The Liverpool Standard and General Commercial Advertiser.
Liverpool, Merseyside, England, 1836-04-29 00:00:00

LIVERPOOL POLICE.

A ilusi SUBJECT.-7On Tuesday, a tall emaciated man,

dressed in a blue frock-coat buttoned up to the neck to conceal
that he was without waistcoat and shirt, was brought up before
Mr. Hall, charged by Mr. Thompson, publican, of Dean-street,
with having been found concealed in his house the night before

Mr. Thompson staked that very early that morning he got up to
brew, and When he came down stairs he found a man's shoes in

the kitchen; be made a search and 'found the prisoner fast
asleep in the bar: ' He then called in a watchman, and on his
person was found a•silver spoon. He had rummaged all the
cupboards andhad 'helped himself,' and amongst other things be
had helped himself to over much ruin, and had forgotten all
ahout the business and fallen asleep. He believed it was
poverty and want which had caused hint todo it, and that he had
beep shut up in the house all night. Mr. Hall said honesty was
the best policy.; it was a most unfortunate spoon. The man
might have been influenced by want, as he looked as if without
a shirt. Mr. Thompson said he had no wish to prosecute hire if
he would only not pay him aootber visit. Mr. Hall said the
only thing ' he. could. not return him was the rum, Mr.
Thompson said that had been spirited away, and he must putt p
with its absence. In answer to, a question from the magistrate,
the prisoner said he was a Scotchtnan. Mr. Hall .said It was
very rare that a native of Scotland was brought before him on a
charge of felony. He should discharge him as the prosecutor
did not wish•to press the charge against him.
A TEA-TOTALLER—On Tuesday last, at the Police-office,
two ragged looking fellows, one with an awful squint, and the
Other with but one eye, were brought up by one of the police-
constables, charged with having raised a large crowd' in the
street the night before. by singing.indecent songs, in which they
both took part'as jack the landlord, and Thomas the labourer.
he men, after the constable had stated his charge against them
of singing:" uncommon undecent songs" one lifted to the ceil-
ing his single eye, Whilst the other twisting his two with most
corkscrew and irresistible effect on the face of the magistrate,
exclaimed " lord sur, it' was a warniug to drinkards. This
announcement was followed by much laughter. The accused
then handed ()tier to the beach with their best " scrape" a copy
of " the undecent song," which was headed the " tea-totaller,"
and was a dialogue between a landlord and his'quondam cus-
tomer on the one hand inviting Thomas to take sup as usual at
his hoifie, and on the otheldescribing With much pathos theadvan-
taoes of abstaining from all intoxicating liquors. The magis-
trate' thought there was not much indecency in the song and
acquitted the prisoners, but with a warning not again to commit
a breach of the law by raising crowds in the street.
ASS A ULTBT rug POLICE.—On Tuesday Mr. Barrow, a keeper
of coaches, appeared before the magistrates to complain of an
assault committed upon himself and son by inspector Cottatn;
and Willianison, Markey, and Brown, the constables. Mr.
Crewe appeared on behalf of the coniplainaut,% and stated the
case. He called John Barrow, the complainant's son, who
stated that his father kept coaches at the bottom of Low-hill,
and he assisted hitn. On Sunday morning he' had been out
with a coach, and returned about half-past ten o'clock, and
drove the coach opposite his father's &Mr close to the foot walk.
Inspector Cottam then came up to him, and asked him why he
bad heeu washing the coach. He replied that he hail not. The
inspector said he had. He replied it was a falsehood, and the
inspector said he would take him off to Llridewell. He told him
it was not in his power, and he (the inspector) then got hold of
him by the collar, but he eOt away from him into the house, and
returned with a poker, and told the inspector to touch him if he
dared; His father then 'came up and said, if the inspector had
any camplaint to make against him, he might take the number
of his car and bring his complaint before the magistrates. The
inspector then abused his father, and said he would take him to
the coal-hole if he did not mind, and called two policemen, from
whom he (witness) had received a severe blow on the arm,
which had disabled him from following his business.—Mr. Jas.
Cross, grocer, of London-road, deposed to seeing the occurrence,
and hearing the officer and the young man talking sharply toge-
ther, and he then heard the officer say he would take him up. The
man dared him to it, and the inspector got two or three more
constables, and they had a scuffle ; the inspector then walked
away. The father then came out and wanted to know what it
was all about. They told him they were after his son. He
said they should not take him, when the constables repliedtbey
would take him (the father) if he did not mind. The father
Said they durst not take him, and told them to take the number
of the car and lay an information if they wanted. anything.
They then laid hold of the old man and shook him violently.
The son ran out with a poker and a battle ensued, and the con
stable struck the son over the wrist with a hay-fork and broke
it. He (witness) then went to them and told them they wer
acting very improperly by taking the law into their own hanise
They said they had no instructions, the inspector was no.
there. Mt. Hall recommended that the casejhould be left fo
the watch committee to decide on, as, if lie were to fine the meat
the watch committee would take cognizance of it, and perhap r
suspend them, so that they would be punished twice. Besidess,
he did not think a fine would answer the purposes of justice,
Mr. Crewe said he must bow to• the decision orthe magistrates
but he should decline going before the watch committee. He
would admit that it was wrong that coaches should be washed
there, but the officers should have known better than to plas-
ma a breach of the law. Mr. Hall said that the proper way
was certainly to have laid an infonratioo and to have taken the
complainant into custody. But the men, it must be evident,
were novices in such matters, and a great deal of allowance
should be made for them, considering how they were urged on.
Mr. Crewe said he need tell Mr. Hall that could not justify their
violence.: The inspector, in defence, said that after he had
charged the son with washing the coach he had used threats of
violence towards him, and that was the reason he had ordered
him into custody. The men gave similar testimony. Mr. Hall
said he would make a report to the committee of what had ap-
peared. Mr. Crewe hoped that no further evidence would be
brought before the committee; if so, he should submit that. Mr.
Hall should then decide. Mr. Hall said he could not controul
the committee. Officers would have no right to take a man
into custody for washing coaches; the course was to lay an in-
formation, But as the case stood he did not think that the party
would have been taken into custody until he appeared with a
poker. The case then aitsumed a different aspect. Under these
circumstances the magistrates did not think it necessary that
they should inflict any fine.
STaALING LtAT9.—Ot Tuesday, John Kingswell, a well-
known thief, was brought up before the magistrates charged
with having stripped the roof of Mr. Chamber's house in
Pickup-street, of a quantity of lead the night before. Leicester,
the watchman, stated that about a quarter past eleven o'clock
he observed the prisoner on Mr. Chamber's roof ; he was then
in the act of stripping the lead off. He had got from one roof
to another until he had got there. The constable produced a
very large bundle of lead which the prisoner had got ready
packed up. The magistrates sent hint for two months to the Bo-
rough House of Correction.
AN UNSOPHISTICATED.—On Wednesday, a raw-looking
"country johnny" who gave his name as John Matthews, of
Southport, appeared at the Police-office to lay a complaint
against two girls for having robbed him the night before of
£3 ss. The two damsels, named Ellen Cunningham and
Mary 51`Istamara, two of the very vilest which the 'purlieus of
Scotland-road can furnish, created much laughter by their filthy
anti disgusting appearance, as the'prosecutor was describing his
ate a tete with them, The prosecutor said he was a joiner,
and had come to Liverpool to buy timber the day before, and
had left his horse and gig at a public-house in Scotland-road. He
had purchased his timber during the afternoon, and bad about
£3 10s. left in his pocket. As be was walking down Scotland-
road, at night, looking about him, as he was quite a stranger,
he met the two women at the bar and had a little conversation
with them, and they invited him to go to their house, which he
did. He staid there about half an hour and had some conver-
sation with them, admonishing them about the very wicked life
they were leading, (laughter,) when he felt M`liamara's hand
in his trowsers pocket, and then missed his money. He said to
them " You have robbed me of £3 55.,1 believe you are nothing
but blackguards." (Great laughter.) The magistrate asked
him if he was sure he had the money when lie went into the
house? Complainant—" Oh yes : I looked at nay money as
soon as I got into the house, as I hegap to suspect it was not a
very respectable place. (Laughter.) Mr. Hall.—" Why, how
old' are you?" Complainant.—" lam thirty-three, sir,' Mr.
Hall.—" Are you a man of thirty-three, taken to, a house by
two women, and could not suppose where you were going ?
Where did you suppose you were to be taken to ?" Complain-
ant (with inimitable simplicity.)—" She wished me to go and
look at her little cottage and at the nice little place she had got."
—(Loud laughter.) —" lwetit out of curiosity as much as any-
thing else." (Continued laughter.) 'The complainant then
said that be acquainted a policeman with his loss, and the
Women were taken into custody. Three sovereigns were found
in the possession of M'Namara. The magistrates discharged
the prisoner Cunningham, and ordered 51`Namara to be re-
manded till the following day, when he should consider what to
do with her. The £3 were handed over to the complainant, and
he left the court with a grin of satisfaction.
'CAUTION TO PAWNIMOKERS.--0a Wednesday, at the police-
office, Mr. Moran, paWnbroker, of Matybone, appeared before
the magistrates on a summons charging him in the first instance.
with defrauding some soldiers of a pair of boots which they had
pledged with him, and also with receiving in pledge at tides of
military apparel, whereby, under the mutiny act, he was liable
to a penalty of £2O. Private Morris Mackay, of the 22d regi-
ment, now stationed here, deposed to.pledging a pair of boots
with Mr. Moran the day before, on winch he received 3s. ; he
gave the ticket to private. Wm. Pritchard. Pritchard stated
that he had told the last witness to' get 4s. on the• boots, and
took•the ticket to Mr. Moran's to see if he could raise another
Is. on them, as he intended redeeming them on the Monday.
He gat 9d. more advanced on them, and left the ticket with the
young man for safety. He had not since got the boots. Mr.
Moran said they had been released. and produced a ticket which
he said had been brought by some person for them. Mr. Hall
said he was liable to two penal enactments, one for receiving a
soldier's military dress, and the other the mutiny act, which
made it a very serious offence " to exchange, or buy, or receive
lions any soldier or any other person any portions whatever of
any provisions, sheets{ accoutrements, dress, &c., belonging to
a soldier, for which he should forfeit; for any such offence, any
sum not exceeding £2O, nor less than £s,' together with treble
the value of the articles " Mr. Moran pleaded ignorance of
the statute; he had only beenin the business three months. Mr.
Hall said that was no extenuation. Serjeant James deposed
to the boots being worth Bs. Mr. Hall said such acts gave rise
to very serious consequences. It not 'only defrauded govern-
ment of those necessaries supplied to saddlers, but involved the
men in considerable difficulty, anti held out inducements to
them to pawn their clothes for drink, for which they were liable
to punishment. He must lie convicted in the sum of £5. and
£1 45., treble the value of the boots; if not immediately paid be
was liable to go for six months to the House of Correction.
ASSAULT:—Yesterday, at the Police-office, a labourer named
Charles Hollans was brought before the magistrates charged
with having committed a violent assault on the frontispiece of
Mr. Francis Rushton, a clerk, on the night before at a oublics.
house. Mr. Rushton, whose face bore witness of an "assault
and battery," and "no mistake," having two genuine black
eyes, his nasal promontory considerably damaged, and his upper
lip rivalling it in eminence, then preferred his charge. He
stated that the night before he was in Mr. Miller's public-house,
iii'Marylione. taking a glass of ale, when the prisoner came and
asked him to treat him to a glass; this modest request from a
stranger he refused to accede tosind the prisoner then, without the
slightest ceremony. " bunged up" one of his eyes. and then, inoi,
g
der that his vision mightbe equal, made his knuckles and his other
eye close acquaintances. He, (the cotnplainant,) foretful that
" discretion is the better part of valout," then emptied the con•.
tents of his glass in the prisoner's face. -The prisoner, not tube
outdone in courtesy, scarified his ( complainant's) nose, and
gave him a tremendous big thump on the mouth, which settled
the dispute by knocking him down, and for which he wanted the
prisoner punishing.—The magistrate said he was a very foolish
person to aggravate a drunken man by throwing ale in his face.
He had been severely injured for sa doing. He should fine the
prisoner 405., and, in default of payment, be must go for one
month to the Borough Gaol.
CA UTION' TO PUBLICANS.—Yesterday a number of publicans
were tined in various amounts by the magistrates for serving
customers on Sunday last during the hours of divine service.
Several beer-sellers were also convicted in penalties for keeping
their houses open longer than allowed by law. 'l' be police are
keeping "a sharp look out," as the magistrates are determined
strictly to enforce the law as regards the beer-sellers and
publicans.

CHURCH PRomoTioN.--The ltev. Fielding Ould to to ministry
of Christ Church, Liverpool.