The Sun.
London, England, 1817-07-21 00:00:00

her arnendc, Ina: I a younger lady, a Miss
Moue, (duly 21 years of age. •-• • -
The• evidence prove& the Uthirtship of the plain-
tiff (Mai Was-about 25) by the defeitdant "a( her
father's house, his. saying at one time when ap- .
plied to in consequence of his staying away longer
than usual; that he would be as goodas "his word,
and his subsequently disappointing her.
• Mr. JERi/IS• addressed the Jury at considerable
length, on the part of the defendant, treating the
courtship as a joke. He apprehended the Jfiry
would agree with him in thinking that a- few
.shillings would answer the justice of the da•ze
with regard to any other loss of Which the plain-
tiff had a right to expect compensation he really
could see none ; far to a voting Lady of 25', he
should imagine to be rid of an old suitor Of sixty,
was a matter rather of tongmtulation than of
;;orrow ; and he had no doubt thit Miss Harris
was heartily glad to be relieved from his importn-
• •

Mr. Justice PARK said, that in this-caseit was:
for the Jury to say whether, front the general can-.
duct of the defendant, who was a man advanced.
in lite„and therefore capable of judging of his -Ac-
tions, he had not given sufficient indication of his
intention to marry the plaintiff, or to warrant the'
lielief.that such was his desire. It Was Very 'true'
that he had never said in express terms to any of
the witnesses who had been called, that he would

marry MisS Harris; but it appeared, that when
he Was asked by Mr. Harris, jun. whether" he
would marry..his sister on the same
,day on which
he was to be married himself, so•far .was he from
denying ._that -he contemplated a marriage with
Miss Harris, • that he actually agreed
.to
,the sug7
gestion, although he subsequently avoided the ful-
filment of his promise.
The Jury,after a short consnitation,found a ver-
dict for the plaintiff—Damages 300/.; costs 405,

OXFORD, JULY 17.
Before Mr. Baron- GARROW.
DISASTERS OF A WEDDING NIGHT.

COOMERS V. JOSEPH AND wm.TunNsn AND OTHERS,
Mr. TAUNTON opened this case, and stated that
it was an- action to recover damages for an assault
and false Imprisonment,: to which the defendants
bad pleaded not guilty ; there were several other
special pleas, in which they justified their con-
duct, stating that- they were in possession of a
particular house, into which the plaintiff had ob-
truded himself unlawfully, and that they had gently
removed him from thence, as they were authorised
to do in consequence of his refusal to depart., To
these pleas there was a replication on the part of
the plaintiff, in which he alleged that even if the
defendants were justified in removing hint from
the house in question, in doing so they had as-
saulted him with more violence, and had done
him -more injury and damage than was necessary
for the purpose stated in their different pleas:—
Upon this was joined issue.
Mr: DAUNCRY said, that of which the plaintiff
complained was a violent assault and false impri-
sonment inflicted upon him by the defendants,
under circumstances which were utterly without
the shadow of a justification. The defendants
wet e inhabitants of the:parish of Epwell in thi
county, in which parish the transaction in ques-
tion took place. The plaintiff was a young man
who, on the morning of the day nn which he was
assaulted,. had been married to a youggierson of
the name of .Harvey; and who, previous to the
performance of the ceremony, had sworn to his
settlement being in a park') in Gloucester-
shire. The father of the new married bride
occupied a house iu Epwell, where the vio-
lence' complained of had taken place. TO this.
house, with those feelings which were natural.
to a parent upon such an occasion, _he invited his
daughter and his new.son-in-law, to partake of a
wedding - dinner, and to pass the first night of
their marriage. Mr. Turner determined that' the
unfortunate plaintiff should not sleep in the house
of his father-in-law that night—he went to the
house of old,Harvey and peremptorily command-
ed that the plaintiff and his wife should not be
permitted to sleep there. Finding the old man dis-
inclinetho attend to so unseasonable a mandate,
Mr. Turner and the other defendants thought pro-
per to perform a sort of garrison-duty upon the
occasionto . take possession of the house, and
actually to place persons within it to prevent the
entrance of the neW married couple. Poor Coombe,
remonstrated with the defendants, but in vain. At
length himself and his wife took refuge in the house
of the uncleof the latter; and here again Mr. Tur-
ner'santliority prevailed,and from thence toobiwas
driven with contumely, and exposed with his wife
to the inclemency of the:weather, at a late period
*of the month of November. Thus matters rested
till between ,nine and ten o'cloCk aunight; when
the plaintiff- finding, afl ingress to-his •father's
house, stopped both, before and behind,-• at length
succeeded in gaining admission by a window at
the side, and forthwith proceeded to bed with his
wife. Short, however, were his joys;. for.a per-
son who #iari seen him get in at the window, lost
no time in carrying the intelligence to the -Com-
manding -Officer, Mr. Jo4eph. Turner, • who-was
in a neighbouring public-house. Mr. Turner in-
stantly determined to dislodge hii innocent vic-
tims, and summoning his little regiment, marched
with all* the confidenCe of superior strength
to turn him, out. On, his- arrival at the pre-
mises he. ordered the :wretched- old father-in-law
to turn • from beneath his • sheltering roof
his son-in-law and his daughter. In vain did the
old man plead the affection as well: as duty which
he owed to his children, and the cruelty with which
he should be deservedly chargeable, if on such a
night-and ;such a season he were to thrust from
Iris doors those helpless beings who had sought
refuge withiu his walls. Mr. Turner was in-
exorable, and. out they must go. What right he
had -to give this order,
,yet remained to be proved.
However, finding himself disobeyed, he assaulted
the trembling master of the house, and throw-
ing his furniture into the street, himself, at-
tended by his guards, as he called them, rushed
up stairs. Mr. Turner, followed by the compa-
trionsot his guilt, burst into the chamber of the new
married couple, and in defiance of their resist-
unee—ill defiance of those agonizing -attempts
which the wretched wife made to cling to the bo-
som of the man to whom she had been betrothed
for life—in defiance of that regard -which was due
to every feeling of humanity and common deten-

c"-----thia hand of midnight rufliftna SriZed the oh..
fects-iwaltei•r pursnir.p.s.draateed-thent• from thelr
losely couch, Pan„eutryd el,eplaintiff a him a pait.
of sitong iron handectfs, and then forcing opOti
him his small 'clothes-00S '7attired a amidst the
chilling atmosphere of a„Noventher evening., con-
veyed him to a distant pliblic-house, tollowyd by
his wile. In this state of euerelotr_they kept him
the %Oldie night. will:01tt refrtatoneut or fire, and
without even the solace of his wif;-'''s ,oe;aty, and
in, the morning cerried him before ;1 Riagis
`who, on hearing the charge which was br ught
i-gainsChiM, instantly desired hint to be set at ri7_
bcrty. NVhet her these peeyle were parish officer.,
ur not,-he lialfno wish to be informed ;it svt;s a
matter,of no. importance : whatevar might he their
situe(4), • their conduct remained inexcusable
He could not help. here noticing, ho*Wever, trhat
he nedeestoMl to be the motive of the t xtraordi.
mify-proVeeditig which he had detailed, It
this-aa antiquated notion had gone toiall in Abe
parish of Epavell, that if a c6uple slepi-ititi,a-oa-
rish or the first night of their marriage tliqavould
obtahm.a-sei dement.
11r:liarou Ga-iteOwa-" For the night - '
. Mr. Datialcev—‘i Por Oa night only eoold a
settie"merit tinder such circumstances be bbiained,
and yet this - was the profound: principle upon
which so gross an outrage had been connuitted.—
How such a n absurd idea could have entered the
Minds of-any set of Men having pretensions to the
character of reasoning creatures, be could not di-
vine; and he believed the *whole UniVersity of
Oxford, from the Under Graduate to the oldest
Doctor, would find it difficult to discover the au- -
thority utiou
„Which such a conclusion could be
founded. Not even in the oldest casuistical books,
and• these were not a little absurd at'times, could
such doctrines be found tolerated."
John Callow was then called, and examined by
Mr. TAUSTOII.—IIe knew the plaintiff, and also
knew the five defendants, Joseph Turner, WVilli; :n
Turner, Geo. Watts, Thos. Lyddiard, and George
Gardener. Joseph Turner was the Churchwar-
den, and Thomas Lyddiard was the Overseer of
the parish of Epwell George- Watts was the Pa
rish Constable. He proved the facts as stated by
Mr. Dmincey.
Cross-examined by Mr. Jolvis.—Nathaniel
Harvey was a pauper, and lived in a parish house;
the banns between Coombe and Mils Harvey bad
been published twice in Epwell parish,' but had
been forbid by Joseph Turner ; heard that the
pariSh officers of 'Brales had married Coombe by
license ; Miss Harvey was pregnant, about half
gOne; defendants knew this she bad had a bass
tard child before..
Sir WM. GARROW—It did not signify if she had
a hundred illegimate children, that would not.
justify the conduct of the defendants.
Witness in: continuation-alhere 'were twoaor
three little children, and old Rarvey,and his wife,
in the same room in which the plaintiff was in a
bed with his wife. •
Sir W. GARROW-..",. It is sometimes a relief to
Counsel that. the Judge should, intimatehis opi-
nion in the prOgress of a cause. In. thia case it
appears to me most clearly, Call ilex eilly question
here is as to pounds, shillings, aminericea. for,
most certainly, I shall charge the Jury, upon the
evidence alreadikvenj tolind!t_,;erdiet' for the
plaintiff."
Mr. DACINCRY h.e had 'several other wit-
nesses, but should not call any more,.
Mr. JERVIS addressed the Jury in mitigation of
damages. • .
- Mr. Baron GARROW, in snriarning*9.,the evi-
dence, said, that the defendant bad no. "ejahi to
touch a hair of the plaintiff's head, and
reprobated the , assault as an ,act- of lawleti and
most cruel oppression, _
The Jury found a verdict for the plaintiff-...
Damages, Forty Pounds—Costs 405.
ASSAULT UPON AN OXONIAN.
- • SEYMOUR V. BLISS.
Mr. MACKERNESS opened the case, and stated
that this was an action brought by the plaintiff. to
recover compensation- in damages, for an assault
committed upon hint by the defendant
Mr. DAUNCEY, in stating the circumstance un.
der which the present :Action was hroULht,
ob-
served, that time plaintiff, Mr. George Seymour,
was the son of Lord George Seymour, and was a
Member of time University the alluded to Merton
College), and the defendant was a bookseller in
the town.
Mr. Justice GARRoW, in summing up the evi-
dence, lamented, that in having-ehe honour, for
the first time, tO preside as a Judge in this ancient
city, such a cause as the present should be brought
before him. The defendant had put no justifica-
tion on the record, nor indeed had not proved any;
consequently time plaintiff Was, entitled to a ver-
dict. He could not-help thinking,- however,
al-
though the law war in favour of Mr. Seymour, that
there were quits On both sides. He would re-
commend to-the Jtrry, therefore, to give such
temperate and•miliderate -damages as would teach
each party that they bad transgressed those bounds
of decorum which their respective_situations should
have taught them to observe.
The Jury, after a short consideration, found a
verdict for the plaintiff—Damnntees, 51. ; Costs 40s.

. -
SALISBURY,* JULY 19.—0 n Saturday evening
the Hon. Sir -RotwaT ciRAHAINI and the Hon. Sir
JAMES BURROUGH, Lints. arrived here from
Winchester. The Commission for holding the
Assizes of this County was opened by Sir ROBERT
GRAHAM, who will preside at the Crown Court,
and Sir JAMES BURROUGH at Nisi Prins. The
business.of the Assizes will commence on Monday.
Business has been somewhat .brisker in the
Cotton Trade at Glasgow. Cotton yarn advanced
lt per cent. •
The Assize of Bread at Cambridge was on
Wednesday last reduced three halfpence in the
quartern loaf wheaten, the price of which is now -
Is. 3id.
The last Day of Drawing took place on Satur-
day, at the commencement of which this paragraph
was sent to the press :—However, it gives the
greatest p4estwe to T. Bisst, to state, that the
First-drawn Prize, entitled to 20,0001. was sold
at his Offices, 4, Cornhill, and 9, Charin;•cross,
in sixteen Sixteenths i—the No. was 4,367. it is
hoped this. will meet the eye of the fortunate
holders, who may receive their amounts
imms
diately by applying as above.