The Sun.
London, England, 1818-10-07 00:00:00

COURT OF JUSTICIARY, SCOTLKY.D.

"TRIAL FOR CHALLENGE TO FIGHT A irEL.
I',:fiTH, OCT. 1 —The Court proceeded to the
of Lietttennnl ./sprees folio, of the 59111 retti.
'theta of foot, on the complaint of Thomas 9.l:tcliie,
--younger, of Cultinalundie, private prottte:utor,
with concurrence of his Majesty's Advocate, ooder
an ACt ITASSed in the sixth Session of the tart l'ar-
,lianient of his Majesty Kink.; ‘Villiatn, whereby
" itis•fitatuted and enacted, that wilosocvor, prin.
,kip)ll nr second, or other int et posed persor, gives
challenge to fight a duel or single cottri.A, or
...'whosoever accepts the same, or WilosoeveC., wither
principal or second, on either side, enga:es t here-
''alheit no fighting ensues, shall he'rmiistied
the pain of banishment, and esei.,eat of
'lllo‘'CribleS, without prejudice to the Act .already
"innate against the fighting of thiels.'"l'he.eirctini-
s-Vtxtites of the Cage, AS stated in the iii&etnient,
,tiniVproved by the evidence, were as full iwo
/That on the 24th of November last, bietitenant
'lloilo, when shooting on the pruperry •ot Mr.
tbron, of Black Rittliven, was assn-reel h the said
l'homas Ritchie, and charged with hirtriog a few
minutes before trespassed on his father•T;rnperty,
and stint a hat'e: high words upon this tocik plare,
'atilsi the consequence was, that on ilief.:loli No-
ye-iither Lieutenant Rollo addressed iti-Kr. Ritchie
+ilet to in the following words :
•‘ Prrth, Nns,..ei. 1017.

" Ste,-1 have sent herewith friend; 6.nvtaitt Itirg•
:A!orit. tn d•uvind you will gise tue the issost'Alt,ide satisfac
fur the gloss tanner in which you iasultcd aye yesterday
y the anjustitiable and iiincentleulittilikewiiiiftturr in %%Inc`
•you accosted me.--1u gnu, &c.

" JANMS ROLLO

" Mr. Thomas Ritchie, Ace."
Ott receipt of the shore, Mr. Ritchie declined either to
au airoloey, to name a friend to settle.e atiair, or to
.erupt the challenge. Mr. Rollo afterwards eddrested a let-
-.ter to him in the following words:—
" Perth; NVY. iS, 1817.
'' Stir,-1 ant extremely sorry that I haverc.olc go gross a
,InistalNe this day, in coureiving you to hr a georleirtaii, a 11.1 I
NILI sum I 114VC stooped .r 1.4 r heluw my station ea melt OM-
• d..eendirig to give yon the satisfaction of a•getraenian, mid
ritliall this night post you as a coward.—l. am;
" JAMES 1R01.1.0."
Placards accordingly were put up in the b,:clitmge Cutler
ro..ns. And Oil the entry leading thereto, containkg the '
lowing words :

" Perth, .25th Nr:ernher, I 41;.
" I hereby post Mr. Thomas younzrr,-nt.Coupli tidy.
tu n COWII Li, and an unfit associate for auv Koitleiumn.
" .1

After the examination of several witnesses, the
Jury were addressed on the pArt (if the,prosecut Or
by dlr. MoNuttif:Fv, and by Mr X.,1:.? for the de-
fender. A iniuute detail of the evidence was then
kid before them by the Loan JusTict.citx, and
the Jury having retired, soon atter re.tArned with
a verdict, finding, by a plurality of voices, the libel
proven.
Before the sentence was pronounceol, Mr. Mon-
erieff stated to the Court that his client. had autho-
rized him to move his Lordship to-defeL,protiounc-
ing judgment ; and in order t bat .the-verdict might
not hang Over the head of Mr. Ito Ritchie
now deserted the diet against the, defender, and
therefore he (Mr. Moneried) movetrhisiLdordship
to discharge him simpliciter.
In doing so the Lord Justici! Clerk congratu-
lated Mr. Rollo
on the very- intudforze Manlier
;Li wlitch 111 r. ILitchic had terAttillawd the.prusvcts-

nis Lordship eemarketi, that he will Ii.PPY
tll-,t an opportunity had been this day afforded of
showin, the efficacy of the laws of our country,
that Nlr. Ritchie'. appeal to them hall horn cons
pletely sst•fitutted, while his honour and character
were ,indirusted ; And that by his ronduict he had
completely vindicated himself front the aspet sum of
having raised and carried on the prosecution from
any %intlictive feeling. At the same time his
Lordship observed, that the Act before quoted had
(.(o-tajniy 'well as it were raker/ tip for this proseett.
tion ; that few trials, and few no no convictions,
had proceeded upon it for nearly a century ; butt
res. the Statute was not obsolete. His Lordship
in conclusion hoped, however, that Mr. Rollo
would now return witlinutt any on his honour,
or stigma out his ChOraCter, to that society in
which he had hitherto moved, hut from which,
had it not been for the liberal behaviour of the
private prosecutor, he must inevitably have been
for ever separated.
This case scented to excite great interest. Dim-
ing the discussion the Court WAS muirli crotvtled,
and we observed considetable numbs:: of lashes
in the (tont of the gallery.
r_._• •