The Statesman.
London, England, 1810-12-05 00:00:00

MIDDLESEX SESSIONS.

Rickard Fonttrick was tried on an ndictment,
charging him with assasiting Thomas Funtum, at
the Mermaid Tavern, Hackney, a short time since.
It appeared that the Plaintiff and Defendant be.
longed to the Tower Hamlets Charitable Society, of
which the Dvfendatot was a Stalin* and that the
assault in question was committed on a day when
the Members of the Society had an Anniversary
Dinner at the Mermaid, on which occasion, in con.
sequence of some trilling dispute, the Defendant
struck the Plaintiff with a glass bottle on the head,
and inflicted a dangerous wound.
• The facts being clearly proved, the Court sen.
tensed the offender to ilty One of ten pound,.

Thomas Ashley was next tried on an indictment,
charging him with having committed a most violent.
assault on a person named Luke Severn, in the
month of October last.
It appeared from the testimony of the Plaintiff,
that as he was returning towards town in a one.
horse chaise, he passed through Kingsland Turn.
pike, at which he paid the usual toll, which enti.:
tied him to pass through the next gate, free .pt an.
pence. On his arrival at the stones' end, however,
the person who kept the gete, and who was merely
placed there as a/Merit:ivy keeper during the ab.
*mice of the man appointed by the Trust, demanded
six-peace, which was throe-halfpence more than
the legal toll, seppositig the Plaintiff had. not paid
at the former gate. The Plaintiff represented to
him that he had already paid, but he was told it did
trot signify, lie must pay again. Ficding it was
useless to altercate, he complied with the 'demand,
but determining to bring the fellow to an account.
for his imposition, he got out of his chaise, in order
fu obtain the name of the keeper, which he sup.
posed was hung ep as usual. At the moment of
his alighting, the Defendant, who watt the patrole
appointed to watch the road, by the Trustees, came
up, and accosted the Plaintiff with much insolence
inveighing with great warmth against his attempt to
impos.., es he termed it„ upon the gate.keeper.—
Theflaintiff, irritated, with great' reason, at the
impertinent interference of this man; asked him Ms
name, is order that he might include him also iii the
complelut he felt it his duty to prefer before the
Trustees. But to this he received no other return
than abusive language, which was Wowed by the
Defendant's dewing his sword and cutting at him
three times with great fury. 'He endeavoured, is
well as he could, to evade this unwarrantable at.
tack, and fortunately escaped without any further
injury, than having hid hat 'nearly levered in two,
pieces. Some persons miming up previenter fur.

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THE STA'

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ther mischief, and the Plaintiff pursued his course,
and on the nest day with great propriety preferred
the present indictment. The temporary. Rte.
keeper, by absconding, escaped the punishMent
which bis knavery would have certainly drawn on
his head.

'. ,

Several witnesses corroborated this statement.
On the part of the Defendant, it was urged that
the Plaintiff endeavoured to.seize his horses bridle,
which being a spirited animal, induced the Defen-'
dent, from the fear of injury, to draw his sword In
his own defence; but this assertion was unsupport-
ed by any satisfactory testimony.
The Jury, without hesitation, returned a verdict
of Guilty, and the CHAIRMAN, after a suitable re-
primand, sentenced the Defendant to one month's
imprisonment, which punishment has been preceded
by his dismissal from his employment.
Richard Jones was put to the bar, to be tried on
an indictment, which eharg,d him with acting in
concert with 20 other persons, in a riotous and die-
orderly manner, on the evening of the 25th of Oc-
tober last, by throwing squibs, breaking windows,
and other alarming outrages.
Our Beadk•rs may probably recollect that the
Defendant was one of the four persons who were
apprehended by the activity of Mr. Bray, linen-
draper, of Bond-street, together with Taunton,
and other Dim-street Officers, on the late Jubilee
night, two of whom have already been tried ;NI
convicted.
Upon inqt‘ry, however, as it appeared that the:
Defendant had hut very lately arrived in Londony
and was accidently drawn into the commission of
the offence with which he stood charged,• it was
agreed by the Counsel for the prosecution, at the
intercession of Mr. GURNEY, Counsel for the Do.
feudant, that the Prisoner should plead guilty, and
enter into recegnizances to come forward anti re..
ceive the judgment of the Court whenever he should
be called on, upon condition that fur the present
be should be discharged.
Mr. MAI swAntNg observed that the offence, to
which the Defendant had pleaded guilty was one
that tried loudly for punishment, and ought to be
put a stop to by some severe examples; as the
lower order of people seemed to have imbibed the
dangerous opinion, that they had a right to break
windows, and breed riots of a similar nature, with
impunity. The case was of such magnitude that
the Court had barely the power to pass it over
without the most severe visitation ; but as the
Counsel on both sides seemed to agree on the inex.
perience of the Defendant, and in consideration of
his general good character, the Court would, for
the present, suspend its judgment, in the confi-
dent hope that the example made of the two per-
suns who acted in cuttjuction with the Defendant
would operate as a wholesome warning to deter
others (ruin the commission of a like offence in fu-
ture.
The Defendant was then discharged, on entering
into recognizatices fur his future appearance, if re.

flared: -
Robert Anderson was then tried for an assault
which he committed on Joseph Barton, in the
month of October last.
Mr. Gulinty, the Counsel for the Plaintiff in
this important case, observed, that he had to solicit
the very serious attention of the Court and Jury to
the extraordinary circumstances it became his duty
to uufold. The Defendant, he said, carried on the
honourable profession of an old iron render, in
Green's-court, Pultency.street, Golden-square, but
unfortunately for himself, was a man of a most
quarrelsome disposition. The Plaintiff, on the con-
trary, who was a sweep of considerable celebrity,
combined in his personall the ad vantages of politeness
and perfect good humour, and was esteemed by all
his honest neighbours as a hard.wnrking unolfenditig
tradesman. To his misfortune, however, his back-
door opened into Green's-court, nearly opposite
the Defendant's house, and to this circumstance
might be attributed the rise and progress of the case I
On which the Court had that day to decide. On
the day when the assault which formed 'the ground
of the prosecution was committed, some paviors.
had been repairing the pavement of Green's-court,
and after having completed their task, they swept
their rubbish against the back-door of Mr. Barton,
whose wife shortly after discovered the fact, and
like a good housewife began to sweep it away.
While in this act, however, the Defendant made
his appearance, and after using language extremely
unbecoming a man of his pretensions to respectabi-
lity, he prepared to return the dirt, to its original
situation. The amiable Mrs. Barton instantly went
in search of her husband, to whom she recited the
conduct of the Defendant. Mr. Berton then came
forth, and with his usual suavity of manners en.
deavoured to complete, the job his wife had cum-
menced. In this attempt, however, although an
'execlical sweep, he was roiled by the Defendant,
I who bevies purchased a new broom fur the ucca.
rilon; incept back the dirt ttf its formeraituation as
fast as the Plaintiff pushed it forward, using during
the operation all those tropes and figures of elo-
qtletice which his acquaintance with the Belles keg!
trcs enabled him to quote. These addresses fast*.
I nately did not affect the Plaintiff, who being del:
cient in one of the senses, namely, that of hearing,
was der{/ to all the arguments which were urged
ageing him. The mildness of the Plaintiff only
raised the cholor of the Defendant, who now ar.
rived at a pitch of fury ; not content with sweeping
the court, with one blow of his broom nearly swept
off the head of the Mahal*, whose instant pros.
Station evinced the humidity of his .disposition.
The approach of some of the inhabitants of the
neighbourhood caused a cessation of hostilities,
and the heroes of the tale retired to their respec.
tire castles—the Plaintiff to reflect on the indig.
uity with which he had been treated, with the
coolness that became a man of sense, and the
Defendant to brood Over some new means of gra.
tifying his revetiv.--Well had it been for
him, bad be followed the good example of his
neighbour ; but no, his high spirit was not to be
appeased by ordinary means-11c prized himself on
his rank in life, and respectabNity of his trade,
on the thickness of his blood, and above all rot his
high sense of honour and gentlemunlg feelings.
These were 'indeed consderations of weight, anti
such as would lead any man forward in the paths
of glory. So it was wkb theDefendatit, his Mlle