The Sun.
London, England, 1845-07-24 00:00:00

EXTRAORDINARY CASE.

-- - -
Tuesday the Hammersmith Police-court was crowded to
suffocation by persons anxious to be present at the examination
of two young men of fashionable appearance, who gave the
names of John Keep and Godfrey Woone, who were brought
up in the custody of the police, before T. Paynter, the sitting
magistrate, charged with having stolen a large bow and arrows
and three copper-plate engravings.
Henry Spicer deposed that he was a broker, and lived in the
Marlborough-road, Chelsea. On the previous day, about five
o'clock, he went to the house occupied by the prisoners, No.
4, Canning-place, Kensington New Town, and put in a dis-
tress for rent, amounting to 101. Having made the levy, just
as witness was finishing the inventory, he saw the prisoner
Keep throw a bow and arrows and three engravings out of the
window into the garden, and the prisoner Woone instantly ran
out of the house and conveyed them away.
By Mr. l'aynter—There was not enough property to pay
the rent. The prisoners had been in the house nearly two
years, and they had paid no rent except what had been ob-
tained by seizing. Latterly they had turned the house into
a playhouse, and had distributed printed bills and cards,
announcing " A novel and original entertainment. Lively
Jack of Kensington will, by the particular desire of his
friends, give a short outline of the life and adventures of his
own beautiful self, and the battles, sieges, fortune that he's
passed, &c." On the cards was pi inted, " Lively Jack's en-
trance card. Admit his worthy friend. Nut to be lost."
The witness then produced two of the windows of the house,
on one of which was written, in large white letters, " Mangling
done," and on the other, " Law taught in six lessons," and
underneath, "Meddling neighbours and arbitrary landlords
taught a lesson gratis." Also a large bill, on which was
written " Whereas some evil disposed person has circulated a
report that it is Jack's intention to leave this Castle. This is
to give notice that he means sticking here to the last moment
the law allows him.—Witness Jack's hand.—Cow Castle,
21st June."

Inspector Smith said the whole neighbourhood was in a state
of disturbance through the prisoners' proceedings, and bad
been so for some time. When he got there, on the previous
night, there were from 400 to 500 persons collected, and he
and a large party of his men were there till two o'clock in the
morning. _ _

Mr. Paynter expressed his surprise that the parish did not
indict the prisoners.

InspectOr Smith was then sworn, and deposed that on the
previous night he was present in Canning-place from ten to
after one o'clock. The prisoners were inside the house, and
were admitting into it the lowest of the low. Heard the
prisoner Keep haranguing the mob to excite them. He asked
them if the way in which he was being seized was either law
or equity, and he asked them to put down a penny a piece
to buy barley water, otherwise porter, and saying he would
put down a shilling himself. A deal of drink was taken into
the house in that way. A system of annoyance to the neigh-
bourhood had been going on for some time, a Chinese gong
being sounded all night, repeated complaints of which had
been made to the commissioners of police and to the magis-
trates.

Mr. Samuel Kettle, of No. 3, Victoria-grove, deposed
that he was the father-in-law of Mr. inderwick, the pro-
prietor of the estate. John Keep, the prisoner, was the
tenant of the house in question, and had been in possession
about a year and a half. The present nuisance had begun
about Lady-day last, when the first seizure was made. He
had seen the prisoners running about the house in a state of
nudity, which appeared to be done for the purpose of ex-
citing the attention of the public passing the house. At times
they stood at the windows in grotesque dresses, with painted
faces, all which have drawn great crowds round the house,
and occasioned much disturbance. At night they have blown
bullock's horns, and on Sundays the prisoners sat out of the
windows smoking short pipes, and their legs painted, and
dangling out.
Captain Reece said he was also a neighbour. He had not
long lived there, but although he had been to all parts of the
world, he had never heard such a riot and disturbance as had
the whole time been kept up by the prisoners. On Sunday he
had seen the prisoner Keep in the front garden with a woman's
bonnet on, and the other parts of his dress of a moat grotesque
prisonershu ng up
repeated that no
description. Crowds were thereby daily collected about the
ahno:Kuwiseree.epaptomaongst whom he had heard language
female could hear without a blush. His lady was afraid to go
images
being
t e
out for fear of being insulted.
and their companions were to the neighbourhood.
outside Other
the witnesses
house,
nd t
theto
generalstuffed nuisance
Mr. Paynter asked the prisoners what they had to say in
eagreaitnlisstchthaergine: from the felony.
begged to be informed in what position they stood.
Were they to answer the charge of felony, or only the nuisance?
They had, however, two charges to answer. The first one
ythneteervisdaeidneethgelyvewn
was by the police—a charge of riot and disturbance ; and, se-
condly, by Captain Reece, that his wife could not go out with•.
had
larette,r
gon e
out danger to her person.
The prisoner Keep then entered into a lengthened state-
mtivecnity itnleilliertrhatto duringabwouhtichthehehmouosset
in a
state of nudity, saying he should have been unworthy the
name of a man had he done so, as he had his own wife and
other females in the house. On the previous day the broker,
Spicer, accompanied by four men, three of whom were prize-
fighters, broke into the house, and carried away everything
that, they could find, even to his wife's under linen, and that
after that they seized hold of him and tried forcibly to tur
them out of the house, slid it was his screams of murder at
that time which occasioned the crowd and the police to as-
semble. They had also, since he had been in custody, attacked.
his wife, and she would have been murdered had not a police-
man got in at a window and protected her, but that would
form matter for after proceedings.
Mr. Paynter said he should call on the prisoners to enter
into their own recognisances in 20/. to appear as the sessions to
answer any charge that may be preferred against them, and in
another 20/. each for their future good behaviour.
The prisoners entered into the required recognisances, and
on being asked how they described themselves, replied, " Gen-
tlemen ; we always have been and will continue so."
On the return of the prisoners to Canning-place they were
received by the large crowd which had been collected in front
of the premises throughout the day by three tremendous cheers.

It is generally reported that the Earl of Lonsdale
w illretire from► the office of Postmaster-Gip neral immediately after
the prorogation of Parliament.