Babes in the Wood

(Elizabeth between Bathurst & Wellington?)
York & Wellington Streets

1837-38 George Williams, Babes in the Wood
1838 Thomas Garrard, Babes in the Wood, York & Wellington Streets

George Williams, of the Babes in the Wood, appeared to answer the complaint of District Constable Peel, for harbouring Christiana Johnson, a prisoner in the service of Mr. Lang. Constable Allsworth deposed, that on Sunday the 18th inst., about halfpast 11 at night, he was on duly with constable Warby, in Elizabeth-street, and hearing a noise in Mr. William’s house, they demanded and obtained admittance; they found the woman Johnson in a back room, where there were two or three men ; on asking her who she was, she at once admitted she was a prisoner, when they took her into custody ; did not hear Mr. Williams accuse her of having represented herself to him as a free woman ; Johnson did not say to deponent, “you know me Johnny. — I have done it.— You have no business with me.”

Constable Warby sworn— accompanied the last Witness on the occasion referred to ; remembers the woman said, addressing herself to him, — “You have no business with me, Johnny, you know I have done it.” The woman was now called in and examined, she corroborated the evidence of Allsworth, and denied using the words imputed to her by Warby, but, two free men named Jones and Welsh contradicted her statement on oath, and maintained that she did ; they represented themselves to be lodgers in the house of Mr. Williams, and recollected their landlady asking the woman when she first came to the house in company with a man, whether she was free, when she replied she was ; they remembered also the words of the woman. Williams offered to call further evidence, but the Bench decided that it was his duty to have insisted on seeing her certificate when the woman said she had done it, and sentenced him to pay a fine of £2 and costs.

It is perfectly clear that constable Allsworth perjured himself in this case, and the Magistrates will do well to be careful how they receive his evidence in future.— ED.
Cornwall Chronicle, 31 March 1838


Hobart Town Courier, 24 May 1839

This might be relevant:

An information against Thomas Garrard, publican, was withdrawn, being informal
Cornwall Chronicle, 25 May 1839

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