The Sun.
London, England, 1839-10-17 00:00:00

MIDDLESEX COUNTY COURT.

(Before Mr. Commissioner Dußois.)

Mr. Jonathan Sawyer and Mr. Peter Baggs, a couple
of substantial citizens, both evidently " raised" within
the renowned regions of Cockaigne, presented them-
selves to the Court, the first as plaintiff and the latter
as defendant, in a case wherein the sum of 255. 6d. was
concerned.

The plaintiff, according to practice, handed in a
written statement of his demand.
The first item proved a " poser" to Commissioner,
Jury, clerk, and audience in Court.
" Two three-legged Grecians, with glass centre-pieces
and wax bottoms," read the Commissioner. " Why
what does that mean ?" Plaintiff—lt means table-
lamps and ornamental glass stands.
Mr. Commissioner DUBOIS —Oh and the charge, I
see, is for hire and broken stand. And what are the
wax bottoms ? Plaintiff--Wax candle pieces, which
were furnished to Mr. Baggs for his party.
" It's all out of spite and wengeance," said the de-
fendant, " that I been summoned by my neighbour.
He wants to went his windicktive teelins on me and my
vife, cause she wouldn't give him tick for a sclubbing-
brush.' "

Mr. Commissioner Dusois—Then you deny the
debt ? Defendant--Every farden on it. You see, at
the hanniwersary of our hannual wedding day, my vile
vish'd to give vot she called a feet sham Peter in our
back garden ; but I put my weto on it, and turned the
consarn into a tuck-out and a hop arterards. In
course my neighbour, Mr. Sawyer, was inwited, and as
my vife and hiss had talked over the party, it was agreed
that the thing vouldn't be slap-up vithout vax lights ;
cause, as my 'rife said, and she knows " high life" as
veil as any vooman in our neighbourhood, that at the
fashionable routs at the vest end, nobody never axed
the ladies to snuff the candles—and as she vos sure that
the gentlemen at ourn would be too lumpy-ish arter
dinner to handle the snuffers, vy she agreed to ask Mr.
Sawyer for the loan of his lamps and vax candles, vich
vouldn't vant no snuffing at all.
Plaintiff—No such thing. The lamps were regularly
hired, and when they 'sere returned Mrs. Baggs told my
wife she hoped I wouldn't stick it into yer, on account
of the haccident which had happened to one of the
ornaments.

Defendant—That was a glass sarcer vot one of the
lamps stood in, and I aint sure as it warnt crack'd when
it come to me.

Plaintiff—Why you told me yourself that Miss
Jones, the tinman's niece, broke the stand in trying
to make a brandy bishop in it.
" There is no use," said the COMMISSIONER "in
having any further argument about the matter. The
plaintiff has sworn to the debt, and the jury is of opinion
the claim is a just one."
" Vell," said the defendant, putting down the money,
" I'll pay the amount—but now, Mr. Sawyer, jest mark
my vords, I shant never no more invite you or your vife
to none of my tuck-outs—never no more."

The parties then made way for the next case.

MIDDLESEX SESSIONS.

The Court, during the early part of yesterday morn-
ing, was occupied in trying petty larceny cases of no
public interest whatever. Having disposed of them the
following case was called on :

TRADES' UNION AND DOCUMENT MEN.

CHARGE OF ASSAULT.—Richard Hart, William
Holland, John Peru, and William Bibb, were charged
with assaulting Charles Coleman, on the 17th of June,
1839.

Mr. CLARKSON and Mr. BALLANTINE appeared for
the prosecution, and Mr. 'flummox for the defence.

The prosecutor stated that he was a carpenter, and
worked for Mr. Taylor, a builder, in Hyde-park
Square ; that he was what is called a " document man,"
havinc, signed a document that he will not belong to
any Trades' Union ; that he was, in consequence, subjec-
ted to frequent insults from those who did not approve
of the document system, and on the morning in question,
as he was going to his work, there was a great hallooing
and shouting after him ; that on coming to a heap of
gravel which blocked up the way, Hart and Holland
stood before him, and kept pointing him out to the per-
sons who were following, when Hart asked him if he
was not ashamed of having signed that document ?
That he put his hand up to push him aside in order
to pass, when Hart said, " That is what he wants,
give it him," when the prisoners, and a man not in
custody, fell upon him and beat him severely. The
prisoners were present, and assualted him, and when
he got up, and endeavoured to get through the crowd
Perry came behind and struck him, so as to make
him stagger. He was so injured, that he was unable
to do a full day's work for some time.

William Harwell, a plasterer, in the same employ,
corroborated the prosecutor's testimony. Witness is a
document man.

Mr. Thompson addressed the jury for the defence,
and called several witnesses who endeavoured to show
that it was a fair stand up fight, between a man not
yet in custody, and the prosecutor, but on their
cross-examination by Mr. Clarkson they so contra-
dicted each other that it was impossible to place any
reliance on their testimony.
The CHAIRMAN having summed up, the Jury found
the prisoners Guilty, but recommended them to mercy
on the ground of the strong party feeling which ex-
isted on the subject.
The CuaialtaN said that it did not appear that
there was any party spirit among the document men,
who were only two in number, surrounded by enemies.
Mr. *William said that he had been a journeyman
carpenter many years, and it was not by unions and
combinations that he had got on. Ha considered the
defence far more disgraceful than the assault itself.
The CHAIRMAN in passing sentence said that consider-
ing the situation Hart occupied, his brother being Clerk
of the Works, where the rest were employed, and con-
sidering that Perry had struck the prosecutor when he
was in a state of exhaustion, he should award a more se-
vere punishment to him than to the others. It was little
better than Chartism for a mob of 150 persons to attack
one man because he differed in opinion with them, as he
bad a right to do. He hoped their punishment would
be a warning to their companions. He could conceive
nothing more horrible than the wickedness of the getting
up of that disgraceful defence, and he would rather be
one of the prisoners than one of those witnesses. He
then sentenced Hart and Perry to four months' imprison-
ment each, and Holland and Bibb to three months' im-
prisonment each, in the House of Correction.

SURREY QUARTER SESSIONS.

KING STON—WEDNESDAY.
The COURT this morning proceeded to dispose of the
'elonies, none of which possessed any features of public
nterest.
Applications were then made for the renewals of the
icences of the different Theatres and other places of
amusement in the county of Surrey.
Mr. Jemmett applied for a renewal of the licence to
the Royal Circus or Surrey Theatre, in the name of
George Bolwell Davidge —Application granted.
The next application was for a renewal of the li-
cence to Astley's Amphitheatre, in the name of Han-
nah Waldo Astley, John Chevalier Cobbold, Andrew
Ducrow, and William West--Granted.
The licence to Vauxhall Gardens, in the names of
Frederick Gyc and Richard Hughes, was then renewed.
Mr. HEDGER remarked that the Magistrates had been
required to alter the period at which the performances
were to commence, from five o'clock to three ; the Ma-
gistrates, however, had no such power, and if any
entertainments were performed before five o'clock the
parties licensed would be liable to penalties. The perform.
ance of the Curriculum clearly came within the Act of
Parliament, and it would be no excuse that the respon-
sibility was shifted to Mr. Ducrow.
Colonel CHALLONER said he should be very glad if
the Magistrates had the power to alter the hour so as
to lega!ize this performance, which he considered a very
excellent one. He put it to the Court, however, whe-
ther the performance of the horses came within the
terms of the Act, "music and (lancing."
Mr. HEDGER said there could be no doubt it did.
There was music, and the horses danced. He, at the
same time begged it to be understood that he did not
desire in any way to curtail these performances, but to
show that the Magistrates had no power to graat the
required extension of time.
The licenses to the Duke's Head and Bower Gar-
dens, Stangate, and to the Jamaica Tavern, Rother-
hithe, for music, were then renewed, without any re-
marks being made respecting them.
Mr. Jemmett applied on behalf of Mr. Richard
Howard, of the St. Helen's Gardens, Rotherhithe, for
an extension of his
,present license, which is for music
only, to one for dancing, and the like entertainments.
He said that since the license had been granted to this
house for music, it had always been conducted most
respectably, ;Ind Mr. Howard now sought to be al-
lowed the privilege enjoyed by other houses of having
dancing as well as music. There had been at
one time a strong feeling on the minds of Ma-
gistrates against allowing entertainments of this
description, on the ground that they were likely to prove
injurious to the morals of the working classes, but he
believed that experience had been a means of greatly
altering that opinion. He, therefore, trusted that, as
the house had been all along conducted in a most
respectable manner, the Bench would extend the licence
as prayed.
In answer to a question from the Chairman, it was
stated that no notice had been given of the intended ap-
plication.
The Court thought that such applications ought not
to be entertained, unless notice was given, and on that
ground refused the application.
An application for a music 'license to the King's
head, Little Charlotte-street, Blackfriar's-road was re-
fused by the Court. ,
A similar application was made on behalf of Mr.
Thomas Cox, the landlord of the Black Dog, Vauxhall-
walk.

The petition of the applicant set forth that the appli-
cant had carried on the business of a licensed victualler