The Sun.
London, England, 1839-09-17 00:00:00

THURSDAY.

The Committee resumed this morning, Alderman
Sturge in the Chair. The following witnesses were
examined :

John Andrews, of No. 4 Court, 4 house, Blucher-
street, painter and glazier, examined—On the night of
Monday, the Bth of July, I was come home from work,
and had had my supper. I was standing at my entry
end, between nine and ten o'clock, in my shirt slecoves,
and without my hat. My neighbour, James Smith's daugh-
ter, a girl about 14, was also standing at the entry end.
Some one said there were policemen coming down the
street. I looked up, and saw two London policemen at
the corner of the street. They came up to the entry end,
where myself, James Smith and his daughter, and a little
boy named Stringer, were standing. One of the police-
men stepped off the footpath into the horse road, and
said, " Seventh section, stop here and charge," and im-
mediately sprang forward, and struck me with his staff
upon my forehead, inflicting a wound.—[The scar of
which the witness pointed out.l--Nenher I, nor
those in my company had spoken a word,
nor the policemen to us, before the blow was struck.

I fell down nearly senseless in the entry, and was
again struck upon the right arm, which made me groan.
I should think there never was such a bruise ; and
had the blow been across the arm it must have broken
it. I felt some one trying to pick me up, and. heard
several blows given to the person who was so assist-
ing me. I was then left by myself, and heard the
policemen go away without saying a word. At the
time the policemen came up, the street was perfectly
quiet, and no one about except those I have described.
There had been no disturbance in the street during the
day. The policemen gave us no warning before the
blow was struck. I heard that a meeting had been
held that evening at Holloway-head, and that two sol-
diers had rode up the street about a quarter of an hour
or twenty minutes before I saw the policemen. I never
attended any of the Bull-ring meetings, and only one
at Holloway-head, which was long before the London
police came. I did not complain to the Magistrates, as
the town was in such a state of excitement I thought it
would be of no use. The policemen appeared sober.
Thomas Milns, of Coventry-street, shoemaker, ex-
amined—On Monday the Bth of July, I had attended a
Prayer meeting in Allison-street, connected with Carr's
Lane Chapel. Mr. Clay, the Carr's Lane missionary,
and Mr. Freeth were present. I left there about ten
minutes past nine at night. I and my family supped at
home about ten o'clock, after which I read a chapter in
the Bible. I had just finished, when I heard a noise
in the entry. I opened my door, which opens into
the yard, and saw two or three of the London police
turning round to go down the entry. They turned back,
and insisted on my going in and fastening .the door. I
said, " My house is my own, and I will not, till my
son comes in, and then I will close it." They said
something which I took to be offensive, and I said,
" It's pretty work that people can't be quiet in their
own houses," and added, " I have molested no one."
Upon this, my son, who is about nineteen, came across
the yard, and at the same time an additional body of
policemen came running up the entry. They came up
to my door, which I hastily closed from within, my son
having come in. The policemen pushed violently at the
door, and I opened it. They entered, and went across
the house to my son, whom they struck with their staffs
upon the head, in three places. The blood flowed from
the wounds. I ran a few steps up stairs. The police
dragged me down and insisted upon my going with them,
cursing and swearing at me, saying they would make
me remember. 1 asked them what I had done. They
did not answer me, but kept hold of me. My wife put
her hand upon the shoulder of one of the policemen
and begged they would not strike me, as I was a poor
afflicte creature ; whereupon the same policeman
lilted his sword as if to strike my wife. She then
took her hand off him, and he sheathed his sword.
They then dragged me and my son out of the house,
and took us to the Public Office. Two Magis-
trates came and asked what was the charge against
me ? One of the police, who had been in my house,
said " I had been in the street with a poker," or words
to that effect ; but no evidence was given to prove this.
I denied it, and related to the Magistrates how I had
spent the evening. The Magistrates then asked for the
charge against my son ; to which a policeman replied,
" He was with his father." The Magistrates seeing
my son's head bleeding, asked what was the occasion of
it? to which he replied, " they (meaning the police)
have struck me in my' father's house ;" and I
corroborated it. The Magistrates asked if he
11,1 Inolested the police? and we both replied that
we had not. We were both discharged, after entering.
into our recognizances to keep the peace ; but I told

the Magistrates I would thank them to tell me wherein
I bad broken it. Before the blows were struck in my
house, the po?ice did not call upon me, or my son, to
surrender, or attempt to apprehend us, nor (lid they
make any charge against us. It would have been an
easy matter to have apprehended us without striking
any blows. The street, the entry, and the court in
which I live, was perf_ctly quiet at the time, and bad
not been disturbed during the day. In going to the
police-office, one of the officers said, " We will make
you remember the poker." I told them I did not know
what they meant, for I had not used a poker at all, but
we shoal see.

George Milos examined—l am the son of the last
witness. My father's testimony, so far as I am ac-
quainted with the circumstances, is correct. I came
home about ten o'clock on the night in question. The
policemen had not then been. After remaining at borne
a short time I went to a neighbour's house of the
name of Village, in the yard, and was returning
from thence to my father's, when I saw three or
four policemen coming up the entry in pursuit of a
man whom I had seen just previously run up the entry.
He was a stranger. I suppose he made his es•
cape, as there are several ways out of the court. I
went into the neighbour's house again, and shut the
door ; but immediately after went out again, at the
eqoest of Mrs. Villcge, to look for her husband, when
I saw the policemen going down the entry. When
they saw or heard me, they returned ; and that hap-
pened which has been described by my father. I never
spoke to the police, nor they to me, till I was struck
by them. I should have surrendered in a minute had
they called upon me to do so. My head bled very
much (witness showed the scars) and I was not abl e
to .work for three or four days after. I never used a
poker that night.