The Sun.
London, England, 1826-01-05 00:00:00

OUILDHALL.

Mr. HARMER, the Solicitor, who has in his time defended
hundreds of individuals, appeared himself in the character of
a defendant, before Mr. Alderman SCHOLET, yesterday.-31r.
Harmer, it seems, is the Proprietor of a Sunday
Newspaper,
called The Dispatch, and the complainant, a Mr. Wood, a
printer, stated, that a newly-invented printing machine, his
property, which, by mere manual labour, throws off a greater
number of copies per hour, than those put in motion by steam
engines, had been set up on Mr. Harmer's premises, and
was brought into operation on Saturday last. He applied to
Mr. Harmer, for the price of this machine, 4701., on Saturday,
and Mr. Harmer making excuses of want of ready money, he
went again with stamps in his pocket, to request acceptances
for the amount. Mr. Harmer not only refused to give him
acceptances, however, but while he was remaining on the
premises, to protect his property, came suddenly on him,
seized him by the collar, threw him dowa, bruiztng his
arm from top to bottom, and fore( d him out of the
home. This was the assault he complained of;
he had
' suffered personal injury, , but the injury to his feelings
was greater than all. Air. Alderman SCHOLEY said,ll r.
Harmer was so much a mint of the world, and had had such
great legal experience, that he felt some difficulty in believing
Mr. Harmer could have committed himself in the manner de.
scribed. His professional character, however, would not throw
an undue protection around him, and believing, from the com-
plainant's respectable appearance, that he would not have com-
plained, it' he had not thought lie had ample reason so to do,
he would grant a summons for Mr. -11.-triner'm attendance.—
Yesterday, in obedience to this summons, Air. Harmer appear.
ed, accompanied by Mr. lialloway, the engineer, and with no
inconsiderable show of documentary and parole evidence.—
After waiting about an hour, a note was brought into the office
by a little boy, who said he had received it from a gentleman,
who was waiting in the vicinity thr an answer. This nose
proved to be from Air. Wood, the complAinant, declining meet-
ing Mr. Harmer, on the ground that a cold had totally de-
prived hint of voice, and rendered him an unequal match for
so noisy an opponent as Mr. liarnier.—Alr. Harmer was, ne-
vertheless, very anxious to go into his defence, and said he
should have pot the question to rest by merely asking Mr.
Wood a question or two upon a docoment he held in his
hand. The fact was, lie had never bargained with, or become
responsible to Mr. Wood for the machine. His contract was
with another individual, but Alr. Wood, conceiving
he had
got him in a (Maroon on Saturday night, endeavoured to ex-
tort a sum of money from him, under the threat of stn/Ting
injury
to working of the machine, and did, in fact, do hint
to sonic extent.—Mr. Alderman- Scilor.Er declined hearing
any thing further.—Air. Rowe, Mr. Harmer's printer, s,ug-
gested the calling of a witness to the single fact. that NI, ood
brut told one of the pressmen to displace a critical part of the
machinery, so as to prevent the whole impression of the Die.
page/t from being worked off.—The worthy Alderman, how-
ever, applied himself' to sonic other business, and Mr. H. and
his friends mired.