The Sun.
London, England, 1829-08-19 00:00:00

COOKE V. WILKINSON.

This was an action brought by the plaintiff, who
is a retired hosier, residing in this town, against the
defendant, as editor of the Leicester Herald, to re-
cover damages for a series of libels which appeared
in that paper, reflecting on the plaintiff's character,
and holding him up to public ridicule. The articles
complained of wet e contained in 10 or 12 numbers
of the above paper, the publication of which, from
time to time, spread over a considerable period; and
they attacked the plaintiff in all shapes and forms.
Some of them were in verse, some in prose; some
contained severe animadversion, some light ridi-
cule; whilst others were in the form of sham
speeches, ironical epistles, and parodies.
The Jury, after a few min'utes' deliberation, re-
turned a verdict for the plaintiff—Damages, 501.

The same defendant was tried in the Crown
Court before Lord TENTERDEN, upon an indictment
which charged him with a libel upon a Mr. Cave
BrowDe, imputing to him that he was a blackleg,
and had been guilty of disreputable conduct.
Lord TENTERDEN sentenced him to pay a fine
of 301.

POLICE INTELLIGENCE.

MANSION-HOUSE.

An instance of very remarkable want of humanity
in the case of two young men named Charles Cadge
and Thomas Spriggs, who are in the employment of
Mr. Challis, the salesman of Leadenhall and New-
gate markets, was exhibited in the Justice-room be-
fore the Loan MAYOR.

A young man, n.tmed John Bays, a few days ago
had been employed in the white-washing a house up
a yard in Cutler-street. 'He was mounted on a
ladder, and very near the top of the house, which
was four stories high, when Cadge drove a cart into
the yard. Witness asked Cadge whether he want-
ed to pass in, and was answered in the affirmative.
" Very well," said the witness, " if you will wait
two or three Minutes I'll come down and let you
pass by." Cadge said he would not not wait, and
witness repeated his request, saying that he wished
not to leave a blot in his work, which would be the
case if he desisted at the moment. Cadge swore
that he would at once drive by the ladder, which
could not be passed without imminent danger to-the
Person upon it, and witness told him he was not
game enough to do that. Cadge then drove
past, and with his care dragged away the ladder, and
if the witness bad not accidentally laid hold of a
projection as the ladder was giving, way, he would
undoubtedly have been dashed to pieces. All this
was viewed with the utmost indifference by Cadge
and Spriggß, the latter of whom was in the cart
which the former drove.

Bays said that:the danger in which he was at the
moment actually turned him sick. He was within an
inch of death. When released he scarcely knew
where he was, and then Spriggs, who had been sit-
ting unconcernedly, jumped out and challenged him
in that helpless state to fight.

The LORD MAYOR a4t-ed the defendants whether
they wished to say any thing in denial of what had
been mentioned.

Cadge said, that he had called out to the com-
plainant that he wanted to pass, and finding that his
request was disregarded, he did drive on, but not
until the complainant had dared him to do so. The
position of the plaintiff, be declared, was not higher
than three stories, and- he (Cadge) did not think
him in imminent danger.
Spriggs said that he did not challenge Bays to
fight until the danger was quite over, and the man
was on the ground.
Forrester, the officer, said he saw the transaction,
and the complainant was as near as possible to
destruction. Every one who witnessed it expected
every moment that the poor man would be deprived
of life, and that before he recovered, the second de-
fendant .challenged him to fight.
The LORD MAYOR told the defendants that they
had acted with a degree of inhumanity which could
not easily be paralleled, and that if the poor young
man who was so near losing his life had fallen, they
would have been tried for, and both of them probably
convicted of, murder. It was the most cold-blooded
and wanton piece of cruelty he had ever heard of.
The two defendants were then committed to
prison, to take their trial at the London Sessions,
upon the prosecution of the'City Solicitor. They
were ordered to give 49 hours' notice of bail.
A gentleman of respectable appearance and ad-
dress applied to the LORD MAYOR, in the expecta-
tion that his Lordship would be so good as to send
an officer or officers of police, to guard the morality
of a .new theatre, called " the City Pantheon,"
situate in Chapel-street, Fore-street, and originally
a preaching-house. This building, which had sud-
4hplef4aretic
denly been converted into an arena of debate for
free-thinking gentry, and whose walls echoed to the
impure effusions of the Rev. R. Taylor, has, it ap-
peared, been taken by a theatrical gentleman, who
Has combined with dramatic representations the
business of what be calls a school of practical in-
purpose of preventing the intrusion of improper
struetion for elocution and music, It was for the
persons into the theatre that it had been thought
proper to make application to his Lordship, who, it
was hoped, would act on this occasion in the capa-
city of father of the city, by protecting the morals
of the city's children.
It was evident that the LORD MAYOR considered
doullifid
this application as an ingenious mode of trying an
experiment upon his feelings as a patron.. His Lord-
ship desired to see the bills of entertainment at the
which it was thought necessary
utloarbsisof4tohredsPeiprformances,
Pr
a regular
tPolla.egeuaolf•dirtitsgtaii;nesttiPpn4F)Ps of OeP F4v e -
character so effectually.
performers.
His Lordship observed, that the bill had a more
captivating appearance than the Drury-lane or Co-
vent-garden Theatres could boast of, inasmuch as
it was in the very highest degree classical.
rodPlall;lei thell playbill,
managerm it, o thel
t'
The allusion of his Lordship was to words, which
lie 'considered t 5 appropriate as the" Veluti in spe-
-1 i:zilui,l over the stage of Coyent7gardeli Theatre,
tie precarious conditton of which probaLly incited
. ' t h e ill oner of the City Pantheon to establish a
rival within the sound of Bow bells.

I " I see," said the LORD MAYOR, " that you have
.4 contempt for the common-place. way of announcing

your plays and farces, and that you embellish you,
bills with Latin." His Lordship then read the f-,
lowing words :

DELECTAHDO PARITERQUE 110NENDO.
" —Learning's triumph o'er her barbarous foes
" First raised THE sTace."—Dr. Johnson.
The Manager assured the Lord Mayor that the
greatest poSsible care was taken to obviate the Fos'
sibility of the admission of indifferent characters t°
any part of the theatre, and that behind the scenes
the same caution was observed as to the introduetioll
of pupils and performers.;
Mr. Hobler said, that our ancestors had exercised
i
a very arbitrary sort of power over the ladies and
gentlemen who adorned the drama, if they did -rot
happen to be recognized by law, and called them 14
names which would sound very disagreeable in the
ears of the present race of the sons and daughters 0,
Thespis. It was a sad proof of the prejudices 01
former times, that those who played kings a"
queens, and dukes and duchesses, are liable to the
appellation of "diverting vagabondi."—(Laughter)
The manager, who appeared to be a man of re.
spectability and good sense, observed that, under
proper restrictions, the stage was calculated to pro-
duce benefit to the public, and a rising genius, by
unfolding what would be otherwise concealed.
His Lordship could not, however, be prevailed
upon to give, by consenting to the application, big
indirect sanction to this new rival to the great me-
tropolitan concerns, and the manager retired.