Police.
The Times, 1824-01-01T00:00:00

*I A,4S5ONs-nO5JSE--.A letter was&handed to the Lord Mayor from tlreeslhipwrecked seamen, requesting his Lordshir's interfer- ence with the owner of the shi in te ich they had been w,reckted. for their pay, which was a considerable ime due, and which they ap- prehended would be kept out of their reach,unless,throt gh the inter. position ofthe Lord Mayor, theowvners should be induced to-give a merciful consideration tst their case. The LoaD MAY on, having orderel the seamen into his presence, asked tliem who had written the letter. With somre reluctance they intonrtieti his Lordship that a schoolmaster was the -writer, and that they had paid him the sunm of 5s. for his labour. The ietter was w risien in the most florid style, and bore strong evidence of the hand of a pedagogue. The ILORD MiAY0n said that it was a practice with somiie impo- tors to assure any unfortullate man, whose dlistresses rendered an ap- plication to a magistrate necessarv, dtat nothing could be done with. out a well-written letter, which was sure to soften the heart and opeii tihe pocket. Iinutmerable letters had been hand(led to him, penned in the most nonsensical manuer. It was necessary to mention this cir. eumstance in oider to caution poor people against such imposition. it was well known that the chief magistrate was always accessible, arld all applicants stood a better chance of having injuries redressed by verbal application than with the aisistance of sucb contemptible knaves. The seamen then said, that their ship had foundered on an island near North America. and that after haying undergone all the inevi. table cousequences of such a calamitv, without being paid a half. penny, thir were now told that there was nothing for them. At first, the oivners promised them their pay from day to day, but their claim was now totally rejected. Trhe LORD MAYOR sent to the owners, desiring their attendance at the hlansion-house, to ansYwer the charge. A young man, named Phillips, was brought up charged with harv ing stolen a chest of tea out of a warehouse in Lime-street. It was stated that the prisoner and two other men, after having made a close observation of the premises, seized the chest of tea. which lay within the door. The prisoner was the person appointed to carry the chest, and he ran off, but was pursued and overtaken before be got to the botttt of Lime-street. Finding that he had no chance of escaping with th chest, he threw i tdown, and, for the pulrpose of securing a retreat, aimed it at the feet ot his pursuer, who immediately tumbled over, but was nevertheless able to catcb the thief.-The prisoner vwas fully com.mitted for trial. BLc W.s's'aEsm .-lMfr. z7e/e, a pawn broker. of t.larendon-street, Somers-town, was sued under the pawnbrokers' act by Mrs. Sarah .laria Fryer, a very dtshingly dressed woman, for the recovery of penahies fur damnage donie to certain goods pledged ','rWn him by the complainant. The information was laid inider the 24tb section of the 39th Gseo. I 11., which enacts that a pawnbroker shall be liable to penalties, in the way of compensation to the person injured, for any damage done to goods while in pledge, upon proof that the damage is caused by his " default or wilful neglect." MUr. HAaI.tEst, in support of the inforination. called Mr1. Fry. er, but Mr. WILL.IAMs, on the otherside, objected to her as not being a competent witness, she being the person who was to be benefited by this proceeding. .Mr. HAILS said he could not see how a personi seeking merely :br rernuneratioa for actual loss could be said to be benefited by the de. cision. On reference to the .tatute, he was of opinion that Alrm. Fryer was a competent witness, leaving the question of credibility to thejudanent of the magistrate. hM r. HTAu sae , however, said he would avoid calling her, if he could make out his case by other evidence and called Francis Assi- otti, a schoolmaster, of Somers-town, vho stated, that about 16 or 17 nonths ago lie was employed by tibs. Fryer to pawn a quantity of household furmiture, consisting of sofas, tables, beds, chairs, &C., which he did, at the shop of MIr. Hale, Clarendon-square. They were pledged first at Mr. Griffiths's, but he had not room for them. and Ml r. hlale offered to adtvance 101. more upon th2em than rL. Griffiths. provided he had the whole. There were two entire sets of furniture, a drawing-room and a parlour set. They were then in a perfect state, and nearly new. He hud seen them since they were redeemed, atid they were in a damaged anti di*ty state, as if they lmid been in oonstant use. Elizabeth Bartlett spoke to the damage the furnitture had sustain-! ed, atid stated, that wlien she went to give notice that the goods' were about to be redeenmed, she was told that they were at the house of a friend, and could not be bhd immediately. Mr. WI t..)A2,1S said, the damage, if any, must be proved to have been done by the wilfuil neglect of the defendant, and them was no proof of that kind here. }fe would ask any man whether furritstire was not likely to bedepreciated by being shut tip a whole year and upwar(ds, in a pawnbroker's warehouse, rnd how was it possible t(ir the pawnbroker to prevent it ? Mr. H ALL.S-.The Words of the act are-" bv default or wilful neglect," and it it can be shownh to nie that the goods are seriously damlaged, beyond what their being shut up would occasion, I shaII certain'y consider it a i; default ;" but of that, as yet, I have heard no evidence. .Mrs. Fyer was then called, and in very moving terms dc- scribed the danage. Her elegant rose-wood sofa, for which she paid 32 guineas, was greasy and filthy, nd looked as though it natd been lamn upon conerantl. The chairs .f the same muaterial wrere dirty aInd dasmaged. this lady went thiough the whole list of her funiture, and described the damage each article had sus. taned. Ir. HArL..s.-Here is a great deal of valuable property pledged, and it apprars to have beer, damaged, but is it other danage than might occur aifter being shut up tor 16 months in a room within this zetropolis ? It wust be shown thaot the damage is such as would nnake me apjear that it was done by use or gross neglect, or I cannot convict, lt was insinuated that it wvas done by use of the furniture. lMr. WSLLIAlS. -I wrish that had not been said, for there is no proof of it. lf it were so, I would not stand here and defend such a case for a wmoinent. Another maid.servant of Alrs. Fryer's stepped forward and deo posed to aconvesation which she heard in ALr. Hale's shop about the removal of -ome of her mistress's goods. and said she heard the principal shoPmarl say, " he wondered how they would be able to put up thc bedsteads without the head rails." t Mr. MAltME-.-Ay, now we slall perhaps get at it. I shall call Mr. Ha*le's shoprinan, and bave the truth from him. John Holdsworth shopman to Mr. lale, was sworn, and stated, in answer to Mr. qsmer's questions, that Mr. Ilale had not room for all Jr. lFryer's, furniture, and therefore he sent some to a friend's houlse. '.Two bedsteads. &c., had been sent to Alr. Ivatts's, the Guiidhall Coffee-house, King.atrees, Ceap\side. This was about sixnont.ha bafr they were redeerneu. Ar. Ivatts paid no. thing for the hire o? the goods; Lie was a particuar friend of Ar. Hale's. Mr. HALLS.-Is M%1r. I'ats'a a-warehouse? The witness replied in the negatire. The rosewood sofa was cer. tainly placed in lt. Hale's dsawing..room, and ubed sometimes, per. hleps, bt not in comERsaionh The eoeod chairs were peltted round the same room, but were '-not used in common." The nmahogany sofa ar.d chairs were in Nr. ale's parlous, but they were " not used in common." People might have set downvr upon thenu, but there wvere others in the roomn for use Ar. HWAS6Et.s baid he thought thie charge was now pretty a^tisfsC. torily made out * but the su n OL's which the magistrate had it in his power to award, Lwas, be was aure,vemy inadequatefto thedianage sutained. Air. HAULS was of the same opinion. Mr. HAnxER.-The backs ofthe chairs arc, I understkmd, abso- lutely cut and hacked as if by children w.thlknivey, and the damsge dlone to this lady's property ia so grievous and palpable, that I shaal advise her to bring an actiorl. ad any moderate compensation been of ered, the case would never have come here but they have stepbyateprc8isted awjust demand, and I shaU thetrfbre relieve you, Sir? from the troubl of 3djilca!tgt po5 it, and britg my actior. I rithdraw this inforlm4tiOn of my own accord fcr the pBr- pose only of enabling me to bringaii action. The information was withdrawn. HA.TTolU.eADEsr.-Yeateedny spplication i7as tnade to Mr. OGERs, the sitting magistrate, on behlf 3 man named Gea-ge Nightimpzie, who was broug* ht u p before 2. LAIrW, anothier nnia gistrate, on Saturday, under suchtsuspicioss aprnnces as .In- dualced tbe latter gentleman to detain him in cuatody-for another ex- anmination on Saturdav next. The charge was, inte first instance, giver by two of the Bow. street patrol, rho happtad to mneet Nightingale, in GosweI-1sreetr_ ro2d on Saturdlayevening, betweeu fiveand six' 'clock2 With a bunJe in his band: the pattol knowing him to be a marked charac ter (in Police phraseolog5 a * biaalr edeep,) tdaought proper to apprce head and bring hirn before a magistrate. His person was searched, and Bank securities to the amount of between 2,0001. and 3,001., 40 sovereigns, and a valuable old reater. were found it his pockets. and the bundle Proved to be a parcel of canvass-bags; "t such," observed the patrol, "as burlars generally use for cun- veying plate from gentlenen'i.hOUsst" The prisoner stated that he was proceeding on his lawful businesz, and that the bags produced vere tbr his own use, a.s a dealet itt br-oad cloths, ihich avocation he hsi latterly pur.sae. The Magistrate inquired if the prisoner was known to any of the, officen. Mlr. Read, sen.. chief peace officer, replied, "' I have known hirt on the town for 12 or 14 years as a eroas--?awv." hir.LA5-tG (the magistrate.)-What do you meali bya crosrmnn e The Officer.-I mean, v'our Wtorship, a thief, or ore who is in the habit of zssociating with thieves. Wainwright kno-s his chs. character as well as 1. or anv other man. MWainwrigrt, the officer alluded .o, spoke to nearly the same purpose. Itnder ali t,ess ditcuressances (obterved Mr. LitING), I thin'k it may be requisite to.remand the prisoner until Saturday next, in orier to afford sufflicit time for a strict W quiry. The person who appeared vesterday on thegmt?esnears bel }fis a M1r. Burgess. anrt the ground of the application was on the tofal ab- sence of anr direct eba rge, or even such suspicion (as he cnceived> would warrnnt the prisoner's further detention. Mr. Burgess aio produced a card of the house of Salter and Co., trimnring-mercbants, where it appeared Nightingale hacl the stuff of wvhich thosebags were made, and *7hich card went to prove a legal purchase. Burgess pressed hard for the prisoner's release, ard offered two securities for his appearance if tiecessary in 5OOL each. 31 r. ROGE BS; Who prcsided, sai.d, the card now produced proved nothipg: however, after sonie consideration, he directed that the pri. soner be brbught up. An otiler was tben platced in the bands of an officer, direcaed to the Governor of Clerkemwell Gae'l. and tie prisoner was placed at the bar, an4 informed that in consequence of r,. further evidence being produced, he ws' discharged. On ihe Saturday when Nightrincale was 1rtt brought up, he expressed great regret to think tlhat his name shosfbi Find its 'sy into Ike newspapers, and an offer in monev was inmtu tY e to a reporter fcr the daily prcss, if he would underta4Se to isrep te case from being published *the offer vwas, however, treasYd with th cosremipt it deserved-.-.anothcr instancc of the niischief arz.king irons prlice-.repOrto. If a man fears to have his name or actions ex- posed to oublic srrutiny, a prettv fair inference may be dravn that there is soneshing associated with eit.her that will not bear exami- nation. MAus.anossouusr-s'rssExv.-J1oh2son, the inforner, wbo has for rome time been so active in bringing to justice delinquent bakers, &c., is likely to meet- with an induistrious rival ini theperson of a MNfr. Tacker, who vesterdav rnide his appearance at this office. followed by a long traia of bakerm, against -whonm he had preferremd inf.mnatiols, Clicielly for selling bread wvithout weighing it in tle pre- senee of their customners: but ini the ianagement of his cases, be did not-show thar ninute acequaiaarce widt thelaw;, Drknowledge of the. mode of properly wording inforrnatione, which distinllguish Mr. Johnson. Oa thinoccasion, Mr. WiLLIAMs attended as solicitor t>n the part of the bakers, and took various objections to the fortn and'-wording of the informations, the principal of which zais, that the informations beinjg pgrounded on the 4th clause of the ac, which inflicts a penalty of 45ks. for each offence, but which aiso ex- empts fr*n the penalties of the act all bread known bv the narne Pt' fancy brwad, should have stated " the same not beine fancy breAd." Upoln tfls anO aB the other points, the mag-istrates tnled m fa- vour of Alr. Williaws's objections. so that in this sneculation Tucker rnust hafe ibeen a consiierable ioser, as he cnnot lav fresh infornma, tions against the samne parties, the act statring that all such informa- tions must be preferred within 48 hours tfter the offience, and hav- ing had to pay 3. costs on each information that wan prefmOrrc. Not a single conviction took place. POLICE.