The Sun.
London, England, 1847-03-02 00:00:00

THAMES.

Mr. John Crundon, the master of a ship called the Gazelle,
lying off Horselydown, appeared before Mr. Yardley to answer
a charge of assaulting a poor woman named Clara Watts,
under very peculiar circumstances.
It appeared from the evidence of the complainant, a widow
who was very meanly clad, that she lived in Grove-road,
Mile-end. On Wednesday last she was in company with a
female friend much younger than herself, when they met the
defendant, who was very drunk. A dirty-looking man wall
with him, trying to rob him. Witness a.:cl her friend inter-
fered, and, after some trouble, succeeded in getting rid of the
defendant's very questionable companion, and, fearing that
the defendant would get into trouble again, offered to see him
home. He made them understand he was master of a ship in
the river, and he thanked them and asked them to accom-
pany him on board, which they consented to dn. On reach-
ing the Gazelle he invited them into his cabin, and treated
them with brandy-and-water. He soon afterwards quitted
the ship with the other woman, for the purpose of buying
some fish, leaving a bottle of brandy on the cabin table. On
his return with the complainant's friend he seemed to be much
enraged, and ordered her to leave the ship immediately. She
declined doing so without her friend, who, however, seemed
inclined to remain on board. The defendant immediately
commenced beating the complainant. Ile tore her cap off and
beat her, and was proceeding to Maher violence, when the Cus-
tom-house officer stationdd on hoard stood between the parties.
The defendant said he would not be baulked, and he struck
the woman again. He tore the hair from her head and drag-
ged her along the deck. The mate of another vessel came
on board and rescued her, and she called for the police and
was taken ashore. She was very much hurt by the violence
of the defendant, and she declared she offered no provocation
for the violence committed upon her.
The defendant, who had obtained a postponement of the
ease from Saturday, on a representation that he would bring
a Custom-house officer to prove that he was net the aggres-
sor, made a very lame defence to the charge, and said the
woman made more free in his cabin than he wished, and
drank his brandy. He ordered her to leave the vessel, and
she refused to go, on which he attempted to eject her, and
she struggled and scratched him. He then called his mate,
who did not help him much, and said he saw a scuttle going
on upon deck, and the captain wished one of the women to
leave the vessel.
Mr. YAanLzy—And the other to remain on board ?
The mate believed that was so. The other woman did stop.
The oomplainant said, her friend had remained on board
the Gazelle with the captain ever since Wednesday.
The defendant admitted he had kept the woman in his
cabin since Wednesday, and she was there still. He then
endeavoured to exculpate himself, but in a very clumsy
manner.
Mr. YARDLEY said, the conduct of the defendant was
highly reprehensible, and that he would not entrust him
with the command of a vessel if he had one. He had taken
two women, strangers to him, on board the Gazelle ; and
one of them had been since detained for purposes which no
one who heard the case could doubt for one moment. It ap-
peared that the defendant had acted with violence to the
woman Watts, and had attempted to eject her from his ship
in a violent, rough, and.unbecoming way. He fined the de-
fendant 40s. and costs, which was immediately paid.