Star.
London, England, 1829-01-06 00:00:00

POLICE INTELL MEM&

-1
DIA NSION- HOUSE.
A young man, who has just monied from sea, was brought Op.'
charged with having bad in his possessino ahnut a p d and a half
of tobacco, upon which duty bad not been paid. The tot:acco had
been found by an Exciseman.
The LORD MAYOR. who deeply compassinnated the unfotrunate
follow for having thus
.pulsjected himself to hard service for bite
years mica, asked him why hr had ventured to di so dangerous a
thing ! .
Ile replied, in. teals, that be had no idea there Pas any crime hs
bringing home a little tobacco for his own use. 'lty begged for
GOO i sake thit his proiecutors would consider that belied a wife
and :wo children, and that be never committed its offence laiiore.
The complainants persisted hi requiring that be should be orb-
tine, d to serve his Majesty for flee years. •
The Loan MAYOR expostulated very stre,ngly with them, add
said that it appeared to him to be great cruelty for so trivial ad
offence; to hither the dreadful punidament Of tearing a pour man
away from his wife and children fur five years.
The complainant said that it was in the power of the Lords of
the Treasury alone to remit or mitigate the punishment.
The Loan Mayok—it I; dreadful to punish with such flour ;
I shall order him to he detained in the Compter fur two or 'here
days, and you can consider what to do. This appro.s to he a hor-
rible sort sat punishment for an offence of the very altlsied nature.
The seaman was then remanded.

earnest —Yesterday a curious case came on before the Loan
Melva. A young man, of decent appearance. was brought before
his Lordship, charged under the following circutustanees—
A watchman of Wallsroolt Ward stated, that the auth•oiti.s of
the Ward had, for the purpose of rooting out an inf.:nous broths!
in Sherburne-lane, ordered that a lantern affixed to a board shoold
be placed close to the door of the den of " abontinations," and that
tt.e public should be cautioned against visiting it. The witness kept
his eye upon the lament, but On Saturday evening. the defendant
walked up to the board, and dashed it and the lantern down, cry-
ing," What the d—l does this do here?" The witness who bad
received the most peremptory directions with respect to the pro.
fltg •te concern in question, seised the deft :Want, who th. reupou
pummeled him "shout the body most severity, and then almost
choked hint, by twisting the cravat tightly round his thrtitt. If
some of the guardians of the 'night had not come up, lie wait 'sterol
he should have been a corpse. Tete defendant was instantly ct•n-1
veyed to the watelshouse, where he remained from Saturday night
till yesterday morning.
The Deputy . of the Ward said, that the watchman was a very
steady man, Mho had been selecte.l to watch the hotise aforesaid.
It had been found •nectueary to resort to the taperiment of
" huruing oot," stn account of the psrstvesing iniquity of the pr..)-
prietur.
The defendant declared that he did not consider the watchman
a propel person to be placed net 1.61:11 a titan inasmuch as a drunken
man was likely to enter such p'acee km,- It, and the w,tehman
happened to be drunk on that occasion. The tact was as ttlilo.lll
lc and four 'fiends were pAssing. and ol,eteeinz the h3ard and
the Itinetn, they went up to look at what it was all. a:tout. 'I he
watchman, however. because they lauzhed, tt,ok ..lrot.tr, and as
he (defendant) was next to the ha.rd. seized him nt.y for the
purpose of taking hint to tier w achltouse, This 5.,1 tof treat nt tit
he thought too harsh tor mere laughter, and he resisted, as he was
bound to do.
Two deient men, who acct nipanied the defendant, confirmed
this statement.

The Loan NIAYOR thought that the watehman-had far exceeded '
his duty in seizing a pers.as because he h,ppeoLJ to laugh at what
appeared to be avery legitimate ./surer of Isim,ll:er. Ile had seen
iu the newspapeis ass account.uf the part the City SAlcitor bast
taken in a case relating to the very house in spirit 110•11 ; on W:1:1:11
UCcl,iittl that Learned lirtkknutt intimsted•lsis ino mhos to revive,
the exploded and ridiculous customs of carting people toutil 111
brothels. The house. in Ci11141.1111:11C1: ‘ll. the merry ..ccoont; HAW
rally became subject ror lausliterf and he would des), any one to
pass it, and see it so formidably ivatched and 11,;114d, witenut
laughing heartily. His Lordship *as of opinion that it would be
eacedingly improper to it i
v.vethe practice of cartiog ; and how
such an idea a, that of sending women of she town, aed such miles
as might be taken with them, tluough the streets espo•ed, eouht
have entered the head of any moralist of the present day. he mild
not imagine.
Mr. Nobler said, that the custom described was the worst in
the world for the Morals of the people. Ile remembered when hi
was a bay having seen a pretty exhibition iiiCheapside. Between
twenty and thirty women of the town were taken in a cart through
the city to Bruiewell. This was an intolerable disgrace to them,
but they retaliated by using language and gesticulations calculated
to tetrify and disgust decent peoples
The Loan Mavoa said he c•rtainly shoirtd•not be made instru-
mental to the revival of the carting system. He was of opinion
that any perwm who should encourage carting deserved to be cat ted
himself—(Load laughter). Fur his own part, he would rather see
the City Solicitor carted than order the custom to be revived—
(Coutinued laughter).
An officer stated that fifty boys were opposite to the house,
playing all sorts of‘tricks. The lantern and hoard did not appear
to be decent means of putting a stop to the trade of such-house&
His Lordship said,ihat at all events there .Mould be no carting ;
and be did not • consider that an officer was justified in following
men and wbmen into-houses. .
•

We understand that one of the bightsflaw functionaries in the
City of Lontfon is strotigly,oppOsed,to the Cityr *Heim.% view of
the subject, although' he is knoWn nert-telfeneuil hi> rambles at
night east of Temple-hat. •- •
The LORD' MAYOR ffiacharged the &farina. He ecinsidertd that
the pious watchman had too dignified an opinion of the nature of
his office, and acted with uuju,tifiable violence.