The Sun.
London, England, 1863-09-16 00:00:00

EXTRACTING A RAT'S TEETH.

Yesterday John Hicks, a cooper, appeared before Mr,
Woolrych at the Thames Police-court, on a summons,
charged with threatening to take the life of one Anthony
Praviski.

The parties were employed at a steam cooperage in Hun-
gerford-street, Commercial-road East, and from the state-
ment of the complainant, delivered in broken English, the
defendant undertook to extract the teeth of a large rat with
his own teeth, and succeeded in doing so, but at the expense
of his tongue, which was severely bitten by the rat.
Mr. Woolrych—The biter was bitten.
The complainant said that was so*. The defendant's
tongue was in a very bad state, and so frightfully swollen
that his mouth could hardly contain it.
Mr. Woolrych—His mouth could not hold his tongue ?
Did he extract the rat's teeth ?
The complainant replied—All of them, and that the de-
fendant, whose life was in jeopardy from the bite of the rat,
was laid up for some time, and a collection was made for
him in the factory.
Mr. Woolrych (ironically)—For his undeserved suffer-
ings ? (A laugh.)
The complainant—Yes, sir ; yes, sir. His tongue, your
worship, was larger than his mouth. (Laughter.)
Mr. Woolrych—And no sympathy was exhibited for the
rat P
The Complainant replied—None whatever; and pro-
ceeded to state that when the proprietor of the factory
heard of the collection he stopped it at once, and said the
act of the defendant in extracting the rat's teeth was a
piece of gross cruelty.
Mr. Woolrych—l quite agree with him.
The complainant, in continuation, said that the defendant
accused him of stopping the collection, and abused him in
a very gross manner. Hicks also said he would take his
life away.
Mr. Woolrych—How did he propose to do it; by draw-
ing your teeth ? Are you afraid of him ?
The complainant said he was not afraid of the defendant,
but he might do him a secret injury by throwing butts,
casks, and staves upon him.
Charles Praviski, a boy, the son of the complainant, con-
firmed the statement of his father.
The defendant, a man about 30 years of age, said he did
extract the rat's teeth with his own, and his tongue was
bitten while doing so. He had paid £5 to Dr. Godfrey, a
physician, in the Whitechapel-road, for putting his tongue
to rights, and the complainant taunted him with it. He
told the complainant he had nothing to do with the matter,
and that if he was an Englishman he would fight him, but
as ho was a poor Polo he would have nothing to do with
him.
Mr. Woolrych was afraid the defendant was of the same
disposition as his antagonist, the rat. He was not sur-
prised that the complainant expected harm from a man who
had encountered au animal \vitt ouch an insatiable appetite

as a rat, whose bite was keen and difficult to heal, which
the defendant had found out to his cost.' ?He ordered the
defendant to enter into his own, recognisarit3e in the sum of
£2O to keep the peace, and bo of good behaviour for the
next six months, and to pay the cost of tire summons.

Extraordinary Charge of Assault.

At the Marlborough-street police .court, yester-
day, Mrs. Turner, of No. 2, Swollow-street,
Regent-street, was summoned by Captklia Charles
Ackerley, R.N., for an assault.
Mr. Edward Lewis appeared for the defence.
Captain Ackerley stated that on the morn ing of
the Bth of September he went upstairs to his. pan-
try to get ajug of water, having on his usual shav-
ing costume, a short petticoat fastened round .his
waist. The defendant being in I%he room upstai rs
he waited until she came out, but iilstead of comic g
out she called him bad names and threw a basin of
tepid water over him, right over his face and
shoulders. He merely said " That's quite enough,."
and went downstairs to dry himself.
Mr. Lewis cross-examined the complainant.
Mr. Lewis—You occupy the parlours, dly you not ?'
Captai❑ Ackerley—The coal-hole you mean..
They have turned my things out of the parlours,
and I occupy the coalhole, which is my property.
Mr. Lewis—What was the state of your drag;
when the alleged assault took place
Captain Ackerley—l had on my shaving petti-
coat. I was recommended to wear such a dress► by
the house-surgeon. The fact is they want to• get
me out. I am the Government trustee, and. the
house is made a perfect nuisance to me, but I'll hold

it all my life.
Mr. Lewis—Was not your shaving pett:Lcoat
only a towel or a duster hanging from your mon.th?
Captain Ackerley—lt was not.
Mr. Lewis said he was prepared to show that no
assault had been committed, and to prove the kind
of shaving dress which the complains nt went about
the house in.

Fred. Billing heard screams, and on going up-
stairs saw Captain Ackerley pulling the defendant
downstairs. Capt. Ackerley had got a towel hang-
ing from his mouth. He had often Been Captain
Ackerley with no more clothes on than he had when
he was born going upstairs.
Captain Ackerley—That is extraneot Is.
Witness—You have come downstate into the
workshop in the same state.
Captain Ackerley —Quite extraneous.
Mr. Edmonds, decorator, Jermyn-stre et, said he
saw Captain Ackerley with only his towel hanging
from his mouth close to the street. He should have
taken the advice of one of his men and r an him
over in that condition to the station-houtv had
there been anything else to lay hold of excel? t the
towel.
Mr. Tyrwhitt thought it was discreditable for a
person in Captain Ackerley's station not to a dopt a
less questionable style of costume. He was sur-
prised Captain Ackerley did not go down to his
house in Dorsetshire and live there like a g entle..
man.
Captain Ackerley—l have no house there. I've
been turned out, and as I'm Government trustee I'll
stay where I am; for if I stay Government must
truckle to me—but if I go Government say theY
will not have to truckle to me.
Mr. Tyrwhitt—The assault is net proved, and
the summons is dismissed.
Mr. Lewis—l hope you will allow my client
her expenses ?
Mr. Tyrwhitt could not allow expenses. The
complainant was a poor fellow whose eccentricities
no doubt exposed him to a good deal of annoyance.
Captain Ackerley—Me a poor fellow I I beg to
deny that I am a poor fellow. I've had water
thrown over me, and this is all I'm to get. Good

day.
The Captain then left the court in a state of ex"
citement.

COUNTRY MARKETS.

►"-

LEEDS—TUESDAY.
Now wheat was in good show to-day, and can only be
cleared off at is to 2s decline on the currencies of last Fri-
day,