The Sun.
London, England, 1870-12-23 00:00:00

LAW AND POLICE.

BRUTAL ASSAULT ON A TOLL COLLECTOR.—WiIIiam
Thomas Miller, who was also called Millen, was brought
up at the Thames Police-court, charged with violently
asssaulting William Drew, a toll-collector, at the Orchard
House-gate, East India-road, near the East dock en-
trance. The prisoner came up to the toll-gate yesterday
afternoon, and was driving a horse and cart, for which the
legal charge of 6d. was demanded. The prisoner put hi
hand in his pocket as if he was about to take out the
money and pay the toll, but, while the collector's atten-
tion was being paid to another horse and cart, the pri-
soner whipped his horse and drove onwards. The col-
lector pursued him and again demanded the toll, on
which the prisoner lashed the collector with his whip in a
savage manner over the head, face, and body. The collector
to save himself pulled the thong from the whip, and the
prisoner then beat him with the butt end of the whip,
which was of considerable thickness, over the hands.
After a fierce struggle the prisoner, who made use of foul
language to the collector, was secured by Job Pope, a
police-constable of the K division, who promptly came to
his assistance. Prisoner's only palliation for the outrage
was that the complainant pulled the thong out of his
whip. Mr. Lushington Which he was quite justified in
doing after you began to flog him. You have acted in a
very dishonest and brutal manner, first in evading the
toll, and then in flogging the collector, whose conduct
was perfectly justifiable, and who was merely fulfilling
his duty. I sentence you to one month's imprisonment
and hard labour.

ACTION FOR DAMAGES.—In the Court of Common
Pleas the case of• Hammond and Wife v. the Midland
Railway Company was heard. It was an action to re-
cover damages for personal injuries, and the defence was
that the claim had been already settled. Mr. Geary
appeared for the plaintiffs; and Mr. Field, Q.C.,
and Mr. Bturge for the defendants. The first-
named plaintiff was a carter, and on the morning
of the 15th August last his wife was knocked down in
Cheapside by a truss, which through negligence fell
from one of the defendants' vans. She was earning
fifteen shillings a week, but for several weeks the acci-
dent prevented her from continuing her work. On the
17th August a Mr. Jones called upon-the plaintiffs, paid
them £7, and took a receipt "in full settlement for the
injuries received." The plaintiffs' case was that there was
a sort of understanding that if the injuries turned out
to be more serious than was supposed there should be
some further compensation. After the doctor had seen
Mrs. Hammond it was arranged that £l3 more should be
given, but the arrangement,went off because the defendants
would not pay the costs. His Lordship reserved the point
whether he ought not to have held the plaintiffs' claim
concluded by the receipt ; but he left the case to the
jury, who, after a short consideration, found for the de-
fendants,

WRECK ON THE YORKSHIRE COAST.—Withern-
sea, near Hull, December 2L—The Brigantine Annie, of
Hartlepool, was noticed in a dangerous position yesterday
with a signal of distress flying, during a south easterly
gale and in a heavy sea. The Withernsea lifeboat of
the National Lifeboat Institution was promptly got out
and with some difficulty launched, and after some hard
work on the part of her crew, the four shipwrecked men
were rescued and. brought ashore in the boat. The coast
guard had fired a rocket to the vessel but had failed to
reach her.

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