Sbe ffiletrop nits.
The public were surprised on Thursday morning with the news that on the preceding day the Police force had an important concerked movement, and had arrested some twenty of the most prominent London Chartists. Three hundred armed policemen were concentrated at the station in Tower Street, and marched suddenly to the Angel Tavern in Webber Street, Blackfriars; which was invested, and entered for the capture of fourteen leading Chart-
ists, there in deliberation. The commander of the force and a picked body guard, with drawn swords, summoned the conspirators to surrender. Some demur was made, and signs of resistance appeared. Inspector Rant cried out—" If any man offers the least resistance, I will run him through:
a large force surrounds the house." Resistance being thus checked, in a few minutes the whole number of the Chartists were silently secured, and marched under arrest to Tower Street. "On search, pistols loaded to the muzzle, pikes, three-corner daggers, spear-heads, and swords, were found upon their persons; and others were found secreted under the seats on Which they had been sitting. Some of them wore iron breastplates; and others had gunpowder, shot, and tow-balls. Under one man no less than seventy-five rounds of ball-cartridge were discovered." Similar visits were rapidly paid to houses in Ormond Street, Holborn, and in York Street, Westminster. At the first place, eleven persons were arrested, and a great quantity of arms seized. The meeting at Westminster got timely notice, and dispersed suddenly, before the police arrived. One man leaped out of window in a panic, and broke his leg. A person was arrested with a huge pike in his possession.
It is stated that a marching in procession was intended at .midnight on Wednesday; and that if the police interfered, they were to be attacked in ever"' part of London, and the public buildings fired. The whole of the military quartered at Buckingham Palace, the Tower, Mint, Bank of England, and the various barracks, were under arms; and a Continuous line of communication has been kept up between the Metropo- litan and City Police, as well as between the military bodies. On Thursday, a basket was found in St. James's burial-ground, lying as If thrown over the railings: it contained 700 balls and some cartridges, With a number of" implements fit for dangerous purposes."
It was expected that the prisoners would be examined at Bow Street Police- office on Thursday; but on the application of the Crown, through Mr. Clarkson, the cases were postponed.
Yesterday, all the captured persons were brought before Mr. Hall. The chief evi- dence was that of Thomas Powell, a carpenter; who alleges that he entered the Chartists' association under a patriotic wish to defeat thew plots by informing against them. He was very nervous under examination, and often drank water. According to his evidence, it was settled in conclave of delegates—including some of the prisoners—st Webber Street, on Tuesday last, that on Wednesday there should be a meeting of men pledged to "strikes blow that night"; to come armed, and prepared "to fire houses, railway premises, and everything." A simultaneous attack was to be made in several districts. The Police produced a number of cards of membership, instructions, arms, cartridges, fire balls, &c., seized at the places of meeting. About thirty of the prisoners were remanded for a week; and the charge will probably take the form of one for high treason.
Sir George Grey and his lady, the Speaker, a number of Members of Parliament, Lord Wharncliffe, and other gentlemen and ladies, were pre- sent on Tuesday, in the Vauxhall Gas Company's grounds, to witness some interesting experiments for the suppression of fires. Mr. Phillips exhibited the effects of his fire-annihilator—by which a gaseous vapour is poured on the fire—in extinguishing the flames in a model house and ship, and a reservoir of tar. The experiments were highly satisfactory. Sir George Grey made a practical suggestion as to a real test of the powers of the an- nihilator: Mr. Phillips should attend the first public fire that occurred, and extinguish it before the arrival of the engines. A new application of a fire-escape invented by Mr. Wivell was shown. A fireman ascended a ladder standing away from a wall, secured the hook of the hose to the top- most round, and then directed a stream of water in any direction. The plan seemed very efficient. The company expressed high gratification at what they had seen.
In the Bankruptcy Court, on Thursday, Mr. Louis George Jullien applied for his certificate, and was opposed. Mr. Commissioner Fans reviewed the grounds of opposition. He thought Mr. Jullien's expenses, considering his position and pursuits, had not been excessive: considering his talents and great success up to that time, it could not be said that the speculation of Drury Lane Theatre was beyond the bounds of legitimate enterprise—it was bold, and had ended in loss, but it had not been rash. The great point was, that there was nothing for the creditors. The creditors had not come forward as they ought to have done. Mr. Lewis, a solicitor, and Mr. Levi, Lewis's relation, had been allowed to sweep every- thing away from the other creditors. Mr. Fans hoped the assignees would take proceedings and compel those two persons to disgorge. But Mr. Jullieu had done all that lay in his power, and he was entitled to his certificate.
John Smith, alias Whiting, son of a deceased auctioneer at Bury St. Edmund's, has been twice examined at Marlborough Street Police-office, on charges of fraudu- lently obtaining money and property from divers persons. For three years past the man has been carrying on a system of fraud and immorality in the most dash- ing style. He assumed the names of various noblemen and gentlemen, to facili- tate his roguery. Latterly, he pretended that he was Lord Alfred Hervey, the Member for Brighton; and under that assumption he cheated many people. Lord Alfred Hervey stated that he had received many letters from people who thought they had been dealing with him. The prisoner was committed on two charges of fraud.
At the Westminster Police Court, on Monday, Graham and Leach were charged with an intended robbery of the house of Mr. Hutt, of Upper Eaton Street, Pim- lico. Frances Cavan, a young girl of slim and tender appearance, was the captor and accuser of these men. On returning from an errand, she found the door of her master's house ajar, and on entering found the prisoners in the passage. They tried to deceive her as to their object, and then to intimidate her; but she seized them both, and held them whilst she called for assistance. They dragged her into the street, struck her heavily in the face and on the breast, wrenched themselves away, and fled; but the heroic girl pursued one of them, and kept at his heels till he was captured. The other was taken in his known haunts. Both were found to be old offenders, and were committed.
At Marlborough Street Police-office, on Monday, the Reverend Hugh Wil- loughby was charged with insulting and menacing his brother, Sir Henry Wil- loughby, M.P., at Her Majesty's Theatre. The affair occurred on the 29th July, in the pit-stalls; when the defendant pointed with his stick in an insulting manner to his brother, and otherwise provoked him. There is some dispute between the gentlemen; but of what nature did not appear. Mr. Willoughby was held to bail to keep the peace.
At Lambeth Police-office, on Tuesday, John Chinnock, a stone-mason, was finally examined on a charge of assaulting John Edward Ashton. Some of the master builders in London have complied with a request by their masons to leave off work on Saturdays at four o'clock; Mr. Trego, the successor to Grissell, and Peto, objected to this, and desired his men to work till five, but offered extra pay for the hour; a number of the men struck, but others remained in his employ. Among the latter was Ashton: Chinnock worked for Mr. Myers, a builder in the Belvedere Road, whose premises adjoin Mr. Trego's. One morning, as Ashton and others were proceeding to work, Chinnock and a number of his comrades formed a lane for them to pass through, and insulted them; and Chinnock struck Ashton in the ribs: this was the assault. The defendant's counsel wanted the Magistrate to decide the case; but Mr. Trego's representative objected, as there was an or- ganized opposition against the men who worked for that gentleman; and the Ma- gistrate sent the case to the Sessions, admitting the accused to bail.
It having been surmised that two infants, one the child of Mrs. Dore, the other of Mrs. Spry, the women charged with poisoning another infant of the former, had died by foul means, the bodies have been exhumed, and an inquest has been held. But a chemical examination failed to discover any traces of poison; and a verdict of "Natural death" has been returned.
After the Isleworth regatta, on Monday, there was a dance at the Waterman's Arms, which was kept up during the night. Early in the morning, seven young men of the party resolved to have a a row on the river before proceeding to thew work; and they got into a skiff and pulled towards Richmond. Near the Wind- sor Railway bridge, one of them stood up in the boat, while the others in a frolic- some mood began to rock it; the skiff shipped a quantity of water, swayed on one side, and turned bottom upwards in deep water. Some of the young men could swim' and they assisted their comrades till other aid arrived; but three pe- rished, the bodies remaining in the water for some hours.
Previous page
