The Sun.
London, England, 1808-04-01 00:00:00

IPESTMINSTER SESSIONS.

Yesterday .ihe .General quarter ,Sessions of the,
Peace fol the City and Liberty of. Westminster worse
opened at the Guildhall, before Mr. MAINWAKING
and a _respthable Bench of JustiCes.
Thomas Sanamon was indiaed for assaulting John'
Pager as he was marching with the Bank Picquer
Guard, on the 4th day of December.
JOhn Paget, a' serjeant Of 'the sColdstrea:n regt-•
tent of Foot Guards; being sworn, said that on
the day stated in the iridtotnient, between the hours
el four and
.five o'clock in the atterneoo, 35 he
was marching with the Bank Piceuet Guard; lie
saw as he was. turning the e.irtter of Little Newport-
street, a stage-coach coming behind - him; that-
notwithstanding that a signal had I)l,en made to
the coachman to stop the horses, yet that lie drove
firward, and broke the ranks; and that on the wit-
: ness•remonstrataig with him for so doing, the De-
: feridant -used some very bad lattgUag, 'and then
streak the witnesii twice on his side eery violently
e with his whip, and repeated his former expressions;
' that, nvaddition to thesehhows, the Defendant struck.
the witness with his whip on the face, Whercoea•.
! be turned his pike against the horses, and stopped
them. Ii his cross-examination, the Prosecutor ad-
mitted that the Defendant had in the course of the
evening offered to make an apology, and -th-make'
anyfe- asonable compensation -for the injury. he had
sutaiued. , . •
Thomas WilliaMs, a • private, said; on his oath,
that the coach came up, broke the ranks, and had
very nearly ran, over the Prosecutor; saw Pe
fendatir strike the Prosecutor several siolent blows,
and heard hihi use vet), improper expreisions•—•
These ta'ts were also further corroborated-by the tes-
ii.:atiother Witness.
PP, on the part of the Defendant, ad-
tiaNtoinz
~try in extenuation of the offence, by
sterlig t:11":" rae CO3CllflLid did not!sec the guard by
reason of rip. narrow turn of the corner of the street; -
that the horses, on seeing the soldiers and Ibx e
glancing arms, became ungovernable, and that the
Defendant was unable to stop them ; *that the De-
fendant, sensible of his offence, had without delay,
- offered to make any compensation got lay in MS
power Ito the Prosecutor.• The Learned Counsel..
thought that this. case 'ought never to have btert
• hisiegla.,into Court, but' as it .had wifortunatelf
. been brought in, he trusted the Jury; under all the
circumstances, would acquit the • Defendant. Tha
Jury, however, gat'e a verdia against him.
On the Defendant being futind Guilty, the Learn.
! ed Chairman said, that be agreed in opinion %kids'
Mr. ic.Nare, that this.-was a case which ought
• not to have been brought into Court. He tea.,
this, opportunity of stating his opinion, .with
sire& to an idea which had gone abroad, and met,
, with general belief; namely, that • upon every ocC
sion the public was to give way ,to guards when
they marched-on the streets. • .This he tuaintai?"
ed was to. a certain, degree wrong for be Was
clearly of opinion,. that however much the ptiba'
lie service ought to be • supported, yet that oflicePi
and .soldiers were bound to•be as civil•th the Public,
ev'&i when on duty, as the Public were'bound to be
tatbein. He concluded by saying, that he hoped
qib parties would settle between themselves, and

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not call for the sentence of the Court.
Atter some consultation, appeared that 111
could not agree, whereupon the Court sentenced tho
Defendant to pay a fine of five pounds.