Star.
London, England, 1819-08-31 00:00:00

POLICE.

Mansion-Harm—A soldier was
the LORD MAYOR, by a person
unprovoked
a most unpr
ap-
pearance, with having committedhurch-street. The com-
assault upon him in Gracec charged
accompanied by two
plainant stated, that he was a
when the
of respectabl
quietly along,
females, and was passing
assaulted him.
defendant rushed upon and before
The complainart's
much to the same effect, and were by no
aware, that the assailant had received the slightest
comions made a
provocation. part statements
his
ing offence to any person; but, notwithstanding
The soldier said, he was walking with
he was unable to bear.
intentaionof comrade
giv
and two young women, and had no
His profession was abused by the ge
disposition to be peaceable, he met wnittllan,iemanin:uhlot
from the complainant, which
Cain
the streets of
comments upon his being
lled him " a bloody soldier," and made some
offensive London. The consequence was some pointed lan-
guAagec,onwshtaicbhlee, rw‘dheod
.
ahrlrbivled time
ovis
enough to part the
disputants before much mischief was done,saniccll,intedhe
complainant was in liquor, and " prone to quarrel,„
and that the soldier was perfectly sober, and i
to forgive.
tter as
had
muTclhtei
nsoili,ilsiefra'svocoumr, t:lasnti
jolonssemofentthileonceodmtphleaimnaaia
described it to his prejudice.
The LORD MAYOR said, that if the complainant
thought the case one in which he was an innocent
sufferer, he might bring it before a Jury at the Quartet
Sessions. From the accurate investigation which had
thattakenis Lordship,
there place,
wasit g
, however,rea great
provocation a pe a
assault, if it
had commenced on the soldier's side. Pethaps the
military had never shewn, in the long course of their
appeared
dor to
thbe
patient suffering, greater proofs of their love of for-
bearance than within the last few years. Indeed, it
had become as much a part of the character of a
'soldier to forbear as to fight. A quiet citizen was an
'estimable character, but, enfortunately, the glass had
in its quick circulation,, the effect of turning round
the intellect; and when its victim met with any check
from one either under the civil or military authority,
the vulgar and cowardly cry of " He is a police-
.officer !' or "He is a soldier!" was immediately
raised ; and there were always numbers of idle fel-
lows to join in the attack, some from a taste for riot,
and others from a fear of justice.
The soldier was discharged, after having received
advice from the Loan MAYOR to observe the grand
military principle of forbearance as well as courage.
GUILDIIALL.—The business at this Justice-room
did not commence yesterday till nearly half past two
o'clock, in consequence of the non-attendance of the
Alderman in rotation, -who, it appeared, had left
town, without engaging any other of the Magistrates
to officiate in his steati. Every endeavour was used
to procure another Alderman, but without effect;
and the prisoners, to the number of 14, must have
suffered 24 hours' additional confinement, had not
the Lord Mayor, on being applied to for that pur-
pose, undertaken the duty, after the business at the.
Mansion-house had been gone through.
Philip Williams, a ragged-looking fellow, in the
dress of a sailor, was committed to Bridewell as a
rogue and vagabond, having been found secreted on
the premises of Mr. Bensley, printer, 80lt-court, at
two o'clock yesterday morning.
Rayner and Williams, two of Mr. Bensley's work •
men, said they were alarmed at the continual barking
of the yard-dog, and judging some one had entered
the premises, they clicssed themselves, went down,
and followed the dog into the machine-room, where
they discovered the prisoner, who said he had only
cone there to lie down. There was no way of get-
ting to the machine at that hour, but by climbing
either thewall or the gate.
The prisoner said he was a sailor, but had been
out of all employ for above six months. That he
supported himself by begging, and had no home.
John Perkins, a well-known yoting thief, was com-
mitted to Newgate for trial, on the charge of picking
the pocket of Mr. Dunstone, (of No. 30, West Smith-
field,) in Fleet-street, on Sunday evening. The pro-
perty was not found on him, but Mr. Dunstone and
a person of the name of Hewit saw the prisoner
throw the handkerchief awaya when pursued.
BOW-STREET.—Yesterday ore Swainson, a porter
in the employ of Mr. Baker, a tailor, in Bedford-
' street, Covent•garden, appeared at this Office, and
told a most extraordinary story of a burglary in his
master's Louse yesterday morning. He alleged that
he was startled out of his sleep by feeling a man grip-
ping his throat, and another holding his legs, and on
looking about saw three others ransacking his mas-
ter's closets. He asserted that his rage at seeing this
robbery was so great that he was enabled to break
away from his keepers, and by his vigorous exertions,
Succeeded in frightening away the whole gang ; but
not till he had been beaten, trampled on, and shot
at. A surgeon who was applied to to look at a slight
wound on Swainson's belly, was of opinion that it
had been caused by a discharge of pow der only ; the
only pistol found in the room was one belonging to
Mr. Baker. The robbers had carried off a tin box
with some notes. They left behind them a bludgeon.
—Mr. Thomas Baker, the master of the premises,
stated, that about twenty minutes past three o'clock,
lfemnmt schreisamowinng,prewmhicishesl:ehme•agsopteurpsu‘avditehd
yesterday morning, he was greatly alarmed by a vio-
a lir pcoe es
s idbelde
is
%r
erb
er oat
Ihseor -in
Ina;
ml a we d an
bdy
ths i set esrc,
re whoam nwge,r eg iont
up, and accompanied him down stairs. They pr
speed, armed himself with a cutlass, and went down
house,H
o-
tshtaeirs.
ceeded towards the counting-house, the screaming
appearing to come from that part ; they met a
' watchman in the passage, and in about two .or three
minutes after they met Swainson, the porter, who
was then koking extremely agitated and very pale ;
he was then only in his shirt, which appeared much
burnt in the front ; part of it was on the floor, hav-
ing been burnt off : this was produced in the Office,
and part was burnt to tinder. Swainson told him
the premises had been broken open, and he had been
nearly murdered, and strewed the bludgeon which
the gang had left behind, which was produced in the
Office. It was about two feet six inches long, and
appeared to have been lately cut front a tre; ; ab,o a
pistol, which proved to belong to Mr. Baker, and
was hanging in the counting-house, over the desk, in
a green bag, so that the robbers must have come