The National Register.
London, England, 1822-02-10 00:00:00

MANSION 110 USE.

On Thursday, the well-known Samuel Waddington,
who has been some time employed in selling publica-
tions in Carble's shop, applied to the Lord Mayor for a
warrant against a Bow-street officer, under the following
singular circumstances :
Waddington stated, that he had to complain of a
most gross assault and battery eommitted upon his per-
son by a Bow.street officer, named John Murton, who
entered Mr. Cathie's house, its Fleet-street, for the pur-
pose of making an illegal seizure. An extent its aid
had been executed in the house, and the sheriff's officers
were in possession. The front shop, however, did not
belong to Mr. Carlile, but to himself, and he remained
unmolested by those who entered by legal authority ; but
a Bow-street officer thought proper to walk out of his
own district and enter the city, for the purpose of doing
violence to one of the inhabitants. This officer, upon
g,o:tig into the shop, proceeded to seize some papers
which were in an obscure part of the shop, not at all
exposed to public observation, nor intended for public
or private sale. Waddington expostulated against the
injustice of such conduct, and asked him whether he
had any warrant or authority to sanction a measure of
so arbitrary a natttre. The officer replied he had no
warrant, but if Waddington resisted, he would blow his
brains out. In the course of this impetuous proceeding,
Waddington received a blow front the officer, who per-
severed in his intention of seizing the papers, and left
the shop, not however without leaving his address with
the injured person. It was, Waddington observed,
perhaps fortunate for the officer, that he at first supposed
his assailant to be a city officer, for he was resolved not
to resist the city police. Under these circumstances,
hs called upon the chief magistrate fur protection, and
had no doubt of receiving it.
The Lord Mayor asked him whether the officer had
seized the papers upon the ground that they had no
printer's name affixed to them; and whether Wad-
dington had about him any copies of those papers P
Waddington replied, that the officer had given no ex-
planation of his conduct, and declared that he believed
the papers to be most inoffensive. He added, that the
papers hail beets kept under a shelf, for the purpose of
being used in lighting the gas of the shop. As for the
suspiciou that he would publish any thing without hav-
ing the printer's name affixed to it, there was nothing to
apprehend. lie had but the other day beets applied to,
to sell an Account of Mr. Hunt's confinement in Prison,
but he had refused to do so, from his knowledge of the
illegality of the act, and nothing should induce him to
violate the law. He had no copy of the papers, nor did
he know what they related to.
The Lord Mayor stated to Waddington that he would
make the necessary inquiry into the case, anti that justice
should be done to him. His Lordship disapproved of
the practiee of employing Bow-street officers to du busi-
ness in the city, when the city officers were very active,
and had the advantage of knowing so many sources of
accurate information.
Waddington said that he had witnesses present who
would testify as to the ill treatment he had received in

the shop.
The Lord Mayor said he should attend to the wit-
nesses on the proper occasion, and ordered that a sum-
mons should be served upon the Bow-street officer to
attend to answer the complaint.
NVaddington expressed surprise at hearing that a sum-
mons was to be the course through which he was to
expect justice, and said the law required that a warrant
should be immediately issued to take the accused into
custody. He was proceeding to show that nothing but
a warrant would answer his purpose, is hen he was sit
denly checked, and advised not to presume to dictate to
the Chiet Magistrate. He then seemed satisfied with the
course which his Lordship thought proper to take, and
left the Justice-room.
On Friday, Parton, the Bow-street officer, appeared to
answer the charge of Waddington, for an assault. He
was attended by Mr. Humphreys, the solicitor.
Waddington stated, that on the sth instant Purton
came into his shop, No. 5.5, Fleet-street, and coming
b.-hind the counter, took up sonic waste paper, and col-
bred him, saying he was his prisoner. Vt'aftlington
sked him by what authority. Parton showed a peace
officer's stall, " which," said Waddington, " any one
might have for sixpence; he showed no other authority,
but threatened to blow my brains out if I made any re-
sistance." Waddington proceeded to state, that in
of Pitman's endeavours to hold him, and in total disregard
of his threat of shooting hint, he disengaged himself
from him.

....... .......
Two city officers came into the shop soon after, and
told Waddington that Purton was not a city officer,
" which (said the Radical), had 1 known sootier, I
should hale treated him accordingly : and now. lily
Lord (to the Lord Mayor), I appeal to your Lordship in
defence of the privilege of the city of London, a, well as
of the outraged laws of the country."

4?

In reply to a question from Mr. Humphreys, Wad-
dington said the papers which Purton took up before he
collared him were printed papers, but that he had only
used them as waste paper, never having sold any.
Porton, being called on to answer the charge, said he
saw printed papers in the window which had not the
printer's name, the same as others he had received at the
shop from Waddington when making a purchase there
on the loth of January. He here produced one of the
papers, which was headed, "An Address toad the Pub-
lic except the Robbers;' and proceeded to say, that con-
sidering himself justified by law in seizing the papers.
and bringing Waddington before a magisirate to answer
for exposing them, he went into the shop for that pur-
pose. He admitted that he collared Waddington, but
denied that he threatened to blow his brains out; hut
that Waddington said the friends of liberty, who were
outside the house, meaning a mob who had collected,
would not allow him to be taken, he (Purton) said, if
any one were to interfere, he would blow his brains out.
He stated that he had not at the time any fire-arms about
him.

The facts being stated on both sides, Mr. Humphreys
produced the act of the 39th of George the Third, by
which it is enacted, that if any person shall sell, or in ahy
manner expose to public view, any printed paper, on
which the name of the printer shall not be printed, it
shall be lawful for any of his Majesty's subjects to take
such person before a justice of the peace to answer for
the said offence.

The Lord Mayor, on looking at the act, told Wad-
dington it appeared to him that the officer was justified
in what he had done.

Waddington appeared by no means satisfied with his
Lordship's decision, and W 39 preparing to argue the
matter, when the Lord Mayor repealed tnat the com-
plaint was dismissed. Waddington reluctantly retired
from the liar, where he stood, consoling himself, how-
ever, for the disappointment he had experienced, by the
consideration that he had exposed to public view the
outrage that had been committed on him.

Cogowag'a INQues-r.—Tnesda; morning, at eleven
o'clock, an inqttisition was taken at the Prince Regent,
Seymour-place, Marylebone, before Thomas Stirling,
Esq. Coroner, on the body of Mr. William Harris,
nephew, it is said, of an opulent gentleman, by whose
death he would have come into possession of between
30,0001. and 40,0001. The investigation lasted some
hours, and excited the utmost interest. The first witness
examined was James Dodd, a watchman, of Seymour.
place, who stated that on the Friday preceding, at about
nine o'clock, having heard that a man had dreadfully
ill-used his wife in a house in Queen-street, he with
other watchmen gained admission into the house, in
the passage he found the deceased's wife lying ; the
bottom part of her face was shattered, and she was
bleeding profusely at the mouth. He went into the
back parlonr, and found the deceased lying on his back
on the floor ; a surgeon was sent for, on examining the
apartment, he found near the window a pistol, which
had lately been discharged; another pistol was laying
near the right hand of the deceased, and also appeared
to have been recently discharged.—Mr. John North, of
Seymour-place, surgeon, stated he went to the house of
Mr. Collinson, in Queen-street, on the Friday preced-
ing at half-past nine o'clock ; he found a female severely
wounded on the right side of the lower part of the face;
he also observed the deceased lying on his back on the
parlonr-floor ; he appeared to have received very consi-
derable injury. On examining him, he discovered that
a ball had passed completely through his head, entering
the temporal bone, and passing out of the back of his
skull, and passed through the brain ; the wound was
extensive, and of that nature that the witness could not
render him any assistance. On directing his attention
to the female, he found her jaw fractured ; he replaced
the fractured pieces of the jaw which had been brokne
by a pistol ball, and had extracted a tooth from her jaw.
She was then put to bed, and notwithstanding her situ-
ation (being seven months advanced its a state of preg-
nancy), there was every probability that she would do
well, though her face would be sadly disfigured. The
witness then handed in two tenets to the coroner, writ-
ten by the deceased, stating, that in spite of his wife's
infidelity, he had frequently ollifred to take her back,
and be reconciled, and forget the pat, which she never
would consent tn.—Sereral other witnesses were called,
and the whole of their evidence went to prove that the
deceased's wile lived alone in the house; and nue nigh:
they heard the deceased come in and quarrel with her.
One witness said, they had been separated 1.2 months;
she frequently was observed in company with another
man, a farrier. The jury viewed the body, and, after a
charge from the coroner, returned the following v,,rilict,
" The deceased committed the act of violence upon his
wife and himself while in a state of temporary derange.
menu"

PEDESTRIAII3IId.—YORK, JAN. 31.—Wright, the
celebrated Bristol pedes:riati, has undertaken for a trifling
wager, not amounting to 51. to wall: St4o miles in three
days, in the following manner. The first day, 40 miles
in 9 hours; and in the second and third days 50 wiles
each, in 12 hours. The ground on which he is to walk
is half a mile and back again, on the south road, close
to this city; where he has to ascend and descend a very
steep hill. He began his undertaking yesterday morn.
ing at 20 minutes past nine, and concludcd at leis mi-
nutes before six, being half an hour within the time al-
lowed. He resumed his task this morning at 20 minute*
past seven, and completed the 5.1 miles by 2i) minutes
before seven this evening, bring 40 minutes within the
given lime. He will recnnntwitue his undertaking to
morrow morti!itg ; and, from the in tither in which I.e
has proceeded so far, there is lithe cloillbt ;pm the result
will b.. li‘norahlc to himself. We tinders...lml, th it in
about Gutricen thyl, he:...van*
il4 bung• hunts •i Sheffield.

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