Child-Stealing.
The Times, 1824-10-01T00:00:00

About three weeks ago, James Thorpe, a fine boy nearly five years old son to Alir. Thomas Thorpe, ship-carpenter, of Black- wall, suddenly disappeared from homr. As the boy had been in t?fe hahit of followving his father to the river-side it was at first appre- hended that he had fallen into the water anti perished *scarch was madie, but r.o tilings could be had of the paor boy ?or two days, when the child's mother happening to mention the aircumstance at a neighbouring public-house, the bar-maid stated that she had ceen yomng Thorpe on the evening of his disappearance, in company with a strange woman, and an itinerant tinlter, who were subse- quently traced to London, having taken a boat for the Tower-stairs, at Blackwall, and brought the boy back withi them. The poor fithier, by dint of inquiry and the offer of a considerable reward, at length got some IntdVligence of the route they had talen, which was tevards Islington, and at a houise much frequented by those travelling gentry, he obtained fIirther intelligence of the man anl woman as described by hirn, bat none of the boy. The woman was said to have quarrelled with her companion, who was then oit, disposing of his merciandise, and the former had, in the interim, carried away the boy somewhere towards towrn. However, as the tinker had left a donky in the field, it was presumed hie would re- turn to take it awray, and AM r. Thorpe was advised to wait his ar- rival, as it was most probable he nmight be compelled to disclose the woman's haunts, or at all events be made to assist in the re- covery of the child. Agreeable to expectation, the tinker returned to the usual rendezvous at nifght, intending to take to the road at an earlv hour on the following morning. Air. Thorpe being apprised of his arrival, procured thC assistance of one of the local constables, and took the fellow into custody- at firtt he seemed to deny all knowledge either of the woman or child, but being threatened with arosecution for abttting in the crime, he confessed every thing. Thc woman's name was Mlargaret Parker; she had been for some years an active member it the celebrated gipsy Gang that are known to infest the road fromliouns- low to London, but from decrepitude and age, combined with many external causes, she had latterly abandoned the fraternity, and be- come kidnapper, having carried'ofr several children with the view of induelng the parents to offer large rewards for their restoration, and when that has failed, she generally disposed of them to her old confederates, who put them to the torture until ther acquired a cer- tain degree of agility In dancing and tumblirg on the road side, so as to attract the notice of passengers. From the tinker's statement, it appeared that he was not at all connected in the business, except oc- casionally meeting the old harridan in the outlets. On the following morning he accompanied Mlr. Thorpe to London, and the latter hav. ing availed himself of the assistance of the police proceeded to a wretched hovel in Fox's-court, St. Giles's, where this dealer in hu- man flesh generally resorted. The womanofthe houee,who was the very pretotypeof theonesought for, denied having any knowledge of such persons,butthetofficerabeing resolved nottotakeher word for it, pro- ceeded to search the house, wheti in one of the upper apartments they discoYered the principal object of their inquiry-poor little Thorpe, in a state of wretchedness that would have melted to comnpassion the most obdurate heart orom to a skeleton by hunger, his little limbs exhibited an alternate shade of red and bliestripes,as helaystretched on a truss of foul straw, with the tattered remnanta of an old petti- coat by way of covering. When restored to the arms of his father, the miserable infant became so frantically overjoyed that he was alitost instantaneously attacked with convuleions ; and If it had not been for the promnpt efforsof surgical skill, there is little doubt that his sufferings and his life would have terminated torether. The weovan Cif we may call her one) to whom this crime is fully traced, had gone out on one of her predatory excursions, and there- fore for the present escaped apprehension. CHILD-STRA LrFJG.