Star.
London, England, 1815-04-06 00:00:00

LAW INTELLIGBNCE.

INSOLVENT DEBTORS' COURT, APRIL. S.
not ILL AND OTHERS V. ARMSTRONG.
Mr. PRINCE SMITH and Mr. Potaaacir opposed the
ileteodant on behalf ot his creditors. He had before
been refused his discharge, on the ground that he had
remained in prison purposely and wantonly wasting
his effects.
Mr. BALANTTNE, for the defendant, contended,
that having now been fifteen months in prison he
ought to be discharged, and complained that these
iron-hearted creditors had no mercy.
Mr. Selma, in reply, said, that the defendant had
gone to prison with more moiwy in his pocket than
would have paid the debt, and this money he had
spent. As allusions had been made to the Scotch
law, he should refer to a principle of that which
reqiiired that the prisoner should istlLiergo the squalor
rarrerir, or misery of thg 'prison. The defendant
knew nothing of sue!: misery. He was a jolly well-
fed fellow;
":,..no had lived high, upon the money rf
winch he had defrauded his creditors. Instead of the,
squalor carceris, he exhibited the rosy colour of one
whose constitution had been invigorated by the fresh
breezes that blew from the Surrey hills over the rules
of the King's Bench prison.
Mr. Serjeant PALMER said, this was a case of gross
fraud, and it would be quite a disgrace to the Court
if such a person could be liberated, till hikad done
much more to expiate his original offence.
MIDDLESEX SESSIONS.
STOPPING MAIL COACHES.
Yesterday, Daniel Calaghan was indicted lot vio-
lently assaulting and imprisoning the person of Mr.
Lawless, on the evening of the Ist of August last.
It appeared from the statement of Mr. Lawless,
who is Deputy-Superintendant of Mail Coaches, that
in consequence of the rejoicings which took place in
the Parks, on the Ist of August, and the crowds
which were collected in Piccadilly on that occasion,
the Post-office had ordered, that the Pool, Bristol,
Gloucester, and other Mails, which usually go by
Plyde Park corner gate, should on that night go by
Oxford-road and Tyburn-gate, and Mr. Lawless was
ordered to see this arrangement carried into effect.—
In compliance with this order Mr. Lawless attended
at Tyburn-gate, at eight o'clock, to see the mails safe
out of town ; and on his arrival there he found the
three coaches above-named had been stopped .33, the
Defendant, who was keeping the gate, and refused to
let them pass unless they would pay toll. Mr. LAW-
less remonstrated with him, told him his name, and
the office he filled ; and observed, that Is keeper of a
turnpike-gate, he must know that the mails were en-
titled to pass toll free. The Defendant, however, still
refused to let them pass. and kept the gate shut; and
on the Prosecutor attempting to open it he knocked
him down, and beat him violently. The guards of
the coaches seeing this interfered and rescued hint.—
The coaches were then suffered to pass the gate, afier
having been detained nearly ten minutes ; but the
Defendant had not yet finished with the Prosecutor;
he now seized him, and insisted on being paid the
toll, which the Pi osecutor refused, and was in conse-
quence dragged by the Defendant into the toll-house,
bttuck several times, and kept imprisoned mere than
an hour. The Defendant could nut have been igno-
rant that the mails %ere entitled to pass flee, as mail-
coaches passed through Tybuttegate every night.
The statement of Mr. Lawless was cortoborated
by other testimony.
The Defendant did not deny the charge, but
pleaded as an excuse that he had been rejoicing dur-
ing the day, and was much intoxicated.
The Court sentenced hint to six months hard
labour in the House of Correction.
OLD BAILEY.
These Sessions commenced yesterday before Lord
ELLENBOIMGH, Sir ALAN CHAMBRE, the LORD
MAYOR, and City Officers.
Richard Najilcr was indicted for felonimply steal-
ing a horse, the property of Mr. Maul, surgeon, Pic-
cadilly, as long since as May, 1813. The prisoner
was in confinement on another charge of felony,
when he was identified a few weeks since. At the
time of stealing this horse, he-had a temporary resi-
dence at No. 22; Park-lane, and he took an unfortu-
nate fancy to the animal, as one which would suit
his niece, and he sent his groom to the hone of the
prosecutor to inquire about the docility of the horse,
&c. and to request permission to have a trial in the
Park. The prosecutor's servant took the horse to
Park-lane, the next morning, for the said tritl, when
he saw the prisoner and another scrithinau at the door.
Nayler desired the horse miiht he taken to Howe's
livery stables preparatory to the trial (where he said
be had ten or eleven other horses standing), and his
orders were complied with. The next day he sent a
promissory note, myable at seven days, to the Prose-
cioor, which, to use his own words, " first opened
Lis eyes ;" and on sending to 22, Park-lane, instead
or finding Nayler, the house was full of clamorous
creditors. Tile Prosecutor never heard of his horse
since. The animal was but half an hour in Howe's
livery stables, and so far from the Prisoner having
any stand of horses there, he was not even known to
the ostler.
Lord ELLENEOROUGH laid down the law, that to
obtain the horse by fraud and deception, without ac-
tual sale, constituted the felony.—Guilty—Death.
Mr. 'Maul, having nothing but public justice in
view in this prosecution, recommended the Prisoner
to the np.rcninl consideration of the Court.
Infirm °Kidd, a gente-1 young man of 21, was
charged- with leloniousiy ravishing Eliza Willis, a
child under ten years of age. The Counsel for the
prosecution submitted to the Bench, that a minor
under ten years of age, cannot consent to the viola-
tion of her person, as the law protects her infancy.—
This case excited much interest amongst the audi.
tory. The prosecutrix was a child one week under
the age ot ten ; and, on the 2iith of February, the
prisoner met her at Chelsea, and after inquiring into
the situation of life of her father and mother, lie
allured het, by the promise of some silver, to an un-
6nished house, situated adjoining a lane, leading
from f3rotripton Crescent, on the grounds (1 a Mr.
Dennis, where he accomplished his purpose. We
forLeAr to enter into any further particulars, by
which decency would be offended. The child gave
her evidence under symptoms of grief and shame,
which excited the most I:vely sensations in her behalf.
The facts were extracted from her by Mr. ANIVAWS,