The Sun.
London, England, 1809-07-18 00:00:00

ASSAULT.

Samuel Dixon, Esq.- was itidiaed for an assault
on James Lee, a constable, and for interrupting him.
in.the diseharge of his duty.
.Mr. ANDRIMS, on the part of the prosecution,
stated, that .the Defendant was a Common Council,-
mao of the City of London, and the Prosecutor a
Constable of Christchurch. On the evening of the
.i,sth of March last, Lee, in the due execution of his
office, 'had apprehended two' women and a man,
who had behaved disorderly in the streets, he was
conveying them to the watch-house, when a Gen-.
tleman, whom he afterwards discovered to be Mr.
Dixon, came up to him,, and ?demanded by what
authority he had apprehended the _Prisoners ;'' the
Prosecutor informed him who he was,, and stated,
that he aEted under the authority of a search-war-
rant ;, Mr. Bitten insisted that he had no authority
to detain them,, stating, that he was a Common.
Councilman of the City of London, and desiring
him to-liberate the prisoners; on the Prosecutor s
refusiog to do so, Mr. Dixon struck at him several?
times;.and, in the scuffle which ensued,, the pri;-
SonerB escaped; The Prosecutor, io the mean time,
had called another Constable to. his assistance, when
M. DiAors- r.ss takca tutu cusiody, and conveyed to
the watch-house. This was about twelve o'clock
he did .not centinue'at the watch-house long before
he was bailed. This. statement was given in evi-
dence by the Prosecutor and .two other witnesses.
Mr. NO'LAN, on the part of the Defendant, con-
tended, that the Prosecutor had exceeded his power,
and had negleeted, to produce the authority under
which. he acted, and that therefore, his client was,
fully justified in what he haddone- he also .con
tended that a degree of unjustifiable violence had
been used 'towards the Defendant, whose condud
had been aerated by motives truly honourable to
himself'. The Learned Counsel, observed, that it
was not probable that the Defendant; whose public
charaaer was well known, would have given the
Public such an opportunity to scuff at, ai4 laugh
him to scorn, unless his conscience had told him he
was aCtin.g perfealy corred.
Mr. Dixon addressed the JurY at considerable
length in his-own defence.
Tile Jury, after a short deliberation, found a vei-
di:a of guilty, and the Court sentenced him to. pay a
fine of 201.

and 60i. more for Mr. Sectley, only dedglinot, I 11.
which' Mr. Sedley had ptevionsfy recei:md of Dr.
Stevenson ; and -Mr. Coutts took his leave and de-
parted. Shortly afterwards, 'Mr; Sediey came to
'Dr. Stevenson's apartment, and expressed much dis-
pleasure on finding that his share of the tool. had
been- paid to Mr. Coutts. He, however, 'went
away, and, after some time, again returned, and de-
Manded of Mrs. Norton 2001. which, if she did not
direaly pay, he would prosecute her as an alien, un-
der the Alien MA.

In consequence of this, high words arose between
Mr. Sedley and Dr. Stevenson the latter insisted
on the former's itvinediately quitting his apartments ;
Mr. Sedley refused, anti the Doctor was proceeding
to enforce his mandate, when Mrs. Norton interfer-
ecl,. and Sedley struck herd violent hovz with his stick,
on the arm (which she exhibited to the Magistrate,
and which evi?Ced marks of very sever 4 contu-
sion),; she would candidly .ackn6..vledge; bocce~ er,
that . after she was •thus, struck, she seized a stick
she found in , the room, and struck Mr. Sedley
return.

.Mrs. Norton added a very pathetic statement of
'ber own case ; she.said.that her husband, *ivho was
;11 Scotch o.tficer in the British service, was killed, in
:Holland in the last expedition., under the Duke of
;York 5., that she herself was, F 3 months detained as.
prisoner of war, in a Dutch prison ; that she re,
turned to England with the Duke of Yoik,.a.nd had
sustained in. this country a long series of misfortunes.
Another female, who 'was present at the trans,
athorr, cortobora.ted the story, of Mrs. Norton ; and:
botb,-offered to verify their statement, upon. oath..
Ire Couits,•also appeared, acknowledged., the re,
ceiptof the money, from. Mrs, Norton for his. agency,
but declared that he.: never made anx dem'and of
stipulation ;, but.tha,t Mirs.. Norton made him. the
compliment. of 501. of her own accord.
The Magistrate, therefore, deeMed it right to as,
miss the charge of Mr. Smiley who, on, his part
being foiled in the first attack, changed his ground,
and immediately commenced, a second, by (tiredly
tendering to the Magistrate hi; information against
Mrs. Norton as an.alien, and being, in this 4/wintry
without license, contrary to, the Alden, ,Uti and be
insisted that the Magistrate. should, as be was, by,
law bound; receive his information, and detain Mrs.
Norton-in custody. He added, too, that'this woman,
who.pretended to...be the widow of a British Otlicer,,.
named Norton, was in 'fad the. wife of a Danish
West Indian, a native of the Island_of St. Thomas,
and now a drummer, or tunSielin -in the •Gliats,.
whom she married, to get rid, of her debts;, and,that
Norton, her. first husband*, bad been many years
since guillotined in Amsterdam, upon the infor-
mation of this. very woman, for forging :Ztglisb
bank notes.

The Lady's sensibility was incompetent to, with,
stand this imputation upbn the honour of her de-
ceased husband, 'as, well as, upon -her own conjugal
fidelity, and she burst into tears.: She
.admitted,
indeed, that she had, been married since she came to'
England„ tb a musician named Osborne, who robbed,
her of 7001. but finding he had another wife, she
never cohabited with him; .and she produced a Mr.
Pickersgill, to prove his: Awing given her away in
marriage to Osborne.
Mr. Sedley continued. to insist upon the truth of
his own statement, and that the. Lady bad received
'both the 6,0Q1. and the 18001. by signing he name
as the widow or Norton, , which she was poi, in-
stead of Osborne; and ftnally demanded her de-
tention.

Aldermaa AuctNs. however tai Mr. Secitfty, that
if be had brought forward.his information with any,
manifest view to the service of the country, as a loyal,
man, by sh.ewirtg that Mrs. Norton was a concealed.
alien, and wished clandestinely to continue in the
country for suspicious purposes, he should be inclin-
ed to entertain his information : but as it appeared
clearly in the present case to, be the effett of resent-
ment for his disappointment, he could not consider
him as coming forward With clean hands, and there,
fore, should not receive the in formation •
Mrs. Norton declared she had been at the office
of the Secretiary of State this morning, and should
find no difficulty in, producing ample credentials so
soon as Lord Liverpool should return to town.
The matter was dismissed for 'the'present,

Cortotsmt's INQUEST.--Yesterday afternoon, an
Inquest was held at the. London Hospital Public-
house, ,Whitechapel-road, on the body
.of Francis
.George, who died on Saturday' morning in the Lon-'•
don Hospital,• in consequence of the wounds which
he received at the late affray at Bow Fair.. There
was not any evidence whatever, to prove by whom
the blows were infliAed. The Nurse belongiq to
Gloucester Ward, in which the deceased lay ever
since the time of his receiving his wounds, deposed
that he had said in her hearing; that he took no part
whatever in the affray, but that he was returning
peaceably borne, at abort 3 in the morning, when,
he was knocked down by some unknown person ;
that the blows were repeated, until he was left in a
totally senseless state. The House Surgeon of the
Vospital stated, that every possible means which
skill could suggest, or attention supply for the relief
of the patient were made use of without effeti. He
was of opinion, that a wound which had been irtflia-
ed on the head, apparently with a' bludgeon; or some
other obtuse instrument, ..was the principal cause of
death.—Verdid, illnnslaughler.o4;4in4 $0n.46 person
. or persons, unknown.
A fire broke out at the house of H.. F. Sydney,
Esq. at Thorpe Wood,. Berks, on Saturdriy night,
which consumed an• elegant mansion and adjoining
premises. , It was oncasioned by the over-heating of
an oven on Saturday afternoon. The fire brokeout
in a room over the bake-house,, and was pot disco,
veced till 12 o'clock at night. Two men .who slept
in the roam escaped• after being, much scorched.—
The damage is computed at' O,OQOI. Mr, Sy Aniev,
his daughter, and family, had just lime to, escape.

Ducx.t,tsp....,Ou Thursday: •morning, in conse-
quence of ndispute.the evening.. be.ore,,,a meeting
toak place near Berryhead,l, Devonshire, be;wee
.Capt. 'B
-7--Es and Capt. G—ltT,, of the Smith Hants
aegiment. The former was attended by Capt. M—a,
rind the latter by Lieut. H",-E., of the same Regi-
- .A.tter an .exchange of a case of pisto;s, the
ball of Capt. B. having grazed the light hip'of Capt.
G. the, affair, by the interturence secogds, ices
amicably adjusted.