The Sun. — 1829-12-04 (London, England)

GUILDHALL.  PARAGRAPH HUNTING, OR THE PRESS IN TROUBLE.—Yesterday John Dean, a young man of respectable appearance, was charged, before Mr. Alderman 131 tows, with stealing certain extracts from a newspaper called Bell's Messenger, the property of Mr. Deacon, landlord of a coffee-house, No. 1, Skinner-street, Snow-hill. Mr. Deacon stated, that he files the newspapers taken into the coffee-house, but for some time past several sets of these, some years old, have been defaced, and shorn of their original value, by having paragraphs, and, in some places, whole leaves, cut out. One of his people observed the young gentleman at the bar cut a piece out of a file of Bell's Messenger of the year 1823, over which he had been poring for some time, on Wednesday evening. He informed Mr. Deacon of the circumstance, who directed him to keep an eye on the pilferer of paragraphs, and in a little time Mr. Dean was seen to cut out a whole leaf. Mr. Deacon sent for an officer, and as soon as Mr. Dean came down stairs he was taken into custody, and on being searched a heap of extracts from the file were found upon him, resembling the formidable array presented on a subeditor's table.  The extracts were produced; and the horrific array of " dreadful accidents," " melancholy occurrences," " inquests," " determined suicides," " drownings," and " seductions," would be enough to appal the stoutest reader. Alderman BROWN wished to know what use they could be of to the prisoner ? " He is employed by the newspapers," replied Mr. Deacon, " to collect information ; and I understand several periodicals are filled up by extracts taken from old works."  The Alderman seemed a little surprised at this, to him, novel profession, and asked Mr. Deacon what value he set upon the work ?—Mr. Deacon replied that he considered the file of papers worth at least ten shillings, and in consequence of being cut up in the manner it was by the prisoner, it was rendered wholly valueless. In that case," said the Alderman, " I shall commit him if you require it."—" Certainly," rejoined Mr. Deacon • "the prisoner has been frequenting my house Deacon; some time, and not only have various files of papers been defaced, but also several vauable books have been stolen; wherefore I wish to have the prisoner's lodgings searched." " Do you know where he lodges ?" inquired the Alderman.—" I do not," replied the complainant. " Then," said the Alderman, "I cannot ask that question of the prisoner, as it may tend to involve him in a charge.of felony." Mr. Dean was asked if he wished to say any thing.—He replied, " I confess, with shame, that I cut out the extracts."—He was committed.  A gentleman who was in the Justice•room during the examination, stated to the Alderman that the prisoner NI as the "gentleman of the press" who excited recently the ire of The Sun, and other Evening Papers, by foisting on them a most interesting account of a seduction by a " hoary" profligate Just liberated from " durance vile," but whose " infamous attempt" was luckily frustrated by the young lady's brother, who took her out of a coach in Regentstreet. The paragraph was copied into the News, and a few days after our Sunday contemporary laughed heartily at finding he had copied what had appeared in the News upwards of 20 years ago, the only difference in the new version being the substitution of Regent-street for Hatto,n-garden.