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

THE STATkSMASI

that scissors was a sufficient excuse for the conviction of
the appellant—c person of ill fame and a reputed thief.
" Oh, Mr. Swabey, Mr. Swabey ! is this the mild and mer-
ciful administration of justice, enjoined by the greatest of-
all authorities? Happily the Legislature have thought that
the judgment of some Magistrates might, with propriety,
be appealed from, and that a superior Court should have
the power of rendering that judgment of no avail. This
case is one example of the odious and arbitrary exercise of
an authority which never should have been granted." Mr.
Thessiger said he thought it needless to say any more upon
the subject, than merely that he looked to the Bench in
the most confident expectation that they would treat this
case with the same ceremonythey bad used towards the other
'convictions by the same Magistrate.
The Bench—The conviction is quashed.
Tea KING O. ANN COOPI2.—The appellant was convict-
ed under the Vagrant Act, for having told fortunes, &c.
There was nothing remarkable in this conviction, which
was quashed in consequence of an informality, the words
with intent to deceive," being omitted in the conviction.

CHANOINH THE PIACI FOR THB %TINT= •1011311.
Mr. Dststams, M. P. for the County, moved, that the
Bench should Memorial the Secretary of State, to order
that the Winter Aseise, held at Kingston, shall, in•future,
be held at Horsemonger-lace. After a short discussion, in
which Mr. Trotter objected to the change, the motion was
carried by a great m►jority.

'them for the petit treason ; but as it was, he should pray
that they might be committed for the-•misdemeanour only.
—The prisoners offered nothing in their defence, anti they
were fully committed for trial.
A dirty looking fellow, named M'Goaran, was fully
committed for uttering counterfeit half-crowns. It was
proved that this worthy made four distinct uttering. in one
night, to the landlord of the King's Head public•house,
St. Martin's-court; and that, emboldened by this success,
he attempted it again npon the same person on she follow-
ing night; but the landlord bavingby that time discovered
how be had been imposed upon, and recollecting liis person,
gave him into the custody of an officer.—The prisoner
attempted to set op an alibi, but it failed; and, as we have
before stated, be was committed for trial.

OVERCHARGE RP PORTERS ON Tilt CARRIAGE OP PARCELS.

UN[oN-uALL—(Saturday..)—Mrs. Hine, a lady living
in Welcot-place, Lambeth, complained of a ticket.porter fur
having made an overcharge on the carriage of a basket of
game that was sent to her by the coach from lfirminghatn.
Mrs. Hine stated that the porter, instead of bringing the
parcel to her house, delivered it at a carrier's booking-office
in Gracechureh-street, for which he charged eight-pence,
and the carrier, by whom it was delivered, charged eight-
pence additional for taking it to her house, The porter,
►n his defence, said that when parcels were sent by the
coach to persons living beyond the carriage pavement, it
was the uniform practice to deliver them at the office cf a
carrier who passed in that direction, who of course added
his charge to that made by the porter fur leaving them at
his office. _ _ _

On reference to the Act of Parliament, the 39th of Geo.
it appears that all coach-masters and other carriers by
whom parcels are seat to London, are bound to send them
to tlie place directed, unless it is more than half a mile
beyond the carriage pavement, at rates of porterage stated
in the Act. One of the Officers stated that Mrs. Hine's
house was not half s mile beyond the carriage pavement.
The Magistrate said, as it appeared the practice of sending
parcels to carriers' offices was very general; it was proper
that the porters and the public should know that it was
illegal, and that the porters were bound to deliver all par-
cels as directed, at the rates prescribed by the Act, within
the specified distance, under a penalty, which for the first
offence was2os. The porter paid the fine, and promised to
conform to the Act of Parliament in future.
Friday, Oct. 17.—Mr. 'Jawlike!, against whom a sum-
mons was yesterday obtained by a young woman named
Harriet Clement, applied at this office about 12 o'clock, to
inquire for the summons which the newspapers stated to
have been obtained against him ; and which, although he
had not yet received. he was anxious to appear to. that he
might have the opportunity of contradicting so infamous a
charge against his character. and that of his family and
shopman. Mr. Dewhirst denied the charge altogether, and
stated, that so far from the girl being brutally or inhuman-
ly treated at the time of the fire, she bad every possible
assistance rendered her.
Mrs. Dewhirat stated that the girl was up stairs at the
time of her clothes catching fire; and that she immedi-
ately ran down stairs and into the street, without the least
chance of Mrs. Dewhirst affording her any assistance,
otherwise she could have easily extinguished the flames,
which wen at first very trifling ; that after the flames were
extinguished, the girl refused to come into the house, and
persisted in remaining in the street, in the exposed situation
in which the flames had left her, for which her mistress
remonstrated, with her when she vs& in ; that the girl was
under warning to leave,. previous to the fire taking place, i
and bad asked !eats to go out in search of soother situa-
tion on Wednesday evening about seven o'clock; that she
returned In about as hour. and told her mistress that she
must leave that night; her mistress remonstrated with her
on attempting to leave her noprovided with another ser-
vant, and the girl consentutto.stay the remainder of her
month. She went out agaiwfor the purpose of informing
her mother, and did not return till ten o'clock, when she
stated that she most leave that night. Her mistress told
her she bad behaved very ill, and that she would leave at
her peril. The girl then left the house.
Mr. Rees (not Bast, is stated in the charge) was then
called upon by the Magistrate, and completely vindicated
himself from the charge of inhumanity.
The Magistrate. being satisfied with his statement,
apologised to Mr. Rees for harsh; sharged him with such
inhumanity, which, be said, had team entirely through the
misrepresentation of the girl, and was sorry that he should
have said any thing to Wound Mr. Rees'a feelings.
Mr. Doglike' then stated, that every word of the charge
was proved false, and that be had doubt of its being the
remit of an infamous conspiracy. He requested the Ma-
gistrate to ask the girl some questions respecting a docu-
ment she had left behind her, and the answers were of
that description, which satisfied Mr. Dewhi rat of the quarter
from which the whole business had originated. He then
paid three' her wages, and her clothes were given up to
her.
WORIIIIIRSTREET.—Mrs. Simmons, of Arrow-alley, Pet-
ticoat-lane, a married woman, of the Hebrew rsuasion,
with five children. and a little advanced in the fapemily way,
appeared before Mr. Baum., the sitting Magistrate, upon
a charge of having attempted to steal a gown from a
pawnbroker. It appeared that the Prisoner went to pawn
her gown, which she effected, and got thereon Ye.6d. ; and
while the pawnbroker wall busily occupied in attending to
other business, she took that opportunity of endeavouring
to steal from the counter another gown; and upon being
detected and searched, she stated that distress alone
drove her to the act, although 65.6 d. besides the 2a. 6d.
she bad that moment before received, was found upon her
person.
She was then ordered from the bar, and after being left
in the lock-up room while the depositions against her were
preparing—in seine time after the officer was ordered to
bring her in, so u to hen• them read ; when he returned
immediately and announced that she had strangled herself
with her shawl and ribbon, while left alone. The worthy
Magistrate, with that humanity for which he is so justly
characterised, immediately dispatched some officers for
medical assistance, when Mr. Thomas, of Shoreditch, who
InotWithstanding great professional harry of business, laud-
ably came forward, and after nearly three hours of unre-
mitting application of drugs :nd medicine, and after taking
from her a considerable quantity of blood, pronounced her
to be in a fair way of recovery.—Mr. Metcalf, Vintner, of
Worship-street, very humauely accommodated the unfortu-
nate woman with a room, bed. and every thing necessary
to render her situation comfortable.
The Magistrate then dispatched Joshua Armstrong, an
officer belonging to the establishuient, to the woman's
lodgings, to ascertain whether the statement she gave of
her family and her poverty was correct.
Armstrong shortly after returned and said her statement,
was fully borne out by the facts, for sa wretched a place he
had seldom witnessed, as the room she resided In, and that
he would not give one shilling for all the articles with
which it wu furnished.
• The Magistrate desired that every care should be taken
of the unfortunate woman, and when recovered so as be"
removed, that she should be given up to her family:
ammommile •
On the morning of Thursday se'nniglet, about half-past
one o'clock, a dreadful occideint happened at Bentley, a
villegeour utiles west of Farobata. The Pool mail, on its
passage ap to town, in endeavouring to pass the &Pathan*.
ton coach, came is contact with it, sod upset; The cense
quarks were, that the cuachinan, guard, and two butsids
passengers. were seriously injured ; a young vedette was
throws partly under the cOach, and had her thigh broken
itt two places ; and the guard. iir attempting to rise, found
his leg Last dreadfully splintered; one inside passenger
was cut .by the glasses of the coach. The guard and yoartg
woman, with fractured limbs, tiers conveyed to the Lien
and Lamb Inn, earnham, where they now are, receiv-
ing every assistance that medical skill can afford.