Star.
London, England, 1819-08-20 00:00:00

POZICT.

GIIILDUALLIMPORTAattr -TO Tin minims ar
%NWT SOCISTIVI.—.6TiIe stewards of the Benefit
Club, denominated, "The Fair Prospect Society,"
held at the publiehouse, the sign of the Swan and
Sugar Loaf' Fetter-lane, appeared on summons yes-
terday before the Aldetpen, J. J. Ssislll and ROT/S-
-WILL, to show cauecwhy they refused to pay the
regular weely allowance of 12s. to James Adams, a
member, who was sick, and had declared upon the
box in due form.—The Stewards said, the Society
were well convinced of the justice of Adams's claim;
they knew he was almost constantly afflicted with
the rhematic gout, and did not oppose him on any
suspicion of imposition ; but they conceived he was
acting unfairly by the Society. He had been on the
box, en and off for 14 months last past, in which
time he had received from the society 451. 14s. By
the 7th article of their laws, when a member re-
mained on their box for twelve months successively,
he became superannuated, his payments to the so-
ciety ceased, and he was allowed a pennon of Ss.
weekly, with liberty to work at his trade, provided
his eatinings did not exceed Ss. per week. In order,
however, to avoid being superanuated, Adams,
though still afflicted, had, within thelastl4 months,
declared off the box several times for a few days, and
then declared on again. He had been off once for
four days, twice for a week, and the last time for
nine days. On his declaring off the last time, the
society had thought it right to have him examined
by a medical gentleman, Mr. Lewis, surgeon, 173,'
Bishopsgateotreet, whd certified that a respite from
labour was most desirable for him, as any severe ex-
ertion would occasion his relapse. He now applied to
be put on the box again—they had no wish to deal
harshly with him, and expel him for the attempted
imposition ; all they. contended for was, that he
should be superannuated.—On the part of the com-
plainant it was urged, that when he last declared off
the box, he was sufficiently well to work, and that
he had worked at his business of a bricklayer, by
which hecould earn 7s. per day, during the interval
he had been so off the box; and that it was not likely
he would apply tor 12s. a week, if he was able to
work, and earn 7s. per day.
Alderman J. J. Sum said, there was no such ac-
cusation against him ; it was not contended that he
was at present unable to work ; the question for con.
sideration was, whether or no he ought to be super-
annuated, and whether the Magistrates would per-
mit him thus to defeat the object of the law alluded
to? For his part he thought it was taking an unfair
advantage of the society ; it was clear that every re-
turn to active labour would bring on a relapse of his
disorder; and, if he was allowed to avoid the article
of superannuation, as he had done, the same might
be done by any other member, the funds would be
inadequate to the expenditure, and the society must
be ruined. He was therefore of opinion that he should
be considered as superannuated; in which opinion Al-
derman Bothwell concurred, and it was so ordered
accordingly.
Bow-seamen—Wednesday the Office was crowded
in consequence of the examination of Mr. C. Porter,
a Commissioner of Land-Tax, Collector of Assessed
Taxes, and formerly a Lottery-Office Keeper, and an
aged and infirm woman, named Am Weston, who
stood charged with keeping an illegal Lottery Insu-
rance, or Little Go. Mr. Porter has long held a highly
respectable rank in society, and was now attended by
several friends. The first witness was W. Salmon,
a Police Officer, who deposed, that in consequence
of information he went to the house of Mr. Porter, in
Parliament-street, on Monday afternoon, accompa-
nied by another officer, and, by virtue of a search-
warrant, entered the premises. As they were going
in two persons rushed past them. They then went
into a room on the first-floor, where they saw the two
defendants, and three or four others, standing near a
table, at which a young man sat writing. They com-
municated their business, and seized a memorandum-
book and several papers which were lying on the
table. Ann Weston seemed much agitated, and_sat
down in a chair, and in a few minutes she rose, when
they found her pockets lying on the floor under the
chair. In a purse found in one pocket was a paper
relating to illegal insurances. They then took Mr.
Pc.rter and this woman into custody, and the former
calling the witness aside, offtred him twenty guineas
if he would let him go, stating that an investigation
of the matter would be the i uin of him, as he held a
high public situation. leafless said he could listen
to no such proposal, and brought away the defen-
dants in custody. The memorandum-book and the
papers fbund in the room, were such as were always
used in carrying on a Little Go. Witness knew that
Mr. Potter had been formerly a regular Lottery-
Office Keeper, and had since known him by repute
tton as a receiver of illegal insurances. The other
officer corroborated the testimony of Salmon, and said
that the defendant Porter made an offerof 20 guineas
to him also. This was the case for the prosecution.
It was submitted on the part of the defendant Porter,
whether the papers, &c. being found in his house,
and not actually on his person, was sufficient to bring
withinhim the meaning of the Statute; but it was
decided that it was sufficient. It was elicited from
the witnesses, in their cross-examination, that Porter
came from his oevntitrAouse atMargate, an Saturdat
last, two days before the apprehension ; but this cite
cumstance did not avail him with the Magistrates.
Mr. Porter, in answer to the charge, denied harries
any share in the illegal insurance, but admitted that
he had allowed a young man, who was formerly his
clerk, to carry on the business in his house. The
Magistrates (R. Brame and G. Hteas, Esqrs.) said,
this amounted to an admission of the whole case, and
was a subterfuge that would not operate at all WA,'
advantage of the defendant. The case having been
proved to the satisfaction of the Magistrates, ldr.
Porter was at first sentenced to six months imprison-
ment in the House of Correction, Cold Bath Fields.
He prayed, however, for a mitigation of his sentence,
and that he might be sent to Tothillfields ; but
though the Magistrates consented to mitigate his
punithment to four months imprisonment, they would
not alter his place of imprisonment; but considering
the old woman merely as a due to Porter, they
agreed to her discharge.

-
Charge tfaille•—festerdaY Cart44/4---, a man
considerabiy advanced in yearss, was brought to the
Office, and underwent a second examination before
Sir NATRANINL CONANT charged with a rape •it
Hannah Whitehorn, a al only 5 yenta of age, whit

ved with hint as Ws strewn at his house in Chelsea.
t'h
uffolk-street, Charieg-eross, and at the former ex-
aminadon was too ii to attend, in- coesequence of,
e Pros/C*ll4K it the daughter-di *ibellemaker, in
thE treatment she had received. On this occasion
she was brought to the Office in a hackney-coach, ac-
companied by her friends, and still seemed very seri-
ously ill. She is a pretty looking girl, and was dread-
fully agitated whilst giving her evidence.—Captain
M—, in his defence, denied the charge altogether,
and asserted that it was a contrivance to extort money
from him. He was accompanied Ly several Gen-
tlemen, who made an application for him to be libe-
rated on bail : but Sir N. CONANT told them the
evidence was too strong, and so clear, that he should
by guilty of a dereliction of his duty if he did not
commit the prisoner for trial. His friends, how-
ever, might, if they pleased, make an application to
the Judges to that effect ; and if they thought pro-
per, they had the power of acceding to their wishes.
Captain M-- was then fully committed to New-
ate, to take his trial for the offence at. the next Old
Bailey Sessions.
HarToe-Gannse---Mysterions Case—Wednesday
Jane March, a very respectable-looking woman,
about 39 years of age, and mother of ten children,
all living, was brought up from Clerkenwell work.
house, charged with dropping and deserting her male.
infant. so as to become chargeable to the parish of
Clerkenwell. Elizabeth Gillet deposed as follows:
Three weeks, last Monday, the prisoner, and a map
who represented himself to be her husband, took a'
furnished room in my house, No. 3, in Bishop's court;
Aylesbury-street ; they said they were arrived in
town from the country to transact some law business,
relative to the will of her first husband. They came
to lodge there the same day. I perceived, that the
prisoner was pregnant at the time she came. The
prisoner's husband (Mr. March) staid there till Fri-
day se'nnight, he then told me he had received a let-
ter from the country, informing him that one of his
children was dead, and he must go home, but that
he would be up again on the Wednesday following,
andwould not tel his wife of the circumstance till
after her delivery. Last Monday week the prisoner
was delivered of a boy ; I was present ; I got a nurse
for her the same day, and on the Wednesday evening
following, being the third day, the nurse came down
to me and told me her mistress was going away that
evening ; I expressed my surprise at it, the prisoner
afterwards told me that some person was to call on
her in a gig and take her to a relation's in the coun-
try until she was quite well. I had my suspicions
that she intended to make away with the child. I
disguised it, and was determined to watch her. A
little after eight o'clock that evening she went out
with a small box in one hand and the child in the
other. She went up St. John street ; I following un-
perceived ; she turned out of the road by the Coach
and Horses, and went towards Rosoman-street by the
side of a field, and sat down a few minutes ; I be-
came alarmed, and meeting a man, I communicated
my suspicions to him, and desired him to watch the
prisoner. She returned to the road leading from
Rosoman-street to Sadler's Wells ; I saw her go by
the side of some bricks there ; I desired the man to
go up and ask her the way to Islington ? he did so,
and came back, and told me she had ne child in her
arms; I then lost sight of her, but in a few minutes
saw her again returning from towards Sadler's Wells,
and -at that time she had nothing but her cloak hang-
ing carelessly on her arm, no box nor child ; I then
went up to her and laid hold of her, and asked her
where her child was ? She replied—" My dear soul,
my dear soul, let me go." I asked her again where
her child was ? she said—" Just out there ;" and
while I was talking to her, the man I had desired to
watch her came up with the box ; I heard the child
cry in it; I saw the box opened and the child lying
in it on some hay ; it was cleanly dressed. The pri-
soner was much agitated, and contrived to get away,
but was overtaken and secured. She informed me
that the man who lived with her was her husband,
that she had been married to him since the latter end
of January last, but that the child was not his, she
being pregnant by another man before her mar-
riage ; that her intention was, not to destroy the
child, but that as she could not keep it, she expected
somebody would pick it up who would do better for
it than she could, and that she put it into the boa
and corded it down that the dogs might not eat it.
Joseph Shaw, gunsmith, of Elsom-place, City-road,
corroborated tie above evidence.—John Cope, of
Lloyd's-row, said, that he uncorded the box. The
lid was not shut closely% he could put in his hand
without uncording it ; the child was not pressed, and
had sufficient air.—The charge being proved, and
the offence being bailable, the prisoner was commit-
ted to the House of Correction for want of sureties ;
the child is in a fair way of doing well, and now in
the prisoner's care.
Yesterday Richard Donbas!,
jarar
t nbroker, re-
siding in Somer's Town • and Leicester, a
pawnbroker, residing in London-street, Tottenham.
Court-road, appeared to summonses, on the informa-
tion of Richard Warren, charging them with deman.
ding and taking more than the interest allowed by
Act of Parliament for property pledged with each of
them. There were twenty separate charges in the
information against Dunbald, and not less than 111
against Leicester. On each charge they were cowl
victed in the penalty of 40s. and costs. •
TOWN HALL, Sountwaae,Yesterday a respec-
table upholsterer in the Borough, was summoned be.
fore Sir Joffe EAMER, to answer the complaint of al
young man, named Christopher Kinnard, which ori-
ginated out of the following circumstances :—Aboet
a week or ten days ago, the complainant, who was
then about to be married, called at the defendant's
him-
self', to whom he imparted his wants, and requested
shop to purchase a bed. He saw the defendant him-
to be shewn a good flock bed ; but he said he had
none of that quality that he could recommend, and
advised him to have a feather-bed, which he said he
could sell cheap. Complainant consented, and lie
(defendant) then shewed him a bed which he said
was feathers, and demanded C 3 as the price of it.
Complainant paid the money and took home his bed,
inn could obtain no more rest the first night he slept
on it, than if he had lain on Kennington Common !
Next morning he cut open the bed, and, instead of
feathers, found it to be' filled with tailor's rags, and
bard pives of old wood !—The defendant denied
paving sold the bed for feathers ; but if he had, it
: eras in the goodness of the quality equal to any fea-
thers. It was scarce stuff wltich, came from the