The Sun.
London, England, 1825-07-11 00:00:00

POLICE INTELLIGENCE.

ROW AT THE LONDON TAVERN.
111 awszoli-Ilousr.—Saturday, Mr. Eades, of Coleman-
street, one of the Gospel Tract Society, appeared before Mr.
Alderman Tit oßpir, who sat for the Lord Mayor, charged by
Mr. Rolph, of Crutched-friars, under the following circum-
stances :
' fie had on Thursday evening attended a meetingof the Gospel
Tract Society, at the London Tavern, and had not sat long when
a gentleman who was next to him rose to speak, but was objected
to by some of the meeting, while others expressed a wish to hear
him. Witness said " Hear, hear !" and an uproar arose, which
lasted a considerable time. At length a party of the Gospel
Tract Society bore down upon the gentleman and the witness,
and forcibly turned them out of the room. The defendant was
amongst the breakers of the peace, and used as much violence as
he was capable of using on the occasion, in assaulting not only
the gentleman who wished to speak, hut the witness who wished
to hear him. Had not the owner of the tavern interfered, the
witness would, he believed, have certainly lost his life, as he
must have tumbled from the top to the bottom of the stairs.
Mr. Tyrrell, a Roman Catholic Clergyman, stated that in con.
sequence of having seen an advertisement in the Newspapers,
inviting ail persons to attend at the Old London Tavern, and
having read, only a fey: days before, that Mr. Butterworth asked
in a meeting why there-were not any Popish Priests to answer
him, he thought fit to attend this meeting in order to answer any
charge that might be mode against the Clergy of the Roman Ca-
tholic Church. Sevevral assertions were made, one of which, he
believed by a Mr. Hope, was, that the Pope was a man of sin.
He (witness) stood up, in order to make a few observations, as
he thought he had a right in a public meeting to reply to a
public accusation, more particularly as an impression might go
abroad, that if harges of this kind remained unanswered, it
might be supposed that they were incapable of being unan-
swered. He had, at the same time, no idea of saying a word
in opposition to the Gospel Tract Society, to which he had no
objection to make. He had, however, scarcely got up, when
a number of persons bore down upon him, and endeavoured to
prevail upon the Officers of Police to take him in charge. The
Officers, however, refused, and in a gentlemanlike manner en-
deavoured to protect him. At length the party used violence.
He received several blows, but he could not see from whom,
and was finally shoved out of the room. The landlord of the
tavern witnessed a great part of the transaction, but he teas
unwilling to call that gentleman, as his situation was rather
delicate.
The defendant solemnly denied that he was at all engaged in
the row. He was one of the Committee, and had taken his
seat on the hustings, where he remained until all was over.—
He never moved—he never stirred.
Thomas Russell, of No. 31, Little Britain, stated, that he
sat on the.bustings, near the defendant, and was convinced the
gentleman never left his place till all the confusion subsided.
A police officer said, he had been called to take Mr..Tyrrell
into custody, but as he did not see the peace broken, he refused
to interfere. _ _ _

Mr. Rolph declared mast positively again, that Mr. Eades
was his and Mr. Tyrrell's assailant. He had reason to recol-
lect him, for he was quite ill after such violent treatment. He
would swear that Mr. Eades struck both, and was in the midst
of the party that expelled them.
Alderman THORPE asked hcw long this extraordinary row
lasted. '

Mr. Rolph said, it continued for twenty minutes.
Several of the Gospel Tract Society expressed their readiness
to come forward and swear that the whole was a mistake, as
Mr. Eades was sitting quite quiet when the disturbance took
place.
Mr. Rolph said, ha had no vindictive motives for complain-
ing. He merely wished to ascertain whether, at a religious
meeting of this nature, a man might not speak without being
subject to violence and insult?
Alderman MORPE said, the evidence of one party was so
directly opposite to that of the other, that he could not take
upon himself to decide upon the merits of the case, and would
leave it to the decision of a Jury, if the complainants should
think proper to prefer an indictment.
GUILDHAI.L.--(HORRID BRUTALITY.)—A man named
Jas. Holt, who is in the employment of a Mr. Shearman, who '
owns part of the premises of the Bull-and-Mouth Inn, was
charged with haying killed two mares, and most dreadfully
lacerated a mare and two horses, the property of his mas-
ter. A boy stated, that he went into the stable on the
preceding evening, and saw the prisoner thrusting a pitch-
fork into one of the mares behind. Witness called another
boy, and they found him thrusting at another mare in the same
manner. They were too much alarmed to interfere, and they
ran for assistance and upon their return with a man, they
found that he had treated a third mare and three horses in the
same horrible manner : two of the mares, which cost seventy
guineas. died on Friday night, and the third could not live
long. The horses were also very bad.--The prisoner was re-
manded till Monday. ,

DEATII OF, GODFREY THE OFFICER-7—AD In-
quest was held on Saturday at the Cobha►a Arms Tavern,
Clerkenwell, on the body of Godfrey, the police-officer, the cir-
cumstances of whose 'death have been already related. The
verdict of the Jury was, that the deceased destroyed himself
under the influence of " Temporary derangement, arising from
dejection of mind, produced by being discharged from Mr
sittatios."