Star.
London, England, 1819-11-29 00:00:00

LAW DrITLLIOSNCL

CGURT OF KING'S BENCH NOVEMBER 27.
PROCEEDINGS AT COVENTRY.
•
TILE KING V. GOODALL AND nTHEN.S.
It will be recollected, that on a former day Mr.
CHITTY obtaked a Rule to shew cause why a Crimi-
nal Information should not be filed against Mr.
Goodall, the High Constable of Coventry, and two
other persons, named Bateman and Rickards, for al-
leged outrageous conduct, in violently diipersing a
Public Meeting, held in the neighbourhood of that
city, assembled for the purpose of taking into consi-
deration the transactions at the Manchester Meeting,
and wounding a great many perso.is with staves,
'loaded with. lead.

The SoLimon GENERAL now shewed cause
against the Buie, on a great many affidavits. The
circumstances disclosed in these affidavits were in
substance :—that Mr. Lewis was the Editor of a
Newspaper, called The Coventry Recorder; that he
was one of the persons who had attended at a Meet-
ing, convened . some time before, at Birmingham, to
elect Sir Charles Wolseley as a Legislatorial Attor•
ney ; that,a short time previous to the Meeting now
in question, Mr. Lewis had published, in his Paper,
various inflammatory paragraphs, tending to disturb
the public mind ; that, in particular, he published
one n:inching the aiieged conduct of the Yeomanry
and Magistracy at the Manchester Meeting, of a
most violent and exciting nature.' That the Magis-
tracy, apprehending the most serious consequences
from these publications, should the intended Meet-
ing of the 15th inst. take place, caused a body of five
or six hundred Special Constables to be sworn in,
for the purpose of preserving the public peace. That
the Meeting of the 15th inst. accordingly took place,
at which upwards of five thousand persons were as-
sembled. On that occasion various flags and ban-
ners were exhibited, of a nature the, most violent and
inflammatory. That when the constables made
their appearance, for the purpose of seizing these in-
flammatory ensigns, and before any thing was done
on their part which deserved the denomination of
violence, a general cry resounded through the crowd
of—Lc Close columns—now is your time, or never!"
Upon which the people linked themselves together,
and, in an instant, a volley of stones was discharged
at the constables, many of whom were wounded se-
verely. That the constables were guilty of no vio-
lence whatever, and that so far from their being
armed, as alleged, with staves six or seven feet in
length, and loaded with lead, they had no weapons
with them other than such slight wands as are used
by the attendants on Courts of Justice, merely to de-
signate their characters as peace officers ; and all the
said wands were afterwards .examined by one of the
deponents, he having been the person who had dis-
tributed them, and that none of them were so loaded
as stated in Mr. Lewis's affidavit. The Learned So-
licitor said he did not know whether his Learned
Friends, on the other side, wished him to detail the
contents of the very numerous and satisfactory affi-
davits with which he was furnished on this occasion,
they having had an opportunity of seeing them, but if
it was their wish, he would go through the whole.
Mr. DElrstax (with whom was Mr. CHITTY and
Mr. HILL), immediately interposed, and !aid that he
had no such wish. He confessed, that after looking
at the affidavits alluded to, it did appear to him that
they distinctly negatived the violence imputed to the
constables, and, therefore, he could hardly expect
the Court to make this Rule absolute, when the
statement of violence proceeded from a single indi-
vidual. He should abstain from making.any obser-
vation on the mode of sweat ing adopted in the affi-
davits, because, as the ground upon which this ap-
plication was founded had been removed, this Rule,
in his view of the case, must be discharged.
Mr. CHITTY bowed assent to this proposition.
Ilie SOLICITOR GENERAL then prayed that the
Rule might be discharged with costs.
Mr, DENMAN said, he had one observation to
make upon thin, namely, that in making this appli-
cation, Mr. Lewis suggested no imputation against
the Magistracy.
The CHIEF JUSTICE.—You are bringing these per-
sons before the Court on grounds which fail you,
and therefore the Rule must be discharged with coats.
•Mr. DENrtAN.—I am not resisting the motion for
costs ; I am merely saying, that Mr. Lewis imputes
nothing improper to the Magistrates.
Rule discharged with costs.
THE KING '!7. BOWDITCH AND SUTTON.

Mr. Serjeant PELL moved to have the Rule, which
he obtained in this case on a former day, to shew
cause why a Criminal Information should not be filed
against the above-named defendants, for circulating
in the town of Taunton, a libellous hand-bill respect-
ing Miss Maria Glenn, who, it will bt recollected,
was the prosecutrix in'a case of abduction, and which
-occupied a considerable portion of the public notice,
made absolute.

Mr. SCAELETT, Mr. GURNEY, and Mr. JEREMY,
shewed cause against the Rule, as far as Mr. Bow-
ditch was concerned. They admitted that Mr. Bow-
ditch had handed the paper in question to the printer;
but at the same time they submitted, that it had been
brought to him by Sutton, and that upon• reconsi-
deration of its contents, he sent to the printer to de-
sire that it might.not be printed on his responsibility.
Mr. Sutton afterwards went to the printer, and 'di-
rected him to print it on his account.
Mr. Serjeant PELL addressed the Court in support
of his. Rule, and cthrimented with some warmth on
the conduct of Mr. Bowditch, and the mischievous
tendency of the measures in which he had been con-
cerned towards Miss Glenn.

The COURT, upon a review of the affidavits, con-
sidered that the fact of Uowditch's not having sent to
obtain the paper back from the printer sufficiently
justified them in sending the matter down for trial.—
The Rule against both the defendants was then made
absolute.