At Bow Street, on Monday, James Ilan was charged with
stealing a child, named William Tipping, in order to exhibit him as a show.
The mother of the child, ,a respectable-looking woman, produced from be- neath her cloak what appeared at first to be a wax doll ; but upou a closer inspection it proved to be a child of remarkably small dimensions, whose ap- pearance excited the wonder of all who were present, being extremely well formed, with a lively and animated look.
In answer to questions by the Magistrate, the mother replied, that the child
was neatly five yens old ; by its height was wily two feet three inches, and its weight eleven pounds and a quarter, and %dun born it weighed little more than a pound, she added, that the cull was perfectly sensible, and could run about as well as any child of the same age; hi proof of which she placed the little prodigy on the floor of the Office, and he stood erect and scampered about as lively as a kid. The prisoner, when called upon to account fur his possession of the child, denied that be meant to exhibit it fur money ; adding, that he had frequently travelled through the country with it, eccempanied by its :mot. The rbild on one occasion had been exhibited at Bath with another dwarf, and both its parent. were aware of the fact.
Mr. Halls asked the mother, if the statement of the prisoner was true? The mother replied, that her sister had the care of the child for some months, and she had taken it to the country accompanied by the prisoner ; but he was never allowed the possession of the child himself.
Mr. halls then asked the father, if he meant to charge the prisoner with stealing the child? The father replied, that the prisoner had certainly taken away the child in a clandestine manner, for what purpose he could not say. Ile supposed, however, that he did nut mean to steal it
Under these circumstances, the prisoner was discharged.
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