The Liverpool Standard and General Commercial Advertiser.
Liverpool, Merseyside, England, 1833-09-03 00:00:00

LONDON POLICE REPORT.

MANSION-HOUSE.
On Tuesday the Lord Mayor received the following ,letterf
the publication of which will put mercantile men on them guard
against the manoeuvres of the ingenious imitators of Coster
‘.` Bristol, August 28.
My Lord,—The annexed is a copy of a letter writterr to us
by a person calling himself Thomas Bennett, 178, Fleet-strebet'l
London, to which letter my brother replied by acquainting ie
that we never knew or had such a person as W. H. Stephenson
in our employ. We find that he has. written similar letters to
nearly 50 of the first houses in Bristol. He paid the postage
of the letters.
" Our opinion is that it was to get the signatures of the dif
ferent mercantile firms here, for the purpose of making use 01
the imitations of those signatures, either in obtaining towods or
in forging.bills ; and, as each of the mercantile houses horo
he has written carries on a very extensive business, I thong:lit
it my duty to give intelligence of this person to your Lordship,
knowing, as all the world does, how indefatigable your Lordslut)
is in your endeavours both to prevent and to detect crime. 1(f
your Lordship will after this information prevent the surmisei
nefarious operations of•this man, you'will confer a great Venefit
on many merchants and commercial houses here. _ • ...

" With the greatest respect, I remain, my Lord,
" Your Lordship's most obedient servant,
" THOMAS FUIDGE.

" 178, Fleet-street, London, Aug. 16. =
" Gentlemen,—l am referred to you by a William HenrY
Stephenson, who has applied for a vacancy in my counting-
house. - He states having been in your employ nearly two year!
up to January last, since which he has been abroad. A candid
statement as to his abilities, integrity, and general conduct,
during the time he was with you, will oblige,
Gentlemen, your most obedient servant,
" THOMAS BENETT.
" `To Messrs. T. and 11. Fuidge; Clare-street, Bristol.'"
The Lord Mayor observed, that he had no doubt whatever of
the bad intentions of Mr. Bennett, who evidently belonged to
the school of Coster and Co., and was perhaps at that moment
committing plunder in some way or other. His lordship then
despatched an officer to No. 178-, Fleet-street, to request the fa-
vour of a visit from Mr. Bennett, to account for his correspoa- •
deuce with so many commercial men.
The officer, on returning to the justice-ream, reported 11Ir.
Bennett as non est inventus, and stated that the
people of the
house said that they understood the gentleman was a commercial
man ; that a boy called occasionally for any letters which aright •
be left directed to him, but that at present they believed he was
at Bristol on commercial matters.
The Lord Mayor said it was quite palpable that Mr. Bennett
was one of those villainous swindlers with whom the town
swarmed, and whom he was most anxious to crush. He thought
it necessary to express his surprise how any house of character
could receive letters for a person of whom they had no know-
ledge, and pointed out the necessity of abandoning a practice
which, to a certain extent, encouraged and aided the deception.
The Lord Mayor also received the following communication,
which caused some laughter ;
" Park-hill, near Nottingham, August 27-
" My lord,—By this day's post, I have been favoured with a
letter from Joseph Ady, of the Circus, Minories, respectful!):
offering his advice in a suit in Chancery, wherein some part of
my family are the defendants. Owing to your lordship's expo-
sure of this fellow's humbug system, I have thought it. prudent
to follow the advice you gave to the public, and have enclosed,
him a farthing money letter, together with a letter, a copy °'
which I trouble your lordship with.
" Grateful to your lordship for your advice, and also for the
publicity you gave this fellow's practices.
" I am, &c. " WILLIAM HANNAY!'
The following is a copy of a letter tent by Mr. Hauaay_to_W"
shameless hypocrite :
" Nottingham, Aug.. 17.
" Joseph Ady is informed that a rascal who had resided in
the town of Nottingham for 30 years (just the time Joseph is
stated as having resided in the Circus, Minories) of the nameof William Ady, was hanged here the other day for wilful Maur"
der, and
.as the writer has but little doubt of the relationship, he
yet lives in hopes that Joseph Ady, of the Circus, Minories, will
himself ere long give dignity to a halter.
" Joseph Ady is advised (gratis), and the thing will turn out
considerably to his advantage, not to try his luck again in Not-
tingham or its vicinity, the Lord Mayor of the city of London .
having been at some pains to show up in such beautiful style,
the conscientious and respectable mode of existence practisea
by Mr. Ady. The only mortification the writer feels is, thathe
is at such a distance from the said Joseph as not to be able to
practise upon his carcass by slashing him with a good horse-
whip, or, by a vigorous effort, slip his head into Chancery!'
The Lord Mayor, upon reading the abovementioned letter;
said-he had good reason for believing that the Bank divideua,
book speculations of Mr. Ady were at an end, -the press having
given such prompt and availing assistance in celebrating his
professional labours.
We understand that the Post-office has for a considerable
time returned the money charged to poor people for the colnit-
municatious transmitted to them by Joseph, so that he $0"
be deprived of the gratification of supposing that he is any
longer capable of adding to the pecuniary necessities of his
unfortunate fellow-creatures.
The Lord Mayor has received letters from all parts of the
country, expressing the warmest thanks for his resolute per'e-
verauce in exposing and chastising the trickery with which the
metropolis abounds.
Edward Dell, commonly called Parson Dell, a young roll
who is in the habit of street and field preaching, was broup
before- the Lord Mayor, charged with having defrauded a was'
goner of the sum of £2.
The waggoner, it appeared, had been one day one of the con-
gregation of Parson Dell, who was preaching in a sugar hogs'
head, about twenty miles from town. As the former was al!
extremely simple looking man, the parson marked him out for
an experiment, and spoke of the devil and damnation in such
style that the waggoner considered him a most wonderful der.
gyman. As soon as the sermon was ended the parson intro-
duced himself to the waggoner, and gave him further evidence'
of a very extensive acquaintance with what was going forwarE
in the regions of brimstone and fire; concluding with a wish is
take a place to London in the vehicle of which his admirer wa4
the driver. The waggoner consented, and also allowed himse"
to be prevailed upon to let the parson have the handling of,t,t,ces
sovereigns. The moment, however, an opportunity °tiered ""a
parson -shoved a smock frock over his black clothes, slouches.
his hat, slipped out of the waggon, and actually passed te_.
waggoner on the road. The two sovereigns did not last long re
London, and the parson was obliged to have recourse to tilt
Scriptures again, and was holding forth to the bummarees ea
mudlarks at Billingsgate, when the waggoner caught his ey,e.,
This was an awkward incident for the parson; but he suddanu •
changed his voice, and turning his eyes in upon his naset
squinted so horribly for the purpose of deceiving the vision
his old hcquaintance, that the crowd burst into a roar of laughl
The waggoner was rather shaken in his faith by the extraor,"
nary alteration in the countenance of the preacher,. but the ae._
ception was attended with too much pain to be carried on lorti;
and Dr. Dell's eyes resumed their old position in his head:
countryman seized him and demanded his money. The preachle,
denied-the soft impeachment; and said that he never saw tit.
waggoner before, and that he would complain of the violent'
done to him in his calling to the Bishop of London.
The Lord Mayor asked the prisoner if he had a license tp
preach?.
The parson replied, that he did not consider it necessary.„„h
The Lord Mayor observed that the present was a case ifhi
proved how necessary it was, for the practice differced awfully
from the preaching. half
The waggoner said that the parson had left his niPe to
smoked upon a fish stall, just before the spirit moved hits„
" jabber" about the place of punishment for all evil doers. ja
thought," said the countryman, "when I need him going on to
his preachment, that he was just the very mon as out to go
that place himself." (Laughter.).
The parson was then remanded.
On Friday the Rev. Mr. Smith, who is. called "Boats'
Smith," Caine to the justice-room to complain to the I't he
Mayor of the conduct of the police in lugging him through r¢
streets from Farringdon-street to the Compter, and to reatee
thanks to the Lord Mayor for having released him from duraaer
just as lie had fallen into a profound sleep in his cell, el'
prayers and a glass of cold water. or
'1 he. officers stated that Mr. Smith had been locked 0P,.. 'Ol
having caused an obstruction in the streets, and a crowd, w"
enabled pickpockets to exercise their callin. •
Mr. Smith said the crowds who stopped to listen to him wet",
not afraid of 'pickpockets, for they consisted of poor chidao
sweepers, dustmen, nightmen, coal-whippers and others, W
were no objects for the work of the pickpockets.
The Lord Mayor observed, that without wishing at all to
ties,
with what Mr. Smith considered to be his religious di."„",e.e's
he could not permit obstructions in the streets. The ornnw"-
were already too serious an evil. Punch
Mr. Smith.—l want no more latitude than is given to
and Judy ; and my object. is to render benefit to toy te,-oof
citizens. I wish you could see with what attention the :oar
listen to me. Look at the present state of Billingsgate eta,
pared to what it was. All the fish women and poor people h the
played there are completely changed in their habits. 1 wl3
people who call me a mountebank would give me a mountebal,o
Pr
Mr . G ivil.
egeoldham, the clerk of Billingsgate, who was presen,te°e:
other business, stated that the manners of market had "jog
greatly altered since Mr. Smith was in the habit of address4r
them, and that to his knowledge many drunken vagabonds
reformed. ,be
e Lord Mayor
s rasiat said dst hcautl l
neg couldr ev haveijedp
tnhoe obuj
obstru s "led or inconvenience d by the selection of improper p
for exhibiting in. beclicti°wneat?,:

GUILDHALL.
The same Mr. Smith mentioned above, the itinerant preaged
was brought before Mr. Alderman Kelly on Friday, eb3/...ith
by King, one of, the beadles of *. Andrew's, Holborn,ft) 'l.'', 9
obstructing.the footway in Farringdcn-street, a little he
o'cloCk on the receding evening. at
King said thep defendant arrived with about a dozen h°';,.,°te-`1
his heels, and a man carrying a portable pulpit, having aw.tio-te4
which he sang a hymn and began a prayer. In five nillthere.
about 200 people assembled, and in five minutes more hi''`
might have been I,(XX), the defendant having stationed itivi
self only two doors from Holborn. Witness called t°,,,110
to come down, and when he had finished his prayer he .„rio
down, but as lie did not seem inclined to go, nor the P-bilo
to suffer him to'go, witness ordered a street.leeper to take
to the Compter. The pulpit was pitched on the footwaYiii
yeti
Mr. Savage, a common councilman, said the officer ha!".. pa
properly discharged his duty, for he was sworn to mows' ,
sauces, and was fully empowered by law to do so.
Mr. Smith's ire was aoused at being deemed a nuisaneteti',al;eje
he predicted that when Mr. Savage was lying on his del..
he would alter his opinion, and regret what he had del..
he
denounced the authority exercised by the constable of 1, ot
up whomever he pleased, of his own motion, as tyranni4tor
a ballad-singer, or a party of musicians, or an exh'" aheci;
Punch and Judy, were permitted to have little throngs, 0,0
them, why might not a preacher? The obstruction 'lay t,
case being the same, why tolerate one' and chase a' to
other ? evccd
Mr. Savage said musicians and singers were not all t
stand about in the city. hing
Mr. Smith resumed.—He was engaged in preae
gospel free of charge fo the poor, and in so doing he
°`t
5
complishing what the magistrates avowed they were lit,othe
' patent to effect—checking the progress of crime. in
obedience to Christ's commands that he went fort Lit
de
streets and lanes to preach the gospel, and he could n°
nP 011
from the practice.
Mr. Alderman Kelly asked if he had been locked al/
night.
Mr. Smith said he had not. The Lord Mayor ha- pr
released him. (Wei efl
Mr. Alderman Kelly was in doubt whether the et.ovve
not gone too far in detaining him, when Mr. Smith s'icer,.4ot.
intention-to-go by descending from his pulpit. Howe do
Smith might have avoided the interruption by choosei4igh,,eot,
convenient spot and ao eaylier hour, The 'good h oc'tlol
was vitiated hy the opportunity afforded for picktatliP,te,g°
when Mr, Smith chose such a public situation as he t;
instance, In a thoroughfare like Farringdon-strce wit Other
crowd would be an obstruction to the public, and an ;cite'
to the housekeepers. Trusting Mr. Smith would atte
points hereafter, he should now discharge him.