Star.
London, England, 1822-01-12 00:00:00

FURIOUS DRIVING.

This was an appeal against a conviction and pe-
'ftalty of 1:10 given against Thomas Hall, the driver
of one of the Paddington coaches, for furiously driving,
by whieh the passengers lives were endangered.
Mr. ALsaIN, for the appellant, took several ob-
jections to the form of the conviction; which were
answered by Mr. WALFORD, for the respondent, and
over-ruled by the Court.
The following evidence was called to the facts :
Mr. G. Grove, a shoe-maker, of Tower-hill, stated,
that on the 27th of September he got up on the out-
side of the mid), at seven o'clock in the evening, at
the Star, in the City-road. Another coach happening
to pass that of the appellant, he called out—"
soon catch you, Jack." He then whipped his horses,
and they galloped on about 100 yards; he passed
then at a moderate rate till they got to the Blue Coat
Boy, when they stopped, and the appellant getting
off, jumped up upon his box, and said—" D—n me,
Jack, 111 cut his ear off." He then pressed his horses
on at a gallop again, till he came opposite Claremont
Chapel ; when,. in the act of endeavouring to avoid
another coach and a chaise, he gave a sudden turn,
which caused the pole to break.
It was answered, that this was from mere accident,
occasioned by the. coach going down hill, and the
weight of the passengers pressing on the pole.
The conviction, in the sum of £lO and full costs,
was affirmed by the Court.
There was another appeal, from a conviction under
The Coal-meters' Act, in the case of Cooper and
Green against Mr. Smart, the purchaser, for not al-
lowing the meter to measure when he came. Brad-
ford, the informer, was objected to by Mr. ADOL•
Puna, on the ground that he paid the expenses of this
appeal on his own part, and was interested in the pe-
nalty which he would receive if the conviction was
affirmed. He was examined touching the service of,
summonses, and the evidence being held insufficient
to Rapport the conviction, it was accordingly quashed,

Mawarces-Holulad—Yesterday the drieergi
e of
the Camberwell coaches was summoned, before
impeded the
the
for having
LoakeepnerMofarishaoapitsdgefite.nedsttleetOs: on the charge of a shoP•
business of his shop, by blocking up the access to it.
Gutt.eihau..—Yesterday, John Fleming, Esict
Kenningtoni-attended to prove his property in a ew-
foundland dog, which had been called in question
by a Gentleman of equal respectability. Mr. Fleming
on
stated, that it was lost by his servant the 28th of
May, and recovered on the 28th of August from a
baker at Camberwell. He bred the dog, and was as
children.
.to
Thhies icdoemntpihdty
naasnhte,
on
ncouthlde beethteor ohnnendo,f his
pro-
duced a diary of the principal events of his life, in
which was duly noted the receiving of the dog from
Mr. Chinn, of Gravesend; his being lost on the sth
of July, and brought home on the 28th; and being
amgetainthleosdtoogn
itnheT7oothieyof:
menand
stSreeeptronberthe ,t 'Twoinos
tfahnits,
took the direction of Mr. Fleming, but mistook Ken-
nington for Kensington. On seeing him again, he
was put into the hands of an officer. Mr: Fleming
rejoined, that. from the statement it appeared that
the dog the claimant; had lost was in his possession
from the end of July to the 7th of September ; now
the dog produced was in his (Mr. Fleming's) posses•
sion from the 28th of August, and therefore could
not be the same. He could produce the baker who
brought hint back, and a saddler who fitted him with
a collar on that day ; the butcher who had supplied
him with meat, and a host of other witnesses. The
faith of the claimant and his witnesses, however, was
not at all •shaken ; when Alderman WOOD erderedthe
dog to be restored to Mr. Fleming, and said the only
remedy for the claimant was an action of trover.
Bow STA 'MT.—Yesterday Mr. Lane, an attorney,
of Warwick-street, Golden-square, was brought to
the Office on a peace-warrant, granted against him
by Sir RICHARD BIRNI6 on Thursday, on the com
plaint of Mr. Coppinger, a merchant, residing in
Duncan-place, Leicester-square, charging Mr. Lane
with challenging him to fight a duel, and threatening
to horsewhip him. On the investigation of the cir-
cumstances before Mr. HALLS, the Sitting Magistrate,
it appeared that the parties had dined at-the Blue-
posts chop-house, in Col k-street, on Wednesday, and,
after ail the company had left the room except them-
selves, Mr. Lane charged Mr. Coppinger s;ith having
spoken disrespectfully of the character of a Lady to
whom he was attached, and for which he demanded
the satisfaction of a Gentleman, throwing down his
card on the table, as a token of a challenge to fight
a duel, which Mr. Coppinger did not accept, but rang
the hell, and, on the waiter answering it, he desired
that his master might be. sent to him : on the land-
lord making his appearance, Mr. Coppinger claimed
protection from him while in his house against any
act of violence threatened by Mr. Lane, which the
landlord promised to afford him. Mr. Lane, how-
ever, persisted in giving his challenge, and assigned
as an additional reason, that Mr. Coppinger had
spoken disrespectfully of-the character of his (Mr.
Lane's) mother when they had met at a boarding-
house, they having been acquainted previous to their
meeting at the Blue-posts. Mr. Coppinger persisted
in his refu,al to fight a duel, assigning as a reason,
that he did not think Mr. Lane was of equal rank in
life for him to meet him. Mr. Lane protested. that
AS Mr. Coppinger would not meet him to fight a duel
as a Gentleman, he would post him as a coward,
and horsewhip him whenever he met him, as soon
as he was provided with a weapon of that descrip-
tion. Mr. Lane replied indignantly to the observa-
tion of Mr. Coppinger, that he thought the profes-
sion of the law quite equal in rank to that of an Irish
merchant, or dealer in fat bacon. Mr. Lane admit-
ted that he had committed a breach of the peace,
and gave bail, himself in 1.7.50, and two sureties in
1.:2.5 each, to keep the peace.
TOWN-HALL, Sournwanz.—Yesterday, Mr.
appeared before Alderman J.J. Sanest, to strew cause
why he neglected to maintain his wife. The proceed-
ings were instituted by the parish officers, from whose
statement it appeared that Mrs. had applied to
them for relief, stating her abandonment by her hus-
band, in consequence of which they granted her
pecuniary assistance, by which means she became
chargeable to them, and still continued to be
Her husband had been applied to, and although not
averse to allowing her a settlement, yet he evinced
so much indecision upon the business, that they were
compelled to resort to the usual process in such cases.
Mrs. was then called forward to prove her
desertion. She was accompanied by her sister,
and approached with art air of humble modesty that
at once excited sympathy and respect. Her eyes,.
however, were red and swoln with tears, and she no
sooner reached her husband, than she suddenly seized
both his hands, and then dropping on her knees, cried
in convulsive accents—" Oh ! dearest, forg—:' A
violent rattling in the throat told the rest, and she
dropped senseless on the ground ; but still she re-
tained her husband's hands with the grasp of death !
The scene was pathetic beyond description, and much
more affecting than any tragedy of fictitious woes.—
The vulgar crowd drew back in amazement, and
even the constables, who daily behold human misery
in its most hideous and heart-rending forms, and
whose hearts (generally speaking) are steeled against
every impulse of humanity—even they were moved
almost to tears. Mr. for a moment surveyed
the deadly object before him, whilst the big drops
forced themselves into either eye. He evidently held
some violent conflict with his feelings; but, as if re-
collecting himself 311 at once, he dashed the pitying
tear from his eye, then exclaiming—" Forgive ! oh !
no more! no more I" and violently disengaging him-
self, walked to the opposite side of the Justice-room,
whilst the officers gently carried Mrs. into an-
other room; where every means were used for her
recovery. Shortly afterwards the defendant, who
had by this time suppressed the violence of his feel-
ings, again came forward to assure the Magistrate,
that although his behaviour might appear inexpli-
cable, it was not the result of hardness of heart, or
want of feeling, but was founded on a thorough eon-
viction that his wife had wronged him in a manner
which it would be criminal to pardon. He had mar-
ried her with every prospect of happiness seven years
ego, and she bad borne him two children, who were
'MU living under Ms own observation. His conduct
,cowards her was neither harsh nor Illiberal, and
during that period she had squandered away the sum

vcewl'lthiiireeitillarhavad
• of.rsooo,
respecting. which he hipaisrdeditz
notti"ecdireuherm'staandncesn"recener wtluyidtraforns
his dishonour and her perfidy beyond a doubt. fie
had in fact discovered, by letters in her possession,
that she carried on a criminal correspondence with
another MAO, and he then most certainly did exclude
her from his house, but he was now willing to allow
her any sum which the parish officers might name,
as sUlficient to maintain her in a secluded and re.
spectable manner; but to forgive her.the crime, and
again to take her -to his bosom, was what he knew
no law, human or divine, would recommend, and
what he, consistently with his notions of honour a: 4
morality, could not consent to.—The worthy Magi:.
trate appeared much affected by what had pas et',
but although he seemed sincerely to pity both parties,
he offered no suggestion on the case, except advising
the defendant to settle the matter with the pa: i,h, ft,r
which purpose he withdrew, and Mrs.— was shortly
after conveyed home by her sister.
A curious theatrical-looking, man was charged un.
der the folloWing circumstances :—About two (Aleut:
yesterday morning a watchman in Tooley-street
roused from his slumbers by some one solilo4uitit!,7
by the side of his box. The first sentence he heat,i
was—" "pis now the dead of night," to which he very
naturally replied, " Why to be sure it is, and
the devil a'nt you in bed?" The prisoner contin,,,,i
his speech, and presently he said something a1),),,r
44 graves yawning and giving up their dead,"
which the faithful guardian, is the simplicity of his
heart, mistook him for a body snatcher," and pro-
ceeded to take him to the Compter, wl:ich he accom-
plished amidst a torrent of poetical imprecations.
Here he was recognized as a constant customer, and
locked up in a cell, but before lota o'clock lie Lad
so far undermined the wall, that it fell with a terrible
crash, which brought two of the turnkeys to the ,pot,
who seeing the disaster, said—" Why, d—n it, old Eh.% ,
you've knocked the wall down!" To which the pri-
soner replied, " Aye, alone, too, I did it—boy!" lie
was then safely handcuffed : during the operation the
prisoner raved about eagles and dove-cotes, which gat e
rise to a suspicion that be had been concerned in tl.e
pillage of some hen-roost in the neighbourhood.—it
stas now ascertained that he nas a person who had
suffered a length of impri•onment on account of v.-
cuniary matters, and that his intellects were nct quite
sound. The Alderman ordered him to be kept in the
Compter until he could be passed tt.- his parish.

Sunday morning, four prisoners effected their escat e
from St. Augustine s jail, Cantcr!)ury, by forcing opei
their cell,. and making a breach in the walls; o❑e,
however, shortly returned and delivered himself up.
Tuesday, John Fuller, a coi.v:ct, escaped from the
Retribution hulk, laying at Sheerness; several solcars
and guards belonging to the ship went in immediate
pursuit, but without success.
Thursday se'nnight, the counting-house of Messri.
BURGESS, corn-dealers, of Maidstone, was broke opev.
The property taken away was between El. and L.
worth of copper money.