
honestly by the child, and asked her several questions, to
which she gave very surly replies, and when he got up to
leave the room, followed him, and slammed the door so
violently upon him as to catch his fingers. Night ap-
proashing, the woman went to bed, hut had not been up
stairs long, when the child was heard to cry most violently,
and the landlady's son called to the svosnan to open the
door, which she refused, and the 'child's screams continu-
ing, itishin
there was no doubt but the woman was pun
rsr some way, and the door was immediately burst open,t
When she rushed with the child in her arms towards the
Window, and threatened, that if any one approached her, she
would throw it into the street. By dint of manoeuvre,
however, the young Man; with the assistance of hip brother,
after a tremendous struggle, succeeded in taking the child
item the woman ; and, upon its being caressed by Mrs.
Siminonds, stated her name to be " Flora Campbell," but
could not tell where she bad resided. It was evident, from
the manners and language of the infant, that she had been
well
The police were made acquainted with
vf brought up.
t?e strong the
suspicion that existed of chi having been
'4)len, and the woman 'was taken into custody ld
and examined
but nothing could he elicited, except that she was a " bad
Il'°4l,an, but there were many worse." Upon examining
the uox of the risoner, there was not a single article of
dress belongingPto the infant; but two letters were found,
6reased to the Abbess of a certain Convent in France,
";.ting, that the bearer would deliver the infant, and that
twas to be brought up in the Roman Catholic Religion ;
ele letters were without signature, and, as the woman
would not say to whom the child belonged, Mrs. Sim.
_e4ll-41is has taken it under her care until the circumstances
be made known in this country. When the German
niall embarked on board the packet, she was seen to be
Pc'agession of 101. ; but on searching her the money was
to be found, and she stated that she bad thrown it
trbeudlt