ASSISTING BOYS TO DESERT THE NAVY.
A scandalous case was before the magistrates sitting at the police-court (E. M. Wells, Esq., and Captain Mc Coy), on Saturday. Kate Millet was charged with having assisted Charles Silvester, a boy serving on board the St. Vincent, to desert the ship, to which charge she pleaded guilty; and Esther McCarthey and Eliza Burningham were charged with assisting Alfred Benjamin Johnson and Charles Forrett to desert the said ship. Mr. Swainson, solicitor to the Admiralty, appeared to support the informations, which, for technical reasons, were heard separately, although the facts in each case were similar. They were described by Mr. Swainson as the most serious cases of the kind that had ever been brought before the magistrates. Up to a short time ago the offence of assisting any person to desert the service was punishable with a fine of 30l., or a term of six mouths’ imprisonment, without power of mitigation on the part of the magistrates; but in consequence of a representation made by the bench to him (Mr. Swainson), the Admiralty were communicated with on the subject, and in the Naval Discipline Act of 1866 a similar clause was inserted, but power was given to the magistrates to mitigate the penalty. This was the first case which had come before the magistrates since they had the power of mitigation. It appeared from the evidence that on Thursday, the 7th inst., a number of boys belonging to the St. Vincent, among whom were three named Johnson, Forrett and Silvester, landed at the logs at Portsea from the vessel. About eleven of them proceeded at once to the ‟Who’d have thought it?” beer-house, in Butcher-street (a very low house), where they saw the three defendants and a number of other prostitutes. Johnson said he was going to desert, and the defendants then promised to sell his clothes for him. The three lads took off their clothes, which were just new, and were worth, it was said, about 2l. 1s. a suit. The lads were taken to an upstairs room, where every article of clothing was taken from them, and they were wrapped in blankets and detained until nine in the evening. During the evening some old clothes were brought them (described as only fit for the dustman), and the lads received 4s. 6d. between them, for clothes which were worth 6l. 3s. It appeared that in the meantime the defendants had pledged or sold the whole of the boys’ clothes (which bore their names) at the shops of Mrs. Harding, Mr. Howell, Mr. Warn, and Mrs. Harris. On receiving the old clothes, the boys started off for London. The first night they stayed at Havant, and on the following day reached Petersfield; where they were encountered by a policeman, who, suspecting them, took them into custody. One of the boys acknowledged that they had deserted from the St. Vincent, and they were brought back. Sergeant Westbrook, of the metropolitan police, was directed to make enquiries, and visited the ‟Who’d have thought it” beer-house in Butcher-street. He there spoke to the defendants about the matter, when they denied that they had sold any boys’ clothes at all; and, even after the sergeant had traced a portion of the clothes, the defendants still denied that they had sold them.—The defendants, who had pleaded guilty, alleged in their defence, that the boys had told them that they had been discharged from the service.—The Clerk: Then you ought to have asked them to show you their discharge.—Mc.Carthey: I can’t read.—The Clerk: Then you ought to have got somebody to read it for you.—Mr. Wells said these were very serious cases, and the magistrates intended to put a stop to these offences. They should fine Millet 10l., including costs, or, in default, four months’ imprisonment with hard labour. For assisting Johnson to desert, Burningham and Mc.Carthey would be fined 6l., including costs, or in default, three months’ imprisonment with hard labour; and for assisting Forrett to desert they would also be fined 6l., or, in default, three months’ imprisonment with hard labour, the second term (in the event of the defendants not paying the money) to commence at the expiration of the first. All the defendants were committed in default of payment.