d
him upon his back, but one of the porters by this time had got behind
him, and as he was falling struck him at the back of his head, which
sent him upon his face. The watch had now arrived, into whose hands the
keeper of the "hell" and the porter were given. At the watch-house they
were ordered to find bail. The gentleman was then about quitting, when
he was suddenly called back. A certain little lawyer, who alternately
prosecutes and defends keepers of gaming houses, was sent for. He
whispered to the ex-butcher to charge the gentleman with stealing
his handkerchief and hat, which, it was alleged, had been lost in the
affray. Though nothing was found upon the gentleman, who desired to be
searched, this preposterous and groundless charge was taken, and the
hellites admitted to bail; but the gentleman who had been so cruelly
beaten, being charged with a felony on purpose to cause his detention,
and the power held by magistrates to take bail in doubtful cases not
extending to night-constables, he was locked up below with two wretches
who had stolen lead, and five disorderlies--his face a mass of blood
and bruises--and there detained till Monday morning, in a most pitiable
condition. The magistrate before whom the party appeared on that day,
understanding that the affair took place at a gaming house, dismissed
both complaints, leaving the parties to their remedy at the sessions.'

GAFFING.

Gaffing is or was one of the ten thousand modes of swindling practised
in London. Formerly it was a game in very great vogue among the macers,
who congregated nightly at the 'flash houses.' One of these is described
as follows:--This gaffer laughed a great deal and whistled Moore's
melodies, and extracted music from a deal table with his elbow and
wrist. When he hid a half-penny, and a flat cried 'head' for L10, a
'tail' was sure to turn up. One of his modes of commanding the turn-up
was this: he had a half-penny with two heads, and a half-penny with two
tails.

When he gaffed, he contrived to have both half-pence under his hand, and
long practice enabled him to catch up in the wrinkles or muscles of
it the half-penny which it was his interest to conceal. If 'tail' was
called a 'head' appeared, and the 'tail' half-penny ran down his wrist
with astonishing fidelity. This ingenious fellow often won 200 or 300
sovereigns a night by gaffing; but the landlord and other men, who were
privy to the robbery, and 'pitched the baby card' (that