Police.
The Times, 1824-09-07T00:00:00

UelDUKtLL..-No business was done at this 3ustice-room yester- day; and it is with mtaCh regret we have to state the cause-the sud- den and sscrous illness of the AMagistrate who had undertaken to at- tend. Sir C. HUNTrMh, the Alderman on the rota for the week, had, previrourly to his leaving town, cngaged Air. Aldemian KEY 50 take the business of the justice-room for him; and it was not until the latter end of last week that the worthy Alderman had reason) to entertain any apprelhension that he shuloQd be unable to falfil his en.l gcagetent. Feeling himself, however, on Ss turday, while at his house at Denmark-hil, so very seriously indisposed-as to render his attendance extremnely doubtful, a connmunica:ion to that eftect was made to illr. Beresford. the chief clerk at this office, and every exer- tion was used by hin, and a2so by Mvlr. Alderman Kev's own clerk, to procure the attendlance of some other llagistrate for yesterdav, but without success, scarcely. aR Alderman being in town. In. this dilemma, though almost too ill even to indulge the hope, lr. Alderman KEy sent word that he would, if pos,sible, attpnd him- self: his clerk, however, on going to Denmark.liill early yesterday mornizng, found him, we are sorry to say, eo much worse, that it was not likely he could be able to leave his bed. The LomD MAycon, oni being informned of the worthy Alderman's indisposition, most readily consented to rake tshe Justicc.room busi- ness; and the prisoners, to the number of 26, were accordingly con- veyed besbre him at the Mansion-house. MAWL sORoIUGE-sTREET.-A youngwornanof very respectable appearance was brought from St. Parcras watch-house. under the tbl.owing distressing circutnstances:-Clements, oneof the officers beldnging to this establislhment, stated, that about s.x o'clock on the evening before, liew as passing through the Regent's--park, and as lie approrcned the basin of the canal, he saw this young woman plunge from the bank in the water, where there was a depth of about zii feet. He hastened as fast as he poseibly could to render her his as. slstance; but before he arrived, two labouring men, wlo were work. inFnear the spot, had jumped in after her, and were t'sen struggling with her it the water, and so great was the resistance shecoffered the-In. that as neither of them could swim, Clements feared she might escape from their grasp and be lost, and was preparing to jurmp in to their assistantce, when they dragzed her ashore. It took some time to recover her sufficiently io rmake any inquiries respecting the cause of her rash attempt upon her life, and when shc was asked, she re- fuset to give any account of hersclf; but said that, if suffered to depart, she would go directly homne, and think no more of her mis- fortune ; and that slie was very sorry for the attempt she had made on her life. The people who tiad collected thir.kinz her sincere inu her repetitance, she was suffered to depart. Clements, however, did not place such implicit confidence in her promises, an(d determined to watch her. Shedirected her course towards theJew's Harp, by the end of which she concealed herself until she thought the officer had quit- ted the Park. Clements, suspecting her object,also concealed himself but so as to hiave a full view of her proccedings. In about ten mi- nutes she emerged from her hiding-P lace, and, it being now quite dusk, she proceeded, with a hurried and detersv.ined step, towards the canal. Cleissents followed, unperceived, close behind her, andl just as she was about tonce more to plunge into the water, where, there was no chance of her being saved at that hour, he seiz-d ber I by the arm, and she fainted awvay. This humane officer, afier restoring her, determined to leave her no longer to lher own guidance, but conveyed her directly to the watch-kouse of St. Pancas parish, where Mirs. Cousins, the watct-house-keeper's wife, paid the poor creature every attention, gave her dry clothes, proper nourishment, and put her to bed. The unhappy young woman ex- pressed her gratitude, but still declared her determination not to survive the cruel treatment of her husband, to whom she had been but a short time mairried, andl whose conduct to her drove her., she said to her rash resolve. The Mllagistrate could not but approve of the humane conduct of the officer, and those at the watch-house, and questioned the voung woman as to thereat caase of her rashness. She, with much re- luctance, told her husband's name, confessed tliat she had acted hastily, and thanked those wbo hvd preserved her life; and, after a most feeling admonition from the magistrace, shle solemnly de- clared she shoutld never again awtempt to destroy herself. Her hus- band was sent for, and in a short time a young man of genteel ap- pearance entered the offlee, deeply affected. and, after thanking all whlo were concemed ir. the preservation of his wif'e, she was deliver. ed to his care, ai,d they left the office together in a coach. Johnt Todd, a man respectable in point of appearance, who stated hiailselfto be a jeweller, was brouglht from SL James's watch-house, charged with insulting and assaulting a young lady, the night before, in the street. Miss JanevKnaggs, a young la(ly of interesting appearance, re. siding at No. 35, Piccadilly, who was accompaniedf by her brother, being sworn, was about to state the treatment she had experienced. wvsen she became so much affected as to be untble to give her evi- dence, and was removed into the private room. MIr. Knaggs, her brother, was then sworn, and stated, that he was seeing his sister home, about 10 o'clock the night before, from a feiend's houise, where she had been spending the day, and passing along Coventry-street, the prisoner, either intoxicated, or affecting to be so, caine tumbling and rolling against them, and shoved them off the pavement. Mr. Klnaggs pushed hin on one side, to protect his sister, upon which the prisoner made a rush at him, and using towards her the most vile and offensive eDithets, seized hold of her in a most shameful and indecent manner; 'lUr. Knaggs then called a watehman. and gave the prisoner in charge. The sriatner, in his defence, at first denietd the charge altogether, and decrared that Mr. Knaggp must have mistaken him fbr stame other person, as he was pertbetly sober the whole night, and not in- toxicated, as the person whoinsulted Alias KnEagga was described to be. Theconstableoftlle night, and the watchm.an, said, that the pri- soner certainly appeared to be perfectly sober. Afiss Knaggs was now askedl to look ait the prisotner, and she de. clared he was the person; and Mr. Knaggs said there could not be an.7 mistake, for there happened to be no other man near the spot at the moment. Undier these circumstances, the lllagistrate said that lie must hold the prisoner to bail for the assault, which he considered quite sufficiently proved, and of a most shameful description. The prisoner, now seeing that he had got into a scrape, confessed that he was the person who had commsitted the assault. tbr which he was extremely sorry, and would make any apology to Mr. Knaggs and his sister that they might requ*ie. Mlr. Knaggs said, that he had no wish to urge the case with any severity against the prisoner, now that he hail confessed his fault, and would accept a proper apology. Mr. Co0ANT, the Mlagistrate, said, thut he had now a great in- clination not to suffer an apology to be acceptel, for the conduct of the prisoner was most scandalous. It was noow scarcely possible for any decent female to walk the streets, even with their husbands and brotlhers, after dark, without being insulted by such fellows. Illr. Knaggs and his sister, however, urgine their wish to accept of an apology, the magistrate consented; and, after the prisoner making a suitable acknowledgmenit of his offeace, he was discharged. WoRS?EP-sTaEartT..Tlse Commissioners of the Lea River, whichi runs through the villages of Hackney, Honierton, and Hack. ney Wick, in their determsination to put a stop to the indecent prac- tices of persons vrho resort in great nmbers to the said river to bathe otu Sttndays, having applied to the Magistrates at this office for as- sistance, Attfield and Fitzpatrick, constablesof tiis establishment, repaired thither on Sunday last, accompanied by several of the Hack- neyeonstahles, to aid in carrying the intentions of the commission- ers into ef'ect; and in the coorse of the day took into custodv three persons of most respectable appearance whom they found offending. Y'esterday the parties were placed at the bar ot this office, when they described themselves as John RKidley, a clerk to the lVest In- dia Dock CompaAy ; Scalin, Lowses, a Lieutenant in the Royal Navy, at nresent on half-pay'; and Satnel Tissick, Oentleman. The officers having been sworn, stted that they apprehentded the ptisoners bathing in the Lea River on Sunday: the first named about I o'dlock in the forenoon, and the other two about tfur o'clock in the afternoon. On the latter occasion, near Hampton Wick, there was an 2assemblage of from four to five hundred persons, who gene- rally joined in gathering riotouslv about the officers, abusing them, and callingout i' Rescue I rescue !" Encouraged by tbe hostile dis. position of tbe mob, the prisoners made a violent resistance, in the course of which Attfield was thrown into the river by the prisoner Lowes, and in imminent danger nfdrowning. The constables,how- ever, with determined resoluion, perseveredtlnitheir efforts, and, in spite of the menaces and violence of the mob, sticceededl in canduck- ing their prisoners to Hiackney walch.house, where they lodged them inlsefe custody. Mr. Lowes, at the stiggestion of the niagistrate, compensated At- field for the assault and ducking which he had undergone, antI w.zs then swith the others discharged upon promnisitig not to bathe in the Lea River again. _ _ POLICE._