The Stourbridge Observer, Cradley Heath, Halesowen & District Chronicle.
Stourbridge, West Midlands, England, 1874-02-07 00:00:00

THE /MAUI T ON THE DUKE OF
CAMBRIDGE

-
Wednesday morning h ening Men ape-tally appoints, tor
the trial of Captain Moan.. it. at the cewral driminsi C urt
1.: London, t.t. assaulddg Ids It lot Blahs*. the Dike of
Cambridge, • sood coal of inter at appeared to be or iii-
feted to hear the proceedings —rho drteod t sure, n-tern I
.0 Ms hall shortly after ten ocoick, end Cl. ft )ai H ghio
tdok hi or .3 nu the bencn —ldr. P .14,p1 000 Mr litsh
were Instructed to sr. avows, on behalf of the Treasury.
rued, fennel, rad is, pp icanlOrial assistance.
Mr. Poland brie fly opened the facts of the care, end
Yield that, ae his Royal Highway) waa walking Wong
Pail-mall, the clef el.. ant walked up to him and ettu
him a blow in the .h et, at the stone time enchanting,
Your Royal Highn. as bee done me a grevious wrong
Now I have done what I wanted." He was dad hold
.4, tut he endeavoured to break away, and struck the
duke a second tline. His name and aodresa were
taken, and b quince were made about the prisoner,
heoanae it was eupposed that his mind was affected.
It appeared, however, that there Was no grounds for
suppoeing this to be the cam, and a warrant was ob-
tained for his al prehension. The learned counael
wenton to say tht t t e prieoner never deeded that he had
committed the aesault, and he admi ted that Ma object
We, to make whst be believed to be the wrongs he had
offered at the hands of the duke known to the public.
He (the learned conned) believed that everything the
priaureer was entitled to had been done for him, and
that he really Lad no canes for complaint? but even
supposing that he had sustained any injustice, or
fetich d that he Lai, he put it to the jury that the
courae he had adopted was oue that could cot be per-
mitted, and the only course that could be takeii in ouch
a matter was to adopt the present proceedings, and
leave the court and jury to decide what course ought to
be taken. He then proceeded to state that ein Monday
Hot the tie emiaut wrote a letter to Lis Royal Highness,
in which he no lea most ample and full spar, y f r hie
conduct, and ex premed h,s regret that he eh have
been gullty of such an act, and that it wait caused by
hia brooding over his wrongs, which had almost driven
him mad, and he committed the iamb; in order that
his cam might be brought betide e the public, and that
he had not the slighteet intention of causing any noddy
harm to his Rot at Highness, and merely whaled to
make his case public. The learned count.) wetet on to
Fay that under these cd-cumetsnces the matter would
be lad before the juti, aryl it would be for them to
any whether the defendant Wee guilty of the offence
imputed to him, and aa the evidence wolf leave no
doubt upon that point the Court won d then have to
eay what reale-ice ought to be pronounced.
His It lel highness the Duke of Cambridge, who
Wee examined from the beech, WWI tie n .worn, mkt
he stated that he 1,.s wal sing along Pallemall ab -ut
one o'clock ou the 6 Ii of January, when the defendant
came up whim, and before he could anticipate what
wee goiug to happen struck him a b-ow on the chesh.
Before be amuck him the prisoner saki, " You have
done me greeioue wrong.' It, I,n-1 Armstrong and
several other pereons then came up, and he thought
the prbt.ne: was under chart.. but he broke away from
the persons who were round bin and struck him •
etcond tier, an . atom rep.- eted the observation he had
before made. lies Royal I-I ghnees added that he be.
heat d the prisoner bad been at one of Lie lei ea., but
at the time the assault was conmicted he had not the
oltiffiteet idea calm he VII.. He added that last 9 our.
day lie receie ed the letter that had been alluded tu by
the learned counetl.
-rw, prisoner said he had no question. to ask his Royal
Highness.
Colonel Armstrong corroborated the evidence of the
Duke of '.lambridge with ri gard to the circumstanues
under which the assault was committed.
Inspector Home proved that he apprehended the de-
fendant upon a warrant. and that he told him he had
been very ill, and had suffer d very much from headache
on the day the assault was committed.
The defendant said he had no ques ions to ask any of
these witnesreb.
This was the case for the prosecution.
The defendant then read a long statement, detailing
his military services, and eapreysing his opinion that he
had not been Carty treat In condieding this stets.
m -tit he enpressed himself most energetically to the
effect that he never had the intention of doing any
biddy harm to Lie Royal Highness, hut merely desire i
, that his WrOlegs might he hrousht before the i.ublie. He
apologised Co his It list ilialmees for the ant he had
done, but rail he c add not het otherwise under the
feelings that preya led in hie mind.
Baton Polio k, iii ewnining aa, said that the only
I:oration for the jury was whether the defendant had
committed the =ewe imputed to him; and as the
evidence and the defendant" own ad oisrion leit no
&al of the fait, they would have no difficulty in.
coming to a decision.
The jury at once returned a verdict of Guilty, bat
strongly recommended the defendant to mercy.
The lea: ned kedge raid it wee quite clear that the
defendant had comialtued the itesault, and eq tally clear
that he did net intend to do his Royal fieghwas any
serious iojury. and also that he had in view some object
of hie own. In this country there were ample oppor-
tunities for bringing any Bopp.. d wronge ho-f ore the
pnhlic, and a .reach of the law of this deecription
could not be permitted. Uuder all the =cumbrances,
hcvever, he thought the jart es of the case would be
met by the de'endaut being imprisoned for one month
without hard labour.