The Sun.
London, England, 1839-08-05 00:00:00

MANSION .HOUSE.

EXTRAORDINARY Row.—Thomas Shearman, a politica,
teacher of the people, and beershop-keeper, was summoned
for having committed a wanton assault upon a woman,
named Patience Robinson.
Mrs. Robinson said that some nights ago a man of the
name of Metcalf, who was desirous to improve the Consti-
tution, collected a crowd in Little Trinity-court, and
preached to them out of a window, his text being from a
Chartist newspaper. The speechification was against the
Irish (a great many of them lived in the court), and it set
forth that the Paddies would rather give eightpence a leaf
to pay Dan. O'Connell out of it for supporting them, than
nobly fight for their rights, like the men of Birmingham.
Now, as she thought the Irish were quite ready enough
to kick up a row, and that what she heard was all nonsense,
she took the liberty of laughing, and for representing her
opinion in that simple way, the defendant, who was a rank
Chartist, and was listening with delight to the libel upon
the Irish, seized her by the hair of her head, and dragged
her down the court.
Several witnesses corroborated the statement of the com-
plainant. The denunciation against Mr. O'Connell was
represented as very bitter. He was accused of having im-
pure motives for the constant agitation he kept up in Ire-
land, and the speechificator was ready for half the
money to keep England in such hot water that it would
be quite easy to govern it in the proper way.--(A laugh.)
An Irish girl, in giving her account of the transaction,
said, " Please your Lordship, you never heard such non-
sense as Mr. Metcalf spoke, and he was backed by Mr.
Shearman, for upon my word and credit Mr. Shearman is
nothiNg else but a Chartist."
_ _

Mr.
HOBLER—Pray, what is a Chartist, my good
girl ? Irish Girl—lndeed, indeed, to confess the thruth,
I can't tell ; only when we hear persons abusing people
for not letting them do just what they like, we cull them
Chartists.—( A laugh.)

Mr. HOLLER—Do they go upon three or four legs ?
Irish girl—l don't just know the difference, but upon my
word I don't think they have a leg more than I have myself,
and I never, to my knowledge, had more than two in my
life.

Shearman prepared his mouth and his attitude for a
speech, and declared that he and Mrs. Patience Robinson
ougt to change places on the question, for a more impa-
tient and furious woman never appeared against a man
whose conduct was marked by a power of endurance much
beyond that possessed by the mass of mankind.
The LORD MAYOR—Give me leave to ask what you
are ? Shearman—What lam ? lam a librarian and a
book seller.

One of the witnesses—Please your Lordship, he means
by that that he keeps a beer-shop and a chandler's-shop.
_-(A laugh.)
The defendant said it was true he kept a shop also for
the sale of beer, and that he considered to be the cause
of all this noise about Mrs. Patience Robinson, whose
landlord kept one of those houses where liquor of a diffe-
rent kind, calculated to rouse the passions instead of keep-
ing them in proper tune, was sold. It was, in fact, gin
against beer, and het rusted that the Lord Mayor would see
the matter in a proper light, and decide in favour of the sober
side ofthe question. The conduct of Patience was at variance
with patience itself, and the other cardinal virtues. She
had raised her arm as well as her voice against a ra-
tional political discussion, for after having read an effu-
sion of Whig botheration from the Morning Advertiser,
she took up the chair on which she had been standing,
and gave him a wallop with it. Apprehensive that such
a substitute for argument might be dangerously admi-
nistered to other people in the court, he took her gently
by the arm, and led her to the end of the court, where
she thought proper to accuse the lovers of peace and
beer of having assaulted the advocates of gin and war.—
(Laughter. )
Some witnesses stated that they saw Patience Robin-
son severely put Mr. Shearman's patience to the test,
by whopping him with the chair.
The complainant declared that she had merely availed
herself of the privilege of laughing at what she consi-
dered to be very absurd, when she found Mr. Shearman's
hands entwined in her locks.

The Loan MAYOR and Mr. Alderman LAINSON, after
having examined the evidence most narrowly, were of
opinion that the,dragging by the hair, which was a very
Chartist mode of punishing females, was fully proved,
and sentenced the defendant to pay the penalty of 21., or
refit e for a month to the placid security of a gaol.
Defendant—l consider the decision most unjust, and I
would rather rot in a gaol than pay a farthing under the
circumstances.

The LORD MAYOR--YOU shall have your choice. He
is committed.—The defendant then walked off to prison.

GUILD HALL.
On Saturday, William Palmer, an intelligent lad, was
brought before Mr. Alderman Brown, almost in a state o
nudity, by police constable Edwards, No. 955, under the
following. circumstunces

The officer stated, that when on duty late on Friday
evening, he saw the prisoner deliberately throw a stone
and smash one of the street lamps, and before witness
could get up with him, the prisoner stooped for a stone as
if about to demolish another.
Air. Alderman BROWN inquired whether the city lamp
contractor had had notice to attend ?—The reply was in
the negative,

Mr.-Alderman BROWN—Prisoner, whet have you to say;
how came you to do this? Prisoner—l did it in order to
get under the protection of the police and get shelter in
the Compter.
Mr. Alderman BROWN—You must have had some other
motive surely ?—I was fearful of the men who were fol-
lowing me.

Mr': Alderman BROWN—Men—what men ? Prisoner—
There were several who had been following me about, -and
said that they would " do for me."
Mr. Alderman BROWN—What is the meaning of this?
Prisoner—A few weeks ago I was a witness at the Cen-
tral Criminal Court against a person of the name cf
Keith or Kean, who was tri.nsported for ten years for
robbing a gentleman.
Roe, the City officer, explained that in the case alluded
to, he believed Sir Thomas Crawford, who had been hustled
and robbed of his purse, was the prosecutor, and the lad at
the bar was the principal witness.

The worthy Alderman said that this was a shameful case
of persecution.
The lad then told the Alderman that on Monday last he
was wa‘ laid by seven of the gang, when they stripped him
naked, 'and beat him severely, and for which offence they
had been sent to Tothill-fields Bridcwell.

Alderman Brown said, he should nolOuger treat the lad
as a prisoner, and asked him whether he would hare any