Police.
The Times, 1824-04-15T00:00:00

MIASSION4MOUSE.-Aa old man, enveloped in rags, with a dirty capthat partly cobcealed hisface,was brought before theLonDMAYOR 6n1a clarge of vagrancy. He had been seen begging in the streets at night with great assiduity. He chiefly accosted persons of'respecrable appearance, whose attention he invariably arrested until hehad told his story, and he seldom failed in getting something given to him.When he was taken into custody, he declared himself unable to walk, and made aln real to the feelings of the officer; but finding the latter determined toapprehendhim, under the general order to take into custody aU persons found begging in the streets, he made a vigorous resistance. When called upon to state his name aiid abode to the Lord Mlayor, he begged to be excused, and made an address to his LUrd. ship in a neat style. in which he stated hiimself to have been born and bred a gentleman, and that be had moved in the first societv un- til very atelyv rhen, by a sudden calamity, he was ruined; those who in his efluence surroundded him, no. fled from him, he was driven into the street, and unless some benevolent individuals, whom be met casually, had given him aid, he would have been starved. He hoped his Lordship would spare the feelings of a gen- tleman, and pernit him to expose his name and situation in a pri- vate interview. The LOnD MIATYOR could noz accede to thiS request; the uisual coutse must be pursated: the prisoner rmust tell lis name and last residence, when he would be passed to his parish, where he, doubt-, less, would be treated with all the respect due to Iiis age and his , for.-r r-nlI The prisoner, in an abrupt and rather an impertinent manner, de- manted- he should be assured that, in the event of his giving his name, he should be sent to his parish, and no' where else. The LORD AlYont said, that he did not sit there to make cem- pacts with priso-iers, The prisoner must give his name, or be con- tent to be. treated as a vagrant. The prisoner declared that his own feelings, and his respect for those of his friends,rendered it impossible that he should make such a disclosure. He added, that htis Lordship would have to regret it, if he pursued so harsh a course towards him. fie was now 76 years of age, and had been brought up to the profession of the law as a gentlernan, and London was his native place. Further than this he could state nothing. TheIoRD AnAtoit.-Whatever your address may be, you do not conduct yourself here with the respect of a gentlernan; and if you belong to the profession of the law, you kuow that I have but one course to pursue, which is, to commit you, who have been found beg- ging, as a rogue and vagabond, witbout giving a satisfactory account of yourself. The prisoner, in asi indignant tone, as if his feelings were hurt by the charge, denied that he had begged. He had merely stated his misforsunes and some gentlemen vho sympathized wvith him gave him aid. Le h&ped his lordship would not wound his feelings as a gentleman, thoueh he was in that deplorable condition. The LotD R ros told the prisoner he believed him to be an im- postor, and shend treat himi as such, by sending hini to the tread- mill, unless hegave hisname. 'The prisoner said that wasimpossible. The LOseD IATOR comtnitted him at once to the tread-suill as a !~ The prisoner WaS taken away by the officers, exclairMing against the sentence, and deciaahg that he was so infirm that he could scarcely lift'his hand) and that it was cruel to send him to the tread- mill. .tIe has becn in custody baibr-e, and it is believed that he really does maintain a resneceable character elsewhere, but that he comes out at night disgnis'd to beg for the means of support, and that from his supetior address, ha is highly surcessful. ln the usual course of businessat this office, an officer would have bcen sent to make in- quiries a tb ilbe truth of hisstatement, wlicll. ccounts for his refusal to dedare h{ s addtess1 except in the promise that he should be Aent to,his parish, by whtch be would have avoided the usual conse- quences-of the detection of such impostures. HARYLEBONE OFFICZ.-es and Hnry Gullivcr, the drivers of Nos. 5,087, and 5,089, Paddington coaches, ippeared before Air ,GRFFYPtirs, charged-by a respectable gentle. 'mannamed WVood, with furious drivingin tbe New-road. It appearcd that a day or. iwb sine3 Mlr. Wood was proceeding to the ctty dovsn the New-road, in his cabriolet, when he was alarm- ed by hearipg h'oise behind him, which hesoon ascertasned ivas a contest betweeS-the defendants' coaches, for the lead on the road, whicb they each were endeavourine to gain by driving fnriously along. Perceivintg that in pmshiwK the cabriolet at this violeint pace, his life would be placed in imminent danger, he called out to them to stop, but his call was - unheeded, and they oassed, giving his ca- briolet a -verv violent jerk.- but it did not overturn; they suhbsequendy behaved very impadently, and caused great ob- -stiuction fo' him on the ' road. For this conduct, he decided. upon stmmoning them * but as he only wished to show them :that he was determined to euforce the threats which their con- 'duct had so -often caused'him to make, hewould IOW only require an apology ; aid would. withithe MIagistrate's permnission, particularly as they had pleaded io having large families, wave the penalty. -lZr. GeaIFFITHS said lb was extemely indulgent. the conduct of these coachmen in general was very baa, and he bad made up his mi-ind;'jin allecases of a second offence, to conviCt in the fullpenalty, wh!ich desired they would communicate to their brethren of thb whip on the road. flav ing ma-le an apology, they were disclirged ' z i6s'tALL.-Yesterday Jro/n Henderson the'person charged with iien'diDk-a letter to M ;ss. Barclay and Ferkifi3, the brewers, threatening a public exp'osii e-oPrs opium.in4he fermentAtion oy their beer, unless they paid him S001. to keep silence, was again brOUght before B. . Atr.iN, tsq. the pri.oner,- iwlw bhe n olteeted, was allowed to go at larg-, upon hts promise of attending at this office on a future day. He did not appear, and the firm ap- plied for a warrant, and the prisoner was again taken into custody. Mr. Cbarles Barciayproduced a letter, which he stated he hva received from the prisoner since his apprehension, accusing a most respectable firm of having been his (the prisoner's) informant rela- tive to the charge against their house (Messrs. Barclay and Perkins) of beinglarge importers of opium, for the purpose ofadulterating their beer. The following letter was then read, dated from Horsemonger- lane ._ ' Sir,-I think it necessary to acquaint you with rny author, as he told me I was perfectly at liberty to do so, wvhen I1told him that I considered the house of Barclay and Perkins to be friends of mine. The gentleman's name is Mi. Alannf of the Albion Brewery, Whitechapel, or Mile-end-road. His heas clerk was present when he made use of the disdainftl expressions again'st your house. The flrm of the house is ;MIann and Flack. " JOHN HENDERSON." Mlr. C. Barclay stated, that upon the receipt of this note, he had. a communication on the subject of it with the very respectable firm alluded to. These gentlemen disavowed ever havfng had soy such conversation with the prisoner as that aluded to in the letter just read. Alr. Mlann, of the firn of Blake and Alann, of the Albion Brewery, W hitechapel-road, stated, that about three weeks ago the prisoner called Oiton him, and represented that he was ins treaty for the Cannon Coffee-house, Charilg-cross, and wished to borrow 3001. from then; snai said that Alessrs. Barclay and P'>erkins were about to advance him G001. ' carry on business. Witness declined lending any money to a. parson whom he knew nothing about: lhowever, he called a second time in a fort- night on the same errand, and he was again refused, upon whic he declared he would oppose us in some way or other; but. upon neither occa-sion had witness any conversation with the prisoner respecting Mlessrs. Barclay and Perlkins being large importers of opium. Alr. Mfann's clerk corroborated his employer's eviderce. The prisoner'entered into a long staietent in his defence, although admonished by the Magistrate, which, inst .d of palliatins, greatly aggravated his case.-The prisoner was then flly committe tor trial. .POICR. .