The Sun.
London, England, 1848-10-14 00:00:00

SOUTHWARK.

William Foster, a tradesman carrying on business
as a tin-plate worker in Union-street, was charged
before Mr. Cottingham with inflicting a severe wound
on the head of Henry Hyne, a hatter, with a life-pre-
server.

The complainant, a portion of whose head was
strapped with adhesive plaster, stated, that he had
known the defendant for a considerable period, and
that they were always on the most amicable terms;
that he was in the habit of visiting at his house; and
that he went there on Wednesday night, and saw his
wife, the defendant being from home at the time ; that
while he was there the defendant returned, and with-
out the slightest provocation rushed upon him with a
life-preserver and struck him with it on the head :
that he was confident he would have murdered him
there and then had he not escaped out of the house, and
that it was only miraculous that he was enabled to effect
a retreat, as the wound inflicted by the blow cut open
his head, which bled profusely, and a medical man
pronounced that if the blow alighted on a different
part of the skull it would have killed him. As it was
he (complainant) was extremely ill from the effects of
the attack, and was incapacitated from attending to
his daily avocations.
The defendant, in answer to the charge, said, that
for some time past he had suspected that an intrigue
was carrying on between his wife and the complainant,
for the latter always took an opportunity of calling
at his house when he was absent; that in order to
satisfy himself on the point, he concealed himself in a
cupboard in the house when his wife supposed he was
from home, and had not been long there when the
complainant made his appearance, and from the
conversation that he overheard between the par-
ties he was satisfied that he was correct in his
conclusion as to the nature of their intimacy.
He, however, remained in his hiding place until he
heard the complainant and his wife go up stairs, and
when he was in the act of getting out of the cup-
board he threw down some pots and kettles that stood
in the way ; the noise made by it alarmed his wife,
who came running down with a candle in her hand ;
he met her on the stairs, and, rushing by her, sprang
into the room where the complainant was, and in the
height of passion attacked him, not with a life-
preserver, as he described, but with a large street-
door key, with which he struck him on the head.
He added, that he had correctly described the circum-
stances, and only regretted that he had not " given
him much more," and should have done so had he rot
made a precipitate retreat from the house.
Mr. COTTIMIIIAM said that the explanation just
given by the defendant threw a very different light
upon the affair, and that if he had grounds for sup-
posing that the complainant was carrying on an illicit
intercourse with his wife, such provocation was
sufficient to cause him to take summary vengeance
on her seducer.

The complainant declared that there was no foun-
dalion fur such a suspicion, and, as he had said before,
he and the defendant had been on very intimate terms,
and he merely went to the house to see him, not ex-
pecting he was out, and that he only went upstairs
into a room where goods were kept, and he wished it
to be ureiersood that he did not go into any bed-
chamber. He added that the defendant was a man
of a violent temper, and that it could be proved that
he had maltreated other persons without just cause.
The defendant denied the latter imputation on his
character, and said he defied him to prove his assertion.
Mr. COTTINGIIAM said that it certainly was a very
savage assault, and might have ended in the death of
the person who was attacked. The defendant, how-
t leer; had given an adequate reason for his attack on
the complainant, and as the latter had states' that his
assailant was in the habit of attacking persons without
cause, he should allow the case to stand over until
Monday, in order to bring forward witnesses to prove
his assertion, and that in the meantime the defendant
should enter into his recogniaances in the sum of 401.
to appear on Monday.