The Sun.
London, England, 1867-07-22 00:00:00

THAMES.

ASSAULTS UPON WOMEN IN THE PUBLIC STREETS.—
Thomas Fitzgerald, aged 23, a labouring man, of No. 7
London-street, Ratcliff, was brought up on remand, before
Mr. Paget, charged with violently assaulting Mary Ann
Pitman, a young woman of good education of address, who
has lost her right eye, over which she wore a shade.

Mr. Gomm, clerk to Mr. Hodgson, solicitor, defended
the prisoner.

The complainant said she hai been abused and threat-
ened by some of the prisoner's friends since the first
examination, and was in fear of her life.
Mr. Paget deprecated in strong terms the practice of
threatening and intimidating witnesses, and said if the
offenders could be pointed out he would punish them
severely.

The case made out by the complainant was that, on
Thursdly night last, between the hours of 11 and 12
o'clock, she was followed out of a beer-house, where she
had been with some friends, by the prisoner, who made
overtures to her, which she rejected. He continued fol-
lowing hor for some time. She repeatedly begged of him
to leave her, which he refused to do, and ultimately he
struck her violently about the head and face, and made her
noso and mouth bleed.

William Freeston, a police-sergeant, No. 58, K, stated
that at a few minutes before two on Friday morning he
heard the screams of a woman, and saw the complainant
bleeding profu3ely from her nose and mouth, ancl crying;
she said the prisoner had beaten her. He saw the prisoner
with other men at the corner of Hams'-court, and took him
into custody.
A journeyman baker was at his work on Friday morning
at two o'clock, and heard the screams of a woman. He
looked through the grating over-hanging the bakehouse,
and saw the complainant running and the prisoners
running after. She made her way down Stepney-cause-
way, across Brook-street, into Collingwood-street.
Mr. Gomm cross-examined the complainant, who said
she had been married four years to a commercial traveller,
and was separated from him. Mr. Gomm elicited from
her that she was a person of light character, and belonged
to the class called " unfortunate." She had private
lodgings in George-street, Ratcliff, and it was because she
refused to allow the prisoner to enter the house with her
that ho struck her.

Mr. Gomm called several Irish winesses, who swore
that the complainant was in the White Swan Public-
house, Commercial-road, two hours before the prisoner
was taken into custody, and that she WAS larking with
two men named Arthur and Richard Calunby, and that
ono of them struck her and made her nose and mouth
bleed. She abused him, and ho struck her again.

_ .
The complainant admitted that she was in the White
Swan talking to the Cu!Dolby's, but denied that either of
them struck her.

Mr. Puget said there were many glaring inconsistencies
and contradictions in the defendant's witnesses, and ho
did not believe them. The young woman, Pittman had
given her evidence with remarkable clearness and accu-
racy, and she was confirmed by the police sergeant and
baker. Tho case was consideraby aggravated by the
defence set up. The woman was undoubtedly a person of
light character. but she was entitl.a
• —.we advances to her which she
the law. " sk"'
rejected, and htt. thought when his advances were re-
pulsed that ho had a right to beat her. It was a great
mistake. The assault was a brutaland cowardly one, and
he sentenced the prisoner to be imprisoned for two months
and kept to hard labour.