Star.
London, England, 1825-08-24 00:00:00

BOW-STREET.

An old Grenadier of the 'Third Guards, named William Marjor-
ie*, was brought up, at the instance of his wife, for cruelly beat-
ing her on the preceding night.
The man has been frequently brought to the office for the same
offence. He was, sr usual upon those occasions, under the influ-
ence of liquor. He broke in upon the narrative of grievances de-
tailed by his wife, with the most vociferous exclamations in his
defence. In answer to the specific charge. he declared that he was
driven to desperation by the 11l language of his wife, who charged
him with being what no nun would bear to be called, without
losing his temper and lik ritaloll. Under these circumstances. be
certainly bad forgotten himself. He appealed to the Magistrates,
as Gentlemen. whether it was possible for bins to act otberteise
than he had done when so aggravated ? do conclesies, he declared
that be had fought twenty.one years for his country, and served
under the Duke of Wellington, at Waterloo; he bad at all chops
given his wife half his pay, and yet she was the ruin of him by
sending him to prison.
Mr. Iliztanuu severely reprimanded the woman for the lan-
guage she bad used, and ordered the man to find bail.
Marinicroft—How can I find ball? Sir Richard 131rnie, won't
you protect me? I can't afford to go to prison and lose.my work.
The dicers were about to lead him out of the office, when the
prisoner, who is a tall and powerful man, prepared so make resist-
ance. He placed his back to the wall, and loudly exclaimed against
the hardness of his sentence. . . .

Sr R. Busts came down from hit seat, approached the cont.
batants, and with difficulty, and much personal risk. succeeded In
separating them. " Come," said he. " Marinactoft, you are an
old soldier, and know how to obey the orders of authority—follow
me." The Chief Magistrate then led the way, wholly unattended,
out of the office, submissively followed by the refractory Grena.
Bier, who, nevertheless, expressed aloud his suspicions that Sir
Richard was going to lock hint up. Sir Richard having placed
him quietly on a seat in the passage, to wait the arrival of his bail,
returned to the bench.

Yesterday, a young man named William Wes, dressed like a b.
insurer, and having much more the appearance about him of honesty
and hard work. than of one who is in the habit of making free with
his neighbour's goods. was brought before Mr. llftestruxx, charged
with stealing a box of linen from behind the cart of a Richmond
carrier; and a singular feature in the case was, that he was appre-
hended through the instrumentality of his wife ; and that, not from
a feeling of pique or revenge, which ofteh operates very powerfully
upon women for a short time, but from pure honesty.
The carrier, it appeared, was standing at a public-house, at Ful-
ham, refreshing himself and his horse, when the prisoner's wife came
crying to him, and said she feared her husband had cut a Lox from
his cart. and begged bins to satisfy her one way or the other. He
soon found that a box of linen had been taken from behind his cart,
and the wife immediately sent for it. and restored it to tlie carrier.
Mr. Mutsu= asked to see the wife. and a very decent and ra-
ther pretty-looking woman stepped Coward, has' face bathed in
tears, and curtseying ixodestly to the Magistrate, began by entreating
mercy for her husband. She stated (not on oath) that he came home
with the box in que-tion upon his shoulder, and feeling apprehen-
sive that he could Lot have come honestly by it. she questioned him
very closely, but could get nothing satisfactory hens him ; and she
ran out to inquire about it ?and seeing the errand cart, she concludsd
that the box must have been taken from it. _ _

Mr. filmsin.s..—You are, in any view of the ease, an extraor-
dinary young woman. I'tay is he a good husband?
Mrs. Styles, glancing through her tears a look of strong affection
open the prisoner, said, " Poor fellow! Yes, Sir, as good a husband
las ever lived, and I am sure as honest a man as can be; but be has
lately been troubled with a complaint in his head, and when he gets
a little to drink, he does not know what he is about. This was the
case when he took the box."
Mr. Mixsautx..—H•sw came you to be the first to disclose his
commission of a theft?

Mes- Sitt—liecause, Sir, I know he would not have done it, I
if he bad In his proper sautes; and I could not bear the
thoughts of keeping anything far a moment that I knew belonged
to other people.
Mr. Munnutt..---You are really a noble instance of correctness of
principle and strength of natural affection. I am afraid, however,
that my duty will not permit me to take the explanation you have
given as a sufficient excuse for the commission of a felony. I fear
I must send hint to prison.
Mrs. Styles.-0 dear, no, Sir, I hope not. Fray, pray, Sir, don't
send hint to prison.
The prisoner here began to shed tears, and declared that he never
wronged a human being of a halfpenny in his life. and that he should
not have taken the box if he had been in his proper senses. He bad
no recollection of doing it at all.
Mr. Ni ianatL said, he never felt more strongly the violence that
a man was sometimes compelled to do to his feelings in the per-
formance of his duties as a Magistrate. His private feelings would
lead him instantly to discharge the prisoner, but he could not suffer
It to go abroad that a plea of drunkensess,or even of insanity, with-
out strict legal proof of the latter, could be taken as an answer to a
clear charge of felony.
"ffite prisoner was then taken from the bar to the leelr...upcoona,
amid The wailing, of his wife. If we judged _rightly of the manner
of the worthy Magistrate, it is pot his intention tetintately to send
the prisoner for trial, but to teach him, by a taste of impristopeee
,tor a day or two, to have proper command OM himself to future.

ug,,T,ON-27 •
Tester thy, thfee shlyesterletta were •e ti:: S!iting
Megtstvetes, charged with having shunted ti•.er.ozelvcs from the
employment of Messrs. King and Edgar, ilaip-hviideis. Rather-
!tithe. Dlr. King stated, that scone mouths ago he has'. engaged
the defendants tinder a contract to finish c vcssel thon on the.etprks,
but they had lately left their work without completing the con-
tract, the vessel being atiftm the stocks. The defendants stated,
that soon after they entered. into the contract, the sawyers in
Messrs. 4ng and Kagar's easpleyment struck toe en ?tlvAnce of
wages, an( obtained an advance of a shilling a day, and they
thought themselves er.titled to the same. In reply to questions
from the Magistrates, they stated that they had Ss. zd. a day, and
that they subscribed Ss. a week each man to the support of the
Union. The Magistrates, after some consultation, told the defen-
dants that if they did not return to their work they should be com-
mitted to prison. The defendants bearing this determination agreed
to return to their work.
King made application for warrants again.t ten other men,
who had left his employment under similar circumstances.