Star.
London, England, 1823-08-30 00:00:00

FATAL AFFRAY.

FURTHER PARTICULARS, &C.
Thursday three soldiers belonging to the Ist regi-
ment of Grenadier Guards, who gave their names
William Powell, William Shakspeare, and John Spencer,
were brought to the Mary-la-bonne Office, on the
charge of having killed a man in a pugilistic conflict.
William Brammis, serjeant of the regiment, stated
he was fishing at the Paddington Canal stop-lock,
about half-past four o'clock on Thursday afternoon,
when his attention was attracted by a noise in the
Harrow-road ; he approached the place, and near the
Red Lion public-house he saw a kind f general bat-
tle, but he particularly observed the prisoner Spencer
in a fighting attitude before the deceased man, who
was named Norman, and who also appeared in a
boxing position, the two prisoners Shakspeare and
Powell acting as seconds to Spencer. The witness
commanded the soldiers to retire; and on their ex-
pressing disinclination to obey his order, he took hold
of Spencer, but he released himself and rushed to-
wards the deceased, who was ready to receive him :
he saw the deceased fall, and he never rose again; his
hack was towards the deceased when the blow was
given, and he did not see it struck: it must have been
given suddenly by Spencer, on his breaking away :
he had no idea that the deceased was in danger. The
man died in his presence in about twenty minutes.
Edward Belcher, of Westmorland-street, Mary-la-
Ronne, deposed, that he was in the gardens of the
Red Lion, Harrow-road, where the three prisoners
had been all the day playing at skittles ; this was
about five o'clock, and on the waiter coming in, they
wished the dustmen, who were sitting outside in the
road, to play; but were informed it could not be al-
lowed, as they could not be admitted. The soldiers
then went into the road, and the gate was locked.—
The witness remained in the gardens until hearing a
disturbance in the road, he looked and saw Spencer
and the deceased Norman fighting, and he believes
the prisoner Powell was acting as second. The sol-
diers, he believes, were rather intoxicated, as they be-
haved very improperly in the skittle-ground. There
were only two rounds fought ; and on his going from
the garden to the road, Spencer was about 30 yards'
off from the deceased, who was then dying. Spencer
said—" If I have killed the man, I am sorry, and it
is a bad job." The dustmen, who were friends of the
deceased, who was also a dustman, were rubbing him,
and endeavouring to restore him to his senses and ani-
mation, but without effect.

Bradbury, a constable, into whose custody the pri-
soners were given, said the others were fighting as
well as the soldiers. The seconds of the deceased
were dustmen, named John Fletcher and John East;
they had fled.
The Magistrate directed the constable to endea-
vour to secure them, and also t• procure the attend-
ance of witnesses who could speak more distinctly
to the nature of the quarrel. -
The prisoners were remanded to await the result of
the Coroner's Inquest.
The Inquest on John Norman was held last night
before THOMAS STIRLING, Esq. at the Red Lion Ta-
. vern, Westboume-gteen, Paddington, and the fol-
lowing evidence was adduced :
William Davis, 13, Chapel-street, Mary-la-bonne,
apprentice to Mr. Davis, a surgeon, attended the de-
ceased yesterday afternoon, between five and six
o'clock : found the deceased quite dead, in appear-
ance recently so; did not bleed him, being perfectly
satisfied he was dead ; no marks of violence appeared
about his person ; cannot state what occasioned his
death. The witness, after some further questions,
said, there w•as a swelling under the left ear : it • did
not appear to be a violent blow; no one else had ex-
amined the body. The Coroner considered it very
strange no other Gentleman was called on to exa-
mine the body, as he understood some persons had
been detained respecting it.
The Coroner and Jury then retired and took a view
of the body; and on their return one of the Jurymen
said he considered the body should be opened by
some Medical Gentleman in the neighbourhood, and
after some further conversation, Mr. Snell, of Cha-
pel-street, was sent for.•
Stephen Bunn knew the deceased previous to his
death, in the capacity of a dustman. As he was
coming down the road, on Thursday evening, he saw
a soldier stripping to fight; a few words passed be-
tween him and the dustman ; they then had one round,
when the dustman stripped, and ran into the soldier,
catching him by the neck; he held his head (viz. in
chancery), and struck him several times in the face
and other places. The first blow was struck by the
dustman ; the soldier returned the blow. They both
fell, and the soldier fell undermost. They again met,
but who first struck he cannot say ; it was, he consi-
dered, a fair fight ; he did not see any foul blows ex-
changed, and the soldier was again undermost. The
third and fourth rounds then passed, and in one, de-
ceased was struck down by a blow in the abdomen
by the soldier; it was struck sufficiently low to make
a foul blow ; he did not rise from the blow : wit-
ness left while he appeared dying. There were no
blows struck by either party while on the ground ;
nor any kicking or struggling.
Mr. Thomas Doughty, surgeon, of Portman-place,
had examined the body, and could find no wound
below the abdomen sufficient to cause death, and hav-
ing examined the head and body, he could find no
extiavasation of blood on the brain. Great exertion,
as fighting, would cause a rupture of a blood-vessel.
The CORONER summed up the evidence, and, after
a short consultation, the Jury returned a verdict of—
, Apoplexy, caused by great exertion in fighting. The
investigation occupied until ten o'clock. The deceased
has lett a wife and three children, living at present in
James-stieet, Lisson-grove.

_„_

NAP AL FETA
PLAY, BALL, AND SUPPIR, OW BOARD HIS MA/ISTY.3
SHIP BRITANNIA, AT PLYMOUTH.

The Officers of the above ship gave an elegant en-
tertainment on Monday evening last, to the Nobility,
Gentry, and visitors of Plymouth and its environs.—
Tickets were issued for the admission of 300 persons.
At six o'clock boats were stationed at Stonehouse,
and the other rendezvous, for the embarkation of the
company ; soon after which a brilliant assemblage of
fashion and beauty were collected in Sir ALEXANDER
COCHRANE'S cabin, the Commander-in-Chief (who re-
ceived them with his usual urbanity), consisting of die
Earl and Countess of Sr. G ERM A I NS, Countess of
MORLEY, and her son, Lord BORINGDON, Hon. Mr.
PELHAM, Admirals Sir EDWARD THORNBOROUGH and
Sir MANLY and Lady DIXON, Sir J. BRUCE, &C. Sec.
The Theatre opened with the Play of the Rivals, the
characters as follow :
Sir Anthony Absolute - Mr. Sons..
Captain Absolute - - Mr. Wauscrr.
Sir Lucius O'Trigger Mr. BENTHAM.
Faulkland - • - - Mr. Wu.siNstot.
Bob Acres - - Mr. Dunes.
Fag - Mr. Gums.
David - Mr. HZATIMAL
James - Mr. blugao.
Coachman - - Mr. Lsscau.ss.
Mrs. Malaprop - Mr. HARVEY.
Lydia Languish - Mr. TYLDON.
Julia - Mr. SYKES.
Lucy - Mr. LINDSEY.
It might be considered almost invidious to particu-
larise any person, but the Sir Anthony Absolute of
Mr. Scene was so admirably pourtrayed, that it
would have received the approbation of the London
Boards; the rest of the characters were well cast, and
the representatives of the Ladies, sustained by the
young Gentlemen, would have been more effective,
could they have divested themselves of the timidity
attendant on a first appearance. In the meeting be-
tween Acres and Captain Absolute, as Beverly, when
Sir Lucius O'Trigger is arranging the ceremony of
the duel, the evening gun was fired, which, from the
coincidence, had a startling effect on the Ladies.
After the play, the ball commenced. On the com-
pany ascending to the quarter-deck, the scene ap-
peared enchanting ; do awning was suspended from
the main to the mizen-mast, the interior fitted up with
flags, in the costume of a Turkish pavilion, the after-
part of the quarter-deck brilliantly illuminated with
variegated lamps; the word "Britannia" was con-
spicuous, as well as the King's _arms, and different
devices, embellished with laurels and flowers, form-
ing bowers and recesses, surrounding the platform'
of the quarter-deck and poop. The deck was chalked
very appropriately with nautical emblems. The
ball was opened at eleven o'clock, by Lieutenant
BERTRAM and Lady DIXON, with the lively tune of
"We'll gang nae mair to yon totan,"which was followed
by quadrilles, sustained with great spirit until one
o clock, when supper was announced. The tables were
I arranged en the middle gun-deck. The supper con-
sisted of every delicacy the season could produce, and
the wines were excellent. The company, although so
numerous, found every accommodation. Many loyal
toasts were drank, and hilarity and good humour
were depicted in every countenance. After supper
the dance was renewed with great glee, and the com-
pany did not all separate until Aurora began to peep
on their festivities. During an interval of the qua-
drilles, the piper of the BRITANNIA struck up a Scotch
reel, which was elegantly performed by a Lady and
two of the Officers, much to the gratification of the
spectators. The evening was calm, and the bosom
of the ocean uniuffied. The general feeling seemed
to be, what every Englishman wishes—" May Britan-4
nia ever rule the waves."