The New York herald. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1840-1920, 1854-07-07

tfrOm the LONDON News. June Il
At the sittings in ,Nisi Pris, for tho county q
Middlesex, yesterday the following case was tried
befcse Chief Justice Jersis and common jury:-
Reginbal o.. Manaagsee.-r The plaintiff in this
case, Margaret Rrginbai. a French girl, formerly
lived In house of i'll fame kept by the defendant,
German Marmaycee aud she sued to recover tho
Saiue Of some clothes detained by the defendant.
and also about f70 for money due TO her. The
court was crowded during the hearing Of the case,
and one OF the galleries was filed by French wo-
men, who seemed deeply interested in the matter,
and who moro than once audiby expressed their
feelings
Mr.. Sergeant Byles and Mr.. Massey Dawson APP
Yeard for the plaintiff and Mr.. Sergeant Miller for
Mr.. Sergeant Byes, ia opening the case. said that
the plaintiff was French girl. who formerly lived
q Havpsde.Gracc and she was something over
twenty-one years of age; and the defendant, like
the plaintiff was o native of France. The name Of
the def ndant was Mlrmaysee, but sometimes he
was called Ge main, and sometimes Le Bron. He
was ono OF those persons In this country whom 10
might describe as importing young ladies from
France who were to live in a house kept by him for
. purpose which need not be further mentioned.
he had great number OF French girls living there
with him. whom he bad collected in the course Of
his business-for the importing OF these girls was
as much . trade as tho purchase Of cattle In
Holland was-the fact being that these poor
girh having Lost their only possession ct
and inpertsd into this country like any other
commodity, and they were. when immurod within
the walh of the defendant entirely and absolntsly
under his control; they we're not even allowed 70
cdr out without being atteadef by person Gale
femme de confance. near relative Of his, or by
some other duennd. The arrangement was this
the defendant says 81 expect you to exert yourself
to mako yourself agreeable, and get as much a. you
can; one half OF the eompem nts are To- be paid to
you, out Of which you mu.i keep yourself, and one
half you will give me-" The expenses Of each girl
were TO be about 27s week, but sometimes consid-
erably more than this was charged. The defendant
liant = AoVw opAr he rnAQ mn IN
rage, for their benefit and for his, and each L.
dy was charged 90. for every ride in the carriage,
A1d this sum was set down In the expenses. 6,me-
times also, the ladies' took baths aud for each bath
he charged 2s Cd, and 3D. for the lowell and 1t was
part of the practice that they not to be allow
ed TO keep any money themselves. but al their lit
tie savings were to be entrusted to him as their
state to him what they had earned on the preceding
day; but as the money had been paid to the femme
de conf0Hcr, he took care to interrogate both her
and the ladies' and 10 make o check againt tho
other and he regretted to say that every Sunday
morning the establishment met and then there was
. regular statement by them OF the sums they had
received 70 the preceding week, and with the OK
the meantime The girls, however, were not en-
trusted with any money, nor to see any friend, and
he would not allow them to receive any letter from
any person in England. although they were
allowed to receive letters from France. He
was their banker, and they were not allow
ed to go shopping, for he sold them the
articles they wanted, and when there was any
money coming to them he had some articles Of fac
81 theee girls were very ignorant; but 1t happened
that his client could write, and she had kept regu-
lar book for herself and she would be able to tell
them exactly what amount she had received during
every week, and what has been charged her for ex-
penses, and that would leave a balance due to her
of about ETC., which she ought to recover by the
verdict Of the jury. The case would not depend
upon her statement alone, but be should be able to
M her w vh oh
would leave no doubt that the defendant was in
debted 70 the plaintiff for the amount he had men
TONED; and In addition TO this, he should ask for
their verdict for the valne OF certain articles Of
wearing apparel which had been detained from the
plaintiff. NN4
Mr.. Sergeant Miller said he hoped he should have
the sanction Of his lordship in suggesting, in order
70 avoid goiag into the detail mentioned by his
learned friend, that person should say, In pri
vate, what amount, II anything, this plaintiff was
entitled to. It would save public discussion Of
these matters.
The Chief Justice-As far as am concerned, /
think that the time will not be in any respect
thrown away-if the statement of my brother Byles
be ut al corfect-which may be devoted to expos
ing such dreadful state Of Things.
Mr.. Sergeant Miller said he had no object in in.
terposipg but the public benefit.
Mr.. Sergeant ByIes continued-He should make
this a. nearly as be could dry matter Of account.
He had said that under the money demand, he be-
leved he ehould be able to show what this young
person, the plaintiff, had earned, and what portion
OF that amount ought to be deducted. As he had
told them. the plaintiff had bought of the defendant
various articles Of female apparel, such petit
coats, stockings, &c; and in addition to those,
there was article riding habit, in reference to
which there were several pleas. This young lady.
having now left the establishment OF this gentle
man, was endeavoring to earn her living in, at all
events, Q less direputable manner, and was about
making her appearance at one Of tho public riding
schools Of the metropolis, and she, therefore, want
ed this riding habit and she had been obliged to hire
FIR Ar N "a fhnr Ha under nod
that the riding habit had been sent TO party where
she had lodged, that squabbe had ensued, that
the attorneys clerk had attempted to throw it into
the house, and that by some means it had been ost
and, therefore, they should not ask for the thing il
self, but only ask TO recover the value Of it.
The following witnesses were then called
Edward Moons, laborcr in the London Docks.
proved that he had served on the defendant notice
TO deliver these goods belonging to the plaintiff,
and the defendant said he would not give them up.
Witness told defendant he understood he owed her
f7O, and that under those circumstances keeping
her things was rather too bad. The defendant said
he did not owe her 80 much; be might owe her ESQ,
but not f70.
Crossexamined- knew Mr.. Levine, who was
conducting this case, but he had not appeared for
him q witness in any other case than this; he did
mot appear on the prosecution OF an Indictment
ag ainst N. Colbert.
Margaret Reginbal was sworn and examined
through Mr. G. Albert, tie interpreter-She stated
that she came from Havre de Grace, and was q ma
tive OF Salleur, in Normandy; she had been sent to
England by N. lie Conte; no was not the person who
had seduced her but he was one of his friends she
did not know what sort Of place she was coming
10 In England when she came to the defendants,
but thought that he was perfumer; It was on the
9th Of December last that she came to England:
the defendant, who called himself German le Bron,
told her. some time afterwards that he had paid f8
for her to NJ lie Conte; she found out at last what
sort Of house n. le Bron kept, but, not knowing
anybody In London, and having no other course
open. abe determined remaining; he told her
that onehslf Of the money was to be hers and one
half his, but from her hall her expenses TO be
paid; he did not say how much the expenses would
be altogether, but he said the expenses for board
and lodging would be about Sos. q week, and that
she Was 70 pay; abe remained there some time,
and whilst there she was not allowed to 60
fance, who was the sster.in-sw Of M. lie Bron,
and lived In the same house with him; wit
ness wHs mot allowed TO receive letters from any