The Sun.
London, England, 1829-12-11 00:00:00

BOW-STREET.

Two young men, named Janzes Dzffir and Charles
Morris, were yesterday brought before Sir R.
BIRNIE, charged with the following most impudent
robbery
:
About nine o'clock on the night of Wednesday,

the prisoners were observed skulking about the
shop-door of a butcher named Brasgrove, who lives
in Rose-street, Covent-garden. A little boy, who
wai taking care of the shop, suspecting that the ob-
ject of the prisoners was to steal some of his mas-
tel's meat, shut the door: Soon after 'both pri-
soners came into the shop, and closing the door, the
.prisoner Duff seized the little boy, threw him down
upon the floor, and to prevent him making an alarm,
put his hand upon his mouth, while the prisoner
Morris deliberately took down a rump of beef
weighing 161 b., that hung up Lin the back part of
the shop, and ran away with it, followed by the
other prisoner. It further appeared that the fellows,
after disposing of the better part of their booty,
proceeded with the remainder to a coffee-shop in
Bedfordbury, where they produced some steaks cut
from the beef which they had stolen, and ordered
the landlord to dress them. Before, however, they
had time to finish their repast, one of the constables
of letter F division took them into custody.
The evidence being conclusive, the prisoners were

fully committed for
Robert Ashdown, the proprietor of the Star
coffee-house, in Bow-street, which nearly faces this,
office, appeared to answer to an information pre-
ferred against him by two police constables, for
keeping his house open at unseasonable hours of
the night, contrary to the Act by which coffee-
houses are regulated. The house was formerly in the
occupation of the notorious Grubb; amid according
to the evidence of the police constables, its present
proprietor, regardless of the fate of his predecessor,
has kept open house for characters of the very
worst description, whom he has been in the habit
of harbouring and refreshing at all hours of the

night.
According to the evidence of the constables

appeared that on the night of Saturday last, Mr.
Thomas, the superintendant, directed them to go
to the Star coffee-shop, and report to him what they
then witnessed. They went accordingly, at about
half-past two o'clock, and saw between 40 and .50
persons who were engaged in drinking and smok-
ing. One of the constables called for a quarter!' of
gin, and was served with it from the bar. Some of
the company were eating beef-steaks, and the con-
stables saw a man and woman tossing for half a pint
of gin.
Sir R. BIRNIE asked the defendant if he had not
said that if he could not do business in a regular
way, he must do it how he could ?
The defendant said, that he had laid out a great

deal of monoy on the eiwern, and finding that he
could do no business by day, he was obliged to keep
open all night, or his family and himself must starve.
He wished to know why other houses around him
were not proceeded against for keeping open at im-
proper hour,,, and harbouring all sorts of persons.
The" Magistrate said that all houses of that des-
cription should be looked after. The defendant was
then fined 51. _ .

Mrs. Prater, a very dark woman, about thirty-
six years of age, the widow of the late Mr. P., who
resided at Beaconsfield, was charged by the cab-
driver, No. 28, with refusing to pay him the sum of
Bs., the amount of his fare ; and she charged him
with committing an outrageous assault upon her
person, with intent, &c.
The cab-driver said he was hired by the lady about
six o'clock on Wednesday evening, at the Angel
Inn, St. Clement's, to take her to Lambeth Marsh,
where she called upon a friend, and he afterwards
conveyed her to her solictor's, who resides near the
King's Bench. From thence he took her to various
places, and finally he brought her back to the Angel
Inn, St. Clement's, when she refused to pay him
his fare, and he gave her into the custody of a watch-
man, who took her to Covent-garden watch-house.
Mrs. Prater stated that, in the first place, the
charge was exorbitant, and that on that ground she
refused to pay it. The cab-driver stated to her,
when she got out at the house of her attorney, that
his fare was two shillings, and as he was returning
back the same way, he would not charge her any-
thing for taking her back. He waited till she had
settled her business, and, when she had got into his
cab again, he drove her into an obscure place in a
court by the King's Bench prison, and proceeded
to take liberties with her. She resisted, and told
him that it was very indecent, and that persons
would see them, but he persevered, &c. She called
out, and he then drove on, and took her to another
place, and from thence back to the Angel Inn, St.
Clement's, where he requested her to go to some
house to sleep. She insisted upon his letting her
out of the cab, and he swore that he would not till
she had paid him Ss. She knew it was an imposi-
tion, and refused, when she was given into the cus-
tody of a police-constable, and taken to the watch-
house, where she was detained all the night. The
cab-driver swore that the time amounted to Bs.

Sir R. BIRNIE told the female to pay the cab-
driver his demand, and she could afterwards prefer
her charge agaiest him for attempting to violate her

person.
She paid the money, and on being sworn, gave
evidence of the facts which she had previously stated.
The cab-driver, in reply, said that when the lady
hired him she treated him with a glass of gin, and
she drank one herself. They called at a public-
house at the foot of Westminster-bridge and took a
glass of hot wine each, and he drove her from place
to place for four hours, but never attempted to take
any liberties with her. She was " elevated" in
liquor, and was very free, but that was all.
Mr. Prater still persisted that he took indecent
liberties with her, and forcibly exposed her person.
This took place on the Surrey side of the Thames,
and she afterwards rode in the cab to the Strand.
She denied having taken wine with the cab-driver,
but admitted that she treated him with a glass of
gin at starting.
Sir R. BIRNIE hardly knew what to make of the
case; but as the lady had sworn positively to the
assault, he ordered the cab-driver to find bail to
answer the charge at the next Sessions.
INFAMOUS CONDUCT OF A MOTHER.—Sarah
Frazer, and her two daughters, Rebecca, aged seven
years, and Jane, aged thirteen years, were charged
with stealing a pair of shoes in the shop of Mr. Co-
llier, of St. Martin's-cool t.
It appeared that the old harridan sent her youngest
child into the shop of the prosecutor to steal the
'shoes in question, which were hanging upon a nail.
The string being twisted, she could not take them
off, and left the shop. Her mother supplied her
with a knife to cut the string, and she went into the
shop again and got possession of the shoes. The
shopman saw the child leave the shop the last time,
and pursued and took her, and Groom, a street-
keeper, who saw part of the transaction, followed
the mother and the other girl, and secured them.
The Magistrates interrogated the girls, and they
confessed that for a very long period the mother
had taken them out daily to steal any property that
lay at all exposed in the shops, and they carried
with them a knife and a basket, the one to cut
away property, and the other to conceal it.—
The elder 01 also made a statement, by which it
appeared the old wretch, her mother, had been the
cause of her seduction, and that when she could not
get money by robbery, she prostituted her person.—
There was no evidence against the elder girl to fix
her with the robbery,and the Magistrate, after ob-
serving that a case displaying more depravity and
wickedness on the part of a parent never was
brought into a Court of Justice, committed the
mother and the youngest daughter for trial.