The Statesman.
London, England, 1809-11-18 00:00:00

COVENT GIRDEN THEATRE.

MR. COWLAM.

This GentlemaitiilFrentains in a dangerous
'State at his friend's house, from which the Surgeon
is of opinion that he cannot yet be removed with
safety. The bruises with which the body of Mr.
Cowlam is covered, are more painful than they
Mere yesterday; the stiffness of his limbs is also
greater, and he cannot move without extreme pain
and difficulty ; the oppression on the lungs is con-
siderable) and Mr. Cowlain has expectorated much
blood.

FRIDAY EVENING.

We lament the painful necessity we arc under
of announcing a repetition of brutality by the
gang of Ruffians, of Whose nightly outrages the
public have so often been apprised.
The first act of The Woodman was performed,
with very slight interruption, to the slemkrett
audience that has yet been seen in the Theatre;
for, at , the rising of the curtain, there cer.
tainly were not five hundred persons present
in the house, of which the " orderlys" con-
stituted so great a majority, that it was with
ditficnlly we meald discover a few money vi.
sitors. In the second Act the company in-
creased, and in the third it was more simmer-
ous. At half price there was a further increase
of company, but the (louse was nut half
66 We Fly by Night" was as inaudible as the
greater part of The Woodman.
The corps of Ruffians was present, and that too
with a numerous reinforcement ; from the com-
mencement of the performance it was sasy to anti.
cipate a night of tumult, outrage and brutality.
Several attacks were made in the course of the
evening on the 0. P.'s, in which they generally
repulsed the assailants. At length a placard was
hoisted near the top of the Pit. This was the sig.
nal of assault for a strong corps who had concen-
trated themselves behind the back bench of the Pit,
from whence they rushed with great violence to
tear down the placard. A furious cuntliat took
place, in which, although several 0. P.'s alio
were on the outside of the body, were seized by
the officers in waiting, and hurried uff one by one
„the ruffians were finally repulsed.
Of the indiscy iminate attack_ made by these
raglans on every one N he happens to fall in their
way, the following isarrative of Mr. Wynne will
enable the public to form some opinion :
'6UTRAG2 BY r 11: FcRINDERy MEN FROM
fr.

QUELN-STRUET.
TO THE EDITOR Of THE ITATRSMAY.

request you to itistirt the following oar.
retire of sh4t happeued to me last Mild at Cu-
reut-Gardrit Tbestre.

I was standing on one of the Benches at the up-
per part of the Pet, tic.ir the bat.k seat, on which
the spikes arc fixed, si hen a placard was hoisted
two or three seats below me; several dirty-looking
men, I think more than a dozen, rushed from the
passage behind the first seat, and making directly
for the placard, a viuktst contest ensued, in which
great numbers wets at different titers thrown down.
At last the crowd pressed in the direction of tny.
self; and being uaable, from the great pressure
upon me, to get out of the way, I was at last
forced to the bark of the first seat, against which
I was so violently pressed, that so) head hung over
the spikes, upon whi:h my neck rested. In this
situation, sew, ral blows were made at my head,
which I endeavoured to deftild, by holding up a
small wislking.stick. At length I was seized by
several men, at the same mu►nwet, who, with great
violence, dragged me (as well as others) off the
seat, from amongst the crowd, in which I was
w ecl4ed ; and, being handed forward its sticets,ion,
to other men who were waiting below, I was
dr.igged on the ground Into the passage, and down
she steps, to the place where the money is taken.
•litre, on looking at my face, one of the men
" Damn it, Jack, that's not him; let him
" go, let him go ;" and they actually released
thy•. At that moment a matt of genteel appear.
ante, iu black, came up, and said, " Damn him,
but he shall not go," and a constable who came
up front the outward passage, instantly took um
into custody, and we went directly to llow-street.
Thu constable knew nothing about me, or of what
I was accused. At last a man said, " I'll
charge him," and presently stepping forward, he
told Mr. Guatt.sta that I had been particularly
active in a riot that had just happened, and had
wounded him scvorely in the inside of his hand,
which was then bleeding, by a slick, with which I
bad made a blow at a friend and fellow-workman
of Isis, of the name of Smith, and he had caught
it in his hand.

Mr. Gtt tu*asked his name? Powell.—What
was he? k 4, worked at an iron founder.y.—
Where? its Greet Queen-street, Lincoln's I tin-
fields.

Smith a then came forward and produced a sit.
vor.headed cane, eith which ho said I had 'newel&
him twice on the hat.
On being asked by Mr. GRAHAM what I hid to
say in answer to these charge‘, I related the sub.
stance of what I have already mentioned—adding,
as was the truth, that I had neither hissed, hooted,
or in any manner been concerned in the disbar-
bance—that I had struck nobody—but that with a
small stick which I had, I bad endeavoured to de-
fend my head from several blows that were made
at me whilst I was leaning over the spikes—that
the cane produced was not mine—and that 1 had
! never before, to my knowkdge,, seen either it, or
the men by whom I was charged nith the assault.
Here a Gentleman in the Office observed to Mr.
Graham, that Smith was the man who had been
accused of robbing a Gentleman of his hat, upon
which Mr. GRAHAM expressed great indignation
at his daring to appear before him, and ordered
him to be instantly turned out of the Office—
which order was accordingly executed.
Mr. Galmtm then asked Powell, if he thought
it possible that a blow from a stick could have
wounded the inside of his hand in the manner
that it appeared to be hurt ? Powell asserted that
it was so. "To ow," said Mr. Graham, " it
appears impossible—the wound seems to hare been
by a spike." " Pray what business have you at