The Sun.
London, England, 1842-01-21 00:00:00

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GROSS ASSAULT COMMIT—TV).
BY THE VICAR OF BRIGHTON ON :A• BOY.
TOWN-HALL, BRIGHTON, THURSDAY.---This boing-:the
day appointed for hearing the summons issued agsiifiSt
the Rev. 11. M. Wagner, the Vicar of Brighton, charging
him with assaulting a little boy named Grover, long
before the appointed hour the neighbourhood of the
Town-hall was crowded by persona anxious to obtain
admittance, and When the Court was opened nearly 500
persons were present, and a much larger number were
outside unable to obtain admittance. At eleven o'clock,
J. N. Wigney, Esq., M.P., Basevi, Esq., Major
and Major Willard, the Magistrates, took their seats on
the Bench.
Mr. Sydney Walsingliam Bennett appeared for the
complainant, and Mr. Cooper and Mr. Demptter for the
Rev. defendant, who did not attend.
The little fellow was then placed on the table. He
appeared an intelligent boy, but being too young to be
sworn, he was merely questioned by Mr. Wigney. He
said he had to complain against the Vicar, who beat him
very much
because he said, " Who stopped the clod]: ?"
He ran away home,'and Mr. Wagner followed hire, and
burst the door open, and laid hold of his arm whilst he
struck him with his whip ever the head and face, and a
mark was now left over his eye.
Elizabeth Grover was then sworn, and deposed that
she was the mother of the child, and resided at No. 60,
Upper North-street. Ile was seven years of age. On
Saturday, between three and four o'clock in the after-
noon, as witness was engaged in an outhouse, the child
came running in, got into the back room, and bolted the
door inside. Mr. Wagner followed in a few minutes.
He had a whip in his hatid, and appeared in a great
passion. Ile gave the door a push and forced it open,
entered the room, and began to flog the child. Witness
could not say how he had got hold of him, but he was
hitting him over the head with a whip.
Mr. Dempster here produced the whip ; it was an or-
dinary sized riding whip, mounted with silver.
Witness believed the whip produced to be the one
used. Mr. Wagner seined in a great passion as he was
hitting the child. The child received one blow on his
face which blackened his eye ; the remains of the mark
are still visible. During the time he was flogging the
child his screams brought a lodger dowq, who asked him
why he was flogging the chid, when the Vicar said,
" Oh, he knows; he said I stopped the church clock, and
I did not." He then shook the child, and 'took him into
the passage, to show the crowd outside. Witness said
• to the boy, " You naughty boy, you ought to be ashamed
of yourself; it serves you right, for being so saucy."
The Vicar then gate the boy who held his horse a penny
and galloped away.
Mr. Cooper then addressed the Bench at considerable
length for the Re,v. defendant, and condemned the course
pursued by Mr. Bennett in opposing a compromise,' al-
though the Magistrates suggested that a private arrange-
ment might be entered into.
During the ease a great deal of angry recrimination
passed between the solicitors.
The Magistrates retired to consider their decision, anti
during their absence the Court presented a most extraor-
dinary scene, from the great uproar, and cries of " Who
stopped the clock ?" referring to St:Peter's clock not
being wound up since the last church-rate was refused.
On the Magistrates returning, Mr. Wigney said they
had given the case their best consideration, and had come
to the conclusion that the defendant was guilty of the
assault, and must be tined 40s. and costs.

Yesterday there was a meeting of Middlesex
Magistrates at clerkeuwell-green. The Report of the
visiting Justices of the Hanwell Lunatic Asylum was
read, and after some discussion it was agreed that a sum
not exceeding 4,0001. be raised by. way of mortgage on
the county rate for the works required at that asylum.
Mr. Laurie moved "That a representation be made by
this Court to the Secretary of State for the Home De-
partment upon the state of the law relating to granting
licenses for public music and dancing in this county, and
of the necessity of an amendment of the statute
25 George 11., cap. 36." Sir John Scott Lillie
seconded the motion, and after a few words from Sir
.James Williams in support of it, Mr. Wilks moved as an
amendment that a Committee of seven gentleman be ap-
pointed to consider the state of tite law and report to this
Court thereon, which Mr Laurie adopted in place of his
original motion. The amendment was then unanimously
carried, and a Committee appointed. The Chairman
said the next business on the paper was for Mr. Sergeant
Halcombe to move " to take into consideration the cir-
cumstances under which the appointment of the Rev.
Mr. Tebbutt us clit.rplaiu to the County Lunatic Asylum
has been-annulled by the visiting Justices, and that they
be requested to pay hint his salary up to the present
time." Mr. Sergeant lialcombe, however, said he did
nut wish that any discussion should take place upon the
matter :it present, and ultimately the motion was with-
drawn. A county mite was carried of three-farthings in
the pound, but as there was a balance of 7,867 i. 12s. 9d.
in thehands of the county treasurer the rate was sus-
pended for a fortnight.
Yesterday morning a meeting of the church-
wardens and parishioners of St. Mary, Whiteclapel,
was held in the vestry of the church for adopting some
mode, of celebrating the approaching christening of his
Royal liiglinco the Prince of Wales, in place of the
usual illumination ; the rector, the Rev. 'l'. Champney,
in the chair. The Chirmae, in: ttpening the
.business
of the meeting, said the parish of Whiteehapel had
never been berdni in testifying their loyalty and rejoic-
ing on all public occasions, and as a demonstration of
their loyalty and affection on the present, interesting-
. oecasiOn was highly desirable, the more particularly us this
was the fir.t time in the annals of this kingdom that a
Queen Regnant had given to her country an heir to the
Throne, and it having been suggested that in place of the
usual illumination a subscription should be set on foot,
by means of which the deserving poor of the parish might
be relieved, thereby enabling them, in common with their
more fortunate brethren, to participate in the joy 'lath-
ral to so important an occasion, several gentlemen ad-
. dressed the meeting, when the following resolution was
proposed and imanimottsly adopted—" That it appears
' to this meeting to be highly desirable that the baptism
of the Prince of Wales be celebrated in this parish by re-
lief being given in some way to the poor instead of il-
luminating." A Committee was then formed to divide
the parish into districts, and Call VaSS the parishioners for
subscriptions, and to emisider the best mode of carrying
into elicit the object of the meeting. Thanks were then.
voted to the Chairman, and the meeting separated.
LAMENTABLE CASE OF DROWNING...-An
inquest was held before J. W. Cowley, Esq., one of her
Majesty's Coroners for the county of Bucks, on the 17th
inst., at Ashendon, on view of the, body of Alfred Smith,
aged seven years. On the previous Friday deceased and
his broth r, aged nine years, left home for the purpose of
sliding upon a pond in the neighbourhood. The survivor
stated that he and his deceased brother went on the ice
together, that the ice broke, and let him in. It was ,not
over his head. The deceased immediately tried to pull
him out by the hand ; that in so endeavouring he fell in.
The older one, being somewhat taller, broke his way out,
and was saved. lie could not see his poor brother, being,
as it was supposed, at the time under the ice. He ran
home and told his mother, who with others succeeded in
getting the body out. Every means was resorted to to
restore animation ; all, however, proved .unavailing.
Verdict, " Accidentally drowned."
A gentleman travelling in Ireland asked a fille-
de-ehambre at Belfast if she was sure the railway from
thence went no further than Lisburn ; she replied, " In-
'deed it does not, but it comes back again."

LINENDRAPERS,, oILEMERCERS', LACE-
MEN'S, HARERDAsPIERS', AND HOSIERS' INSTITUTION.—
The annual ball in support of the funds of this Institu-
tion was held at the•Queetes Concert-rooms, Hanover-
square, last evening, and the exertions of the stewards
,met with the greatest success, upwards of 500 persons
being present. Mr. Adams was is attendance with his
band, and the party had not separated at an early hour
this morning. There were nine recipients of pecuniary
relief last year, and we are glad to learn that there is
every prospect of the full fund of 20,000/. being realised
this year.
NARROW ESCAPE OF LORD NORTHWICK'S
PICTURE. GALLERY FROM DESTRUCTION BY FIRE.—
About 12 o'clock at night on Saturday last a young
man employed in the gardens at Northwiek (the seat
of the .Noble Lord of that name), and who sleeps
on the :premises, was iteturning home from BlOckley,
where he had 'been sacrificing to Bacchus, when he per-
ceived an unusual smoke issuing from a building which
encloses an apparatus Fur airing his Lordship's picture-
gallery. Though considerably elevated with what he
he bad drank, his wits were not so far goat as to prevent
his arousing the inmates of the mansion ; and by dint of
the most strenuous exertions on the part of the female,
as well as the male, portion of the household, the fire was
completely subdued without the neighbourhood being,
alarmed, although when the servants reached the burn-
ing edifice the roof was falling in. Had not the fire been
fortunately dist:owed when ft was, in all probability
Lord Tiorthwick's splendid picture-gallery would have
fallen a prey to the devouring element. His Lordship
was at Cheltenham at the time of the accident. The
damage done is inconsiderable ; a new roof and a few
pounds expenditure will put all to rights again.— WON
cester Chronicle.
INQUEST.—Last evening a long investigation
took placa betre Mr. Baker, the Coroner, at the Hare,
Cambridge-heath, Bethnal-green, on the, body .of Daniel
Mulhallin, • aged 74, whose death it was alleged wdk
caused by " drugging." Amelia Mulltallin, of No. 2,
Cambridge-place, said that she was deceased's widow.
He was formerly a non-oommissioned officer, and latterly
lived upon his pension of 5L 4s. 101,d. per month, with
the assistance which witness affiirded him. On Thursday
morning last he went to Oxford-market to receive the
amount of his pension, and as he did not return by the
evening She went with a relation to the various police
stations, and gave notice of his absence. Ile slid not
return until two o'clock the next day, when he said that
he had been locked up in the station-house all the. previous
night, and that he had that day, (Friday) been discharged
by the Alagistrate. He •a!so said that whilst walking
along Holborn, a man, re'spectably dressed, knocked
his (deceased's) stick from his hand, but afterwards
apologised, and prevailed upon him to go to a public-
house in Eagle-street, Red Lion-square, called the
Yorkshire Grey, and have some " egg-hot." He thought
that the man "fumbled" with the liquor before of-
fered it to him. He then became insensible, and did not
recover until he 'found hims'ell in the station-house.
Whilst there he was very cold, and he asked permission
to sit by the fire outside the rooni,.but they would not
allow him. When he returned, witnessrFe"ived
chest:
tit •
he was unwell, and he complained olptun lu
' He said he thought the liquor which he had drankalul'llth
ed
' the man had been drugged. He grew
from
complained.
I on Monday morning last. At the
Co-
roner, the policeman said that he oriwouldseription of the man of whom deceits
F the landlord of the public-house, and use a 1 his endea.
yours to have him appeehended. The Jury returned
• -
verdict of " Natural death by apoplexy, winch may hare
• I been brought au by drugging and excitement,'

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