The Sun.
London, England, 1829-12-04 00:00:00

GUILDHALL.

PARAGRAPH HUNTING, OR THE PRESS IN
TROUBLE.—Yesterday John Dean, a young man of
respectable appearance, was charged, before Mr.
Alderman 131 tows, with stealing certain extracts
from a newspaper called Bell's Messenger, the pro-
perty of Mr. Deacon, landlord of a coffee-house,
No. 1, Skinner-street, Snow-hill.
Mr. Deacon stated, that he files the newspapers
taken into the coffee-house, but for some time past
several sets of these, some years old, have been de-
faced, and shorn of their original value, by having
paragraphs, and, in some places, whole leaves, cut
out. One of his people observed the young gentle-
man at the bar cut a piece out of a file of Bell's
Messenger of the year 1823, over which he had
been poring for some time, on Wednesday evening.
He informed Mr. Deacon of the circumstance, who
directed him to keep an eye on the pilferer of para-
graphs, and in a little time Mr. Dean was seen to
cut out a whole leaf. Mr. Deacon sent for an
officer, and as soon as Mr. Dean came down stairs
he was taken into custody, and on being searched
a heap of extracts from the file were found upon him,
resembling the formidable array presented on a sub-
editor's table.

The extracts were produced; and the horrific
array of " dreadful accidents," " melancholy occur-
rences," " inquests," " determined suicides,"
" drownings," and " seductions," would be enough
to appal the stoutest reader.
Alderman BROWN wished to know what use they
could be of to the prisoner ?
" He is employed by the newspapers," replied
Mr. Deacon, " to collect information ; and I under-
stand several periodicals are filled up by extracts
taken from old works."

The Alderman seemed a little surprised at this,
to him, novel profession, and asked Mr. Deacon
what value he set upon the work ?—Mr. Deacon
replied that he considered the file of papers worth at
least ten shillings, and in consequence of being cut
up in the manner it was by the prisoner, it was ren-
dered wholly valueless.
In that case," said the Alderman, " I shall
commit him if you require it."—" Certainly," re-
joined Mr. Deacon • "the prisoner has been fre-
quenting my house Deacon;
some time, and not only have
various files of papers been defaced, but also several
vauable books have been stolen; wherefore I wish
to have the prisoner's lodgings searched."
" Do you know where he lodges ?" inquired the
Alderman.—" I do not," replied the complainant.
" Then," said the Alderman, "I cannot ask that
question of the prisoner, as it may tend to involve
him in a charge.of felony."
Mr. Dean was asked if he wished to say any
thing.—He replied, " I confess, with shame, that I
cut out the extracts."—He was committed.

A gentleman who was in the Justice•room during
the examination, stated to the Alderman that the pri-
soner NI as the "gentleman of the press" who excited
recently the ire of The Sun, and other Evening Pa-
pers, by foisting on them a most interesting account
of a seduction by a " hoary" profligate Just libe-
rated from " durance vile," but whose " infamous
attempt" was luckily frustrated by the young lady's
brother, who took her out of a coach in Regent-
street. The paragraph was copied into the News,
and a few days after our Sunday contemporary
laughed heartily at finding he had copied what had
appeared in the News upwards of 20 years
ago, the only difference in the new version being
the substitution of Regent-street for Hatto,n-garden.