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

TOWN AND GOWN .R 0 W AT CAMBRIDGE

On Wednesday last, at the Town-ball, Cambridie,
Rich Cayley and Thomas Charles Wood, undergra-
duf St. John's College, were charged before a
mixed commission of university and torn 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 -Jagg- ird, 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 deance 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. I was pushed some distance down
the room, and drew on one side to let the gownsmen
pass. One university man, just as he passed me, jumped
on the back of a form which had been knocked down,
and broke it. He came out of the stream aid 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
in 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 declined to say anything. Cay-
ley said, " I was walking quietly out of the halt 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 of
payment of a fine, and his hearers might rely upon it
that on the repetition of such an offence it would un-
questionably be inflicted.