The Sun.
London, England, 1847-01-18 00:00:00

CROYDON.

William West, who has for a number of years filled
th• office of beadle to the parish of Mitcham, attended
before Messrs. Lucas, Barclay, and Sutherland, the pre-
siding magistrates, to answer a charge of violently as-
saulting a young girl named Emily Ridley, in Mitcham
Church. .
.. .. .

DREADFUL ACCIDENTS ON THE ICE IN ST.
JA PARK.
The frost still continues with increased severity, and
consequently the various Parks were thronged with
thousands of visitors during yesterday. At midnight
on Saturday the thermometer at the receiving-house of
vie., to 29, and at noon to 30. Last night,
the Royal Humane Society in Hyde Park was as low as
27, but at eight o'clock yesterday morning it bad risen
eight o'clock, it had again fallen to 29; but from the
which was completely under water,
ce of the atmosphere and the state of the ba-
rometer,
of a serious character oc-
a prospect of heavy fall of snow. The
ice in all the Parks was most dangerous, especially that
rate two a
ipoeedateregar
appearance of
gives a
icanuurdBrtewsd.hjearnacTehasee'sverraarlkac' following particulars of the proceedings
&c.--Upon the Sar-
in the different Parke, with the official report of the ac-
cidents, obtained from Mr. Superintendent Williams,
will be found most accurate:—
the ice was 24 inches in thickness.
thick, was
penTtilinse StTille"niluTmila HofirDsEkaPt:rßsK* and sliders exceeded
Roundwas threee
long water in Kensington-gardensl the number
of skaters, including several a members of the Skating
neither of these
Uponlo,ooo t,healthough
inchesthe
wnuansder the direction
about 6,000. On 5,000 pond skaters and
sliders numbered between , and 6,000, the ice being
Club upon the ice,
three
pieces of water did an accident take place, owing to the
twhehic
ut two inches
unremitting attention
nt Williams.
of Mr. Superintende
gi gthe oyal Humane
, ~A EK.— e number of skaters and
inches
pie
c e
oFoffo
tr_Tihtcuehen:acwteehml Fortunately
:ph:
ST. JAMES S .....
0 000. In consequence of the rotten
sthliideekr,seuxpoeeedn tehdisl ,
belon n to R
the skaters to one portion of the
Society tried to keep
but without effect, frozen surface which WAS safest, and
state of the ice, the men
that during the day immersion after im-
the result was,PROVISIONS FOR IKELAND AND
ally taking place. Mr.
mersion kept conduitCOTLAND.
of the ice, andthe ' Williams,*
dangerous state
on seeing thePoRTsMouTH, Jar:. 17.—Her Majesty's cutters Eme•
hundreds were placed in, felt it his
minent peril that hu r raid and Mercury, with the Lively and Siebad lighters,
I men. The services of D
duty to send additional
serealso required from *
sailed yesterday. afternoon, for Cork, with biscuit, meal,
M`Cann and two Assistants
.atend.
1 Ste. From their light draught of water they are to be
'eleven o'clock until five in the evening inThet attending ohn
0 kept on the station, to be moved to such places as the
the per-on 3 who became
iinfulre frequent!}, during icemen
thed v authorities may judge fit. Her Majesty's steamer Geyser
duty had enough to do. and
g peril in rescuing tha-e has taken on board one thousand bags of meal, and pro
their lives were placed in imminent
Idventure upon places where ceeded with it this morning, also to Cork. Her Majesty's
foolhardy persons who would
of the machines were steamer Scourge left the harbour this morning, for
they were told not to go.
Severalf
parties from the water. Bristol, there to load with provisions, and follow the
hie ken during the rescuing o
swho had a very narrow others to Ireland. The Adventure, naval transport, was
The following is a list of person
ust inevitably have cleared of her dock-yard stores yesterday, and to-mor-
escape of their lives, and whom
exertions of the row will be taken alongside the Clarence-yard, to be
perished but for the praiseworthySamuel Clark, of loaded with meal, and then go over to Cork.
Icemen : At eleven o'cloek, .
broke into ten feet Letters have arrived here, describing the positions of
N 0.25, King's Head-court, Holboirtic ,
h was the most dan- the store ships which have been sent to Scotland to re-
wftter, opposite the Mirquee, wh • lieve the poor in the Orkneys and the Hebrides. It ap-
which nearly ail the
gerous part of the ice, and near
dby iceman Charles pears that Sir E. Coffin is the officer employed by the
accidents happened ; he was rescue
intendent Godfrey. Commissariat department ; Major Halliday has charge
Harris, assisted by Deputy-Supe
lira Morgan, residing,; of the provisions in her Majesty's stere-ship Aulus ;
The text accident hat pened to J 0
s rescued by iceman Compiaader Rose is ia charge of the stores on board
at .5, Victoria-road, Pimlico, who
Ira
Woolhatch, of 142, the Belviders,atTob rreoray; Captain Pole at North and
Foot. About one o'clock Thomas
and was rescued South Uist, and Commander Baynton, at Oben. These
Drary-lane, broke into ten feet icemant Knapp, with officers are not confined to the exact district at which
by iceman Harris. At two o'clock,
hilst endeavouring they have been stationed, but are to travel about to gain
Deputy-Superintendent Godfrey,
w not be ascertained, information where distress prevails, and make arrange-
to rescue a.persen, whose name could
became immersed meets for its amelioration. One of the efficers (Cum-
residing at No. 91,CCommercial-rod,
for nearly a minute. mender }hymn) had been sent from Obaa to the
in tee feet water, Knapp being under
the marquee in a neighbouring islands, and to the district of Arisaig, on
On being got out, he was conveyed
to
John Dawe, re- the main land, to ascertain where food was required, and
dangerous state. Shortly after this,
k e -road, broke ho found, previous to the arrival of her Majesty's yes-
siding at No. 10, Willow-walk, Bac nY„ f sels, that if the members of the Free Church had not
through into six feet water, but was rescued by, iceman
J. Cox. About, four o'clock, three persons, residing at sent meal to many districts, the distress would have been
No. 8, Little Newport-street, Leicester-square ; 55, fearful. The Sheerwater steamer is occupied in going
to different places.
The Belvidere is stationed at
Bond-street, and 6, Bull's Head-court, Smithfield, but re .
whose names, owing to the confusion which prevailed,looermoray, in the Isle of Mu 1. The Firefly steamer,.
with a large supply of food; has gone to the islands of
could not be ascertained, broke into five feet water, but
North and South Uist, and' also to look for a vessel
were rescued by icemen J. and W. Cox. In conveying
which had been thither from Tobermeray, with provi-
them to the marquee the crowd was so great that the
sions, but had not arrived. Captain Pole is charged
men had the greatest difficulty in getting there. The
with the distribution in those islands.
last accident happened at half-past four, to John Sallie, ..., __,chi
carried a great quantity
residing at 4, Vine-street, Waterloo road, by breaking tier maest s p Stromboli
Isle
of Mull
~
of v • sorts of -provisions to the
into five feet water, and remaining under upwards of a
district called Ross). and then left for Devenport for a
minute. He was rescued by deputy superintendent God-
f further I Thu Torch steamer is also occupied on
fret', who also got immersed in resuing him. Many of the coast
y
of icotland, but she is chiefly destined to
the cases were of such a dangerous character as to nom- 'sctcathe fishing vessels, or rather the familie- of their
eel them to remain in the marquee until a late hour last assist the
that the vessels may put to sea in an effective
evening. At one time the cases were so numerous that crews, so
The Avon steamer is on her passage to the
six persons were obliged to receive medical attendance at condition.
loaded.
Every vessel that arrives is put in
coast, also
once, and there being but two beds, three were placed in ,
requisition to carry provisions either to Ireland or
each, and the • seventh remained in the warm bath for a
ld. The Avenger will have sailed from Ply.
complained time. The persons who witnessed the accidents Scotland.
and it is understood that the Birkenhead troop-
complained that the police or the park-keepers would moll ; will be used when her compasses are edjusted.
troop-
steamer
have been doing their duty most properly in not allowing Retribution or Sidon, at this port, can be
Neither the
any one to venture on the ice. I made available ; but the Apollo troop-ship, at Sheer-
_l
REGENT'S PA-BK.—The ice in this park was very win= 1 ss is found to be perfectly sound, and can be got ready
gerou.s, but the number of skaters and sliders exceeded 1 g a'hyr dap, if recruit%
2011)00. Old a tibia laiMollo =Ott but to 11101

Far a considerable time past West appears to have
acted in a very extrordinary manner, and he has been
before the benuh so many times, either as complainant
or defendant, that the magistrates have repeatedly ex.
pressed their disgust at his violent and outrageous con-
duct; but notwithstanding this, it would seem that he is
still retained in his office.

The complainant in the present case, a respectable
girl, deposed that on Staday, the 3d instant, she went,
accompanied by a child, to the church at Mitcham, and
proceeded to a pew, which she had been in the habit of
occupying. but she had hardly taken her seat before the
defendant, who was in the middle of the church, called
to her in a violent tone and manner to come out of the
pew. She took no notice of what he said, thinking she
had a right to the seat, when the defendant came to the
pew, forced open the door with great violence, and seized
her by the shoulders and thrust her out, and she fell to
the ground from the force he used towards her.
The defendant said the complainant had no right in
the pew, and he, therefore, had desired her to come out.
She, in return, had used a very disgusting expression to
him, and he turned her out of the pew, but he denied
having used violence.
The complainant most earnestly denied having used
the expression imputed to her.
The magistrates considered the charge of assault
clearly made out, and did, not believe that the com-
plainant had used the expression sworn to by the
defendant. They had seen repeated instances of the
great violence and misconduct of the defendant, and they
considered it extraordinary that he should be retained in
the office. The bench, therefore, felt it their duty to
inflict a fine of 40s. and costs, and in default a month's
imprisonment.

:JlVti