The Sun.
London, England, 1845-03-27 00:00:00

WARD V. LORD HARBOROUGH AND OTHERS.

This was an action for assault and false imprisonment,
and arose out of the disputes between his Lordship and
the Company. The plaintiff is an engineer, and on
Monday, the 11th, had gone over to Mr. Fabian's house
to ask permission to be allowed to carry out a survey on
the towing path of the Oakham canal. Mr. Fabian
stated he had no orders respecting it, but there was a
notice board warning people not to trespass in the park
under the penalty of 10/ It appeared that Mr. Ward,
with his assistant, Mr. Roper, and ten or a dozen labour-
ing men, proceeded to make his survey, when Dawson,
the head gamekeeper of Lord llarborough, rode up and
ordered him off. Mr. Ward had at the time a theodolite
with him, an instrument used in surveying. Mr. Ward
was moving off the ground, when Mr. Dawson, who had
stated he should go back to Lord Harborough and ask
what he (Dawson) was to do, returned and took Mr.
Ward and his whole 13arty into custody, and took pos-
session of the theodolite. Mr. Ward desired to be taken
before a magistrate ; ho went with his assistant in his
own conveyance, but after they had gone about two
miles, Mr. Dawson told them they might go where they
pleased. The men were to be taken in a cart, and the
theodolite placed therein. These men had not gone far
before Skinner, a footman of his Lordship's, rode up,
and said his Lordship said " they might be all tipped
out of the cart, and go to the devil ; but if he found
them on his grounds again he would shoot them." The
theodolite was pitched into the road, and was proved to
have sustained damage to the extent of between 6/
and 121.
The CHIEF, JUSTII7I3 directed a verdict to bo entered
in favour of Lord Harborough, as there was nothing to
show that he issued the orders in question for the taking
of Mr. Ward and his party. Against the other defen-
dants—namely, Dawson and his two men—he thought
there should be a verdict, the jury giving damages as
much as would repair the theodolite, and whatever they
chose beside for the assault and detention.

The jury accordingly returned a verdict for Lord
Harborough, and against the other three defendants.
—Damages, 8/.
There was another case then called on, in which Lord
Harborough was plaintiff; but, at the suggestion of the
Judge, the Noble Earl consented to withdraw a juror.

NORFOLK ClRCUlT.—Cambridge, March 25.
CROWN COURT.—(Before Mr. Justice PATTzsoN.)
Win. Fuller and Robert Munson were indicted for
feloniously setting fire to a stack of straw, the property
of Robert and James Chabie, of Toft.

Mr. Worlledge appeared for the prosecution, and Mr.
Burcham for the prisoners.
It appeared from the evidence for the prosecution that
the stack was discovered to be on firo about nine o'clock
in the evening of the Bth of June, and the prisoners were
seen near the prosecutor's premises a short time before
the fire, and met by one of the witnesses coming away
from the fire ; and on being asked where they had been
to, and what they had been doing, they refused to state,
and the witness immediately seized both the prisoners
by their collars, and detained them. When before the
magistrates the prisoners made false statements, which
were used as evidence against them on the trial.
Mr. BURCHAM addressed the jury for the prisoners,
who, after much deliberation, returned a verdict of Guilty
against both.—Sentence deferred.
James Williamson, a boy aged thirteen years, was in-
dicted for setting fire to a stack of straw, the property of
Mr. William Coxall, of Taft.

Mr. Mills prosecuted. The prisoner was defended by
Mr. Couch.

The case turned entirely upon the question whether
the stack had been set fire to in point of law, and it ap-
pearing from the evidence that the straw which had been
actually on fire, was a small quantity lying on the
ground close to the stack, and not part of the body of it,
to which the flame had not extended, it having been
providentially extinguished almost at the moment of ig-
nition.

The Learned JUDGIC thought the offence had not been