The Sun.
London, England, 1827-11-06 00:00:00

POLICE INTELLIGENCE.

BOW-STREET.—Airtongst the night charges at this
pffice yesterday morning,--a respectable-looking man named
-Lya//, a printer, 'who resides in Russell-court, Catherine-
street, was brought forward by Thompson, a watchman be-
longing to the parish of St. Mary-le-Strand.
" Of what is this person accused ?" said Sir R. BIRICIE,
turning to the watchman. He refused to move on, your
Worship, when I desired him.
" Was he talking so loud as to create a disturbance ?"
asked Mr. HALLS. " No, your Worship," replied Thomp-
son, " I can't say he was raising a disturbance, but he re-
fused to move on when I ordered him, and I took him to
the watchhouse."

" What explanation do you offer ?" asked Sir RICH.
BIRNIE, addressing the defendant. "Please your Worship,"
he answered " I supped last night with two or three friends,
with whom I was parting within a few yards of my own
house, when this watchman came up, and in a very insolent
manner told me to move on. I was brought to
the watchhouse of Saint Mary-le-Strand, where I
found the constable of the night, who said he was act-
ing in his own right, in a state of intoxication. He took
the charge against me, and ordered me into the black-hole,
where I remained all night, although two respectable house-
holders of the parish came forward to bail me.
Both Sir RICHARD BIRNIE and Mr. HALLS declared
that the charge in the first instance was most unwarrant-
able, and the conduct of the constable in accepting it, and
refusing to take bail, as if the accused was a common felon,
rendered him wholly unfit for his office.
The defendant was ordered to be discharged immediately
without the payment of the usual shilling fee ; and the Ma-
gistrates advised him to lay a statement of the case before
the watch committee, for the purpose of procuring the
watchman's discharge, and also to commence an action for
false imprisonment against the night constable.
' The name of this night constable, we understand, is
Edwards.

MARYLEBONE-OFFICE.—In the middle of Sept.,
1826, a person, calling himself Captain John Campbell,
was charged before the Magistrates of this office, with
cheating and defrauding a young gentleman named John
Andrew Edwards, by representing that he would cause him
to be employed as a midshipman in the Greek navy, and
receiving 101. of him on account of his passage. The
particulars of the case were then laid before the public, but
it was not brought to a conclusion, for, during the investi-
gation, the defendant became a prisoner for debt, and re-
mained in custody of the Sheriff of London until yester-
day, when, having been discharged under the insolvent
act, he was brought back by Drinkwater, the officer, to
Marylebone.
The prisoner, who, since his former examination, is re-
duced almost to skin and bone and crippled by fever, upon
being placed at the bar, told Mr. Rawlinson that his pro-
secutor had abandoned the charge, and that he had received
a letter to that effect from the young gentleman's father,
which lie could not then produce, for it was, with other
papers, in the possession of Mr. Douglas, the Under-Go-
vernor of Whitecross-street prison.
Mr. RAWLINSON informed the prisoner that such a de-
claration from the lips of Mr. Edwards should be attended
to, and sent Gibbs to the Comptroller's Office of Army
Accounts, Westminster, in which that gentleman holds an
appointment, but he did not return before the Magistrates
left, and the prisoner was remanded.
WORSHIP-STRET.—Yesterday morning Mr. John
Wilks, late the vestry clerk of St. Luke's, addressing the
Sitting Magistrate, Mr. BROUGHTON, complained that
charges had there been made against him by a person
named M'Hugh, and repeated in the newspapers, of having
embezzled 6,0001. of the parish monies.
Mr. BROUGHTON was not responsible for what was
published by the press.
Mr. Wilks, as we understood him, wished for the Ma-
gistrate's notes of what had taken place before him on the
subject, to serve as a foundation for legal proceedings.
The Magistrate said, no application had been made to him,
and he had desired the attendance of Mr. Wall, the vestry-
clerk, and one or two of the trustees, in order that they
might afford him sonic information on the subject. He
requested Mr. Wilks to be seated till they arrived.
Mr. Wall, Mr. Richmond, a solicitor, and some of the
trustees, entered the office soon afterwards, and the place
was crowded by parish-officers and others, who felt an in-
terest in the proceedings.
Mr. M'Hugh shortly rc,,)t his former statement, and
complained that a vast portion of the rates levied on the
parishioners had been employed in making good the de-
ficiencies.

The AIAGISTRATE, upon inquiry, was informed that Mr.
M'Hugh is not a trustee, but that three of the trustees had
given written authority to proceed in their name under the
local Act.

Mc, BROUGHTON had given a good deal of attention to
the Act, and was of opinion that they could not legally
proceed, unless the application Nr.re by persons deputed by
the whole body of trustees.

Mr. Richmond, a solicitor and trustee, produced:a report
drawn up by a Committee appointed to investigate the ac-
counts in which the deficiencies were discovered. It was
submitted to a vestry meeting, and the result was, tl-at
legal proceedings were ordered against Mr. Wilks, for the
recovery of the monies deficient.
The MAGISTRATE did not wish to hear a long statement ;
he would merely ask Mr. Wall if any legal proceedings had
been ~nnenced.

Mr. Wall said yes, and a bill had been filed.
Mr. Wilks had ail-died to the parties to know if they
could afford him evidence on the cheques which had been
altered, but he could not obtain it. If they could supply
hin► with evidence, and the clerk were found, it would be
the greatest favour that could be conferred on him.

Mr. Wilks added, that he was surrounded by gentlemen
who had known him for 20 years, and although he had
been unfortunate in the choice of his clerk, they would not
impute personal error to him. It was said that the loss
had occurred through his neglect, and that therefore thoy
might recover against him ; but whether it were legally so
would be for the Court of King's Bench to determine.
Mr. BaouoirroN having with difficulty suppressed some
expressions of angry feeling between the parties, proceeded
to give his decision, in which Mr. BENETT and Mr. Bux-
ton., who were also on the bench, concurred.
By the 50th sec. of the act, he said, a magistrate was
empowered to act upon the application of three trustees, or
a person appointed by them ; but they must be deputed by
the whole body of trustees, to make the proceeding legal.
In his opinion this was not a fit matter to be brought be-
fore a magistrate, but was a case for the courts of law, and
it appeared that proceedings had actually been commenced,
and a bill filed. He dismissed the application on two
grounds--first, he could not legally proceed ; and second,
even if he could, it would not forward, but defeat the ends
of justice.
The MAGISTRATE added, that it must be understood that
Mr. Wall and Mr. Richmond were pledged to him that
legal proceedings had actually been taken.
A lad, named Driscoll, collector at the Cambridge-heath

turnpike-gate, was brought before Mr. BROUGHTON, and
convicted of conduct of the most insulting and scandalous
nature towards Mrs. Warburton and another lady, who
passed his gate in a chaise on the 31st ult.
Mr. BROUGHTON ordered him to pay 51., or to be im-
prisoned two months in the House of Correction.
HATTON-GARDEN.---Two respectable looking per-
sons, James Harley and Michael Brennan, brought yester-
day before Mr. Sergeant SELLON, an Irkliman of the name
of Warren, charged with having used towards them the
vilest language, heaped upon them every epithet that could
be gleaned from the vocabulary of abuse, collected around
them a great mob, and in some measure endangered their
personal safety.
The Magistrate bound him over in his own recognizance
to keep the peace.
UNION-HALL.—Yesterday, a young man, named
John Priest, who described himself a performer of a pro-
vincial theatre, was brought before the sitting Magistrate,
R. J. CHAMBERS, Esq., charged with having robbed a man
named Benjamin Davis of his watch and seals.
The complainant, on the preceding night, sat down on
the steps of a door, in Thomas-street, Blackfriars, to wait
for a friend, whom he expected to pass that way. He
(complainant) candidly admitted that he had been drink-
ing previously, but not to such an excess as to incapacitate
him from recollecting every circumstance that transpired
relating to the property stolen from him. While sitting
on the steps, he said, the prisoner came up to him, and
supposing that he was asleep, immediately began to fumble
about the waistband of his breeches. Having got bold of
the chain, he drew the watch out of his fob with a sudden
jerk, and then ran away. Complainant pursued the pri-
soner, who was ultimately stopped by a tradesman ; and
when the former accused him of having robbed him of
his watch, he denied the theft at first, but subsequently
confessed that he did it out of a " bit of lark." The pri-
soner was ultimately given in custody.
A witness confirmed that part of the complainant's evi-
dence respecting the watch being found in the prisoner's
possession, and his attempt to escape when the former ac-
cused him of the robbery.
The prisoner declared he had no intention of committing
a robbery ; he perceived the man was asleep, and in order
to have a " bit of fun," he suddenly jerked the watch out
of his fob to frighten him, but intended to return it to
him again.

In the prisoner's possession was found the following note,

addressed to him by the manager of the Woodstock theatre.
It shows the miserable pittance, as an actor for general
:business, he received weekly from the establishment above-
'mentioned— Theati'e, Woodstock.
Sir,—I have a vacancy for general business, &c. The
'salary is 18s. a week; if this suits, you are at liberty to
join immediately.
I am Sir, your obedient, H. JACKSON.
P. s. —I have a vacancy for the first singing business also.
The prisoner, a respectable-looking young man, was fully
;committed.

Yesterday considerable sensation was excited in the
;neighbourhood of Kent-street, owing to a report having
been circulated that a child bad been starved to death by
'its mother. The populace were proceeding to inflict sum-
mary vengeance on the unfortunate woman, when Pople,
the officer, interfered, and brought her in safety to this
office. On subsequent inquiry into the matter the officer
discovered that the woman, whose name is M'Carthy, had
removed into a wretched abode in the above street one day
last week, in which there was nothing but a truss of straw,
upon which the infant was found a corpse. It had a dread-
fully emaciated appearance, and from that circumstance was
conjectured to have been starved to death. A medical man
was directed by the Magistrates of this office to examine
into the causes of its death; and from his report, it ap-
peared there were no grounds for such a report as had gone
forth, but that the child died of consumption. These facts
being made known to the mob, who still collected in front
of the house where the child was lying, they dispersed, and
the poor woman was set at liberty.