Star.
London, England, 1814-10-25 00:00:00

RUCKER AND OTHERS V. HAMM.

Mr. Pottocx, for the plaintiff's, said he opposed the
defendant on the ground that the debt due to the
pl OntifFs was one that might have been proved under
a commission of bankrupt, which had been formerly
issued against the.delendant, and for which he was
now in custody. He was also a foreigner: as Mr.
Serjeant PALMER seemed to think the latter objection i
fatal in this ease, he should rely on that; for the de-
fendant challenged the parties to chew any miscon.
duct; and appealed to the humanity and the policy of,
the Court to say' whether it was just, or humane, or'
wisr,lo keep a foreigner in prison, merely because he
had not the means to pay his debts ?
Mr. SerjeantPaLmen said, the debts here were con-
tracted after a bankruptcy, and in the case of a fo-
reigner, as the Act invested him with the discretion,
he Inlet say that defendant was not entitled to be dis-
charged. Defendant remanded.

MIDDLESEX SESSIONS.

Yesterday the Sessions of the Peace for the County
of Middlesex commenced at acks's Hall ; Mr. MAIN.
WARING, in the Chair, when several cases of as-
saults were tried.
J. Hodge: was indicted for assaulting T. Benwell,
at Bullock's auction-rooms, in Holborn. By the evi.
dence of the prosecutor it appeared that himself and
the defendant were both brokers, and were attending
a sale at Bullock's auction-rooms. An old bedstead
happened to be put up to auction, which was pur-
chased by the defendant. The prosecutor, as he said,
by accident knocked a part of it down, upon which
the defendant, with a loud imprecation, , gave him a
violent kick on the groin, which caused him to faint
away and briiised him severely. The effect of the
blow, he also stated, he felt at the present moment.
The Jury found him guilty.
Joseph Showell, the head-borough of the parish of
St. Giles's, Holborn, was indicted for letting a man
go at large charged in his custody with a felony.
Mr. GIikNEY, for the prosecution, stated the fol-
lowing circumstances :—The defendant was the head-
borough of St. Giles's, and one night in September
last, a person, whose name was unknown, was
brought to the watch-house, charged with having
rubbed on unfortunate girl of the town of a handker.
chief. When he was first brought there, the defendant
very properly said that the girl, although of that un-
fortunate description, must not to mal-treated, and he
accordingly affected to takd the charge in his watch-
house book ; but he only wrote it on a separate bit
of ploer, by which means it did not appear before the
Magistrate the next day. As soon, however, as the
girl was gone, the prisoner desired to be liberated,
and offered a all note as a szcurity for his appearance
Oh the Monday morning. The defendant asked him
what he would stand to make it up ? Upon which the
prisoner said, he would give all the note as he was a
married man, and if the affair came to his wife's ears,
it would cause a great unhappiness between them ;
he accordingly let the man go. The next morning
he, the defendant, called upon the girl, and told her
he had got a crown for her to make the matter up,
which she had better take, and say no more about it.
By his persuasion the girl took the money ; but the
Watch-house Committee hearing of the transaction,
directed the present indictment to be preferred.
By the evidence of the girl, Harriet Matthews, it
appeared that she had picked up a man in the street,
who went home with her to her lodgings in Holborn.
Here they had a difference about money matters,
when the man snatched up her silk handkerchief and
ran away with it. She followed him and called" stop
thet." He was stopped by a watchman and carried
to the watch-house. Mr. Shewell then took the charge
and she left the man in custody. The next day, being
Sunday, Shewell came to her and told her he had a
crown for her to make it up, which was better than
going to the Office, and told her to take the money
and' not appear, which she did.
Mr. AnoLenta; addrassein the Court and Jury on
behalf of the defendant, whom he stated to be a most
respectable tradesman in Little Turnstile, Holborn,
and to have undertaken the office of headhorialgh
without any gratuity whatever. With respect to the
transaction now alluded tr , he observed that it had
arisert solely from his humanity, and from a wish td
rescue a poor fellow from an awkward situation, in
which his fAly had placed him. The 145.6 d. which
it was insinuated had been kept by the defendant, had
been returned to the supposed felon, to the last far-,
thing. '1 he Learned Counsel then expressed his tea-'
diness to call witnesses to the character of the defen-
dant, if the Court should see such a step necessary.
The learned Chairman was of opinion that this was
not letting a mat out of custody who was charged
with a fel,aly, and he believed the defendant had no
idea (,1 committing any crime. The compromise was
the best end of the transaction stated. Verdict—Not
Guilty.

George Post, the unfortunate man, who, it will
be recollected, was convicted at the last Chester
a.,s;zes, on the testimony of an artful wicked gitl
named Ann Posties, and sentenced to,be hanged, has
received a tree pardon from the Regent, and will im
medistely leave Cheste; for Maidstone, the residence,'
of his rrskrectable lamily. Proper means are taking to
have the miscreants alp fabricated the charge against;
Post, bra ught to trial for the atrocious conspiracy.
Saturday se'nnight Charles Hurrell, labourer at
Micklk ton-ball,.in -Lssex, was instantaneously killed
whilst orurking in a gravel pit, bj the earth,ialling
WWI hist).