The Sun.
London, England, 1825-09-02 00:00:00

A DISTRESSED ARTIST.

nut LARAT.L.—During the business before the sitting Ma-
gistrate, Mr. Alderman ATKINS, at this Justice-room, yester-
day, Elliman, one of the beadles of St. Dunstan's parish,
brought in a middle-aged man of very respectable appearance,
whose hand had providentially been arrested in the very act of
attempting to destroy himself.
Mr. Alderman ATKINS, understanding the nature of the
affair, directed the unfortunate gentleman to be brought to the
table, and the beadle then stated, that about half an hour be-
fore, he was called from his house by some
.persons *ho told
him that a man had attempted to destroy himself in the pas-
sage leading from Fleur-de-kis-court into Fetter-lane, directly
opposite to Clifford's-inn. He ran thither immediately, and
saw the gentleman in the care of another very respectable-
looking gentleman, the latter of whom said that he had at that
instant seized the prisoner's hand in the very act of attempting
to cut his throat with a razor, and he (Elliman) saw the fatal
instrument then in the prisoner's hand. He seemed dreadfully
agitated, and did not deny that he was about to destroy him-
self. The gentleman then delivered him into his care, and he
accordingly brought him to the office. -
The unfortunate gentleman stated to the Magistrate that his
name was John Brown Eyton ; that he was by profession a
portrait and landscape painter, and that his work had for many
years appeared in the annual exhibitions at Somerset-house;
that he resided at No. 13, Fetter-lane, and that he had a wife
and two children, whom he had heretofore been enabled, from
his success in his profession, to support in comfort and respec-
tability ; but that latterly he had been unfortunate and unsuc-
cessful, and his earnings had been very inconsiderable. Instgad
of consoling him under this affliction, his wife was continually
upbraiding him for his poverty and the- want of those comforts
they had formerly enjoyed, which not only increased the evil
by depriving him of that complacency of mind necessary for
the successful pursuit of his business, hut had actually driven
hint to desperation. Such had been the case that morning,
and he bad just left his-house, and should most certainly have
destroyed himself; but for the interposition of the gentleman, as
Elliman had described. _

Mr. Alderman ATKINS addressed the gentleman with much
feeling upon the enormity of the offence he was about to com- •
mit, and as a return to his wife in his present state of agitation
might probably lead to a repetition-of the rash act, he directed
him to be taken care of at the fliltspur-street Compter till the
next day.
31r. Eyton appeared grateful for the humane attention shor;n
him, and readily submitted to the arrangement suggested by
the Alderman.
After he had been removed from the bar, the Alderman di-
rected the • beadle to call upon Mrs. Eyton, put her in posseS-
sion of the circumstances that had occurred, and request her •
attendance when her husband should next he brought up.
Elliman bowed his obedience to the Magistrate's orders, but
observed that he feared • she would be hut little affected by
what hvtl occurred, as her husband in coming to the office had
opened his mind more at large to him than he had done be-
fore the Magistrate. He told him, that amidst her upbraid.
ings that morning, she bid him go and hang himself or cut his
throat ; and at the same time actually put the razor into his
hand: and in the desperation which her irritating language had
occasioned, he ran out of the house instantly determined to do
as she bid him.
Elliman mentioned that the gentleman who had prevented
Mr. Eyton from committing the rash act, observed that that
was the second instance in which he had been the means of
preventing suicide that 'morning, for Halle was passing near the
Tower at an early hour, he saw a respectable man throw him.
self into the Thames ; he immediately gave the alarm, assist-
ance was procured, and the man's life was saved.

CHARGE OF ILI—TREATING A HORSE.
Row-ST nEvi....Mr. Martin. M. P.. produced a case of
this description.yesterday morning. which in its progress be-
came involved in a difficulty of rather a novel and curious na-
ture. The driver of a hackney coach appeared to answer an
information made by Mr Martin himself, on oath, for ill-using
one of his horses. The coachman.pleaded guilty to the charge
of beating his horses, but not " wantonly and cruelly."
He said he had a horse that was very " ohstropolous,"
and would sometimes lie down in the road. The street-
keeper of the Strand was then called as a witness, in
support of the information. He stated that on Saturday night
last. his notice was attracted, when standing Opposite War-
ren's Blacking warehouse, by the loud lashing of a whip.—
Upon looking in the direction of the noise, he saw the defendant.
most violently flogging the off-horse from shoulder to flank. Ile
shortly after this cruel transaction pulled up his coach a little

distance beyond Villiers-street, and, "like a ruffian of the Brsi •
water," set to and lashed the animal over the eyes and head._
The poor .horse (a little mare) turned her head away :sever '
times in agony, but obtained no abatement of the cruel trestmolu.
Thedriver here admitted that he gave the mare a few cuts overthe
ears. The witness was called upon to identify theperson whom
he sitar engaged in this cruel practice. • He turned to a man wire
was standing rather backward in the office, trod who was two or .
three heads taller than the defendant, and nearly three times as
big, and declared he was the man. The witness was cautioned
to he careful in this part of his evidence. He persisted in de.,'
Glaring that it was the big man ; and be was quite certain the.
little one, who avowed himself to be the real ()Wender,- was not
the man.—Another witness was here 'produced, who swore be
had seen the horse several times knocked down by the Violence
of, the defendant. This witness most. positively declared that
the big man was the real offender, and that the coachman,
whom he had seen conducting himself in the; way described,
was nothing like the man who now produced himself as the de-,
fender): named in the information. Theindividualupon
suspicion was-ethen fixed, was required to step forward. ne
was ordered to put on his hat, which he did, and the witnesses~
became-still more confirmed in their opinion of his identity in con-
sequence. In answer to questions from the bench„ he stated that
he never drove the coach in question in hii life, nor did he ever
see the driver before to his knowledge. lie said he was then
in the office upon business of his own„ and never heard of the
present case till he witnessed the examination then going on.—
An officer came forward to prove that the man really had busi-
ness of his own. He was driver of the coach No. 564. The
witnesses, however, were not at all shaken by this contradiction
of their opinion. The tall coachman said he could produce his
witnesses by to-Morrow (this day) ; and after some remarks
from Mr. Martin, the further investigation of this curiods affair
was postponed until one o'clock to-day (Friday).