Star.
London, England, 1830-08-27 00:00:00

POLICE REPORTS.

MANSION•IIOIISPAN EXTENSIVE IMPOSTORA man named
James Jones, with dark eyes and rather a flat nose, was brought up and
charged by a great number of persons with having given them orders
for a variety of goods merely to give himself a pretence for borrowing
money from them.
The LORD MAYOR was quite astonished at heating of the multi-
tudes of tradesmen whom this ingenious person succeeded in " victi.
mixing," as the spongers call their practices in public.houses.
It was stated that the prisoner on one occasion ordered some shirts
and stockings to a false address, and almost immediately afterwards
bonowed Is. 6d. from the shopkeeper for an immediate object, as he
had left his money at home. This was the course he pursued. The
order was generally so tempting, the appearance of the man so like
what he pretended to be, though he represented a great variety of trades,
and the loan he required so small, that his success was not interrupted,
until by accident he gave an order to a tradesman whom he had
" victimized" before.

The indignation expressed against him was very great, but it was
very ludicrous in one instance.
The prisoner rung at an accoucheur's night bell, and requested that
the medical gentleman would at once be so good as to put on his clothes
and go to visit his (the prisoner's) wife, who was in the pangs of labour.
" Surely," said the Doctor, " I'll go to her this moment," and he started
up, although he had just sought repose after the performance of a si.
milar task to that for which he was preparing. He scarcely had
his breeches on, when another ring at the bell introduced the same
visitor. " Doctor," said he, " will my wife require a nurse ?"
" A nurse ! good 00D, to be sure she will. You must get one
immediately," said the Doctor. " Bless me," said the prisoner,
" what shall Ido ? No nurse will come at this late hour with.
out money, and in my hurry and anxiety I have not brought
out a halfpenny with me." " Never mind that," said the doctor, pull-
ing an his boots with much difficulty, " I'll let you have what will
answer the purpose," and he handed two half-crowns to the prisoner,
who immediately departed in quest of the nurse. Soon afterwards the
doctor foillowei, but how much must he have been astonished at finding
that the house to which he had been directed was a police station, and
that there was no woman there except one that had been a :mother fifty
years ago.
The LORD MAYOR—Does anybody know whether he has taken in
any lawyer? (Laughter.)
The shopkeepers all said that they could find all trades and pro-
fessions in the prisoner's list, except the lawyer.
The Loan MAYOR—He is too clever to try an experiment there.
The tradesmen here caused much laughing in giving accounts of
the labour they underwent in carrying carpets and other large un-
wieldly articles to various distances, after having lent the prisoner
lid. or 16d.

The Lord Mayor thought the tradesmen had been easily duped.
They replied that they were convinced that upwards of 2,000 had
been imposed upon, and they were anxious to check the prisoner.
His Lordship advised the tradespeople to get Robert Cruikshank to
take a likeness of the prisoner, and to enclose it to one of the newspa-
pers that exhibited the slang and villainy of the metropolis.
The prisoner was remanded till Monday, when it is expected that
many of the 2,000 will be in attendance.

GUILDHALL.-Elisabeth Read, with an infant in her arms, and a
child about five years old by her side, was charged with deserting these
two children in the parish of St. Sepulchre.
Mr. Miller, the assistant overseer, stated that the children were brought
to the workhouse, about six o'clock the preceding evening, by a young
man, who said the mother had thrown the infant down with some vio-
lence upon a sack she dropped on the pavement, in the north-west cor-
ner of Smithfield ; and having done this, she ran away across the sheep-
pens' leaving the other child behind. She said she was a native of West.
moreland, and had deserted her children because her husband had been
committed from Hatton•garden Office. Enquiry was made at the New
Prison, Clerkenwell, but no person answering to the name she had given
had been brought there.—She was remanded.
Bow.trrasZT...-Yesterday a gentleman, named Whalley, who re-
sides at South Minims, complained to Mr. Mirrsitura. and Mr.HALLII
of his having been stopped on the Greenwich road at one o'clock the
preceding night, while proceeding to town on the dicky of his brother.
in-law's carriage. by some of the new police, one of whom seised the
horses' heads, while the other proceeded to search the carriage.
Mr. HALLS—Did the police constables say what they searched for ?
Mr. Whalley—They did not, nor could I obtain the slightest expla-
nation from them upon that point; one of them, who carried a lent.
horn, said his letter was R. and his number 12.
Mr. Blrsrsuma. advised Mr. Whalley to proceed at once to the
Commissioners of Police, and lay a statement before them of the
treatment he complained of.
Mr. Whalley left the office for that purpose, and returned in about
an hour, stating that he had seen Mr. Mayne, one of the Commis-
sioners of Police, who assured him that the matter should undergo
investigation. dr. Mayne added, that police constables had certainly
no right to take upon them duties of excise officers by searching for
contraband goods, much less had they a right to stop a gentleman's
carriage for that purpose on the highway.
Mr. Whalley then withdrew, thanking the Magistrate for the atten-
tion shown him.

Urriou.ssau..—Yesterday, Thomas Witham, the husband of the
unfortunate woman who was barbarously murdered at her house in
Prince's4treet, Lambeth, on Thursday afternoon last, attended at this
office, accompanied by Mr. Harmer and several of the jury before whom
the late investigation had taken place.
Mr. Harmer complained that Witham had been kept in custody
ever since Friday last, by the Superintendent of the Lambeth Di.
vision of Police, without being taken before a Magistrate, and even
after the Coroner's Jury had returned a verdict of Wilful Murder
against some person or persons unknown, on Wednesday ; thereby
acquitting Witham of guilt. Yet that unfortunate young man was
still kept in custody, and was not released until that mottling,
when he was taken up to Queen-squere Office. Mr. Harmer here
proceeded to describe what had taken place at Queen-square. When
Witham was taken before Mr. Gregorie, that gentleman inquired of
Mr. Dowling whether he had any further evidence than that produced
before the jury to charge Witham with the murder ? The reply was in
the negative; upon which the Magistrate expressed considerable sur-
prise that the young man should have been detained in custody at all,
particularly after the verdict of the coroner's jury had been pronounced;
and he at once said that Witham was at perfect liberty to leave the office.
Mr. Hamer said that before leaving Queen-square that morning, he
had been told by the new police present, that the moment Witham was
out of their custody, It was the intention of the officers of Union.hall to
apprehend him again, and take him before a magistrate. Upon hearing
this report, Witham, as well as his master, (Mr. Nash,) expressed a
wish to proceed to this Office, to ascertain whether such was the inten.
tion, and to deliver himself up, if there was any shadow of evidence to
show that he was concerned in the atrocious murder of his late wife.
Chief constable Hall said that he attended on both days the Coroner's
Inquest, and paid the greatest attention to the evidence ; and after hear-
ing it, he had no doubt as to Witham's innocence, and no officer belong-
ing to that establishment had any idea of taking him into custody.
Mr. Sir/ABET said that he had no hesitation in saying that the deten-
tion of Witham in custody at all was illegal, and contrary to law. If
the superintendent thought proper, on his own responsibility, to take
that person into custody, it was his duty, in the first instance, to have
taken the suspected party before a magistrate, and not depriveone of his
Majesty's subjects of his liberty from the Friday until the Thursday
following. 'I he magistrate added, that the superintendent had, by this
illegal proceeding, subjected himself to an action in the Court of h.ing's
Bench.

Mr. Nash said, that when he spoke to the Superintendent on the sub-
ject of Witham's detention, he said that the latter had expressed a
desire to be taken to the station-house, rather than be sent to Horse-
monger-lane Gaol, which would have been the use had be been taken
before a lilaghitrate.
Witham was now asked whether he hod expressed a desire to the
Superintendent to be taken to the station-house ? Witham said that
he never expressed a wish on the subject ; but was taken off to the
station-house in Waterloo-read, and there locked up since Friday last.
Mr. Harmer characterized it as a most scandalous piece of injustice
towards a man under all the circumstances : he said that Witham was
detained all along contrary to law, and that steps would in ail probabi.
lity be taken to show the Superintendent, who had performed his duty
in such a manner, that he was not justified in the way he had acted.
hit. SWANEY.— There is no charge here against Witham, and there.
fore he is at perfect liberty to leave the effice ; and as his master has the
highest passible opinion of his character, if he was inclined to befriend
him, he had strong grounds for entering an action against the Superin-
. tendant, who had upon his own responsibility deprived the manor his
liberty for so many daps, without tacking him before a magistrate, and
without *particle of evidence to charge him with so heinous an offence.
The parties then withdrew.

LAIKEETHSTREET.—Yesterday, Mr. Edward Cohen, of the firm
of Cohen and Co. Ship and Custom House Agents, in Great St. Wens,
Bishopsgate, waited on the Sitting Blagistrate, AI. WYATT, N.
to request the assistance of the officers of the establishment to apprehen d
a man named Charles Smith, who had decamped with property amount.
ing in value to near 5001. which had been entrusted to his care, n,
stated in our paper yesterday.
Lea, one of the officers, said he had been for the greater part of ilk
night and morning in pursuit of Smith, and from the information he re.
ceived, he had every reason to think he should soon be able to appre.
bend him. _ _ _

Mr. WYATT told Mr. Cohen that the business could not be in IktWr
hands, u he was sure Lea would spare neither time nor trouble it:
curing the delinquent.
Mr. Pink, the landlord of the White Lion public-house, in IVIM4.
Lion-street, Wbitechapel, was convicted in the penal), of 31. fur per-
mitting disorderly characters to assemble at his house at unseasonabk
hours.

THAMES POLICE.—.JOhn Moore, who walks on crutches, and is
one of the paupers of St. Paul, Shadwell, was charged with assaulting
another
anrpad disorderlynamedup
behaviour.k'ter He was ten
,
asailor,ansednhcincd to be
being guilty of general
riotoui
imprisonee.
for two months in the House of Correction.

TOWN.RALL.—WiIIiani. Thomas Giles, landlord of the George and
Phcenix, Bermondsey-street, was charged with assaulting /Francis Se.
gun, a broker.
The defendant met the complainant in the street in a state of extreme
agitation, and said that an acquaintance of his, named Tubby, had
lodged an information against him, and how to act he did not know.
He advised him to face it out ; shortly after the defendant sent a person
to him to say that he wished to speak to him, and he went to his house,
when, beckoning him inso a private room, he locked the door, accused
him of giving the information, knocked him down, trampled upon and
kicked him.
Tubby, also a broker, said that, on hearing the complainant's cries
for help, he endeavoured to enter the room, but was prevented by a mail
named Claughton ; he did at length force an entrance, and saw the de.
fendant kicking the complainant as he lay on the ground ; when the
complainant left the room he fell senseless.
Other witnesses corroborated Tubby.
The defendant contented hintself with asking the Alderman to assess
the penalty.
The complainant accepted of the sum of four pounds as a recompence.