The Statesman.
London, England, 1821-10-24 00:00:00

POUCH.

.

.Bow-evitak.e.—Late on Monday eiening, Mary
Beck, one of the lowest order of prostitutes•, under-
went an examination before Sir R. Birnie; the Sitting
Magistrate, charged with being concerned in a bur-
glary committed on Sunday last, in thedwelling-horise
of D. Cameron, of the Strand, Pawnbroker. The pri.
soner was apprehended in Druiy-lane, having in her
possession at the time a' damask table-cloth and a pair
of buckskin breeches, which were subsequently idea;
tided by Mr. Cameron, as being part of the stolen
property. The prisoner was remanded.
MARLBOROUGU-STRIBM—The re-examination of the
case of Wyatt, the sexton, and Howe, the grave-dig-
' ger, of St. James's, charged with stealing inscrip-
tions from coffin lids, took place yesterday. Howe
was committed to Newgate for trial, and the sexton
was held in sureties to appear to take his trial.
WOReIIIT•STRERT.—Jewima Matthews, whose con-
duct we mentioned on a former day, underwent a re-
examination yesterday before M. SWAREY, jun. and
Jouri SlibwAnri, Esqrs., and the three boys who were
employed by her to commit felonies were brought np
from the New Prison, Clerkenwell, where they bad
been detained fur the purpose of being witnesses
against her.
This case excited considerable interest. The office
was excessively crowded. Amongst others who at-
ten.led were nine or ten parents who had lost their
children, and had not yet been fortunate enough to
find them.

Little Bailey, in addition to his former narrative,
stated, that be had been, off and on, staying with the
prisoner for the last twelve months. He and the
others were sent out every day under pretence of sell-
ing
pins, but the prisoner told them to thieve. He
had stolen apples and meat at different times. The
apples he ate himself, but the meat he took home to
the prisoner. He remembered stealing a piece of
mutton in Spitalfields-market, which he took. home,
and told the prisoner he stole it. The prisoner told
him to take care of himself, and not get into a hobble.
The prisoner often told him to go into the market and
steal wherever he could.

Frederick Clark said he eras with the prisoner three

nights, and was sent out by her every day to rob. In
that time be robbed three shops in Whiteeliapel. He

remembered a butcher's shop, where he stole a heart,
liver anti liabts, last Wednesday, and took them home,
for which the prisoner gave him the right of lodging
fur two weeks.

John Clark, a little boy, brother to the last witness,

said he was sent out a thieving. The prisoner had two
boys of her own, Ben and John. Ben went out and
thieved every day, but she used to beat John with her
fist, and sometimes with a stick, because be would not
go a thieving. In coming to the office yesterday
morning the prisoner doubled her list, and threatened
the children, and told them to sly nothing about.
thieving and the cards.
John Tyrrell, another little boy, whose father had
lately delivered him from the clutches of this mon-
strous woman,corroberated the story of the other boys.
Ile said he remembered Frederick Clark bringing
home the heart, liver and lights, when the prisoner
said, " Go out one or two of you, and see if you can
wet a bit of "Sawney," meaning a bit of bacon.
The prisoner, in her defence, denied the charge. She
said she was an unfortunate woman, and took the chil-
dren in out of charity.
She was committed to take her trial for the misde-
meanour in receiving stolen goods, and the boys were
committed to Coldbath-fields, to be produced as
nesses against her.

Detachments of the Bth, 28th, 32d, 85th, and 90th
regiments, embarked on board the transport Aldbury,
Cunningham, last week, for Malta.
At the Sessions for the county of Stafford, on Wed-
nesday last, several vagrants were brought up; some
of them were youths who travel about the country furl
purposes of plunder ; one of them, quite a boy, but
evidently an old offender, held up his hand when the
first question was addressed to him, in a way which
shewed his acquaintance with some of the forms of
Court. He was apprehended on Burton race course,
where lie was observed to take his band out of some
person's pocket, but as he had brought no money out,
it is to be presumed the pocket was empty. The va-
grant attributed the contact of his hand with the
pocket to accident. He was sentenced to three months
insprisontueot, and to be whipped. .
At the close of the Sessions Thomas James, aged
13, and William James, aged 11, for stealing three
bats from a stall in Newcastle market, the property of
George Hand, of Burslem, to be transported for seven
years. These youthful but hardened offenders had
been respectively convicted at former Sessions. Thos.
James had been imprisoned six months ; and William
James one week and whipped. In passing sentence
at the present Sessions, the Chairman addressed them
in very impressive language ; and concluded by ob-
serving, that it was very painful to pass a severe sen-
tence upon two boys so young ; but after the punish-
ment they had received for furmer offences, which had
produced no good effect, it would be trifling with the
justice of the country to pass a lenient sentence on the
present occasion. The Penitentiary, he was sorry to
observe, was too full to admit them, but he understood
that Government was about to build a hulk for of-
fenders of their description. Sentence of transporta-
tion was then passed; many of the auditors were vi-
sibly affected. Hannah Plant, a women apparently of
weak intellect, was charged with receiving the hats
knowing them to be stolen, (the punishment for which,
if she had been convicted, must have been 14 years
transportation) but she was acquitted by a merciful
Jury.
William Jones and James Hadley, for being out in
the night armed, with intent to kill game, were sen-
tenced to be transported for seven years.
(It appeased on the trial of these men that they bad
maltreated the keepept who detected them, and beaten
them severely with two heavy bludgeons, which were
produced in Court. It was fortunate for them, the
Chairman observed, that they had not to stand atthat
baion a charge of murder. Whenever persons were
apprehended for being out armed in the night, Sic. and
surrentlered without any dangerous opposition, the
Cowl were disposed to deal leniently with them; but
.when they added to their offence by the brutal treat-
Aunt of perinru whose duty it was to protect their
mastery' propel ty, the Court marked their heavy crime
,y a signal pn7 ishment.]