Star.
London, England, 1830-09-30 00:00:00

RCIITIERY BY BAVARIAN BROOM GIRL[.

~.er Sc:ataidt, Itannah Schmidt (a man,) Catherine iiitttiitt.
Yehtniat. anal Catherine Hoffman, who obtain their living by
hawking 1.1.8.0 ms about the country with the cry of "Buy a broom," were
brought up charged with having violently assaulted and robbed Joseph
NVVIFIN. a ~;artlener, on the Wanil%wotth.road, on Thursday night last.
Norris 4tated that he was a labouring gardener, and lived near the
melope Inn, at Wandsworth. On Thursday night last, about 19
12 ::'clock, he was going home along the Wandsworth-road, near Lonna
ster.sweep (a turning leading to Clapham,) when three broom girls pass-
rd him in brown dresses, such as they usually wear, but the night was
so stark he could not discern their features, but they appeared to have
white handkerchiefs bound over their heads. He (witness) was !oil/.
towards AVandsworth, and the girls towards town. After they had.
ahem 11) yard 4, he turned his head and saw they were stopping. kg had
net proceeded many paces farther, when he observed the prisoner, Peter
s:chmidt, dressed in a blue stnockfrock, standing with his back *phut
a .uer, and the other prisoner Hannah Schmidt stooping behind : just as
vissed them, Peter Schmidt came behind him, and placing his hand
h;- shoulder, said, " Halloo, how much money have you got about
you ' The prisoner had a foreign accent. Witness saki he had none.
He Oen ask. d if he had a watch in his pockets he answered in the
-er..tis.e. upon which prisoner felt his trousers, at the sometime saying it
was riot likely a young man like him should be without money or
‘vatcli : he then seized him by the collar, and called the other prisoner
Hannah Schmidt, who came up from behind the tree, but before he awls
up the other prisoner had knocked him down, and had placed his hand
over his mouth to prevent him calling 'for assistance. Witness begged
fur assistance, and said, " For GOD'II sake don't ill-use me, and I'll
give you all I have." Upon this assurance he allowed him to rise, and'
he then turned his pockets inside out, and witness gave him 4s. 6d. all
die money he had. At this moment the three broom girls came up,
and stood near whilst the prisoner Peter Schmidt robbed him. They
then desired him to make the best of his way home, and swore if be
made any alarm they would knock his brains out. At some distance
he came up with two policemen, and he gave information to them of
the robbery, and a description of their persons. He (witness) was quite
positive as to the identity of the prisoners, and they all joined after the
robbery, and proceeded towards London.
Magistrate.—Did they use any further violence towards you than you
have already described ?
Norris.—They threatened to murder me if I made any alarm; and
when I was knocked down my head was much hurt by the fall.
klagtstrate.—Are you positive the three broom girls were in their
society ?
Norris.—l am quite sure they were all together.
Cornelius Casey, a policeman, division V. No. 71, stated that on
Thursday night last, about eleven o'clock, he saw all the prisoners
pass through the town of Wandsworth; they were going towards
London. The prosecutor met him, and told him of the robbery, and
he and another constable pursued the prisoners as far as Vauxhall
turnpike, but could not overtake them. He gave information to some
policemen of the L division, who subsequently took the prisoners
into custody. Witneu is certain he saw them passing through Wands-
worth..

Thomas Cooke, policeman, division 1., No 59, stated that on Thurs-
day night, shortly after 12 o'clock, the prisoners came up to him in
Kennington-lane' and asked him the way to Whitechapel ; he di-
rected them, and they went away. In a few minutes after he heard of
the robbery, and instantly followed them, and succeeded in apple.
bending them. He conveyed them back to Clapham, where he searched
them, and-on the prisoner Peter Schmidt he found a bag containing
291. 10s. all in silver, and some coppers. The two male prisoners
spoke English very well.
The prisoners, when called upon for their defence, said, in broken
English, they were innocent of the robbery, and declared they had never
seen the prosecutor before. They, however, admitted they were on the
Wandsworth road at the time in question.
The Magistrate, said the evidence was quite conclusive, and they
should therefore send the prisoners for trial.
They were then fully committed to Horsemonger-lane gaol, to take
their trial at the next assizes.

Yesterday Captain William Smith, R.N. was brought before the Ma-
gistrates, Jona RAVENHILL and THOMAS PUCKLZ, Esqrs. upon a
warrant obtained against him by William Edwards, his madman, for
an assault.

Capt. Smith is the same Gentleman who, it will be rentembered,some
time ago resided in Eustonaquare, and who was tiled and acquitted at
tne Old Bailey, for committing a rape upon a female, under very extra-
ordinary circumstances, which at the time created much interest. Since
that period the Captain has been residing on Clapham Common, at the
house of Mr. Chinga, where he occupies an elegant suite of apartments.
The Captain, it appears, still indulges in his extraordinary habits, and
i. is servants, especially females, never continue in his service more than
a fortnight, when they invariably are compelled to leave, for their per-
sonal safety, and in many instances the Magistrates have been applied
to, to recover their boxes, the Captain having refused to give them up
unless they conform to his wishes. In this cue the complainant stated
that lie had been engaged by Capt. Smith as coachman a few weeks
back, and he had done every thing in his power to serve his master,
who on Monday told him to go about his business, without assigning
tiny cause for his dismissal. He called shortly after to ask for his wages,
when the Captain turned him down stairs and struck him.
Captain Smith, with great warmth, endeavoured to show that the
coachman had given him provocation for assaulting him, but failed •
and the Magistrates ordered him to pay a fine of forty shillings untie;
Mr. Peel's Act.

The Captain said, " I will be d—d if I pay the fine."
The Magistrates immediately fined the Captain ss. for swearing, and
asked him whether :le was ready to pay the fine, or in default they
should have the unpleasant duty of committing him to prison for
two months.

Captain Smith W3F inexorable, and refused to pay.
The Magistrates then ordered his commitment to be made out, and
the Captain was conveyed in his own carriage in custody of an officer to
prison, fcr the terns of two months.

INSOLVENT DEBTORS' COURT, Sm. 29.

THE VALUE or ♦ F aavalito.—Georoc Sing, a simple-looking
man, described as late a fanner at Cranbrook, was opposed by an elderly
gentleman named Unecure, in propria persona, who complained that
the insolvent bad put him to unnecessary expense by sending him a
frivolous letter.

The opposing creditor stated, that several years ago he lent the in-
solvent 1,6001. secured by a bond of his brother, who bad lately be-
come bankrupt, but under whose Commission he received 14s. in the
pound, and for the residue he had arrested the insolvent, who ren-
dered to prison in May, and afterwards sent him a letter enclosing
a farthing.
Commissioner litmus—Where is the letter ? What did it state ?

" I am an injured man," exclaimed the opposing creditor, "he put
me to seventeen pence expence for a farthing !"—(laughter ;) and he
handed the letter with the farthing up to the Court.
The following is a copy of the letter, the reading of which excited
the risibility of the whole Court :
Debtors• Prison.
My dear Sir—l have a LITTLE money which I have just received,
and 1 beg your acceptance of the enclosed in liquidation of my debt.
Yours truly, OEO. KING.
HARRIS-Why did you write this foolish letter to

year creditor?
insolvent.—l did not write it, Sir ; some one wrote it in the prison.
(A laugh.)
The COUST said such conduct could not be tolerated, and the in-
solvent would be made an example of : it was enough for a creditor to
dose his debt.
Mr. Cooxx hoped the Court would not remand his client, as he had
suffered already four months' confinement. The letter was evidently
written to cause a laugh.
Mr. Commissioner fissure said that the Court was invested with
a diwretionary power, whist they would exercise on the insolvent.
Mr. Comex—Then lam afraid you will make the insolvent laugh
on the wrong side of his mouth.—(d laughter.)
Mr. Commissioner HARKlll—Creditor are not to be harrassed in
such a manner. A remand fill deter others from the same course.
Mr. Cooxx said the insolvent had been very ill, and further confine-
ment would materially impair his health.
Mr. Commissioner Hsancslemained inexorable. and sentenced the
insolvent, for his foolish conduct, to six months' imprisonment from
the date of filing his petition, which will expire in the latter end of
isovember.

Wonsuir ix Russ s,—Let a person he ever so reli-
gions, he has the greatest dint:nil to refrain from laughing, when he
sees so many genuflexions and so many crosses made before a trum-
pery image, beside whichmue: simpleton has pfaced a lighted taper.
You can seldom pus therolte of me Kremlin without seeing some old
woman or other of thelower class, notwithstanding the carriages, strik-
ing her head in her pions zeal for an hour together against the muddy
pertinent. How often lime I seen a long barded hypocrite, holding
a relic to be kissed by a poor young girl, who firmly believed that
she pious offering of a few copecks could secure her father and her
lover from the murderous sabres of the Turks ! No droschka driver
fails to make the sign of the cross as he passes the image of any
saint at the coruer of a street, rind even the shopkeeper does nut
forget to cross himself befOre be cheats you out of your cuh. But it
is in the churches that the absurdity of all this pious mummery is
most striking. Placeruneif near the altar, if you would observe the
truly comic movements of an'thaie backs that bend, of all those heads
that bow, in comet: • Old end tong, men and women, devotees with
grey beards and without any beards at all, follow this religious cadence
with woaderful precision.—Fanailp .fifertsine.