The Sun. — 1826-08-08 (London, England)

DUBLIN SEBSIONS.  STEALING A CH/LD...-AFFECTING CASE.  The affection of Irish nurses for their foster children, as  they are termed, has been long since recorded as forming a peculiar feature among the other peculiarities of the natives of this country. The present case is strikingly illustrative of this feeling. Catherine Hannan was indicted for maliciously stealing a child from Catherine Philips, one of the nurses employed by the Foundling Hospital. The circumstances that came out in evidence were as follow :—The prisoner:. had „been engaged by the gover•• Tors hf the hospital to wet nut's* the child question, Who was a foundling; she had had the care of it for seven years, when it was taken from her, in July, 1825, and given to another nurse, Catherine Philips, of Duncantown ; after . .  the child 'had been there a short time, the prisoner and her husband took a journey of twenty miles to see it. Some months after this, Philips came to town with the child, to get the wages which was due for nursing; the prisoner, who happened to be in town .at,the time, met them in 'Thomas-atreet, and forcibly possessing herself of the child, she made off with it, no doubt considering it. the greatest treasure she could have:acquired. A young man who witnessed the transaction knew then prisoner, and the place she was Stopping: at; and information being given at the Foundling Hospital, search was made for the prisoner and 'child at the house in Thomas-street, where the former was then esiding. After carefully examining every part of the house without discovering either nurse or child, the party were about to give up the search, when they thought they observed, through the dormant windows, something My* ing on the roof. of the house. Search was accordingly made there, when nurse and child were discovered, the latter with a two-pen»y loaf in his little fist. All the witnesses for the prosecution admitted the kindness and affection which the prisoner displayed towards the child. The Learned Recorder, in charging the Jury, explained the provisions of the Act under which the indictment was framed; and informed them, that should they convict the prisoner of the offence with which she was charged, the judgment of the Court would be very light. It was quite evident, and given' in evidence by the prosecutors themselves, that no malicious motive could be attributed to  the prisoner, but that she had acted from the feelings of a kind and affectionate heart.  The Jury, after consulting for some time, returned verdict of acquittal.  Thomas Thurtell, a brother of John Thurtell, who murdered Mr. William Weare, at Elstree, in Hertfordshire, in the year 1824, was on Saturday diScharged froni Newgate. It' will be recollected that he was apprehended with John Thurtell, William Probert, and Hunt, and was examined at Hertford and Eistree, but there appearing no evidence to implicate him in the horrid deed, he was discharged, and brought to London on a charge of having ' set his 'house on fire in Watling-street, and conspired with Snowden and others to defraud the County tire Office of 1,6001. He was convicted in the Court of King's Bench of the conspiracy, and sentenced to two years' imprisonment in Newgate, which term expired on Saturday.