The Sun. — 1841-06-15 (London, England)

POLICE INTELLIGENCE. MANSION-HOUSE. An elderly man of respectable appearance was brought before the Lord Mayor, charged with having attempted self-destruction, by throwing himself into the Thames, from the parapet over the central arch of London-bridge. It was stated that at two o'clock in the afternoon of Saturday last, the defendant was observed to climb over the parapet wall of London-bridge, and fall into the river. After he fell, a waterman, named Farson, who was rowing two ladies in his wherry, near the place in which the old gentleman had sunk, said to the ladies, " For God's sake sit quietly, and let me endeavour to save the poor man's life." The ladies replied that they would, and they did so, and the waterman, upon reaching the spot, caught at the skirts of' the coat of the unfortunate person, and dragged him into the boat. The defendant appeared to be exhausted, and stared about wildly, as if he had no object. Upon being conveyed to the station-house he became more calm, but even yesterday he seemed to labour under, some extremeeanguish and terror, and thought that some persons ,were meditating his ruin. The defendant's wife accompanied the poor man to the Mansion-house, and stated that he had experienced great reverses by dealing in time bargains, in the neighbourhood of the Stock Exchange. She believed that he had, in the effort to'recover some of. the property he had lost, borrowed from his friends, and that his inability to refund the loans preyed so ardsntly upon him, that he lost his reason, and therefore •attempted to destroy himself. The LORD MAYOR asked the defendant whether he was a stock-broker ? The defendant replied that he was not .in the house, but that he had done a good deal of unfortunate business in the Alley as a jobber. Upon being expostulated with on the subject of the dreadful intention he had shown to rush into the other world, he manifested remarkable weakness, and declared that he threw himself from the bridge for fear of being murdered by men whom he believed to be in league against him. The LORD MAYOR suggested- to the wife of the defendant the propriety of detaining him for a days in the Compter, and directing the Chaplain to have some Con-. versation with him. The wife replied that she was convinced he woul.d never make any attempt upon his life again, as he was greatly attached to his family, 'and would attend to her advice after a little repose. His LORDSHIP at once consented to hand the poor man over to his wife, and gave to her the multitude of papers connected with his losses in the Alley. A young man, named John Fryer, was brought`up in custody of Horsford, a Officer of the Mendicity society, and charged by Mr. Western Wood, of 25, Mark-lane, merchant, with having obtained money from him under false pretences. Mr. Wood stated that the prisoner, of whose family he knew something, called upon him on the sth of May, apparently in extreme distress, and represented that he had a situation in the London and Birmingham Railway Company, to which :he could not attend on account of the deplorable state of his wardrobe. Upon being asked to show some proof of his' engagement, he produced upon his second interview a letter corroborating his statement, which letter it was afterwards ascertained was fictitious, and had been 'written by the defendant himself: Mr. Wood then produced some letters which thedefendant had written to him, and which, both.as to composition and penmanship, were models of mendicity shill. The amount in clothes and money of which the gentleman was thus defrauded was between 4/. and Si. The defendant assured the Lord Mayor that he never asked Mr. Wood for a shilling in money ; all he requested was a few articles of dress, to make him fit to be seen. He considered himself Mr. Wood's debtor to the amount stated, and he intended to pay it off by instalments of a pound a week until the whole should be liquidated. He dealt in stationery, and would commence paying at once if allowed.to go and earn the money. • Mr. Wood told the 'Lord Mayor that he thought nothing of the money. His object was to punish a person who injured the claims of the really distressed by such practices. • The defendant said that he bad a wife and children at home without bread, and that if he was locked up in prisoner they must inevitably perish. If an officer was sent to his lodgings he would find the poor mother of his children without a gown to her back. The