The National Register.
London, England, 1809-02-26 00:00:00

THE NATIONAL REGISTER.

LAW REPORTS.

COURT OF KING'S BENCH, WESTMINSTER, FEB* 21.
• (worms v. WI, EATLE VI ESQ.
This was an action of assault and false impritonment. The
Plalntiff is a tradesman in Westminster. and the Defendant a
CoVonel in the Guards. It appeared that the Miami ff, on the
King's Birth-day, he beluga Constable, serving in his own right,
was stationed in one of the avenues lea -thug to the Palace, with
orders to permit no our to stand in that passlge, but to keep the
crowd moving. it so happened that Col. \V heatley, dressed in
coloured cloaths, placed himself in that passage with two Latlies,
and the Plaintiff insisted upon his moving one way or the other.
The Defendant told him, that he was Commanding Officer of the
Guard, ani should staad there. The Plaintiff would not believe
him, as he was not dressed in uniform, and insisted upon his
moving; upon which Col. Wheatley called two of Isis Grena-
diers, gave the Plaintiff ip charge, and he was' carried a pri-
soner to the Guard-room, where he was kept two hours. It was
for this assault and imprisonment the Plaintiff now brought his
action, and justified his conduct upon the orders he had receiv-
ed, and from an ignorance of the Defendant's character and sta-
tion, he being in coloured cloaths.
Lord Ellenborough thought it was extremely wronl of (701.
tV heatlev to have been on duty in• coloured cloaths oti such a
day as that; and that the Plaintiff, not knowing him to he an
0111cer,. did right in desiring him to move from the avenue in
which he was standing. The assault had been proved, and the
Jury would say what damages the Plaintiff' was entitled to.
The Jury gave a verdict for the Plaintiff', with M. damages.
THE KING V. BEAUMONT*
This was an iaformation, filed ex officio, by the Attorney
General, against the Defendant, for a libel in a Sunday Paper,
printed by the Defendant.—The libel was a letter addressed to
his Nlajeity, under the signature of" Tiberius Gracchus." It
tontained several passages of animadversion upon the conduct
Tsf the King, and many of the Royal Family. It charged the
King with ruling the Country through the means of a secret
tahinet or Junto of persons inch pendently of the public :awe-
liked Ministers and the Privy Council ; from a secret
,part ,
ho were not responsible to the country for their misconduct.
'This was to effect the tendency of the letter •
The puislication bring proved,
Mr. Cliifard addressed the Jury, and contended for the De-
fendant that in other times in •n of the first political characters
has, made similar charges, both in their speeches and writings :
stud he ias:anced in particular, the great Lord Chatham, Mr.
Burke, Mr. Beckford, and others ; amid yet it was not there
held constitutional to prosecute those persons for libels.
Tbe Jury, under the direction of his Lordship found the Defen-
daut Guilty.

FEB. 20.

cuEsTER. CIRCUIT.
Robert Dallas, Esq. and Francis Burton, I:sq.
Montgomer% shire—Thursday, Nlareh 23, at Pool.
Dero)igh-hire--Iti'ednesday, 11: arch 29, at Ituthin.
Flin:shire—Tuesday, April 4, at Sold.
Cheshire— Monday, April 10, at the Castle of Chester..

ACCIDENTS AND OFFENCES.

Early on Tuesday morning, the body of a new born infant %as
found in the garden of the Archbishop of Canterbury. It is sup-
posed a woman had delivered herself in the Bishop's-walk, and
had thrown it over the garden wall.
The body of a very, gtnteel dressed man Was picked up in the
new Paddington Canal WA Tuesday last, and it wa- owned on
the following day by the brother of the deceased, whose con
nections were traced by !tome memorandums found in a pocket-
book. Mr. A—r-1, the deceased, was a Lieutenant of Infan-
try, on leave of absence. Whether he came by his death by
accident, or design, cannot he ascertained. There were no
marks of violence, and live guineas were found in his pocket.
On the 10th inst. a remarkable instance of desperation oc-
curred at North Shields. Some articles which had been stolen
from a wash-house at Tynemouth, having been found in the
possession of a woman of the name of Murton, who for many
rears kept a school. and which she affirmed were purchased
From one of those women who are in the habit of exchanging
clothes ; but not being able to tell the name or residence of the
woman, some persons upbraided her in Cie course of the day
with theft, which seemed to drive her almost to frenzy, and
about seven o'clock at night, she embraced two of her children
several times, bade them farewell, and then, with her infant
daughter in her arms, left the house. Iler husband returniug
home some time after, found a letter on the taYe, in which his
wife informed him, as she could not think of surviving the loss
of character, she had resolved to throw herself and infant into
the river. Instant search was made, but her body was not dis-
covered till Saturday morning. Coroner's verdict-.--Lanarg.
The body of the child is not Set found.
A circumstance occurred on Saturday se'nnight, at Elemire,
near Masham, iu the North Riding of Yorkshire, that has ob-
toined a large share of public' attention in the neighbourhood.
An old man of the name of W. Jest, his wife, and their daugh-
ter and son-in-law, Jonathan Graham, resided together in a
house at that place. On Saturday the old man and vvoman were
left together in the house,• the son-in-law having left them, to
bring home his wife, who had been on a visit at his father's
some days. About an how after dark the old woman thought
she saw a man lurking about the house, and her husband vent
out to reconnoitre. Soon after lie had quitted the door a gun
was discharged at him, and the ball passed through his arm and
lodged in his body. For some time no traces of the murderous
olicuder could be fonnd,but suspicion at len7;th fixing. itself upon
his son-in-law, Jonathan Graham, he was secured and taken be-
fore Mr. Clatter the Nlagislrate, when it appearing that he had
borrowed a gum from one of the neighbours, and the gun having.
been found secreted in a hedte, he was committed to York
Castle to take 100 trial for the offence. The poor old man who
Iris lately become posse,sed of some property, still survives, but
it will he some (la\ s before his fate can he pronounced upon.
Yesterday morning, at eight o'clock, John Nichols. for
forging Bank of England notes, and Sarah Grimes, alias Bar-
rington, far forging a seaman's wills were executed in the Oki
Bailey.