Middlesex Adjourned Sessi...
The Times, 1824-10-02T00:00:00

The C(RAITMAH1 entered tile COUrt at 11 o'Cock. Mlr. Muirtouegk O'Donovatl. MlrS. CathCrine O'DonozVan, and BIT. JonOthan Said, were cialled on to be tried for an assault. The two Irish eimigrants appeared at the bar. Mir. Jonathan Saul advainced to the bench and delaared thst he had never been accused before a magistratep-htat he had never been taken into custody on the charge-that he had co.e bere to.day en I a subpcana, to glve his evidence for the tWo Donovans: he therefore objected to be tried, as he could not be supposed at that nioment to bne prepared to rebt a charge which had never been made. T'he CCAInbrAw asked why he had been indicted ? Saul._I suppose to prevent me from giving evidence for the other prsoners. CHaIRztAw.-_lave you been sought for by offlcers? Saul.-If I was searched for, 'tws not at Itome, for I never left it for one day. CHAIrnMAx.-This ls very odd. Who progecutes? Mr. PIt1LL1Ps.-The headborough of the parish of St. Ann, Limehouse. CSAIRMAN.-VeTy strange that he indfcta a man for an offence, and yet never send3 to briug him up for triaL I cannot put the man on his trial under such circamatantes. M r. ALL?Y stated the caue for theprossecution. It appe2red from the evidence, that the prisonerx inhabited an old house in King *ohn's- rt, St. Ann's, Limehotse. The landlord, wishing to pull do n the house, pyaceeded with labourers analadders, mounted the roof, and fell about stripping it. Mr. Aturtough O'Donovan, think. ing thls rather too great a liberty, ascended the ladder also, mounted the roof, loosened the ropes which fastened the top of the laider, de- scended, and Nsap p nUing it away, together with the superincumbent labourers, when Mfagrath. the parish headborol,gh, came up and s,eized him. The Irishman, according to cuntom, made most encr. getic resistance. He threw himself on tbeground, anid swore that if he must go they sbould carry him. The headborough was dragging him alongr, when Mrs. ()'Donovan, backed, by a flock of her gallant countrywomen, pounced on the headbbrough, overpowered his paro. chial mleht, drew his cravat something closer round his neck, and, in fact, did all but strangle him. He turned as black in the face as the ace of %pades. Saul, the absent prisoner, wan allcged to have cheered the Irisl ladies by" fGo it, my girls; I'll back you for a cool hundred." This was the case against the prisoners. Air. PHLLISrS rose to defend his acesed compatriots at the bar. The learned gentleman commenced by objecting to the national re- flections used by AMr. Alley, talking to an English jury of Irisb ten- deneles to tiot; they came with a very bad grace from a gentleman who was himself a native of the same country. Mlr. ALLEY.-Why do you talk so, Mlr. Phillips ? Sure you do it vourself. Ar. PizLLiPs.-_Wel, if I do, I always bear the rebuke for them, bit. Alley. But, gentlemen of the jury, that my poor clients have acted in an Irish manner is very probable, for really the treat. meRt which they received was so very Irish as to inake them almost believe themselves to have been at the moment in Ireland.. Youall have heard of the summarv metbods of ejecting tenants in my coun. try. They sometimes smoke out the tenant; sometimes burn him out of the house,and have been known even to havedrowned a tenant out of possess8on. These are no doubt very effectual, though some- times disagreeableand always illegal ways of ejecting. It seems,how. ever, thatthe landlordof mypoor clients tookagreatlikingtosome- thingoftheIrish style, for, havin consulted Irish authorities on the subject, he ado pted the 5j1 g mode of ejecting them. He asked them to pay rent. They refused, for a reason which also happens to he quitc Irish-narncly, that this same demand had been made by tive diffierent landlords, or, as we cal thema in Ireland, middlemen. The house had not been indicted as a nuisance. The landlord was not warranted in taking down the house over the heads of moy clients, the tenants. They acted very naturally and righdy in resisting, and the assault on the Iteadborough was a natural conse. quence of that just resistance. With this rimple statement he would Icave his case to the consideration of the Court. The CHtAiRSAx recomrnended the Jary to acquit the prisoners, on the ground thst the laadlord had not given notice to the prisoners of his intention to pull down the house. | TheJury found the prisoners Guilty. The CHAIRMAN sentenced them to pay a fine of Is. each, and enter into their awn recognizrance to keep the peace towards the hcadborough and landlord. The prisoner, lAlurtough O'Donovan, thanked the Chairman and his counsel, and retired with Mirs. O'Donovan in triumph. ClSARR O'Y FItAUD. John Booker, a stout seafaring-leoking man, was indicted on a charge of fraud, in obtaining, under false pretences, a chain-cable fron M essrs. Steplhenson, of Liverpool, and disposing of the same. MIr. James Stephenson said-I resided at Liverpool for 10 years; four years ago, I knew that a person of the name of Booker lived there, but r did not know him personally. In January last we re- caeled an order for an iron cable from lMess". Thos. Spring Robin. son and (lo., Philip-street, Commereial.rosd, London. We shiv. ped the cable, which arrived ih London on the 10th of M]arch. On the 13;h we received a letter that the cable had arrived sate, and was approved of, with an order for another cable, which we also sent. In April, finding that o notice was taken of the sewnd order, 1 camne to London, and was informed by a gentleman that the chain cable was lying at Jonathan Garth's, in the Borough. I went there pnd saw the chain-cable, which had oar private mark on every link of it. Garth said it was for sale; tbat he purchased it frari TiomRs Welsh, who purchased it from Booker, theprisoner. Theother cable had been sent to Portsmoaut, and afterwards thipped on board a vesselrat Plymoutlh. The prisoner went by the name of Captain Thomas. A woman with whom be had lived said that he be. longed toagang of swindlers. On the 21th of July, the prisonerwas brought to the assizes at Gulldfosd, where he confessed having sold the cable. The C5sAIstseAN said, hecould take notling from his own con- fession when he afterwards denied it. It might bc all very true, but he was .sorry that the prosecutor had not taken therig latway in bring. ing the indictment for fraud. Fraud was a most difficult thing to prove und the prosecutor did not bring hetne the charge in proving that the prisoner had received the cable, or that it was procured through his agency. What was the value of the cable ? The pros_eutor said, that one was 1461., and the other 127L He had a witness to prove that Booker had received and sold the cable. Alr. Pringle, ship-chandler, 47, Lower Shadwell said, that Booker came to hinm, wishing to put a Chain cable, whici he received fronm Liverpool. into his varehouse. In three days afterwards, Booker said he sold It to Welsh, desiring it to be delivered up to hitm. In five weeks after, Welsh sold it to Jonathan Gartb. Booker said he was agent for Thom%s and Co. A person present could prove the letter to be Booker's handwriting. The CLIAIRMIAN..-I have no (loubt of the factt bet as to the manner of proving, that's the difficulty at present. 'I'he prosecutor snid, that there were parties of the gang, upwards of 50, all over the country ; some of tthem were in Edinburggh. The C rAI R rA v. - ave you applied to a magistrate ? Prosecutor.-I have been twice before the Lord Mayor. (AI n tNAX.-lHave you any solicitor? Prosecutor._Ycs, Mblr. Pringle; but he is not here. Trie CHSAIRMAN expressed his regret that the prosecutor had not taken proper legal advice, for he certainly proceeded in a manner to defeat Its own ends. There was one way In which lie should have acted, but he was not now going to enlarge upon that. The proof oF fraud was moot difficult. There wag no evidence togo to thejury. The Jury returned a verdict of Not Gui y1 The prosecutor saidl that he had lost his cable, and his time since last Jl y. The CHAIRMANt addressedl the prisoner, advining him to make some anends to Ir. Stephenson, for he was still in some danger. Prisoner.-AIr. Stephenson has gone rather beyond t'e mark; but it is unnecessary for :ne to nay any thing now. I never knew that there was a Mllr. Thomnas ir, Philip.strcet, nor wrote to Mr. Stephen. son in my life. The sessions termintated at two o'clock. I ADDLESEIXADJOrJlNED SESR6N FgxA, ocr.t flllSI MODE OF EJECTINWG TEIIANTS.