The Statesman.
London, England, 1818-09-22 00:00:00

.1 CASE OF GREAT MISFORTUNE.

Guit.nual.r..,Yesterday a em ranee before Sr
WILLIAM Guava. which sets all ordinary power* of
description at defiance.

A man named Older:haw, a conveyancer, once in
flourishing circumstances, and residing at St. Peel's-
chain, was brought up charged by many of the re-
spectable inhabitants of that neighbourhood with hie-
ing done several dangerous things, to the great ter-
ror of those who knew his character and lived with.
In hie reach. The particular set with which be was
'first charged was, that of haling proceeded to pull
down the upper part of his house, without having
made any arrangements by which the lives of the
people could be secured. lie had, it seems, already
taken down a hundred weight of lead, without the
assistance of a human being, and was constantly em-
ployed in hammering the wills, so that the neigh.
boors round about were trembling for their lives.—
Their fears were increased by their knowledge of the
strange conduct of the man for some years.
Mr. Godwin, of Peel's-chain, represented these
circumstances to Sir W. CURTIS, who having ascer-
tained Met there was nobody in the office to contra-
dict the assertion of Mr. Oldershaw, stating that the
house was his property, said he could not legally its-
terfere upon the present evidence.
Mr. Godwin said, be was convinced the house
was not the property of the Defendant, and assured
the Worthy Alderman with some warmth, that the
neighbourhood, if a stop was not pat to such coo.
duct, must necessarily be deserted.
Mr. Oldershaw said, his object was to improve his
boos?, and that he wished injury to be far from every
,'.hank
Mr. Godwin said, that if this ease could not be
proceeded upon, there was another which, had the
strongest claim upon their humanity, for it compre.
hended the distresses of the Defendant's wife and fa-
mily.
Sir WM. CURTIS repressed his willingness to beer
any case distinguished by so powerful a claim, but
observed that, notwithstandleg our humanity, we
most abide by the law, which authorised a man to
make whatever alterations or improvements he thought
proper in his own house:
Mr. Godwin replied, that no man had a right to
pull down his house to the evident danger of a whole
neighbourhood, it being not recognised by the law
that human life should be destroyed without a trial.
Sir WILLIAM CURTIS was proceeding to address
the Defendant upon the impropriety of keeping his
neighbours in a state of agitation, when Mr. God-
win declared that reasoning on the subject could have
no effect, cool and rational as Mr. Oldershaw sp.
peered to be, there being strong ground for suspect-
ing that he was out of his mind.
Sir William's tone of reproof was immediately
changed to one of compassion ; the poor man's wife
and children were in the office •' their appearance
added much to the feelings which had manifested it-
self amongst the by-standers. His wife had a half-
starved child in her arms; the other two children
est on the ground at the feet of their father; one of
them was a cripple; the other almost blind; want
was the strongest expression in the faces of the whole
family, except the mother's, wbo had dist combined
with many troubles to make her a signal Instance of
suffering.
To the question of the Worthy Baronet, Mrs.
Oldershaw replied, that her husband had been once
in greet circumstances, but now was fallen below the
notice of every one in the world bet herself by ens.
voidable misfortunes. Every thing in the house had
been disposed of for the support of the family, and
her husband had not dined since Thursday last. She
declared that he was as harmless as his poor children,
and she endeavoured to justify the extrsortlinory pro.
seeding of taking down the house, by saying, that
his object was to improve it.
Her face was bathed in tears while she thus spoke
of her husband's necessities. She complained that be
wets now in hunger as well as in grief, and she seem.
ed to lose all sense of her own privations in her fears
Inc him.
Sir WILLIAM CURTIS. who was much moved at
this spectacle, said, " You are a good woman, and
I see will never desert him. God help you all.—
You mast now tell me whether be is right in his mind."
Mrs. Oldershaw said, she feared he was not at all
times: his troubles had taken effect upon him, but
be would come round to his senses when the world
treated him with less bitterness.
Mr. Godwin said, the affection the poor creature
had for her busbaitd mode her conceal the most seri-
ous conteqesuces of his disorder ; to the violence of
which, one of his children owed the loss of his limbs,
and the other the loss of his sight. " I remember,"
said Mr. Godwin, " when that poor cripple was as
fine a child as ever I beheld ; and I have seen the un-
happy man drag his wife through the snow in the
middle of the night."
Another Gentleman said, be saw the Defendant
running shout the house early on Saturday morning
with lighted paper in his hand.
Sir W. Cueets.---The case IS without doubt, the
MGM affecting that ever came before me : the Puri*
Officers must do their duty. Mr. Deputy Bog, I
request you will convene a Vestry, and take isonse.
diate steps for the relief of this poor family. As to
the unfortunate man, I consider hies a complete
lunatic.
Mr. Boa said, it should be done as seen as pos-
sible.
The Worthy Baronet ordered that the utmost care
should be taken of Mr. Oldershaw, in the Compter,
for the present, and of his wife and children by the

.Overseers.
66 You shao't want veer dinner any more, my
poor woman," said Sir William, 66 if I can help it."
66 Aye, bat will he have his dinner?" observed
the poor woman. 66 He shall indeed," was the reply.
Every one in the MSc, was deeply affected ■t the
mem. Several were in teen. Mr. Godwin, it ap.
raved, had prevented the family from starlit% los
the last two or three days.

Roasawt.—On Sunday morning, dosing the
absence of the family at Divine Service, the house of
Mr. Farce, to Mary-le.honne-street, was'elatorld by
picking the lock of the street door, and'lMlSasttiat
was stripped of all the tight Odvtables, *v.
value 601..