Star.
London, England, 1825-11-28 00:00:00

WESTMINSTER couRT OF REQUESTS.

Rees v. DAVOREN.—The plaintiff in this case was a
beardless mower of beards—in plain English, a young
barber, though by custom and fashion called a hair-
dpi s er—when the art and mystery of hair-dressing is
nearly extinct, thanks be to cropping. Rees sought to
recover of Mrs. Davoren, who is a widow with a large '1
family, carrying on the shaving and wig-making busi-
ness, in Wych-street, the sum cf 18s. for one week's
wages, which the defendant objected to, and stated that'
she was compelled to part with him at the end of one'
day, to stop the fusion of blood ; for she declared that
'each of her old customers, as he left the shop w:th a
handkerchief to his gory chin, told her, that if on their
next visit she was not provided with an operator who
could take off the beard without Me skin, they must
seek another shop to be. shaved at ; that, moreover, all
her out-door customers, on whom be attended that fatal
morning, sent her notes to the same effect. " Then,
Gentlemen," said she, " besides all this, he could not
veave the hair for t!;.e ; and as I had an order in
the hou•e for a full bottom for an old customer, it was
not only necessary that he should veave, but veave
nimbly too."' Under the infliction of all these defi-
ciencies on the part of her new shopman, Mrs. Davoren
had no course to pursue but that of dismissing him on
the evening of the first day, making him an offer of
2s. 7d. for his dis services during the 12 hours. This,
like a noble barber, he refused indignantly ; he had
been hired for a wrek, and a week he would stay, or a
week's wages he would have : but the widow was firm,
and the young barber went his way.
The juvenile wielder of the razor, and his father, an
old hand at the trade, as he called himself, now set
about making the best defence they could ; and perhaps
might have made some impression on the Court, had
it not happened, fortunate'', for .the widow, but unfor-
tunately for the two barbers, that a comely Gentleman
of a Commissioner, recollected having been shaved on
one occasion at some shop by this very youth, and he,
openly stated that the bitter recollections of that
moment were such, that no sum of money could tempt
him to undergo such a dreadful operation again; and
that if no other barber could be found, and his own
right hand should fail him, he would suffer his beard
to grow as long as the most veLerable Jewish Rabbi's,
rather than place himself again in such hands.
'fells was, as may he well supposed, Lombard-street
to a China orange against poor Rees—who certainly
was not Rees the imitator, for he appeared never to
have been able to imitate what he had been taught, and
he was obilged to succumb, and held down his head
with a most meld expression of countenance.
The only question now was, as to the costs of the
case? for it was clear lie could recover no more than
the 2s. 7J. for one day's work ; but if it could have been
shewn that Mrs. Davoreil had actually tendered him
that sum, the costs, 10d. would have fallen on the
unfortunate barber, leaving bins 3d. minus; but as it
appeared she had only said she was willing to pay kin
so much, but had not produced the cash in propia
persona, she was old:red to pay it. with the cost., In
one is e_ k. .

Sir Ht bsos Lows al tortd At Frankfort on the 20th.