The Sun.
London, England, 1827-12-08 00:00:00

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THE KING v. FOVVLIRiti AOTHER.-
Mr. BUS/3Y opened the pleadings. This was an
ns
st aaug al
t against
uponifnordicatnmea Robert
jheortitnFoLwlolyerdaClerk
for an assault upon John Lloyd Jones. The de-
pleaded " not guilty."
The ATTORNEY-GENERAL opened the case. Mr.,
Jolm Jones is a respectable surgeon, and the brother
of a•Mrs. Teasdale, who lives in Arlington-street,
Piccadilly. She was summoned to the Court a
Conscience by a servant whom she had discharged ;
'and feeling that it was an act of justice to the public to
resist, the claim, she determined to attend before the
Commissioners, and requested her brother to attend
with her. As she was in weak health, her brother
accompanied her to the Court, where the transaction
"took place 'which gave rise to the present indict-
ment. The Court was divided by a bar into two
parts, on one side of which sat the Commissioners,
and on the other the crowd. Mrs. Teasdale went through
this bar, and was approaching the Commissioneis,
when the defendant Fowler, instead of quietly telling

her that she was going where she had no business, took
hold .of her by the shoulder in a very rough mantle!,
and swung her right round. Mrs. T. fainted away
on this violence being used towards her. Mr. Jones,
who was thrown into grOtt agitation by his sister's
fainting, on seeing her reesivering, ran to fete]] hey
husband,- whp.lived at arp*reet,distatieet- found
Mr. Teesdale, and one of his own brothers, at Mr.
Teasdale's house, and he returned with them to the
Court of Requests, to bring Mrs. Teesdale home.—
On Mr. Jones presenting himself at the inner
Court for admission, he was assaUlted by several of
the officers in the most brutal and unprovoked man-
lier. The Learned Counsel here detailed the par-
ticulars of the assault. The reason alleged by' the
defendants for making such an assault upon .him
was, that Mr. Jones was going to a part of the
Court where he had no right to go.- He allowed
that officers had often great difficulty in keeping the
accesss
sawoenihindeit
which
Icoa
counsel
rohnu:ser
etv:l
witnesses,
toorai
9t:
esrl
sd, osi Justice)nfen:cho:
ncnwt
ai
nhei
nctneltnteaoacr
arcno.
opened
nE:
elevtidxrheten.
epi
nsnttp
pointeti
spectators,
aops
such
uot
groecsih-fli
construction as any in which he had ever been, to
t
h
ii
blasts pfairahat het was surprised that any into:
could bear them and live,—even in the present
Court, front which he had seen the Duke of Norfolk'
and another Peer obliged to retire from their inabi-
lity to reach the bench, he had never seen, even on
the most crowded trial, any such violence exercised
by the officers to repress. the entrance of intruders.
as had been exercised by the officers of this petty
Court of Requests. He allowed that the defendants
had a duty to execute as officers in keeping back the
crowd ; but then they ought to execute it with mild-
ness and; temper, and not to be guilty of such aggra-
vated insult and violence as'. he would prove to the
Jury had been displayed by them in the present
instance.
The Learned Counsel then called the following
witnesses to support the indictment.
John Lloyd Jones, examined by Mr. BROUGUAM
—lam a surgeon in Castle-street. On the 25th of
September last I went to the Court of Conscience
in Vine-street, with my sister, Mrs. Teasdale, who
was summoned there by a servant whom she had
discharged. We perceived a separation of the Court
into two apartments, by means of a bar. There
was no great crowd within that bar. My sister
passed within it. As soon she had done SO Fowler
accosted her very rudely, and pushed her forcibly`to
the door. which separates the two Courts, putting
hie right hand on her left shoulder. She was ad-
vancing towards the place,wher4he Commissioners
were sittipg:, Foisierlitralettiter pin. She 'was
extremely agitated, from her weak state of health,
and was just falling to the ground, in a fainting
state, when I caught her. in my arms. I bore her,
in concert with an officer, whom the Commissioner'
ordered to assist me, to a back door, which was
thrown open for air. I supported my sister till .she
recovered a little. I then left the place to fetch hes
husband. I came back with him and another bre-
ther of my own, whom I found at his house. When
I returned I saw Clerk standing against the bar. I
told him that I wanted to pass into the inner Court
to see a lady whom I had left .almost fainting.
Without any further word being uttered, he hit me
with his clinched fist, a severe blow in the face,
which raised the skin. This was the signal 'for
Fowler and several others striking me too, very vio-
lently. I was struck down near the bar, but by
whom I cannot tell.
Cross-examined by Mr. COMMON-SERGEANT.—
After my sister fainted, I stayed with her five or ten
minutes. Clerk, by order of the Commissioners,
brought my sister water. I called Fowler a scoundrel,
but do not remember that I put my fist in his face,
I said, " You are a scoundrel for treating my sister
thus ; and you shall be punished for it."
Re-examined.—My sister is at present too ill to
come to Court.
James Teasdale, examined by Mr. BUSBY.—I sin
the husband of Mrs. Teasdale. I recollect accom-
panying Mr. Jones, on the 25th of September last,
to the Court in Vine-street. .He attempted to make
his road to the bar, where Clerk was standing. He
said to him, " I wish to pass. I left a lady here a
short time since, in a fainting state." I believe that
Fowler was not there then. The bar was then
raised, and Jones went inside. Ido not know wiles
raised the bar. Jones did not. Clerk immediately
raised his fist and struck him three or four times. I
armrk e
astrikenstrike,
n
did not see Jones return the blow. The blow was
so severe as to knock him to the opposite side of the
o himy
when he was down.
entrance of the Court, upon which Fowler came
Three or four others came
e
irotle I
awfroidtmhhhtishimele.ignntHoerekoieffiwkcaehs,imbao.nt and raised his to
n b struck and kicked whilst
shaeyj‘oet
that
has
nt
adhoej deswonni
there were so many persons around him. I saw
Fowler's leg raised to kick, but I cannot positively
say
brit whoiom ra. kicked
Ike
h gad we himc
testimony t say,
of the
kick him.
corroborated
two last witnesses. On cross-exam• • .d
cross-examination, he said
that he heard the bystanders call oat shame at the
conduct of the officers.
A Mr. Holcombe gave similar testimony.
The COMMON SERGEANT admitted that great
violence had no doubt been committed in the Court
of Requests ; but the question for the jury to decide
was, whether the two defendants, or either of them,
had been guilty of it. They could not hare been so
long engaged as jurors without being aware of the
great difficulty of access even to a court constituted
like the present. People made "Y easily for his
Learned Friend, the Attorney-General, on account
of his great bulk and, personal capacity; but a slen-
der and humble individual, like himself, had great
difficulty in getting to his place in court, owing to
the eagerness of the parties and witnesses in causes
to know what was going forward within it. If such
were the case in a well-regulated court like the pre-
_ did
sent, whatthey think the pressure in
here a little
office in Vine-street was likely to be, wehe
suitors were in general very numerous, and of a very
low condition in life ? The Learned Counsel then
called the following witnesses in support of the
defence :
Joseph Slack, examined by Mr. It'
--EADEL—I am
the Chief Commissioner of the Court of Requests,
in Vine-street. I recollect my attention being called
to Mrs. Teasdale on the day in question, by her
forcing herself tip to the bar close to me. She
stayed there a few seconds and then fainted away.
I ordered every attention to he paid to her. Shortly
afterwards, I heard a great
disturbance in the outer
court, which appeared to be
it.
the floor • bnt
could not see what occasioned •
t. Fowler is an nip-
cer of our court, and •
urmg the time of this scuffle: