The Sun.
London, England, 1827-07-25 00:00:00

SUMMER ASSIZES.

OXFORD CIRCUIT--ABIN GD ON, JULY 23.
The .commission was opened here this day by
Mr. Baron VAUGHAN and Mr. Justice LITTLEDALE.
The calendar is unusually light : it contains the
names of only 18 prisoners, and, with the exception
of one case of horse-stealing, none of them are
charged with any very serious offences.

• CIVIL SIDE.
•
THE KING V. CHARLES CLAYTON.
The defendant, a journeyman printer, residing, at
Reading, was. indicted, for assaulting Messrs. Ed-
ward Hawks and Thomas Lawrance, inhabitants of
that borough, in their capacity of churchwardens of
the parish of St. Lawrence. A second count charged
the defendant with a common assault.

Mr. JUSTICE opened the pleadings.
Mr. Sergeant LUDLOW stated the case ; and, after
detailing the facts, concluded by calling—
Mr. Thomas Lawrance, who stated that on the
12th of April last he went in company with Mr.
Edward Hawks, as churchwardens of the parish of
St. Lawrence, Reading, to the house of the defend-
ant, for the purpose of collecting a church-rate. On
demanding payment, the defendant said " it was a
Blue trick." The witness replied, " Bluc or
red, the rate must be paid." There had been no
appeal against the rate. The defendant was, then
behind the counter : he said to the witness, " I am
sorry when I met you the other alay, I did not floor
you—don't laugh at me now, or I will kick you."
That was all that was said before the defendant
came round from behind the counter : he then came
and caught the witness by the shoulder, and
pushed him against Mr. Hawks. He fell against
Mr. Hawks, and pushed him to the side of the shop.
Witness remonstrated with the defendant for his im-
proper conduct; he told him such behaviour
.would
avail him nothing, as they merely Caine
.to collect
the rate, which must be paid. The defendant then
attempted to push Hawks out of the door. He had
not previously required them to go out of his house.
Hawks being against the door-post the defendant
did not succeed. He then took hold of the door,
and tried to force Hawks out by squeezing him be-
tween the door and the post. Hawks could not get
either one way or the other. The defendant's wife
then interfered ; the defendant opened the door, and
witness and Hawks both went out, and proceeded
on to collect the rates. Before the defendant pushed
witness, no violence had occurred.
Mr. TALFOURD, for the defendant, felt some re-
gret that the first time his friend (the Learned Ser-
geant) had favoured them with his presence here he
had not a case more worthy of his talents. The de-
fendant was a poor journeyman printer; he had been
indicted at the Reading borough sessions for this al-
leged assault, where a case of this sort would have
been best disposed of amongst neighbours. He had
been held to bail. The indictment had been re-
moved to the assizes—a case which would have been
a disgrace to the quarter sessions; and what would
have been the consequence if they found the defend-
ant guilty? He would be dragged up to London to
receive sentence before the Court of King's Bench,
when, after waiting term after . term, till the Court
could attend to such an important case, he (Mr. Tal-.
fourd) would venture to say that the only sentence.
the Court would pronounce would be, that the
defendant should pay a fine of Is. and be dis-
charged, while the unfortunate defendant would
be thrown out of bread, and ruined by the de-
lay. This must be the inevitable consequence
if they gave implicit credit to the witnesses.—
The Learned Counsel then -proceed to compare
the testimony of Hawks and Lawrence and
contended that if they were found to differ in
the story they had told—if they were found to have
been making offensive allusions to the circumstances
of the defendant, they had departed from the duty
of churchwardens, and taken up the character of
partizans; and the defendant was entitled to their,
verdict. Unfortunately for him, he could not avail
himself of the testimony of his wife, who had wit-
nessed the whole transaction, while these two gen-
tlemen might have corroborated each other's state-
ment. As they had failed in so doing, he hoped the
jury would by their verdict not give a triumph to
party spirit. He could not conclude without saying
that the case reminded him of the account given by
Major Sturgeon, in the Mayor of Garrett, where
he says, that " as he was returning to town in the,
Turnham-green stage, with Ensign Pattypan and
four others, they were stopped, robbed, and cruelly
beaten, by a single footpad."—(Laughter.)
Mr. Justice LITTLEDALE having summed up, the
Jury, after a short consultation, found the defendant
Not Guilty. •