The Sun.
London, England, 1834-04-04 00:00:00

LAMBETH-STREET.

The magistrates at this office, Messrs. NORTON
and HARDWICK, were yesterday occupied for a con-
siderable time in investigating a charge of assault,
arising, as it was alleged, from a feeling of revenge
towards the complainant, in consequence of his
taking the situation of a discharged member of the
trades' union, working for a lower rate of wages
than his predecessor, and refusing himself to join
the union.

The parties charged were—John Roberts, Isaac
Gill, and Thomas Smith, with assaulting, and John
Smith and Martha Smith, his wife, with 'threaten-
ing the life of Samuel Gurling. The male defend-
ants, as well as the complainant, are farriers by
trade.

Gurling, on Good Friday last, went into the
Three Crowns, the tap-house belonging to his mas-
ter, Joseph Tickle, Esq.'s, brewery, in Castle-
itreet, Whitechapel, when he saw the defendants,
Roberts, Gill, and Thomas Smith, sitting in front
of the bar. Roberts was a perfect stranger to him,

and so was Gill, except his having seen him once or
twice before ; but Smith he was well acquainted
with. On entering the house, and seeing them, he
jokingly said, " How do you do, you jolly farriers ?"
and was proceeding into the tap-room, when Ro-
berts, without the slightest provocation, struck him
a violent blow under the ear and knocked him down.
On recovering himself, the persons in the tap-room
said, " Surely you are not going to put up with
whenesuioctcoeetdheedhionobsee,atGinigll,Rwohboer.
that ?" and he returned the blow, and both he and
Roberts went into the street and fought it out,
Asp
ph
eedw
to
returning was stripped
fight, and apparently prepared for the purpose,
struck him a heavy blow, which brought him to the
ground ; and being fatigued after the former fight,
some persons pregent took him away. He did not
think that the prisoner Thomas Smith struck him
at all, but he encouraged Robert's to knock his head
off, and seconded him while he was fighting, and
attempted to strike him. On the evening of the
same day when he (witness) was going into White-
chapel with his brother, he saw Gill and the female
defendant standing as if? in waiting for him, and the
former instantly struck him. He did not return
the blow, but requested that a policeman who came
up would take Gill into custody ; but he refused to
do so, as he had not himself seen the assault com-
mitted. The witness could give no reason for the
attacks made upon him, further than he was always
spited because he did not belong to the union. The
defendants called themselves " blues," and called
him " a black ;" and the words blacks and blues
were mentioned by some of the party before he was'
struck. About nine months ago he took the place
of John- Smith, as farrier to Mr. Tickle, and since
then he had been subjected to the greatest possible
annoyance by the Smiths, and by strangers whom
they had frequently taken to the shop to abuse him.
MAGISTRATE—Have you heard that Mr. Tickle
discharged Smith in consequence of his demanding
higher wages, and his being a unionist ?—Yes, Sir.
MAGISTRATE—What wages had he, and what
have you per week?—He had 285., and I have but
265. a-week.

Thomas Gray, a drayman, in the employment of
Mr. Tickle, corroborated the statement of com-
plainant as to Roberts having struck him without
any provocation, as did also two other witnesses.

The defendant Roberts said he was drunk at the
time, and alone was to blame for the transaction. He
declared that he knew not at the time of the affray
whether the complainant was a farrier or not ; nor
was he aware, then or now, that he did or did not
belong to the union.
The other defendants, also, disclaimed any ill-
will towards the complainant ; and Gill said that he
had been knocked down, kicked, and very much ill-
used at the Three Crowns public-house, and had
taken off his Clothes merely to take his own part, and
had challenged to fight any one of his adversaries.
Gurling, the complainant, was then desired to
stand forward, and in reply to a question from Mr.
HARDWICK, he said that it was his impression that
the parties had been brought to assault him, in con-
sequence of his taking the place of John Smith, and
his refusing to belong to their society.
The MAGISTRATES, after some remarks on the
conduct of the defendants, convicted Gill in the pe-
nalty of 41., or two months' in the House of Correc-
tion ; Roberts to 21., or one month ; Thomas Smith
to 1/., or one month ; and ordered John Smith and
wife to put in bail to keep the peace towards the
complainant for the space of three months. -