"AVOID WICKED MEN."
A TRIAL in the Court of Exchequer discloses a conspiracy only paralleled by that of the Children in the Wood. Lord Maidstone was sued by Mr. Crockford's widow for payment, on account of subscription to the club, dinners, wines, and so forth : but the claim was a cruelty, for he was a victim. "The said William Crockford," he says, " did procure divers idle and evil-disposed persons to congregate and come together, and play at divers un- lawful games of chance." Poor Lord Maidstone was not one of those "idle and evil-disposed persons "—they were the Duke of Wellington and other equally well-known characters; and they were procured by Mr. Crockford to inveigle the poor little fellow. Doubtless, when he heard of " play," he supposed it was nothing but " three-holes " or "pitch-farthing," or perhaps even nothing worse than "Widdy, Widdy ! way cock warning."
A very affecting incident is mentioned. Great part of the food and wine that poor little Maidstone was asked to pay for, he had carried away to a house in Bolton Street, to a lady : we suppose it was his mamma; or perhaps it was some venerable matron whose better days had come to sickness and poverty. The touch- ing incident, however, did not soften the heart of Judge or Jury.
By the by, it strikes us as curious, that this little innocent should have been suffered to enter the House of Commons—for he really was a Member 1 We do not mean because there is such bad company there, but because it is against the laws for little boys to sit in Parliament. If his size did not draw the Speaker's notice, surely his speeches must have done so.
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