The Sun.
London, England, 1806-11-26 00:00:00

s THE KING V. SIR C►.IARLRS Pf. BLUNT, BART.

Mr. IIgYAN moNed to enlarge the rule for filing a
criminal information against the Defendant, in this
case, who stood charged by a Mr..Cripa with en-
deavouring to provoke him to send a challenge to
fight a duel, as mentioned in one of our former Pa-
pers. The Defendant being out of the kingdom,
the Rule coaild not be served, and it became neces-
sary to male this application. •
The Court granted the Rule accordingly.

•
THR KING V. JOSEPH SECAR, OENRY FRAQUE, JOHN
SECAR, AND ANOTHER.
'All the Defendants in • this case, except John Se-
" Ear, were. brought up for judgment. They had been
lindiEted the last Assizes for the County of Surrey,
• held at Guildford, for a conspiracy, an assault, and
.false imprisonment, upon Francis Attywood.
•
All the Defendants; • except Sohn ' Secar, „were
found guilty of the assault and false imprisonment,
but acquitted of the -conspiracy... John Secar was ac-.
quitted of all. the charges in the Indictment.
This was a case of rather - a singular nature, in
which the-proceedings of Parish Officers, with re-
sped to paupers and bastard children, waiparticular-
ly concerned.
• • It appeared from the Judge's notes, who tried the
Cause, and from other circumstances. of the case,
that one Charlotte Field, a pauper, of the parish of
Wallington-, in the county of Surrey, a girl of about
xighteen years of age, Caine before the •Magistrates
of the District of Croydon, and swore herself
with child of a bastard child, by Franci3 Attywood;
also a pauper of the same parish, then about
nineteen years old. It turned oat afterwards, that.
although every symptom and appearance led to that`
conclusion, yet she was not at that time 'in a state
of pregnancy. The DefendantS, as overseers of the
parish, took Attywood into custody, and confined-
him in order to compel him to marry the girl. To
this he uniformly declared his aversion, and endea-
voured.to escape, but in vain. He was brought be-
-fore one clergyman-and another, to have the rnarriaoe
performed.; but in 'consequence of his
,being under
age, the Rev. Gentlemen feltised to execute the office-
until the banns should- be regularly published or the
parents 0.40u1d consent to their union. While in

the a& of walking to the clergyman's resideae,-,,
he Was sometimes handcuffed to one of-the parr} --
He was kept in close tetifileinent for the space of
.three weeks, until, the banns should be regularly•
published, during which time. he was fed well,. and
had plenty to eat and drink. and was supplied. with
brandy, and other liquors, abundantly,," I-le would
have endeavoured to escape, some one or' other
always remained. in the' room, as a watch over him.
At the expiration of the three weeks he was forced
to chureh,., and there the- marriage ceremony was
regularly celebrated. The new-married couple.—
were brought- home, and- a plentiful' supper pro-
vided ; but he still expressed his dislike and dis:;
gust towards his rib, and declared he would not be
compelled to consummate the marriage rites. He
however, forced into the bed-chamber, and
locked in • he sat up' all night, and at one time
en-
deavouredtd make his escape through the witidoW;
but thiS was' fastened, and. he was obliged fo,ferriaini
there till released the next morning. It appeared;
that an anion at laW, for recovery of damages for
false imprisonment, as well. as the indiament, had:
been instituted under the direaion of the Magistrate 4"
belonging to the distri& The former,, however,'
was now declared to be stopped.
Mr. GARROW, for the Defendants,- tan& a fens ••
obser.vat'ions,' and thought it a very common
where a young man had prit a young woman with'
child,• the Parish Officers should endeaiOur to 'acs- .-
comintidate_ matters in the best manlier; in this"
case; both parties being paupers, they concluded.
diatmairitnotiy would be the beSt method.
Mr% Serjeant BEST and Mr. Net,' 406', fin- the pro--
secutioni, adthitted, that the- acquital of the Defend-'
ants, on the charge of a conspiracy, wa' perfeetly-
right ;. but when the young man had been so as-,-
saulted and falsely imprisoned for three weeks, and
afterwards`ferced to, marry a woman who'll he de-
tested, it was serious matter for the ConsideratiOn'ur
the Ciirt.

Mr. Justice GitbsE, in pronOnncing the sentence,-
of the Cotixt, obServed, that had the Defendants
been convided of the tir't part of the charge, naMe.
the conspini,:y to forge; a Verson to marry :Inothcr.
against hi 4 inclipation, their puniShment must have.
been severe. Divas they now stood convicted of It
commowassault and 'false im meat,' the COurt. •
Must a& accordingly, They Avotzld not, howes'er,..
forget the mode in.• Which this assault and imprison-,
went was ; as Parish. Officers, they, instead.'
of aEting-as they had done, 61tould have set a,,,,,,g0d
example. Under all the circumstances,' the COtitt- •
ordered and adjudged, that they should. be imprisciu-
ed in the County Gaol o Surrey, in HOrsemonger-
lane, for the space of siSTs'Ve4S, • and be theii
charged.