The Statesman.
London, England, 1821-09-03 00:00:00

,STATICSMAN.

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POUCH,
Ovtinnatt..+A Irreas.—..Mary Cadet, an old
washers/omen. residing inNen-court, Moor-lant% ap-
peared, of summons, before Mr. Alderman C. SMITH,
to answer the complaint of a sprightly young girl, of
the name of Walcot, for violently assaulting- her.
The defendant, as it appeared by-this story, Is the
landlady of the house, occupying lb* parlour floor
herself, and ostensibly getting her living by taking in
washing and ironing. Miss Walcot and her mamas
are her tenants, residing in the first Boor, the door
above being occupied by o labouring man and his
"wife, of the name of Dale.
Mammy Calder, as she was respectfully termed by
the servant girls in the neighbourhood, according
to the statement of Miss Waleot, is a professed for-
tune-teller ; and some altercation arising between the
old woman and Dale the husband, relative to 111.11
arrears of rent, which he denied, she had threatened to
set " God's curse" upon him, for attempting to cheat
the helpless and the widow. The solemnity of manner
and voice she bad assumed, aided by the practised
movements of a countenance that could express all the
terrific contortions of the Sybil, had so alirmed the su-
perstitious fears of Dale, that be was ready to make
any submission to deprecate her anger and the conse-
quences of her incantations. Mrs. Dale, less supersti-
tious, proposed setting her and her spells at defiance.
Words arose between them in consequence, when the
husband, probably to appease Mammy Calder's ire,
gave his wife a sound thrashing.
Mrs. Dale, cenceiving Mammy Calder, the benefac
tress to whom she was indebted for this favour, availea

herself of the al:sence of her husband to commence
operations of revenge, dressed up a doll with a long.
pointed crown hat, a birch broom, and a pack of cards
!nits bands to represent a witch, which she suspended
by a string from her window, low enough to be seen
from the street or court.
Mammy Calder finding all her imprecations and
incantations ineffectual to cause the disappearance of
this spectre, determined on attempting its removal by
the natural means of physical force. This could he
effected only from the window of the first floor, and
Miss Walcott and her mamma were in alliance with
Mrs. Dale and the offending spectt'e against her. For-
tune, however, it is said, favours the brave. The
allies, who had laughed at her impotency as a witch,
found the old woman irresistible as a fury. She
fought her way through the phalanx np to the win-
dow, took the effigy prisoner, and bore it off in
triumph. It was for the assault committed in this
encounter that Miss Walcott now complained. The
charge, however, evidently originated in the desire
of revenge for the vexation of the defeat, rather than
from the wounds received; for although the evidence
of the young Lady was backed by her mamma and
the spectre-maker, Mrs. Dale; and a terrific account
given how the old woman had dragged Miss about by
her beautiful long hair, and otherwise assaulted her
with her lists and nails, no injury was apparent upon
her person, till she bared a very pretty white shoulder,
which certainly carried the mark of something like
a scratch. Dale, the husband, whose dread of the
old woman's incantations had given rise to the whole
affair, had not so far overcome his apprehensions as to
venture to make his appearance in the accusation
against her. Ridiculous as three apprehensions may
appear, Dale was by no means the only one who stood
in awe of Mammy Calder's supernatur.d agency; ac-
cording to the statement of a respectable-looking
young man, who came forward upon the business, she
was a terror to the whole nighbourhood. When any
one offended her she go would down in the open court,
and, after muttering some mysterious imprecations,
pray aloud in the most solemn and fervent manner
to the Almighty, that their food might not nourish
them—that their cats might not mew, nor their trees
grow, with other like observations ;. and nobody, he
said, could witness the awful and impressive tone and
manner in which she performed these ceremonies,
without feeling an inward dread of the possibility of
her spells having some effect.
Mattnuty Calder, who had remained mute, with her
choppy finger on her skinny lips," during all the
accusations against her, broke out, at length with a
veltment exclamation, that she meant no harm to
any body, and had only asked of Dale her just due
of ten weeks' rent that was owing. She disclaimed
being either conjuror, witch, or fortune-teller, and
insisted she got her living by washing and ironing,
in proof which she alleged that Mrs. Walcot had paid
her Ss. the week before for washing things for her :
and, as to ill-using any body, that was impossible, she
was so weak and sickly, so .as to be frequently con-
fined to her bed, and unable to do her work.
" Yes, indeed," replied Mrs. Walcot, " but you
can earn more money a-bed titan me and my daughter
can up." Her room, your Worsbip, is crowded with
folks to have their fortunes told, and she gets them to
do her work for her.
Mammy Calder denied that she professed to tell
fortunes, or, at least, that she got a living by it a she
confes'.ed, however, that she had the art of shuffling
the cards, and that the girls would come round her
sometimes and say " Come, Mammy Calder, give us
a shuffle; I'll do your washing, I'll do your ironing
for you the while:" and that she did at times indulge
them with a display of her powers in this war, but not
for titemey, or to make a livelihood by it.
The Alderman smiled at the whole as a ridiculous
affair, and in consideration of the assault that had
been proved to have been committed, decided that
Nlatnnly Calder should pay the expense of the summons
and hearing, and the charge be dismissed.
This she positively refused to do; she had got no
money, and if she bad, she would go to all the prisons
in the world before they should get any thing out of
her. She was accordingly directed to be detained
until she should find bail for the assault. When put
into the lockup-room, at the (Ate, her fit of Sybil-
line fury came on; she threatened vengeance upon
poor Herdsfield, the officer, who had to lock berm,
and knelt down on the floor to Limy God's curse upon
him. finding, however, that he only laughed at her'
pretended spells, she seated herself upon the bench,
and, with eyes closed and bands up-lifted, continued
to mutter her imprecations to herself.
She was subsequently removed.to the Compter, where
she still remains.
blasrstus House.—Saturday a woman underwent a
finolexamination, on a charge of uttering a forged
11. note. She had, it appeared, been detected in-utter-
ing a forgery at the shop of a citizen, who detained,

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slid tie* bet Nit sustolis, Shp wu recognised u
mold Otero, acid the usual nature of the charge was
sent by the Lohl liiiyer'S clerk to the Bank, that they
might prosecute. In the mean time the woman was
remanded, and was on Saturday brought up for anal
examination, when Mr. Maynard attended from the
Bank.
Mr. Maynard informed the Lord Mayor. that the
Bank bad, since the issue of gold, come to a deter-
mivation not to prosecute in cases of uttering forged
IL notes. _ _

The Lord Mayor bete expressed his surprise at this
determination, as it was she interest of the Bank to
uphold the public confidence in the notes.
Mr. Maynard said, that the Bank wished to warn
the public from taking the IL notes at all. It was
entirely at their own risk, and on their own responsi-
bility, if they now took I/. notes from strangers. He
would not go the length of saying, that the Bank
would not prosecute at all in such cases, but they de-
clined all interference, as they did not wish that the
notes should-be taken.

The Lord Mayor said, that the public should now '
be particularly cautious is taking the notes, which ,
were so easily converted into specie, and should weigh
well the risk of taking any of them from strangers.
It should not, however, go abroad, that the law
against utterers was dead, because the Bank declined
to prosecute. The public could prosecute equally
well, as, if a charge were to be brought by an indivi-
dual, the Magistrate could bind him over to prosecute,
as in other cases of felony.
The person who gave the prisoner in charge, as he
had not lost any thing, did not appear to prosecute.
The prisoner was consequently discharged, after an
admonition from his Lordship.
BOW-stutter.—FßACDS ON ?NZ Estisc—Willinin
Satherin, one of the principal clerks in the depart.
meat of the Surveyor of the King's Tobacco-ware-
honsea, was brought before G. R. Idinshull, Esq. on
Saturday last, on a charge of 'conspiring with Robert
Grant to defraud his Majesty's Revenue.
Mr. HOLLAND and Mr. MATO conducted the pro-
secution, and Mr. HARIMI appeared for the prisoner.
The circumstances of the case, as given in evi-
dence, are brifly thus :—ltobert Grant, the person
above-mentioned, was clerk to .Ir. Alexander Brant,
a respectable tobacco-broker, in George-street, Tower
bill. On the 26th July he was entrusted by his em-
ployer with a cheque upon I,lllhrokes and Co. fin
3261. &e. for the purpose of paying the duty upon t:
hogshead of tobacco, in order that it ,night be clears,
out of the King's warehouses and delivered to a Mr
Barker. To accomplish this he should have paid the
money into the Collector's office, receivine, in return,
s certificate of its payment, signed by the Collector
and the Comptroller, upon presenting which at the
Surveyor's office (in which the prisoner is a clerk) he
would have been furnished with a permit for the re-
moval of the tobacco. It appears, however, that in-
stead of paying the money into the Collector's otlice
he retained it in his own pocket, forged the signature
of the Collector and Comptroller to a false certificate,
and with it procured from the prisoner the necessary
permit ; upon the authority of which the tobacco was
forthwith delivered from the warehouses. So far the
prisoner did not appear to be implicated; inasmuch as
it was possible he might have been deceived by the
forged certificate; bat unfortunately for him, it so
happened that K. Grant had procured cash for the
cheque at Lailbruke's, and one of the .5/. notes he
there received was traced to have been paid away by

the prisoner, to his tailor, the same day.
The prisoner, in his defence, said lie could account
satisfactorily for his possession of the note in ques-
tion ; but by the advice of Mr. Harmer lie declined
doing so at present, and he was fully committed fur

trial:
This offence, by the 41st Geo. 111., subjects the
party to seven years' transportation ; and it was al-
leged that the prisoner, in connection with R. Grant,
has practised similar frauds to a very great amount.
K. Grant who stands charged with the forgery, has
absconded, and five hundred pounds reward is offered
for his apprehension.

TILE LAIR MURDER AT HIGUGATE.The Inquiry
respecting this inhuman outrage is carrying on by
the proper authorities with unabated activity. It has
been stated that Barratt, who gave evidence before
the Coroner's Jury, was apprehended oil Tuesday, on
suspicion of being concerned in the murder. This
man was under-gardener to Mr. Hale, in whose ser-
vice, the murdered man was, as before stated. Some
of Lance's party of Horse Patrole, belonging to Bow-
street, hang employed to make inquiries, learned that
Barran, instead of being at the house he stated on
the inquest, on the night of the murder, was seen in
a public-house at Muswell-hill, in company with two
or three men, whom the landlord designated to the
officers as " suspicions looking fellows ;" and when
be (the landlord) took a light into the room, he ob-
served them hold down their heads, as if to conceal
shelr faces. They remained there but a short time,-
and went away together. The officers, upon this in-
formation, apprehended Barrett at Tottenham High•
Cross, and took him before the Rev. Mr. Owen and
Mr. Beville (of Worship-street), who reside at High-
gate, where he underwent a short examination, in the
course' f which he protested his innocence, but ap-
peared to be rather averse to answering questions.
He was committed for a turther examination, and the
officers went to search his house, Where they found a
large quantity of plate, apparel, and china, of a very
superior kind, stowed in various parts of the house,
some of them with the names at full length, and others
with the initials of Mr. Rothschild, of Stamford-hill;
with 'whom Barratt's wife bad lived as servant about
two years ; and, upon searching her tranks, some more'
of her master's property was found. She was taken
into custody, and on her way to prison she fainted ;
when recovering, she exclaimed; 4. I know my hus-
band will be hanged for the murder, and I shall, too,
for the robbery, but he will die innocent." The
husband and wife are both I'D confinement, and will
undergo an examination before the same two Magis-
trates in the course of *a week. The property found I
would almost fill a waggon, the linen alone Is esti-
mated-at nearly 1001. value.
MODERN LEANDBR:ThOMIS irp seamsn'of
his Majesty's ship Oturyillus,.kad frequently :vas from
the-ship to the-shore in the niggito visit h)i sweetheagt.
He en 1.7:1,1ay night was drowned in the, attempt.-:—Ver-
diet; Accidental Death.

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