The Sun.
London, England, 1829-05-04 00:00:00

WORSHIP-STREET.

The Magistrates were engaged for some hours on Satur-
day, inquiring touching a most injurious practice resorted
to lately by some of the journeymen silk-weavers, of en-
tering the houses of men disposed to work at reduced prices,
and destroying the work. Five cases have been stated at
the office, in which the houses of men who had work in
hand were entered, and the whole of the silk in the loom
destroyed. The case more immediately before the Magi-
strates on Saturday was that of a
.man in the employ of
➢lr. Hunt. It appeared from his statement, that at night
he heard a knock at his street-door, and when he opened
it several men rushed in and knocked him down, and
spoiled the whole of his finished work, about sixty yards
of silk, by stabbing it with knives, after which they went
away and left it, This was the fifth case in which the
same villainous course had been pursued.
Mr. BENNETT addressed the men assembled in a very
forcible manner upon the unlawful proceeding in question,
and read to them time law which makes it a transportable
offence.

Mr. Price, the "relieving overseer" of St. Luke's
parish, attended before Mr. Bennett, who had desired to
speak to him, touching a very distressing case which oc-
curred before him a day or two previously.
Thomas Jeffreys, a young married man had been
brought before the Magistrate, cha-ged with stealing a
piece of beef, weighing 21,1 b. from the shop of Mr. Meady.
a butcher. He was detected in the act of stealing it, and
the case was at first regarded as the act of a common thief.
From an inquiry which took place subsequently, however,
it was found that he had a wife and family in a most dis-
tressed condition, and it appeared probable, as the prisoner
himself decl tied, that pinching want had driven him to
the commission of crime. It was proved by witnesses
who afterwards came fat ward, that he had always borne
a good character. The misery in which he and his family
had been existing was sufficiently proved ; and one of the
witnesses, a married female, said that the prisoner begged
food of her, and ate with a ravenous appetite a piece of
bread and butter which she gave him. The prisoner, on
being asked by the Magistrate why be did not seek relief
from his parish, stated that he bad several times applied to
Mr. Price, the overseer, who not only refused to relieve
him, but threatened to send him to prison. The Magis-
trate caused the prisoner's own statement, and the state-
ments of the other persons, to be added to the depositions,
and on Saturday the Magistrate placed them in the bands
of Mr. Price, who, having read and returned them, de-
clared that the matter respecting the application to him
was false.

Mr. BrNsErr laid he only knew what was s►ated here,
and the statements would go before the Judge and the pub-
lic at the trial.

Mr. Price repeated hie declaration, and there the matter
dropped.
TOWN.HALL.

A transaction in close alliance with felony came to light
on Saturday, during the hearing a case of assault pre-
ferred by one 11I'Donnell, a hawker of Irish linen, &c.,
against a common informer, named John Edmonds.
By 111'Donnell's account, it appeared that the wife of a
shopkeeper in the Borough, to whom he had tendered his
wares, tired with his importunities, thrust him out of the
shop at the moment Edmonds and another of his trade,
of the name of Skinner, came by, and demanded to see
his licence, which, after some little hesitation, not know-
ing they were authorised, he produced, and went on his
way. 'f hey followed, and observed, nudging him on the
shoulder, that he had been grossly assaulted by the wo-
man, and if he would indict, they would come forward as
witnesses, if he would shell nut. He answered that he
had no money to go to law with, and they immediately,
glancing at his pack, said, if he had not money he had
money's worth, and prevailed on him to go to a public--
house, where Edmonds tried ma a waistcoat, and selected
a piece of Irish and two silk handkerchiefs, which done,
he commenced writing on a number of slips of paper, and
at length tendered one of them, an I 0 U, without any
address, as security for the payment of 265., the price put
upon the goods, which he refused to accept. It was then
proposed that, to strengthen it, Skinner's name should be
added ; to whose sleeve he also declined pinning his faith.
" Oh, if that be so," said Edmonds, consequentially,
" we'll soon satisfy you of our responsibility when the
landlord comes down, who will have no hesitation in back-
ing it himself, and returning you 25., which I want you
to lend me to spend in drink ;" " and upon the strength of
this," continued the complainant, " I was silly enough to
lend him 2s. ; but soon found out my mistake, the land-
lord refusing to have any thing to do with them. Where.
upon Edmonds took up the goods, threw down the I 0 U,
saying I should have no other security, and walked out.
I followed him, and brought him hack into the shop—
where, handing the goods over to Skinner, he struck and
knocked me down. :The goods I have neither seen or been
paid for since."

Mr. Theodore, the landlord, said lie witnessed the de-
fendant, upon his refusing to lend himself to the trans-
action, throw the I 0 U on the counter, and heard him
say, he'd be if he give any other security; be then
left the shop with the goods. He afterwards saw him
strike the complainant—Skinner holding the goods the
while.

An unqualified person, acting as solicitor to Edmonds,
asked the complainant if he was prepared to swear that he
had not agreed to accept of the IOU as it stood? (It
was produced.)—" Certainly not," was the answer.
Sir JOHN PERRINO (throwing the precious document
from him).—Do you mean to say, there was any security
in thtt ?

" I never did consent to take it, Sir John," said the
complainant ; " and when Edmonds struck me, I called
upon Skinner, who, from drawing a staff from his poc-
ket, I considered an officer, to protect me ; but he refused."

Sir JOHN (to Skinner.)—By what right do you carry
a stiff, are you a constable? Let rae look at it.

The officers said be WWI not a constable.
Skinner.-1 carry it for my own protection, as an in..
spector of hawkers' licences.
Sir JOHN looked at him, and after viewing it, put the
staff down.

The pretended solicitor to the complainant.—Perhaps yon
will swear that you (lid not seize the defendant before he
struck you ?

Sir J. PERRING (with indignation. )—Every man, Sir,
has a right to seize another who attempts to rob him.
The defendant entered into a long and disgusting nar-
ration of the quantity of spirits drank between them at
half a score public houses, and had the audacity to put
forward Skinner, and a boy of the same name, in the same
profession, as witnesses, to prove the complainant had ex-
pressed his willingness to trust the defendant even to the
amount of 101., lint the Alderman scouted their evidence,
and ordered the defendant to find good bail.

A deplorable accident has befallen the Dili-
gence of Antwerp to Amsterdam. On the evening of the
25th, at half-past eight o'clock, it left the city, and a
quarter of an hour afterwards fell into the outer ditch of
the glacis of the Porte Rouge. The cause of the accident
cannot be ascertained ; ten persons perished, among whom
is Mr. LEGIf, an English gentleman attached to the British
Legation at Munich : seven persons were saved. From
the details we have received from Antwerp respecting this
unhappy accident, it seems that the traces of the fore horses
broke at a dangerous spot where the road is narrow, wind-
ing between two ditches without any railing or any other
guard. The water in the ditch was fifteen feet, so that
though the coach was not upset, little more than the roof
was above water; three passengers on the roof were the
first that were saved. Those inside seem to have made
great efforts to open the doors, but unhappily they could
only be opened from the outside. The driver, who was
considered as a very careful and skilful man, perished, and
also three of the horses.—Dutch Paper.