The Sun.
London, England, 1866-05-24 00:00:00

COURT OF EXCHEQUER.

(Sittings at Nisi Fritts before Mr. Baron Faget and a
Common Jury.)
LEVY V. FREEMAN.

The evidence of the plaintiff was corroborated by a
witness who saw the accident, and the medical man who
attended him during his illness.

The case for the defence was that the vehicle was not
driven at a rate dangerous to public safety, and that the
accident was caused by the carelessness of the plaintiff.
The evidence was very conflicting, and the jury found
for the defendants.

POLICE DTTELLIGENCE.---This Day

MARLBOROUGH-STREET.

A CARRIER AND HIS MAN CHARGED WITH CRUELTY TO A
HORSE.— Joseph Woolridge, carman in the employ of Mr.
Thomas Clarke, carrier, of Teddington, was charged before
Mr. Knox with cruelly. torturing a horse by working it
while in an unfit state, and also with cruelly beating it.
Mr. William Love, from the office of the Royal Society
for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals, attended on the
part of the society.
Rutherford, an officer of the society, said that on the
previous afternoon he saw the defendant driving a horse

attached to a cart. The defendant was pulling the reins
and flogging the horse severely o er the neck. On stop-
ping at an upholsterer's shop he (the officer) noticed that
the horse hung down its head, was much blown, and was
covered with sweat, and on examining it he found both

fore fettock joints much enlarged, also the near hind pos-
tern, and a raw wound on the off side with the saddle
girth pressing into it. There were also several weals on
the horses back. The horse was old, worn out, and quite
unfit for work. He asked the defendant who was his
master, and he said Mr. Clarke, of Teddington, and that
his master knew the condition of the horse, as a man in his
employ had refused to drive it, but that he (defendant) was
compelled to take it out by his master.
Sell, also an officer of the society, having given similar
evidence, stated that the defendant told him that 'he had
brought the horse 11 miles, been about town four hours
with it, and then had to take it another 11 miles back.
After inspecting the horse, Mr. Knox said that he un-
derstood that the owner of the horse was in court, and the
owner stepped forward.

Mr. Knox said ho should order a summons to issue
against him for causing the horse to be tortured.
The evidence having been repeated, Mr. Knox asked
the officers if the horse would ever be fit for farther work.
The officers replied in the negative.
Mr. Knox said the horse appeaced to be very old, in a
miserable condition, and to bear marks of punishment.
The owner of horse wished the caso postponed, that he
might have his vetinerary surgeon's opinion of his condi-
tion.

Mr. Knox said if the owner thought he would better his
condition by an adjournment he would grant it, and did so.

Public Drinking Fountains and Cholera

TO THE EDITOR OF THE SUN.
SlR,—The importance of public free supplies of
water for drinking purposes has been brought pro-
minently before our notice by Dr. Jeaffreson's letter
on " London Fevers" in January last. He tells us
that in some parts of London 150 people are entirely
dependent for their supply upon a single water-butt,
into which the water only flows for 20 minutes
daily. That these butts Pare frequently lined with
filth and slimy vegetation, catching the droppings
from foul eaves above, and imbibing poison from
the soppy sewage below, and are very often too rot-
ten to hold water at all.

Under such circumstances we can scarcely be sur-
prised to find that typhus is constantly raging in
our midst. The warning voice which we have already
heard, both from Liverpool and Bristol, reminds us
that as the hot weather comes on we may have to
contend with even a more deadly foe than typhus
itself, and we have abundant testimony that the
progress and virulence of cholera, as well as typhus,
is largely dependent on the quality of the water
which is used for drinking, and that in some in-
stances occasional epidemics of both these diseases
are supposed to have been caused almost entirely
by drinking impure water. Drs. Lankester, Letheby,
Aldis, and other well known and eminent medical
men, have all called attention to the importance of
this subject. Now, wherever a drinking fountain
is opened, opportunity is at once afiorded for the
surrounding inhabitants to avoid drinking water
which has been poisoned in receptacles such as Dr.
Jeaffreson describes, and that both the resident
poor and the thirsty wayfarers of our crowded
streets appreciate the boon is sufficiently shown by
the fact that 8,000 people have been known to drink
at a single fountain in one day, and that more than
300,000 people are estimated to drink daily in the
summer at the 140 fountains already erected in
London. All those which are under the care of the
association are kept fully supplied with water, and
qualified workmen are employed to visit and repair
them ; the condition of every fountain is thus regu-
larly reported at the office at least twice a week,
and any damage is immediately repaired. Through-
out the winter the committee have been straining
every nerve to increase the number and efficiency of
the fountains. Eight new ones have been erected,
and many private ones which had become dry and
dilapidated have been repaired and taken charge of
by the association. The committee have thus ex-
pended all the funds which have been placed at their
disposal, and yet there are still entire parishes,
densely populated, without a single fountain. They
are now compelled to delay responding to applica-
tions which have been received from various parts
of London until they see the reswutilhltleo:seatnhimiistaparopy spsaiebnaldle.
They, therefore, earnestly solicit large and liberal
withoutfcoornttrhibemutiotnos,sustainan
wdhiecxhteind
it
benevolent operations of the association. Subscrip-
tions may be paid at the office, 1, Shorter's-court,
Throgmorton-street, E.C., or to the society's ban-
kers, Messrs. Ransom, Bouverie, and Co., 1, Pall-
mall east, S.W., and Messrs. Barclay, Bevan, and
Co., 54, Lombard-street, E.C.—I have the honour
to be, Sir, your obedient servant,
JOAN LEE,
Secretary of the Metropolitan Free Drink-
ing Fountains Association.
1, Shorter's-court, Throgrnorton-
street, E.C., May 22.

This was an action brought by the plaintiff to recover
damages for injuries sustained through the alleged negli-
gence of the defendant.

From the evidence of the plaintiff it appeared that he
was a boot and shoe maker, living at 11, Broad-Court,
Bow-street, and that the defendant was a van proprietor
In the afternoon of January last the plaintiff, who is nearly
72 years old, was returning home, when the defendant came
down Bow-street from the direction of Holborn in a break,
driven at a rapid pace, and at the wrong side of the road,
and just as the plaintiff reached the kerb, he was struck
by the vehicle and knocked down with great violence.
Two of his ribs were broken, and he sustained other in-
juries, from the effects of which he had not yet recovered.
At the time of the accident he had three men in his em-
ployment, and was earning from £3 to 10s. a week. Ho
was obliged to discharge these mat, and had not been able
since the accident to undertake any work. It was also
stated that from the nature of the accident and the advanced
age of the plaintiff, that the injuries he received would be
permanent in thair effect.