Child of Susannah Beck and William Loverjay

A HARD-HEARTED PARENT.—William Beck, described as a shoemaker, was brought up on a warrant charged with having, on the 14th of May, left his wife and four children chargeable to the parish of St. Lawrence. The defendant pleaded guilty to the charge, and offered to make any arrangement that might be wished to reimburse the parish for the cost of the maintenance of his wife and family since he had been away.

Mr. West, the relieving officers, said he could not listen to any such offer, and the case altogether was such as that he must press the bench for a punishment. If a person had been purely unfortunate, he trusted he should be the last to be found to deal severely with him; but the defendant who had gone away ever since May last, had been in the receipt of 18s. or a guinea per week, and yet had not sent a farthing to his wife or family, who had been in the workhouse, and cost the parish of St. Lawrence upward of 10l.

The defendant said he had not earned so much as a guinea a week. He had on two occasions sent a trifle to his wife, but had not been able to forward much as he wished to get a little furniture together before he sent for them to come out of the workhouse.

Superintendent Houlton said, he was informed at Maidenhead, where he apprehended him, that for the last eight or nine weeks, he had earned a guinea per week.

The defendant said it was his intention to have sent, on Saturday next, for his wife and family to come up to Maidenhead.

Mr. Micklem.—You have done very wrong, when earning a guinea a week, not to have sent some money to your wife and children, having for some time been in the receipt of good wages, and applied the whole to your own selfish purposes. It is an aggravated case, and we shall sentence you to 2 months' hard labour in the County gaol.

A SHOP ROBBERY.—William Beck, a boot-maker, and his son, William Beck, of Sandiland's Road, Fulham, were charged with being concerned in stealing a bullock's head from the shop of William John Ward, of North End Road.—Detective Cracknall said on Monday evening he was in Mulgrave Road, when he saw the younger prisoner come from Buckle's Alley, with a bullock's head under his arm. The father came running round and joined him, saying: "Bill, it is all right; have you got the head?" He said, "Yes, come on," and ran down St. Thomas's Road. He followed and stopped them.—The elder prisoner said his son had been in an asylum and was not accountable for his actions. He (the father) was innocent, and denied that he asked about the head.—Mr. Sheil remanded both prisoners for inquiry.