The Sun.
London, England, 1859-09-21 00:00:00

EXTRAORDINARY CBARGE.

At the Exeter Guildhall on Saturday, before the
Mayor, Capt. Tanner, and a full bench of magi-
strates, Mr. Charles Ashburnham Floyd, a cornet
in the 9th Lancers, the depot of which is now
stationed at the Exeter Barracks, was charged with
indecently assaulting a young married woman,
named Eliza Ann Cobley, the wife of a porter. The
evidence of the complainant was of a most extraor-
dinary character. She stated that on the night of
the Bth of September she was walking in the Cow-
lei-bridge-road, when she was accosted by the
defendant, who asked her to take a walk with him.
She refused, telling him that she was a married
woman, and that she was going home. He said,
" The more safe for that," and then endeavoured to
force her into Burv-meadow. When they came to
a lane defendant put his arm round her waist, and
forced her into it, and here he made improper over-
tures and took indecent liberties with her. For
nearly two hours she was detained by the defendant,
and repeatedly resisted the attempts he made upon
her. When she arrived home her clothes were very
much disarranged, and on her husband asking her
the reason she told him all the circumstances. The
defendant told her that his name was Floyd, and
that he was going into the barracks. In cross-
examination by Mr. Gray, who appeared for the
defendant, the complainant a'lmitted she did not
raise any alarm when the defendant took liberties
with her, and that although a soldier passed them
when in the lane, she did not appeal to him for
protection. She swore positively that Mr. Floyd,
who was in court, was the gentleman who assaulted
her, but he was not then in military uniform. In
order to get away from him when she did she said
she agreed to meet him the next night, but she did
not keep her appointment. As her husband was
annoyed, she wrote to Mr. Floyd asking him to
meet her, in order that he might apologise to her
husband, and thus prevent a public exposure. The
diction and orthography of the letters were of a
very peculiar character, and highly amused a large
auditory, among whom were several of defendant's
brother officers. The following is one of OA
epistles :

os
ef yv oe
ruyo npcShopavt.el4.
re moreteisrTerms
thatyou"E s
x tiyel ler
u'a low yousei
see‘S r7molnbtehgo
De-
stroyed my happyness with my besband complete as I told
you at the Time you would and he says he will have the
low for it he this Day would not be Put over from having
a Police officer and search the Barracks for you but I Told
to him and he let it alone if you would only See me and
hear what I want to Say to you Do see me this Evening at
half past Seven o Clock at the lower Part of Northerny
oposete the new railway you can be on the last Seat Down
and I will be there at that Time Precisly Dont fail let me
beg of as I wos oblige to say how keep me from being in
home Time and what you ware but not Telling you name
to him. " A. COBLEY."
Mr. Floyd's oral reply to the communication wi
that he knew nothing of the writer. For the de-
fence, Mr. Agnew, a cornet in the 9th Lancers, was
called, and positively stated that the defendant was
with him and other gentlemen the whole of the
day in question in the barracks, and they spent the
evening together from 7 o'clock until 12. The com-
plainant alleged that the assault took place between
9 and 11. The solicitor who conducted the case for
the complainant said he was perfectly satisfied that
an alibi had been proved, and that his client must
have made a mistake. The Mayor dism seed the
case, made some strong remarks on the conduct of
the complainant, and observed that no imputation
whatever rested on the defendant or any of his
brother officers.

says :—‘4 A gallant action was performed at
mdinrownthein
,
RESCUE FROM DROIN OWNING.—A. letter in a COlL-
tßemyrrlasrro of Wright, on Friday last, which deserves note.
A gentleman fell into deep water from the pier at Ryde,
and, being unable to swim, had sunk twice, when Mr. Geo.
R.N., hearing a cry, rushed to
lio'ff his jacket, jumped in, and suc-
clutched him round the neck and drew him under water;
ind but for the timely arrivalof aboat,probably two corpses
Would have been brought ashore. If you think a brave
sa
and,dsan,
nearly
rill ygd strippings
lost
ept
lictiott, done by a youth of 17, worthy to be recorded, per-
laps you will give a place to this letter.
agttemmapnt., Plimisthoew:in'kiiifneghmcl;
°le-;Veeedvehrsi,etPodewhiaen,