The Statesman.
London, England, 1823-10-20 00:00:00

POLICE.

MANSION Room—BASTARD CHILDRAN.—A young woman
was brought before the Lord Mayor and Alderman Atkins,
charged by the officers of Bishopsgate Parish, under tee Act
of-the 7th of James the Ist, cap. 4. with having rendered her-
self liable to 19 menthe' Imprisonment to hard labour, by
bringing three illegitimate children upon the parish.—Mr.
Liffard, the Vestry Clerk, stated that the berthas of the parish
from the number of Illegitimate children thrown oa them for
mopped, had of late so much increased and become so heavy,
r bsatelt was thought absolutely necessary to take some steps to
the evil, and with this view it had been resolved that In
liessust instances the females should be prosecuted under the
mittliesome statute of James the Ist, which rendered women
Megan bastards chargeable to the parish liable to be impri-
nts./ far 12 months and put to hard labour, as lewd women.
Thii statute, however, bad been subsequently modified by the
Act of Cleo. 3d. The necessity of this prosecution would ap-
pear. whets it was stated that the prisoner had in three years
made the parish liable to the maintenance of three bastard
Children ; that in the very court where she resided there were
half a dozen instances nearly of the same kind, and that as the
perish already bad lOU bastard children to maintain, if the
,practice were not checked by darer° punishment, the increase
'K the yetis!' berthens would be incalculable.
.The young woman admitted that she had become the mother
of thee children, but she declared they would have been bora
lasradiask. if the father could have raised mosey sufficient to
bmpaid for the performance of the marriage ceremony.—
This. fey three years, be had been unable to do, but bad con-
Illiudy supported his children, until recently, when work fell
aff, and she was obliged to apply to the parish. She complain-
ed that the parish officers had never applied to the father, or
troubled him, but had had prosecuted her wlthaut seeing whe-
ther support could be obtained from other quarters.—The Lard
Mayor edited whether any proceedings bad been taker against
the reputed father 2—The Parish Officers replied, they had
taken no steps against him, because they conceived it would
have been useless.—The Lord Mayor sad Alderman 'Atkins
agreed that proceedings ought to have been taken against the
father before the present prosecution was instituted. A con-
viction could only take place after the children had become
burthensoute, and if the parish proceeded against the father,
he or his friends might indemnify them. When the parish had
proceeded against the father, and failed in obtaining security,
the woman would then be punishable under the statute. The
charge was then dismissed.
A woman named Mary Anne Squires was charged with
having purchased laudanum, with the Intent to destroy herself.
Mr. Atkinson, an apothecary, residing in Bishopsgate, stated
that the prisoner came on the night before, and asked for some
opium pills. She was dissatisfied with the quantity given to
her, and wanted more, which witness refused to let her have.—
She went away, and witness suspecting her intention, followed
her, and saw her buy additional quantities of pills at other
shops. He no longer doubted her intentions, and had her se-
cured. She confessed her lineations, said theta false was had
betrayed her, and that her life was miserable. She was or-
dered to be taken to her friends. The prudent conduct of Mr.
Atkinson was much praised.
OUILDIDALL.—Saturday, Hutchinson, a messenger, at the
Fleet Prison, was brought before Alderman WooD, charged
with having been a party to the offence of attempting to
utter a forged check for the sum of 2001.
hammered that a few days ago, a porter of Oray's lon,
named David Perry, went to the Ban-king-house of Messrs.
Williams and Co. of Birchin-lane, and presented a check
for two hundred pounds, .signed with the name of ;Fallen
Hair, a Gentleman who banked at the house. Upon
examination. it was found that a very ingeninous forgery
had been made in the check. The name was the writing
of Mr. Hale, but the rest of the writing was in a different
hued. The marks of writing almost erased were also
visible when the check was held up to the light, and it was
soon ascertained that the document had been originally
part of a letter written by Mr. Huse, the contents of-which
had been by. some process almost obliterated, and the
sada language adopted in the order upon bankers, substi-
tuted. The forgery was a masterpiece, and its detection
did great credit to the discernment of the clerks. The
porter was of course detained, but he appeared to. be quite
ignorant of the offence which be had then been made a
party in committing. A police officer was sent with him
iss quest of the person who had sent him to get the check
cashed, and who,the porter said, lived in Upper Conway-
street, Fitzroy-square. The visit, however, was ineffec-
tual : the Gentleman who had employed him was not at the
house, and has not been heard of since. The name in
which the Gentleman had taken the lodgings in. Conway.
street, was that of Mr. Smith. lie was very thin and pale,
and worn& large pair of mustachios; and he spoke etfrmi.
nately.
David Perry stated. that he had been acquainted with
the prisoner. A few days ago the prisoner came to him, at
tiray's.inn, and told him a gentleman who lived in Conway-
street wished to give him a job. Witness then went, ac-
companied by the prisoner, to Conway-street, where
he saw a gentleman who called himself Mr. Smith. The
prisoner first went up stairs to Mr. Smith, and upon coming
downjstairs told witness to ga up, which witnessdid by himself,
and the prisoner went away. Mr. Smith then put the check
into his hand, and desired bum to return to the same place
with the money. Upon presenting the check he (witness)
was secured by the bankers. Mr. Smith was just such a
ti as is above described, and witness had never seen him
since.
The prisoner declared that he knew nothing about the
business, and that lie acted merely as a common messenger.
-,-He was remanded.
BON-smear. COUNTRY/MIT COIN. Saturday, !Pil-
lions and .Mary Aash, the two persons apprehended in
William street, Spafields, on Saturday se'unight, with a
Ilarge quantity of counterfeit half.crowns and shillings in
po,session, were this day brought up for final eza•
*nation.
Mr. Powe Lt.. the Solicitor to the Mint, was in attendance,
and he particularly inquired of the Officers, whether they'
fipund any quantity-of the chemical preparation, or silver
Kash, in the hotlee at the time they apprehended the'
prisoners. Avis replied, that when he and his brother
officers went into the house, ,there was a cup full of what,
he supposed to be silver wash, standing on the table
amongst the counterfeit money; but this cup the female
prisoner purposely upset after she was handcuffed to the:,
man. They gathered eip what they sould of its contents,
eta brought it away with.them. —This was now produced,
but it was a very inconsiderable quantity in a tea-cup ;
and the Solicitor said he did not think it would afford
sufficient evidence of their having been engaged in actually
silvering the base coin. If there had been sufficient 'Os,
; fleece to this fact, he should have felt it his duty to indict

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