Star.
London, England, 1826-03-04 00:00:00

MIDDLESEX SESSIONS, MAICH 2.

William Burn, and Jane, his wife, were indicted for
cruelly ill-treating their apprentice, Mary Ann Knowl-
den, a girl thirteen years of age. The defendants are
.silk-winders, residing in Ilethnal•grren, and have been
in the habit of taking girls from different workhouses,
as appre*.ices, to learn the trade of silk-winding.—
About six months ago, the complainant, Knowlden, was
bound applen ice to the defendants, by the overseers of
St. Bartholomew the Great, and after the first month,
the treatment she received from both defendants was
most barbarous. A report of their brutality reached the
ears of the-overseers, and they propetly set an inquiry
on foot, the result of which was the removal of the girl
from their hou,e, and the institution of the present pro.
secotion. The girl gave her evidence in a clear and
distinct manner, and it was corroborated by the testi-
mony of a fellow apprentice, and others. It appeared
that she had been deprive t of food for a d.,), together,
and, when she obtained it, the supply was scanty, and
consisted of potato-peelings, and the leavings from the
defendant's p4ces. She was often beaten by both de-
fendants, but more frequently by the female, with rope,
stick, hot e-whip,and broom, and with excessive severity.
On one occasion, a deep wound was inftcred upon the
girl's head, and the defendants tubbed salt into it, and
the gill said it,v.,as done for the purpose of aggravating
the p.tin nt the wound. The Par's'e Surgeon proved
that the chid was in a very emaciated state when taken
from the defendants, and on different mat ks of her body
there were marks cf the most clue' treatment Nhich
had been inflicted.—The Jury found the psisoner Guilty.
The Chairman (F. Nun, Mg.) after observing upon the atro-
city of the conduct of the del ..idants towards the poor child, and
the propriety of the prosecution instituted by the parish °facers
against them, sentenced the female defendant to six months' impt-i-
-sonmcnt, and the Milhaud to Three mouths imprisonment, and both
to be kept to bard labour. There was a burst of applaule when
the sentence was passed.

POLICE,

-+O.--
DI A 11Y-L A- BONN R.

Yesterday a perion, named finery Griffin, a hair•dresxr, was
charged at the instance of the Guardians of the poor of the. Mary-
la-bonne parish with cruelty to a boy, named Ftaocia Mason, his

• apprentice.
The complainant, an intelligent lad, of 13, stated, he was ap-
prenticed by the parish In the defendant five months since, and
latterly, upon several occasions, he had been beaten most unmerci-
fully, particularly on Wednesday last, when he was so frightened
lest be should receive a repetition of the beating, that be ran away
and informed the parish officers.
Whittington, one of the parish racers said, the boy had been
examined by the Parochial -Board, and being stripped, his arms and
body was covered with violent bruises, many of which were of a
frightfully severe description. The Board had liirected him to say,
that'••ber case was a very fit one for prosecution, and they would
prosecute the man ; their object was certainly not getting back the
premium, being determined to punish any natter who cruelly
treated any of their parochial apprentices.
After some remarks of an angry kind from the defendant,
he was ordered to pay brick the premium, and the indentures would
be cancelled, at the saute time he certainly would be subject to any
indictment preferred by the parish.