The Sun.
London, England, 1864-08-16 00:00:00

Cruelty to a Horse.

At the Enfield Petty Sessions, before E. Ford and R. C L.
Beven, Esqs., a case of extraordinary cruelty to a horse was
tried. The position of the party charged—he being a gen-
tleman of considerable property and holding a high position
in the neighbourhood of Southgate, where his seat (Ic no .vn
as " Grovelande") is situate—and the unusually aggr. ►vated
nature of the case, caused an extraordinary amount of in-
terest in the neighbourhood, and tha court was c rowded
during the hearing. The following is a report of t pro_
ceedings . _

John Donithorne Taylor, Esq., was charged by the Royal
Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Anima is with
cruelly Musing and beating a horse on the 28th of July, in
the parish of Enfield.

Mr Ribton appeared for the prosecution, instn acted by
Mr Celam, the secretary of tho society. Mr Big nail ap.
peered for the defendant.

Mr Ribton, in opening the case, said it was with feelings
of extreme regret that he appeared to prosecute a gentleman
in the defendant's position in life upon a charge of this
nature; but it did sometimes happen that gentlemen
allowed their passions to get the mastery of them; and he
believed that, when the Bunch had heard the whole of the
evidence which would be given before them, they wcaild be
led tothe conclusion that a serious aot of cruelty hid been
committed. On Friday, the Sth of July, Mr Tayl :a-, the
defendant, was driving down Parson's-lane, wi :,h. his
daughter—the pony ho was driving being a very quiet one,
and one which Miss Taylor was in the habit of driving.
The pony had been very frequently driven along the road
in question by the lady, who generally called at Colonel
Somerset's residence; and on reaching a particular spot
the pony swerved on one side, evidently with the intention
of going to Colonel Somerset's as usual. Mr Taylor intent-
diately struck it with his whip; the poor an iluot reared,
upon which no commenced besting if, causing the pony to
plunge and kick until it released itself from the vehicle.
Mr Taylor then got down, and gstlictirg up the reins in his
left hand close to the pony's head, cow tomcod beating it
about the head in the most cruel manner with the butt-end
of the whip. lie continued his brutal cord act for about tt
quarter of en hour, beating the pony and It icking it vio-
lently in the stomach, till it trembled front head to foot
with agony, and, in the language of an eye•witnt.ss,
"looked as if a bucket of water had been ram wn over it."
Those present, cad even Ws own daughter, re.-nonstrated
with the defendant, the latter exclaiming, " Oh, papa,
don't beat the beast so ; I shall never be able to drive it
again." To which ha replied, " ll— your eyes, you are
as bad as the pony." Mr Ribton proceeded to state some
further particulars of the offence. The summons, ho said,
was taken out under the 12th and 13th Vic., chap. 92. 110
trusted the magistrates would administer the law with
the same impartiality as if a poor man were concerned.
Several witnesses were then examined, who proved they fact
stated by counsel.
Mr Taylor, in defence, said the witnesses evidently did
not understand horses. He had known the pony four or
five times want to turn round, and on this occasion it wanted
to go into Colonel Somerset's. He then gave it three or
four cuts, and it reared ; he afterwards gave it several more
cuts on the side of the head, but not ono on the front. He
did not consider he used unnecessary violence. Ho could
not say how the whip got broken, nor where the butt-end
had gone. lie did not think the pony was thrashed half
enough yet—it wanted a good thrashing three or four
hours a day with a good thick ash stick ! (Sensation.)
About a year ago he kept a horse six days and nights
without food aad water for punishment, and this foolish
society prosecuted him then, but the magistrate laughed at
at them, and discharged the case. (Laughter.)
Mr Ford (addressing the defendant) said—From the evi-
dence we are of opinion that your case does come within the
statute, and that unnecessary violence was used. But if
you think otherwise you can appeal, and the penalty will be
fixed at 40s and the costs, to enable you to do so.

Defendant—l don't think it worth the tr6uble. I quite
concur in your decision.

DEATII INA DIVING APPARATUS.—An inquest
was held on board her Majesty's ship St. George, at Fal-
mouth, on Saturday afternoon, on the body of Samuel
Warren, aged 24, a seaman and diver belonging to that
ship, who was suffocated on Friday afternoon while diving
in Falmouth harbour. The deceased had previously been
diver on board her Majesty's ship Cambridge. Ho went
down from a boat between two and three o'clock on Friday
afternoon in thirteen and a half fathoms of water, at the
spot where the St George is lying, for the purpose of re-
covering a set of boat's crutches that had been lost from the
St. George. He selected his own attendants for the occasion
from the ship's company, and arranged with them the
signals, which were to be "one pull less air," " two pulls
more air," " three pulls to come up. About halt a minute
after he was down he signaled for more air, and more was
pumped down. Warren then walked about one fathom and
a half, there being about 15 fathoms and a half air pipes cut,
when he signaled to come up. The pulling up was :mine..
diately commenced. He had been about four minutes down
and he put his right hand across
and the boat's crew were about two minutes in pulling him
up. The mouthpiece of the dress was taken off before he
was taken into the boat,
his mouth. The dress was immediately taken off, and
nostrils,slp‘-eatspeak,
n butwa nads
gavecarriedh e helmet
ceot
nowyneurbi were coveredavre d
struggle,the Swt.iGtheaoblarla diedgoeod just before. He did not
; his face, ears,
he was got on board. The diving dress was a new one,
which the deceased had borrowed from the Falmouth Dock
Company It was found on examination that the air pipe
.
had buret at about nine fathoms from the helmet, and that
the valve for the outlet of loul air was fastened. This had
occasioned an extra pressure on the tube, and hence the ac-
cident. Means wore resorted to for more than an hour to
restore the deceased, but without any apparent result. Thu
jury returned a verdict "That deceased was suffocated by
overpressure of air while diving, in consequence of the
escape valve of the diving apparatus being set, and that no
blame attached to any one except the deceased himself."—
Western _Morning News.

How TO HATCH YOUNG DUCES.—At the SU2II
derland county petty sessions,
on Saturday, three
boys, named Robert Blacklock, John Joseph Callum, and
Edward Robson, were charged with stealing. a number of
eggs from the premises of Edward Arnison, of CBricY-bill'
near Southwick. The cgs had boon sat upon, and were
stolen three weeks ago, and when rho officers discovered
the thieves they found out to their dismay that the stolen
articles were no longer eggs but young dunks I The charge
could not be sustained, therefore, before the magistrates,
and the young poultry fanciers were discharged. It ap_
pearcd the eggs had been slightly "chipped" when stolen,
and the boys by putting them into an oven completed the
hatching and produced a healthy young brood. The duck•
lings were produced in court, and the case caused consider..
able amusement.—Newcastle Chronicle.
GREAT NORTHERN HOSPITAL CALEDONIAN4
ROAD—Number of patients for the week ending Aug, 11,
"q 6 of which :750 were new cases,
u