The Sun.
London, England, 1853-12-01 00:00:00

POLICE INTELLIGENCE.

MANSION•IIOI7SE.—EXTRAORDINARY ASSAULT.—
Mr. C. F. Guitard was brought before the Lord Mayor,
charged with having committed an extraordinary assault.
Mr. Stewart, of Bury-street, St. James's, formerly a
military officer, said :—Yesterday, at a quarter before
three o'clock, upon coming out of the shop of Messrs.
Peart and Dossetor, in the Poultry, where I had been to
order something, I met the defendant, whom I had never
seen before to my knowledge. Before I got entirely out
of the shop he passed in, and to my surprise turned round
and kicked me. He then, on my turning round, imme-
diately struck me in the face with his fist. This was
done without the slightest provocation on my part. lam
not aware that a word had passed between us. I believe
I then asked him what he meant, and he fumbled in his
pocket, took out a dagger, and held it over my left breast,
using the expression, " I am an outlaw, and am privileged
to carry arms," or words to that effect, "and I'll let you
know who I am." I called to the shopman, when I found
such to be the case, to call a policeman, but the shopman
would not do so. Mr. Dossetor, who had been serving me,
come round the counter, but did not offer to interfere at all.
To the best of my belief, I again asked them to send for
a policeman, but they would not. There was a crowd
outside, and I went to call a policeman myself. At
last I got a small boy, who was in the crowd, to go
for a policeman. The defendant gave an order in the
shop, and Mr. Dossetor served him. The policeman,
came in and took my charge. Mr. Dossetor then tried
to prevail upon me not to press the charge ; but I
refused to abstain from doing so. To the best of my
recollection the defendant repeated the assertion that he
was an outlaw and privileged to carry arms. The po-
liceman then put him in a cab and conveyed him to the
station-house. After the charge was read over to him
by the station-serjeant, he said, upon being asked
who he was, that he was one of her Majesty's Privy
Council, and therefore he was privileged to carry arms.
He also stated that he was constantly annoyed by fel-
lows in brown coats, or words to that effect, and that
several of the Privy Council were annoyed by them ;
that he made a point of always knocking them down
whenever he could, and the Privy Council were some-
times obliged to kill them. One of the policemen asked
him to allow him to look at the dagger, and quickly got
hold of it. At first the defendant refused to allow him-
self to be searched, but he afterwards submitted.
The Lord Mayor (to the defendant)—Do you wish to
ask the witness any questions ?
Defendant—l do, my lord. What (to the witness)
did you purchase ?
Witness—Nothing • but I gave an order.
Defendant--Some of the evidence is not quite correct,
but is given with a tone and manner which tell against
me. I wish to remark, that I held up the dagger to
show the privilege which I claim. I did it to show the
authority I have to resent insult.
These observations were uttered in a very mild tone.
There was other evidence ready, but
The Lord Mayor said he would remand the defendant,
in order to obtain the testimony of medical practitioners,
as to the state of the defendant's mind. His Lordship
then said that as Mr. Dossetor was present, that gentle-
man might wish and should be allowed to account for
his conduct in not sending for a policeman under such
remarkable circumstances.
Dossetor, jun.—My reason was that Mr. Guitard
is a customer of ours, and I was in hopes that nothing
would occur. _ _ .

The Lord Mayor—You saw him brandish a dagger,
and that was pretty good authority for the interference
of others.
Mr. Dossetor, jun.—Certainly I did see him brandish
the dagger, but he did it in a mild way.
The Lord Mayor—Suppose he had made a sudden
thrust at Mr. Stewart with the dagger ? Insanity is
often as sudden as a spark of fire in its operation.
Mr. Dossetor, jun.—l have known him to be a
highly respectable gentleman, and he has been long a
customer of ours.

The Lord Mayor—But this act of his, which you have
witnessed, was the act of a madman.
Defendant—May I ask that the executors of my father
may not be present on the occasion ?
The Lord Mayor—You shall go where every possible
care shall be taken of you. If you are an accountable
agent, you have committed a very serious offence.
Defendant—l am not in robust health, my lord.

One of the executors, who were present during the
investigation, intimated that they were not surprised at
the statement of Mr. Stewart.
The defendant, who was stated to have a large sum
of money at his banker's, was then remanded till
Friday. His conduct before the Lord Mayor was most
gentleman-like and respectful throughout.

BOW-STREET. CHARGE OP PERJURY. James
Thompson, grocer, lately carrying on business in Cal-
thorp-street, Gray's Inn-road, and Hunter-square,
appeared before Mr. Jardine, upon a summons charging
him with wilful and deliberate perjury.
The history of this case is rather remarkable. On the
22d of April last, Thompson was placed in the felon's
dock at Bow-street, charged with stealing a picture said
to be worth 6001., but really valueless, being a miserable
imitation of a small Correggio. The person who owned
the picture and preferred the charge was a Mrs. Combe
Burroughs, who had described herself as a relation of
Mr. Combe, the magistrate, and stated that the picture
was a gift from " one of the Courtenays." It turned
out that she had made a bargain with Thompson, that
if he could get 6001. for it he was to have 501. for his
trouble, and so, one day the two started off together in
a cab in quest of a purchaser at the West-end. They
waited on all the most eminent picture-dealers—the
best judges—without getting a single offer, and after
wasting a whole day in this manner, Thompson began
to suspect that he had been imposed upon. Consequently
he left Mrs. Burroughs, mounted an omnibus in Oxford-
street, and returned home, retaining possession of the pic-
ture " for expenses," and as security for a small amount of
grocery which he had allowed to accumulate upon the
strength of the lady's " distinguished connexions" in
Devonshire. Repeated demands were made upon
Thompson to deliver back the picture, and finding all
other means unavailing, Mrs. Burroughs, with her hus-
band and sister, proceeded to the police station, and
charged him with having stolen it in Oxford-street.
They were accompanied back to Thompson's house by
police-constable Thomas Earl, 96 E, but Thompson,
who was shutting up his shop, declined to have anything
to say to them, and shut the door in their faces. Earl
went back to the Clerkenwell station, and appears to