The Sun.
London, England, 1827-06-07 00:00:00

POLICE INTELLIGENCE.

GUILDHALL.--One John Bateman was
brought before Sir PETER LAURIE yesterday, charged
with having furiously assaulted Mr. Ferdinand
Clarke, an apothecary, residing at Walworth.
John Bateman lives in White-street, Finsbury,
and is a shoemaker; and, like most other members
of " the gentle craft," he is constitutionally un-
gentle. His wife being ill, in consequence, it was
said, of his oppressive treatment, Mr. Clarke was
called in to attend her_professionally by her mother,
he being a relative of their's, and they having great
faith in his skill as an apothecary. Accordingly he
went to their house,but he had not been three minutes
in consultation with his patient before J. Bateman
came into the room, and asked him how he dared to
prescribe for his wife without having first obtained
his per Mission ? Mr. Clarke would have replied, by
stating the why and the wherefore, but before he
could utter a syllable John Bateman told him he
was both a villain and a scoundrel, and ordered him
to quit his premises instantly upon pain of death !
Thus awfully menaced, Mr. Clarke thought it was
high time to depart, but before he could reach his
hat from the peg on which he had hung it, John
Bateman made a lunge at him with a shoemaker's
knife. Fortunately for Mr. Clarke, and as fortu-
nately for John Bateman, the landlord of the house
came in just in time to prevent this lunge from
taking effect; and he and John Bateman had then
a struggle together—the landlord attempting to
wrest the knife from his hand, and he endea-
vouring to retain it. In this struggle they fell to-
gether upon the bed in which lay John Bateman's
sick wife ; and there, whilst the landlord held him,
the knife was taken from his hand by the wife's
mother ; but she received a blow on her side, the
while, that fractured one of her ribs. Then, finding
himself at liberty again, he 'again rushed at Mr-
Clarke, the apothecary, and with cuffs and kicks
drove him from the premises—some of which kicks,
as Mr. Clarke avowed, 'were very atrociously direct-
ed, with intent to do him a very serious personal
injury. In consequence of all this, both the wife
and the mother were now very dangerously ill, and
quite unable to attend before the Magistrate.
The above were the facts as stated by Mr. Clarke
and the landlord ; and Sir PETER LAURIE, very na-
turally supposing that John Bateman must have
some extraordinary cause for such violence, put a
question calculated to ascertain that fact; but John
Bateman had nothing of the kind to complain of.
" I had desired and directed that Mr. Clarke
should not attendher (said he) and I felt angry atfinding
him there !" He then admitted that he had nothing
to say against the skill and ability of Mr. Clarke,
and said his sole reason for objecting to him was,
that another gentleman, " a Dispensary Doctor,"
was attending her.
Mr. Clarke, in reply, said this was not the fact;
for though his wife was ha a dangerous state, there
Wag no professional person attending her until he
went there, and he had even broke the phials and
spilled the medicine which he had previously sent
for her use. Mr. C. added, that on the very morn-
ing on which the affray happened, Bateman went
out early under pretence of fetching a doctor, and
instead of doing so, he came home drunk, late in the
afternoon, and conducted himself in the outrageous
manner above described.
Sir PETER LAURIE observed that he should find
good and sufficient bail to answer Mr. Clarke's com-
plaint before a Jury; and, not having bail ready, he
was locked up.
Mrs. Hannah Bolt, an ancient and somewhat
bibulous matron of St. Martin's-le-Grand, was
brought up by William, otherwise Sergeant Taylor,
the learned and very Worshipful beadle of the Ward
of Alderagute.
" Well, Mr. Taylor," said Sir PETER LAURIE,
as this exact prototype of the-renowned constable
of Messina took up his position, staff in hand, by
the side of his prisoner—" what business have you
with us to-day ?"
" Sir Peter," replied Mr. Taylor; in his very
best and most syllabical style,—" last night, a leetle
before twenty minutes to nine—just as the Park
and Tower guns were firing in honour of the arrival
of her Majesty the Queen of Wurtemberg, whom
God preserve !—at that very moment this woman
was lying right across the pavement, drunk, please
your Worship ; whereupon I west up to her, and
endeavoured to instil some little reason into her,
in the way of remonstrance. Mother Bott (says I),
you know I know you for an old customer—by
reason of your intolerable drinkings, and drouthy-
ness, and such like, whereby I have many times had
much trouble; and here you are, in breach of the
peace again ! says I. To all which she returned
me not a word; for the drink had taken away from
her the gift of speech, please your Worship ; and
therefore I considered it my duty to have her
locked up."
" You always do your duty very well, Mr. Tay-
lor," said Sir PETER LAURIE;
," is it, a long time
since you were troubled with her before ?"
" Not a very long time, Sir Peter—not more than
nine months, I believe—though, for her, that is a
long time—so long, indeed, that I was in good hope
she was gone to Heaven !—not but what I think
she is quite oqfit for such a place, please your
Worship."
Mother Bott had nothing to say in her excuse,
but that she had " been out a-chairing," and meet-
ing with some friends on her way home, they had
given her so many glasses of gin, "one atop of
t'Other," that they " quite overgot her," and she
was fain to lie down and rest herself; but she pro-
mised, if his Worship would let her off this once,
she would go down to her friends in Coventry, and
never trouble Mr. Taylor again.
Sir P. LAURIE said, " I think, Mr. Taylor, we
can't do better than send her to Coventry?"
" Certainly not, your Worship," replied Mr. Tay-
lor; "it is the best place for her; and I hope your
Worship will instnitt her to stick there two years,
at the least."

Mother Bott went beyond this, for she promised
she would never come back again ; and thereupon
she was discharged.

BOW-STREET.—The street keepers brought
up two lads for selling political squibs in the Strand,
and exposing to public inspection several placards,
containing illustrative drawings of their subject
matter. A great captain was represented sitting
in deep despondency upon a fragment of some
sort or other, underneath a gallows, from which a
cord was suspended, with a noose at the end, which
the aforesaid captain had in his hand, but seemed in
a state of great irresolution as to how he was to dis-
pose of it. Old Nick, a worthy who is planted at
every body's elbow who is about to do mischief,
appeared peeping out of a corner, with the other end
of the cord in his hand, waiting anxiously ,for the
noose to be adjusted. The boys, however, received
their pamphlets back again, but the placards were
detained; and they were informed that if they
should be caught under like circumstances again, they
would be fined 40s.

MARYLEBONE-OFFICE.— Yesterday Mr.
Currie's coachman, of Wimpole-street, came before
Mr. RAWLINSON to answer the charge laid against
him, of refusing to fulfil a sporting engagement.
John Lydell repeated the statement given on
Monday night, of having walked GO miles, and ab-
stained from food and drink for 72 hours, to decide
a wager of ten sovereigns between this coachman
and a groom, for which, he said, they promised to
remunerate him with five of them ; and fearing the
worthy magistrate might have forgotten the circum-
stance, he particularly reminded him, that a little
" beaker, and a pipe like," were not prohibited.
" Why don't you give the man his money, (said Mr.
RAWLINSON to the Coachman ;) surely you don't

l

mean to let him walk 60 miles, and not pay hits
it ? " II I did not know that he was gone, )40(
worship," :replied the coachman, " until he coon
back; and I don't know that he has been
Mr. RAWLINsON.—Why, surely, this is not a Pori
nufactured story ? (Looking at Lydell.). Lydell.--",
The landlord of the Packhorse can prove, your wok',
ship, that I have been there; he wanted me to titst
a bit, but I told him I was doing it for a wager.
Mr. RAWLINSON.—Come, come, pay him the
money, and don't play the fool with him.
Coachman.—l have nothing to do with it, yoit',.
worship : there was no money down, and I may neeta
get it ; and besides he went of his own accord, an
without my knowing any thing about it.
" Ohl that won't do with me," said Mr. IZO,;•
LttisoN; " you can't make me believe that this p 0
fellow walked 60 miles, and fasted 72 hours, to
please himself."
Lydell.—Your worship, I seed two sovereigil
put down, when the bet was made; and afore
started I says to the coachman and to Tom (the
groom), Now I've got half an ounce of bakker,
I'm off." You know I did, (addressing the coach;
man), and Tom was on a grey horse in the yard Al,
the time, and if they a'nt satisfied that I die, it,
do it again.
Mr. RAWLINSON.—And let this time go inr,
nothing.

take two sovereigns and a half IV
this time, and two sovereigns and a half for the net
" Well, that's a fair offer," said Mr. RAWLINSUrt
to the coachman, " and if yohr master likes to leb
you spend your time in that way, you may go Wit,
him and see it done."—[The coachman made II"
reply, and Mr. Rawlinson continued.]—" It will,
a monstrous shabby thing if you do not give "re
something; the best way is to change places, thi!rt
is nothing like that in all concerns of life,
should you expect under his circumstances ?" .
The coachman remained silent.
Mr. RAWLINSON.—I wish I could out
•ou
he
to do something, and not chouse him out of what
~le
was entitled to expect. You don't suppose& fellot
would smoke a dry pipe for 72 hours by way
amusement ? " I don't mind giving him a shilling',
said the coachman.
" A shilling !" replied Mr. R.twur4soN.
you 'give him a shilling a mile ?" Coachman."
What 605., your worship ?
Mr. RAWLINSON.—Yes, to be sure; and thell be
loses 2/. Coachman.—l can't do that.
Mr. RAWLINSON.—Come, then, he'll take 6d.
mile. Won't you ? (to Lydell.) Lydell.--1,„'"
take any thing your Worship pleases. I did it
put something upon my back.
These terms were also rejected by the coachnoo
and
a
Mr. RAWLINSON told Lydell to come to him eglit,,
at one o'clock on Saturday, if, in the mean time, tir
parties did not satisfy him.