The National Register.
London, England, 1816-07-29 00:00:00

GUILDHALL.

%nna Nicholson WWI lirenglit before the sitting Magistrate on
'f iscsilty, at Guildhall, charged by a whole neighbourhood with
riotous conduct. The clomp was e letely proved, and Rll,.
war %rot to Itridew, It for ihe .11st time! The °dicers slated,
that she had been taken fourteni ti flea on Bridge;
where she appeared to make an effort, each time, to throw het •
self over ; that she Ind been t%tend, almost naked, in the kelinel
twenty times within the period of three mouths; that she had
shammed the coming other throat with a rusty knife Ili times,
and bad beaten watelinieo and patrols& on likeir duty times out
of number.

Wednesday J. Kirby, one of the ?wrote of Ablerrnte Ward. was
charged with assaulting and falsely imnrisoning Mrs. liallen area Miss
Itidley. 'Mi., Ridley deposed, that on Saturday evening, about nine
o'clock. she was going down Aldervate-.trect, accompanied by Irs.
BuHen and a boy ; when, having oceadon to send the latter home for an
article which had been forgotten, and stopping a few moments. the de-
fendant demanded to know where they had sent the boy. 'lite a
replied, they had sent hint ho:ne ; when the defenduat asserted, want
they had sent him to pass bad money ; that they themselves were bad
characters, and verniers of base coin, and that they toast go to the watch-
house. The sannylainants assarcd hint the boy hail been sent home on
a iii-nsage; and, to convince hint of their respatabilitv, he was weltamie
to secanpany them home. This, how :eel, he declined, and insisted
upon their going to the watch-house. Miss Finney, terrified. now at-
tempted to escape, by running twu or three data into a shop ; hut the
defendant called out to a gentleman pasa:ng to aid hi:n in the King's
name. The gentleman having refused, he then called loam a cobler
when the complainants. finding resistance and remonstrance vain, we.
companied him as ptisuners. ("pun then arrival at the watch-house
door, they found it ciasol, and they rem:lima! scene moment- in the
yard ; when, finding that the watch-house-keeper hail cot arrived to
oven it. the defendant told the coimAaihants they might go about their
business. 'flits, how,:ver, they now retosud to do, awl, at the instance
of 11111 C gentlemen who had collected in the crowd, insisted upon know-
ing for what purpose they were detained. The defendant now attempted
to retreat, but was brought back ; and in the mean time two gitLers.
named Lawrence and Taylor, arrived ; when the defendant reiterated
histharge, that the complainants were bad characters, and had heen
passing base money, and desired that they might be searched.
Officers, investigated tile tratiatction, could not disetivtr the
slightest ground of complaint; one of the ladies (Mrs. Bullen) they
had known as a respectable houseketlxx more than i years. The
Officers, therefore, immediately dismissed Cat, charge. Mrs. Mullen
fully confirmed the above stateinent. Mr. Al tennan T. Smith enittiretl
if the defendant was intoxicated: when the romplainanto replied in the
affirmative, as did also the two °therm The latter gave how a gut) I
char,wter. The Magistrate said. flint previous good character could lie
no extenuation of ne offence of wiich the defendant hail linen g'flty
on the present occasion—a crime rendered not the less atnxious by hav-
ing attempted to add to an assault and false arrest the charge of a grass
misdemeanour against two rt-sp:stable and tLfenceltia hatieles. The
crime was, if possible, more fi 'grant, at a time when the whole country
was fermented by the exposure of the condoet of certain individuals inn-
ing as Police Officers ; and he could last but consider. Last however in-
toxicated the defendant was said to have been, th.re mast have exited
a motive of the worst nature—whether the extortion of money, or what,
he could scarcely imagine. Ile felt it his duty, therefore, not to let the
matter pass unpunished, and wished the complainants to state Loa far
they meant to proceed. Mrs. Millen, M:ss Ittdicy. and Mr. Butlen. 0,1
the part of the former, did not wish to press promoting% against the de-
fendant ; and, on account of his having a flintily, and being (as they be-
lieved) in a state of intoxication. they were willing to accept of a public
apology in the Newspapers. The defendant hewed, and, having ex-
pressed his contrition. promised to sign most readily any instrument to
the effect proposed. The Magistrate said, he could not but think the
lenity the complainants manifested wag too great. The conduct of the
defendant ought at least to be represenutd to the Alderman of the
Ward.