The Sun.
London, England, 1845-12-11 00:00:00

LAMBETH.

Mr. Smith, the proprietor of the Rosemary Branch
Tavern, in New Peckham, appeared before Mr. Norton,
to answer to an information laid against him by order
of the Commissioners of Police, for keeping his house
open for the sale of exciseable articles on the forenoon
of Sunday, the 30th of last month, contrary to law.
Mr. Child, of the firm of Messrs. Wire and Child, at-
tended for the defence.

Mr. William Chambers, an inspector belonging to the
P division of police, deposed that at half-past twelve
o'clock on the forenoon of Sunday, the 30th of last
month, he visited the house and premises of Mr. Smith,
the defendant, and in a part of the building which he
believed was called the tap, he found four men with two
pots on the table, and beer in each.
In reply to the questions of Mr. Child, the witness
said that the premises of Mr. Smith were exceedingly
extensive, and he admitted that one of the men he had
seen in the tap had said he was a traveller. He also
admitted having seen two flys in Mr. Smith's premises,
and that there were a number of men employed on the
premises as horse-keepers, helpers, &c.
Mr. Child, in reply to the information, said that the
premises of Mr. Smith were the largeit, perhaps, in the
metropolis, and were built upon a portion of forty acres
of ground, the freehold of their proprietor, and Mr.
Smith, so far from opening his house on Sunday fore-
noon, or wishing to violate the law, would himself be
the first to discountenance such a practice. The fact,
however, was, that Mr. Smith had on his premises ex-
tensive stabling, into which horses were taken to bait,
and he (Mr. Child) was in a condition to show that two
of the men whom the inspector had seen in the tap
were persons who had come there with two flys, and
were preparing to start with them to Hammersmith, and
the other two were the servants of the defendant.

William Belmar], the ostler of Mr. Smith, corroborated
the statement of Mr. Child, and _ _

Mr. NOTRON dismissed the complaint.
Mr. Taylor, the owner of the Waterman's Arms beer
house, North-fields, Peckham, was charged with keeping
his house open for the sale of beer on Sunday, the 30t1
of last month. _

It was admitted by Mr. Games, on behalf of the de-
fendant, that he had served two bargemen who had been
up all the night, and were taking their barge to the
mouth of the Thames, with a pint of beer, and a second
pint he gave to a man who had been doing something
for him.

The recipient of the last pint was called as a witness,
and

Mr. NORTON dismissed the ccmplaint on the paymen
of costs.

Mrs. Harstead, the landlady of the Tiger, a respect-
able licensed house near Camberwell-green, appeared to
a summons, charging her with serving on Sunday
morning.

The ease was adjourned for the purpose of producing
a witness on behalf of the defendant, but on the applica-
tionofMr. Games,

Mr. NORTON consented to dismiss the case upon Mrs.
Harstead putting 10s. in the poor-box, and paying the
expense of the summons.

SOUTHWARK.

W,n. Giles, a young man who was described in the po-
lice charge-sheet to be deaf and dumb, was broughtlbefore
Mr. Cottingham, charged with committing a violent
assault on John Kearns, a sailor, who had been con-
fined in St. Thomas's Hospital owing to the injuries he
received.

Mr. Corner, the vestry-clerk of St. John's, Horsly-
down, attended, and stated that the defendant some days
ago was admitted into the workhouse of that parish,
having been found in a destitute condition in the streets.
He assumed to be deaf and dumb, but by signs made it
appeared that he was recently living in Vine-yard, a
place in the immediate neighbourhood. For the purpose
of ascertaining the latter fact with certainty, Mr. Waller,
one of the parish officers, was sent with the defendant,
on Saturday last, from the workhouse to Vine-yard, and
on the way he was attacked in the most furious manner
by the defendant, who seized him by the throat, and en-
deavoured to throw him down, and would have effected
his object, being a very powerful young man, had it
not been for the interference of a sailor, who happened
to be passing at the time. The moment, however, the
sailor took part in the affray, he was 'attacked by the
defendant, who, seizing up a large flint stone, struck him
a blow on the head with it, and inflicted a severe cut, and
the wounded man was obliged to be conveyed to the
hospital. The defendant was at length overpowered,
and taken to the station-house, and the sailor, having
recovered in a great measure from the hurt, was now in
attendance to press the charge. Mr. Corner then pro-
ceeded to represent to the Magistrate, that within the
last few days it had been discovered that the defendant
had succeeded in practising the most gross imposition.
Mr. Owen Owen was then called, and he stated that
about four months ago the defendant was sent to his
house, the Yorkshire Grey, in Thomas-street, by the
French Consul, in order that he might be provided with
lodging, until a passage was procured for him to France;
he at that period being supposed to be a native of that
country. The defendant was at the time supposed by the
Consul and others to be deaf and dumb, and that the
latter affliction was produced in consequence of a hor-
rible mutilation that was perpetrated upon him on board
a vessel to which he belonged. The defendant's account,
which was rendered intelligible by signs, and with the
aid of his fingers, was to the following effect:—That he
was born at Boulogne, and that a few years ago he
went to sea, and having joined a vessel that was recently
bound to St. Petersburgh, the crew mutinied, and to
prevent him from giving any information of what had
taken place, they proceeded to cut out his tongue, and
that the vessel was shortly afterwards scuttled, and he
was, with some others, placed in a boat, and after
having been tossed about for some days, was
landed on the coast of Scotland, and that he made
his way to Edinburgh. The above account, Mr. Owen
said, was believed to be true, and the case of the
" unfortunate foreigner" excited a considerable sensa-
tion at the time in Scotland, the result of which was
that the French Consul at Leith sent the defendant up
to London with the view of his being taken over to
France, so that an investig<ttiou of the circumstances de-
tailed might be speedily entered into for the pur-
pose of detecting and bringing to justice the parties al-
leged to have perpetrated such an atrocious act. Upon
the defendant's arrival in London he nas sent by the
French Consul to his (Mr. Owen's) house, and during
his stay there he was always supposed to be deaf and
dumb, only making signs with his fingers, accompanied
by a squeaking noise, when he required anything. The
circumstances connected with the supposed sufferings he
had endured created much sympathy on his behalf
while living at the Yorkshire Grey, the frequenters of
which liberally supplied him with money. At length a
passage was procured for the defendant to Boulogne, and
he was accordingly conveyed acres to that place in the