The Express.
London, England, 1855-01-18 00:00:00

ART 18, 1865.

Then did the other nt finish dressing Ladyßoughton
—She did. . __

Who advised you to take out the summons ?—My own
conscience told me that I ought to do so. I acquainted Mr.
Dickenson, Lady Boughton's husband, with the circum-
stance, and asked him if In could give me any advice. Mr.
Dickenson told me
Mr. Carpenter (interrupting)—No, no ; we cannot hear
that. But can you assign any reason for her wishing you
to leave the room ? No ; unless it was that I referred her
ladyship to Mr. Wagner for the character of the lady staying
at my sister's.
And upon that was it that she struck you ?—Yee; I be-
lieve so. She struck me three times.
With the flat ?—Ne, but with her hands open.
Was she between you and the door?—Yes, she was.
Mr. Faithfall—That is the ease.
Mr. Lamb, in addressing the bench for the defendant,
said her ladyship had had occasion more than once to com-
plain of the manner in which her maid dressed, and told her
she ought to dress herself in a different manner ; and when
she spoke to her about her dregs on the morning in question
the complainant said something offensive, and defendant
then-told her to leave the room, and at the same time rang
the bell for another servant. As far as he was instructed,
her ladyship had not the least conception, or the remotest
idea, of lilting her hand against her maid ; and the very
fact of her ladyship having rung the bell at the
time she told her servant to leave the room mi.'
Bleed against such a supposition, and there was
no doubt the girl did come just as she was leaving
the room, for the purpose of finishing the dressing
of her ladyship. If such an assault as this had taken place
among ordinary persons, they would have beard nothing of
it. It was an exceedingly paltry charge ; and was prose-
cuted with the view of punishing Lady Boughton, and
bringing her into bad odour with the public. The magis-
trates would recollect that the complainant had had notice
to quit, which was another reason for the complainant to
show the animas which had guided her on this occasion. It
was not at all likely that if Lady Boughton had committed
a violent assault, she would have rung the bell for another
servant to bear witness of that assault. Lady Bourhton had
conveyed to him (Mr. Lamb) her solemn assurance that she
had never struck her set cant, nor ever had the slightest idea
of striking bar ; and be must say that the smallest fine in-
flicted upon Lady Boughton, under such circumstances,
would be an infliction upon that lady's character, which she
did not deserve. If Lady Boughton were here herself she
could say no more.
Mr. Carpenter (to complainant)—Did you give Lady
Boughton warning, or did she give you warning?—Lady
Boughton gave me warning.
Mr. Carpenter—Such cases as these, in which two persons
only are present, and one is heard upon oath and the other
cannot be heard upon oath, are extremely unpleasant to deal
with. We cannot arrive at the conclusion that complainant
has perjured herself, and we must suppose, from the state-
ment• she has made, that she has been touched by Lady
Boughton. We cannot think that Lady Boughton would
strike the complainant, from the single fact of the latter
having referred her to Mr. Wagner for a character of the
female lodger; and it seems to us, as the most probable
fact, that Lady Boughton pushed the complainant, that
finding the complainant did not quit the room, she pushed
her out ; and, from the manner in which the complainant
held up her hands, describing the nature of the assault, it
could not have amounted to more than a push. Perhaps
Lady Boughton was not justified altogether in laying hands
upon the complainant. Under the circumstances, a fine
must be inflicted. In ordinary cases, such a charge, in all
probability, would have been dismissed, or, at all events, a
very low fine would have treed inflicted, so low, perhaps, as
64.; but, in Lady Boughton's case, we must make the fine
11. and the costs.