Star.
London, England, 1810-08-22 00:00:00

COMENI

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kOSIZPS.

. tieILDFoRD, AUGUST, to.
CIVIL SIDEHOVCITICLS b. CIROVEC.
This was an action of slander. The plaintiff, by
his declaration, complained that the defendant had,
in the presence of divers.good and worthy subjects of
the King, called him a thief and a swindler. The
defendant had pleaded a justification, admitting that
he had spoke the -words, but asserted that they were
true, for that the defendant had .stolen a newspaper
and two pounds of mutton, the property of the de-
fendant. _ _

Mr. Serjeant SHEPHERD for the plaintiff opened the
case, and argued with great force on the value of
character, and represented the thing, the most trivial
in itself, of the greatest importance, by the plea of I.l'e
defendant, which imputed a serious felony to the
plaintiff which, if it had not been for the deliberate
plea of the defendant, might have passed as mere
words of heat and anger. He then called the wit-1
nesses to prove the fact, and in the event, it turned out
one of the most ridiculous stories that was ever made
the subject of legal inquiry. It appeared that the
plaintiff was an old gentleman of retired fortune,
living at Newington, and the defendant kept a public
house in that neighbourhood, where the plaintiff and
many others took their social cup of ale. One day
in May last a travelling bear-hard came with a dan-
cing bear to the door of the defendant's house, and
Bruin exhibited in all his paces to please the com-
pany. The defendant, the landlord, happened to be
very drunk, and after Bruin bad danced a• tuts sad,
which was pronounced by the company to be a most
graceful performance, the drunken landlord was in-
cited to undertake a ride on the bur's back. This was
also done, to the great delight of all the spectators.
The plaintiff thinking too much respect could not be
paid to a bear of such high accomplishments, cut off
the fit flap of a shoulder of mutton, for the purpose
of a relish for the bear. The landlord, it seemed, did
not relish this liberty taken with his meat, and drunk
as he was, he seized the plaintiff by the collar,, and
swore that he was a thief and a swindler. This vio-
lent action excited great alarm among the company,
who crowded round them, and amongst the rest, the
bear-hard. In this confusion, poor Bruin was forgot,
who feeling no interest in the quarrel of his ISM
friends, quietly walked off towards the dresser, and
there finding the remains of the shoulLier of mutton,
the flat flap of which had caused all this confusion,
he, without any molestation, contrived, through the
corner of his muzzle, to pick the bone clean. At last
the tumult subsided. It was impossible to make the
bear refund the mutton ; but a lawyer was sent for
who brought an action for the slander ; and among
many other bad effects it had produced on the .plain-
tiff, it was sworn that it had so discomposed his nerves
he was obliged to be attended by two physicians and
two surgeons, which Mr. Lawes, one of the Counsel
for the defendant, observed, were wholly unnecessary,
as the alone could sufficiently lied him. It
was also stated as an agravation, that the detend.int
had taken out a warrant against the plaintiff for felony.
Lord ELLk.N3OIiOUCaI lamented that a case so per-
fectly ridiculous should occupy the time of the Jury
and the Court, and advised that each should sit down
with their own costs, and, both parties agreeing in this
suggestion, a Juror was withdrawn.