The Sun.
London, England, 1854-11-09 00:00:00

THE NEWSVENDORS' FRIENDLY AND
BENEVOLENT SOCIETIES.

On Tuesday a number of influential members of the
news trade connected with these two societies dined
together at the Highbury-barn Tavern, to meet Mr. and
Mrs. Wild, of Catherine-street, Strand, who had been
invited in order that a testimonial might be presented to
Mr. Wild, who has lately tendered his resignation of
the chairmanship of the societies over which he has pre-
sided with honour to himself and benefit to the institu-
tion for some years.
After the usual loyal and patriotic toasts,
Mr. STANDFAST, the hon. secretary, said it now be,
came his pleasing duty to present Mr. Wild with a mark
of esteem from several members of the Newsvendors'
Friendly Society over which he had so worthily presided
for the last seven years.
The testimonial was here handed to Mr. Wild. It
was a very elegant silver teapot, bearing on the one side
the initials " L. R. W." and on the reverse the following
inscription :—" Presented by a few friends to Mr. L.
Wild, as a mark of their esteem, upon his retirement
from the Chairmanship of the Newsvendors' Friendly
Society.—October, 1854,"
The CHAIRMAN having proposed "The Health of Mr.
Wild," which was drunk with loud cheers,
Mr. WILD said he had now the grateful and most
pleasing task of returning the ladies and gentlemen pre-
sent his most sincere thanks for the very kind and hand•
some manner in which his health had been drunk, and
the more especially for the very handsome mark of their
esteem which then stood before him. It was many years
since he first had the honour and privilege of taking
part in the formation of the Newsvendors' Benevo:ent
Society, of which he had been. now the chairman for
fifteen years. The Friendly Society was more immedi-
ately connected with watching the interests of the trade,
and he had seven years since received the honour and
pleasure of being elected as its chairman. The Benevo-
lent Society was now most prosperous, having upwards
oflsoo/.funded—a large amount he considered for the
news trade ; and the Friendly Society was also at least
in as good, if not better, position than when he first
became the chairman. (Cheers.) Mr. Wild then alluded
to various measures for the benefit of the trade which
the Friendly Society had been instrumental in effecting
since he had been in office, and concluded by again
thanking the company for the very handsome testimo-
nial presented to him, and for their presence that
evening.
A number of other toasts were then drunk, and the
company passed a very pleasant evening, the business of
which was interspersed with some excellent music.

TOWN AND GOWN ROW AT CAMBRIDGE,

On Wednesday last, at the Town-ball, Cambridge,
Richard Cayley and Thomas Charles Wood, undergra-
duates of St. John's College, were charged before a
mixed commission of university and town magistrates
with assaulting the police in the execution of their duty.
There was some applause from the townsmen on the
defendants being placed in the dock, but it was of course
immediately suppressed.

William -Jag,g;trd, superintendent of police, said—On
Friday evening last, about ten minutes before 9 o'clock,
I was sent for by the Mayor to the Town-hall. On my
arrival I found a great disturbance in the large room,
the Mayor dissolving a meeting, at which an anti-tobacco
lecture had been going on. The Mayor was attempting
to dissolve the meeting, and the university men were
proposing resolutions in defiance of him. I heard them
propose that Mr. Lockington, the tobacconist, do take
the chair. (Laughter.) I had no directions to clear the
room, but from what I saw I thought the sooner it was
cleared the better. The room was about half cleared.
We had moved the forms to enable the people to pass,
when some one called out, " Gown ! gown ! the gown
are wanted outside," upon which the gownsmen rushed
towards the door, like a flock of sheep following their
leader over a hedge.k I was pushed some distance down
the room, and drew on one side to let the gownsrnen
pass. One university man, just as he passed me, jumped
on the back of a form which had been knocked down,
and broke it. lie came out of the stream and jumped
on it purposely. Mr. Brown (a magistrate), who was
present, ordered him to desist, or if not he should give
him into custody. He replied, " Who the

are you ?" and was in the act of breaking another form
when I collared him. Mr. Brown again asked him his
name and college ; he did not give either ; and some one
immediately sang out, " Gown, gown, to the rescue !" The
gownsmen rushed at me, and seeing I must eventually, I
let him go. At this time Sergeants Howlett, Yardly, and
Maltby came up, and the taller defendant (Wood) struck
out at them right and left ; he struck Yardly I be-
lieve. I directly caught hold of him, and directed the
police to take him into custody. The cry of "Gown,
gown, to the rescue !" was again raised, and another
onset took place, and I ordered the police to draw their
staves. I shortly afterwards saw the defendant Cayley

is custody, but how he came so I cannot say. They
were with great difficulty got into the grand jury room.
The proctor arrived at this time, and he undertaking
to produce them when required, they were given up to
his care.

The prisoners being asked if they had anything to say
in their defence, Wood deelined to say anything. Cay-
ley said, " I was walking quietly out of the hall when I
saw Wood, who is a member of the same college, col-
lared by some one, and I naturally went forward to
rescue him. I tried at first, but made no further re-
sistance when I found he was in the hands of the police.
When the proctor arrived I gave myself up to him, and
altogether acted as quietly when in custody as any man
would do who was being dragged along by the hair of
his head. I will admit that I was excited, but I deny
that I was drunk, and can bring twenty witnesses who
will prove that I never was drunk in my life.
The defendants were fined 51. each and expenses.
The Master of St. Catharine's Hall (Dr. Philpott), so
soon as the decision was given, rose, and addressing the

audience, said the Bench had the power to inflict im
prisonment without giving the defendants the option o'
payment of a fine, and his hearers might rely upon
that on the repetition of such an offence it would un•
questionably be inflicted.