THE WELSHERS' RELIEF ACT 43 



Relief Act would amply protect him in such an 

 emergency, and to meet his present needs ordered him 

 to receive i from the poor box. The Duke thanked 

 the learned magistrate and withdrew ; but it is stated 

 that he was arrested immediately on leaving the court, 

 at the suit of the Income Tax Commissioners, and 

 we understand that he is now confined in Hollo way 

 Gaol. 



PUNISHED BECAUSE THEY PAID 



PERSONS giving the names of Steel, Peech, Percival, 

 Ulph, Masterman and Hammond were charged before 

 Sir Chippy Bull this morning at Marlborough Street 

 with offending against the Welshers' Relief Act by pay- 

 ing the amount of betting debts incurred by them. 



Police Constable Joskins deposed to apprehending 

 the prisoners at Tattersalls when in the very act of 

 "settling"; and on apprehending and searching them 

 he found that they were possessed of ample means to 

 defray their liabilities. (Groans in court, immediately 

 suppressed.} He cautioned the prisoners, and they 

 said it was "all right." The prisoner Masterman 

 invited him to come and lunch at Romano's before 

 proceeding further, but he declined to do so. 



SIR CHIPPY BULL. Is there any defence ? 



Mr Hammond, on behalf of himself and the other 

 defendants, stated that they did not know that they 

 were doing wrong in paying what they owed. 



SIR CHIPPY BULL. You may have heard, sir, that 

 ignorance of the law is no excuse ; and as the recent 

 Act enjoins that bookmakers, while acknowledging their 

 liabilities, shall never pay, if by so doing they do more 

 than every other bookmaker can, you will understand 



