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specially bequeathed , and for the heir-at-law . In the case ofMathew Gosling , the nebulous nature of law language was powerful . The Master of the Rolls said , that even the lawyer who drew the will would be utterly unable to explain it . Yet " justice" was administered on such , grounds . Two late Gretna-green marriages were of men married before ; they have been severally imprisoned for twelve and four months , the latter light sentence being on a man who got leave from his first wife to marry the second . It was stated in court on the trial , that the toll-bar keeper ( the present priest of Gretna ) has so much to do , that if the run of business thus continues , he will have to get assistants . The judge gravely condemned the facilities for marriage afforded by the Scotch law .
Two Courts are at issue in a simple case of larceny . Bridget Connor , a little Irish girl , was some time ago charged with pawning clothes belonging to the customers of her mistress , Mrs . Durham , a laundress . Bridget pleaded that she never stole the things , but that she pawned them at her young , mistress' direct command ; and that the Durhams wer e in the habit of thus pawning their customers' goods . On being investigated , the Hammersmith magistrate found that this statement was true , and the girl , unstained in character , was liberated . Her story was afterwards confirmed by several complaints against the Durhams for keeping the linen of respectable families , and a warrant was issued against them , but they could not be found for some time . The magistrate then heard
that , instead of being a prisoner , one of the Durhams was going on with a second prosecution against the Irish girl . He sent to the Middlesex judge , informing him of his belief in the girl ' s innotence , and of the facts against the prosecutrix , Durham . But the Middlesex judge said , " The magistrate does not know so much about Connor [ the girl ] as I do ; if he did he would have a different opinion of her . " And so Connor was sentenced to three months in gaol . The magistrate , when ho heard of it , said he did know all about the matter ; that he believed Connor to be innocent , and that at least he knew more about the Dunhams than did the Middlesex judge . The Durhams are in gaol , waiting to be tried for the illegal pawning for which the girl has been already convicted . Lieutenant Treven , of her Majesty ' s ship Vulcan , was charged with being : asleep on his watch . "He did not
answer my call when I stood within five feet , and his face was resting on his knees . At the second call he awoke , and denied that he had been asleep . " Several witnesses who were with the Lieutenant on the watch , swore that he kept walking about save for a few minutes before being relieved , and the Lieutenant himself swore that he never slept , that for a few minutes he sat down to unbutton his boots , and asked was it likely that he should sleep on the open poop on a night when his clothes were drenched with rain , and within a few minutes of being relieved from his watch . A host of witnesses circumstantially corroborated this defence , and a crowd of testimonials from officers Bpoke to Lieutenant Trevens ' s unvarying vigilance . Yet the courtmartial formed the odd verdict of " partly proved" and adjudged the prisoner to bo " severely reprimanded and admonished . "
An odd case occurred at Liverpool . Gore forged a check , obtained on it 30 OZ . belonging to Simpson , and was transported for the offence . Simpson was then charged with having stolen the 300 Z . in the form of gold dust from tho ship Lady Flora . Tho warrant arresting Simpson was a London warrant , and Simpson , by counsel , contended that it had no force in Liverpool . But being backed by a Liverpool magistrate , the warrant was held good , and Simpson is in gaol . A demure widow called on Mr . M'Culloch , who wanted a housekee p er , and after a few inquiries , tho steady air and becoming deportment of tho widow induced Mr . M'Culloch and his wife to take " Mrs . Smith , " and placo
great confidence in her . Shortly after , Mrs . M'Culloch called on a jeweller to ask why " her brooch , " sent by Mrs . Smith , " was not Bent home . " " I have no brooch of yours , " replied the jeweller ; "but I wish you would pay me for tho plate you have hired . " " Plato hired !" bukI tho astounded lady . Tho statement was repeated , and Mrs . M'Culloch went homo to inquire of Mrs . Smith . That demure lady admitted , alter delay , that she had pawned her master ' s plate , and hud hired plate bo like it that it passed for tho same . "My God ! Mrs , Smith , " oxclaiinod tho lady , in tho usual English manner of introducing sacred names on small occasions . A knock at tho door was hoard : it was " the master . " " Corno into tho
library , ma ' am ; I'll explain all ; I did it for tho beat , but you had bettor not lot tho master know of it . " Mrs . M'Culloch repudiated secrecy , and told her husband . Ho instantly ordered Mrs . Smith to quit his service . Sho first begged forgiveness , but suddenly changed hor tone . " I . pawned tho plato for my mistress , « md I pity you . " " What do you mean ? " asked tho angry gontlcrnan . With great distinctness and emphasis nho thereupon " revealed " that Mrs . M'Culloeh was " no bettor than sho should be , " introducing as an accomplice of " the mistress" the namo of an ICast Indian gentleman visiting at the house , whom fihe vehemently called " u black demon . " Next day she found 51 licates for
was arrested ; and in her box was , dup other property , showing that her system of pawning had bo « n extensive . On the trial the unwarrantable insinuation against the lady was fully refuted by Mr . M'Culloeh . Its truth was impossible : lie allowed his wife 20 W . n-yoar pin-money—more than hIic expected before marriage ; and happiness and affection had been the result of their union . II . was proved against " Mrs . Smith" that , ho far from being a dooont widow , hIic is a person of bad lifts having been the keeper of an infamous houso al , Paddington . " Bui , we cannot ; punish her for that , " said tho Judge , knowing in English law . Eor tho illegal pawning , hIio wan sentenced to impriHOiunont for one yonr .
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CltlMlNAL BE C O K I ) . Wrc proceed to record nctH of legal offenco and of moral guilt , not that we like tho practice , but thai , it may bo
useful to dissect those social sores which indicate deep 1 AcaBO , painful , but we fear not singular , was tried at the Middlesex Sessions on Monday . A man named Harrison was convicted of obtaining goods under false pretences . After conviction the story of hia life was told , loiva former offence of the same kind , he was sentenced in 1848 to 14 years' transportation , and in 1853 a petition for his liberation was got up by bis eldest brother , who promised in it that if the prayer were granted he would supply him with the means of leaving the country immediately he w as
restored to liberty ; upon the faith of this promise , combined with the excellent character he had borne while at the hulk , the Home Secretary caused Harrison to be released in March last . On arriving in London he found a temporary home with his sister , a widow with six children , expecting to leave England in a week or ten days at the most , but , to his painful surprise ,. on an application being made to his brother , he found him unwilling to perform the promise he had made to Lord Palmerston . Harrison then made every effort to obtain employment to support himself , but without success . His sister was too _ poor to
afford him the means of support , and she applied to her brother , but he refused to keep his word , saying that he had procured him his liberty and should do no more . He found himself in consequence thrown upon the world an outcast , penniless , friendless , and without character , and , being in want , his health became impaired and Bpirit broken , his mind sunk under the accumulated weight of sorrow and disappointment , and for weeks he wandered about in a state of semi-derangement , and he averred that
he really knew notwhat he was about whenhe did thatwhich led to his being sent to prison . He has two other brothers who now , hearing of this late offence , undertake to pro vide him with an outfit and place a sum in the hands of the captain of a vessel to take him away from this country . He solemnly assured the Court that he should never have returned to London dependent on himself , as his character was utterly gone , and as he had an excellent opportunity of being sent to Australia with good reports from the authorities of the . 'hulks where'he has been , and asked , "Is
there not any philanthropic or other reformatory society in this Christian country , whereby an unfortunate outcast and true penitent may find emp loyment and redeem his character P" He referred to the Home-office in verification of his statement about his brother and the promise made by Jrim , and after imploring that his two other brothers might have the Opportunity of . gentling him with his wife and children abroad , he said ; , ' ^ ancFlf your Lordship cannot ^ consistently with your public duty , listen or accede to the proposition of my two brothers , then , my Lord , let me earnestly pray and beseech of you to pass upon me the extreme penalty of the law—namely , the sentence of death —aid order the execution as early as the law will allow , for which I will offer up my prayers of profound gratitude and praise . " He was sentenced to be transported for
seven years . A little drama in real life was acted in Hoxton on Friday . On returning from his official duties to his home in Clingerstreet , Mr . Wyles met his wife in an adjoining street . She told him that she had just left home , and handed him tho key of the street door , as it was her intention to " spend the evening with a friend . " On leaving his wife , Mr . "Wyles , doubtless pensive as well as lonely , proceeded directly to his residence , and having admitted himself with the key , he entered tho front parlour . Ho had scarcely taken his seat when he distinctly heard tho sound of footsteps in one of the upper rooms . Hastening to the end of the passage , ho observed " man " in the act of stealthily descending the stairs . On asking him who he was , and
demanding his business , tho stranger coolly said that he had been requested to wait for a parcel by a gentleman who had opened the door with a latch key , and who would , no doubt , return in a few minutes . Mr . W y les timidly suggested that ho had better step into tho back parlour to await the arrival of tho gentleman , to which tho stranger cheerfully assented , and having deliberately seated himself in an arm-chair , commenced conversing with an air of easy indiffcronco upon the current topics of tho day . After a short time Mr . Wyles , getting uneasy , requested to be excused for a few momenta , and the cool stranger having politely bowed an acquiescence , Mr . Wyles quietly madehis way into tho street , where ho remained till the arrival returned to tho houseand
of a policeman , with whom he , gavo tho intruder into custody . Ho then proceeded to search tho placo , and on reaching tho landing where ho first encountered tho stranger , he found several articles of dress , and personal ornaments , wrapped up in a silk apron belonging to his wife ; and on entering tho front bedroom he discovered a large bag upon tho floor , completely filled with wearing apparel , and other valuable- property , including his own watch , and two mahogany writing-desks , tho wholo of which had been abstracted from different drawers and boxes in tho apartment . Ho also missed a gold watch , two pairs of bracelets , and other property , from the chamber of a young lady who was there on a visit , and as neither of the latter articles had been found in the
bouse or on the person ol tho stranger , it ; was quito evident that the robbery had been perpetrated with tho assistance of soino of his confederates , who had escaped with that portion of tho booty . On being called upon in court for his defence , the arrested stranger smilingly replied that ho did not consider it at n . 11 expedient , at pro-Bent , toeontend with the evidence , and ho should thcrofore decline saying anything . A . dentist practised several impositions on the inhabitants of Kidderminster and Brornyard ; getting money for furnishing teeth he never itiude , and obtaining valuable ) nets on pretence of repairing them . He has been sentenced to transportation for neven yearn to his great , surprise and horror .
At Monmouth Assizes a woman has been sentenced to two years imprisonment for concealing tho birth of her child . Tho child was found dead , and that hIio murdered it i » Htrongly tmspoctod , but . it could not be proved . At the sumo Assizes a curious case of dinputod
property arose . An issue in Chancery depended on the legitimacy of an ancestor of one of the present disputants . One party alleged that the parents , Andrew Aitchison and Eleanor Embleton , had not been married , while the other party asserted that a marriage had taken place . A , search was made , but in the parish where Eleanor lived , tlie registers had been burned in a fire . The clergyman , however , preserved the half burnt fragments , and on prosecute ing the search through these , a part of a leaf was found having on it the names , half obliterated , of Andrew Aitchison and Eleanor Embleton , with part of the word " married / ' tho date " 17— , " the rest of the figure 8 being blotted out . This was conclusive , and the olden marriage was established .
The p lea of a " promise " -breaker last week was that he was not stro ng enough to get married . This week Mogg , the saddler of Street ( a village in Warwickshire ) first courted Miss Frampton , the village milliner ; and afterwards refused to marry her , saying she was not strong enough . He has been sentenced to pay 150 ? . A burglar broke into Kichard Holder ' s house at Aston , but Holder resiste d bravely , even though fainting from the fierce blows given by the burglar , a most truculent fellow . Fifteen years transportation has been accorded to the offender , and 101 . reward to the man for his courage . William Maynard , a well-known waterman plying at the Lambeth-stairs , who has lost both his legs near the
hip joints , heard a scream , as if from some one who had fallen in the water from the Lambeth-pier . He rowed towards the place , saw a girl sinking , and succeeded in catching hold of her as she was about to sink for the last time . Not being able , from his crippled state , to drag her into his boat , he called out lustily . Fortunately he was overheard by a Mr . Lett , who , seeing the position in which Maynard was placed , jumped into the water , and aided in saving the girl . She was removed into the " Star and Garter , " and the necessary means having been used judiciously , she was restored to consciousness . She was brought before the Magistrate , but was too weak and exhausted to answer for her conduct . Her story was told
by the gaoler . Her name is Clara Kibble . She has been seduced by a man who has been the cause of her losing three respectable situations in which she had been as servant . He afterwards robbed her of her money and clothes , and when he found she had nothing else to give him , he proposed that she should turn prostitute to keep him , and that he would act as her " bully . " On Saturday night she was so lowspirited on account of this proposition that she \ ras determined to destroy herself ; and although her seducer' wasT \ rith her when she threw herself in the water , he did not attempt to save her . The fellow presented himself to the court . FTe admitted being present when the prisoner attempted to drown herself , and , with great effrontery , attempted to explain his conduct . The Magistrate ordered him out of court , and the poor girl was sent away with her mother . Such was the strict administration of "justice" in this case . occurred at tno
An incident , similar in the mam cause , Regent ' s park canal , on Tuesday . Mary Anne Barnard iumped into the canal . The poor girl , late a housemaid at Gloucester-road , Hyde-park , was pregnant , and had been in a distressed state of mind . Some people at once leaped in to save her , and she was brought to tho Marvlebone baths and wash-houses , where a surgeon did all ho could to bring her to life . Finding their efforts useless he tried to save the child , by performing the Caesarean operation , but both tho mother and the child died . The inhuman conduct of Mr . and Mrs . Foote , the superintendent and wife , in delaying admittance to the baths , and in frustrating the efforts of the medical men , has excited great disgust . A terriblo and disgusting crime has been committed by a Jewess . She was deliverod of a child , and immediately
she murdered it by cutting up its limbs and . placing the head upon the fire . Her name is Lipman , and she is in custody . Tho fortuitous concourse of knaves and fools is as frequent as ever . A Dutchman , a stranger in London , was accosted at tho London Docks by an agreeable , portly , middle-aged gentleman , who entered into an animated conversation about the shipping . Tho friendly talk led to joint refreshment at a public-house , and two other
agreeablo poisons joined the pleased foreigner . Tho portly gentleman , in courso of conversation , let out tho secret of his own benovolencc : ho was rich ; ho wished to givo to the poor ; would tho Dutchman bo his almoner for " tho poor of Holland ? " " Certainly , " said tho Dutchman . The portly benefactor said ho would liko to have security , or to be fully satisfied of his almoner ' s respectability . " llavo you any money about you ? " The Dutchman nhowod seven sovereigns and a note for 600 guilders . ' You
keep that badly—tho London thiovea are bold and cunning , " said ono of tho English companions . " Ill givo you a purse to keep it : " Taking the money , tho generous adviser stowed away the cash in tho presonted purso . A slight eonfunion fiofnohow arose . " Hero in your purso , said the donor . But it was not tho purBe with his money . Tho Dutchman at once seized tho portly man , and accused him of robbery . A struggle ensued , but tho Dutchman was tenacious , and the intending benefactor ot the poor oi Holland ( William Preoco ) is in gaol waiting his trial . Tff , hn " intelligent foreigner" so of ten supposed to in-Court
nneot England , accompanied SorgoantBoll to Corpus , Shoroditdi , al ; ten o ' clock on Tuesday night , ho would have an opportunity of judging of the common treatment oi many JMiftli women . Ho would have aeon " woman in a fainting state , bleeding from tho mouth , and cornplaining of tho injuries sho had sustained from hor lioaa having boon dashed against shutters and against tho pavement ; hor hair streaming loose , hor droBs torn and disordered , and her uppoaranco altogether pitiable . " Her I » u » - band had thus injured tho woman ; and when anouior kicked ¦
woman interfered he beat her also , and nor up «« ••« client . It is not for want of punishment that ; suoh ollonww still incroaHo . The husband was Hontenccd to twoivu months' imprisonment" for both aBBaulta . But romom-
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^ .. : _; ., : r ; . . . ¦¦ ¦ ¦ ¦ . ¦ ¦ . . ¦ ¦ . . ; . . : •; v . ' . " ¦ , , . - , . ¦ . ¦ ¦ ¦ ¦ / ¦ ; _ . . : . ¦ ¦ " : ; . ; ' . ; , , ¦; v ;; : ^^ 7 ^ 4 THE LEADER ; [ Saturday / I
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Citation
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Leader (1850-1860), Aug. 6, 1853, page 754, in the Nineteenth-Century Serials Edition (2008; 2018) ncse2.kdl.kcl.ac.uk/periodicals/l/issues/vm2-ncseproduct1998/page/10/
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