The Statesman.
London, England, 1821-10-30 00:00:00

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MDDLBSISI giSelota.

,P;

Mrs. Despise:a, a person of respectable appeavaisee.
her &setter, a child about Itit years of age; sad thir-
teen boys from the age of eight so fourteen, were pat
to the bar, on an indictment for a riot at Bromine's.
There were five other persons in the indictment, four
of whom pleaded misnomers, and one did not come in
for trial.
Mr. Avoi.rnos, who was Counsel for the prosecu-
tion, stated to the Court that Mrs. Middleton, the pro-
secutrix, from motives of kindness, wished to have two
of the youngest %bye acquitted. They were accord-
ingly given in charge to the Jury, and a verdict of ac-
quittal taken.
Mr. Atomism proceeded to state the case. [We
mentioned some of the particulars of it in our Police
Report, when the defendants were brought up at Bow-
street, to be held to bail.] He said that no reason
could be assigned for the riot by which Mrs. Middle-
ton bad been injured in her property, her person, and
her feelings, but that she chose to keep in her house a
considerable number of cats. OS the 13th of August,
an immense mob assembled before her house, some of
whom barked like dogs, some mewed like cats, a$ all
appeared determined to demolish her house, ithich
they so far effected as to compel her to fly for safety.
Mrs. Middleton, the prosecutrix, deposed that, on
the day mentioned, about five o'clock in the evening,
a crowd of boys, amounting to about 150, collected be-
fore her door; the crowd continued to increase till it
was dark, at which time there were about 1,000 per-
sons present. They threw stones at her doors and
windows, and broke all the lower windows in the
house, also the blinds. When she looked out at any of
the windows they cried out, "There she is ! Murder
her! Stone her to death." Some of the stones struck
her violently, from the consequences of which she bad
been suffering ever since. The witness identified all
the prisoners.
Mrs. Wilkinson, who was going to Mrs. Middleton's
house about six o'clock on the evening of the 13th of
August, saw a crowd of 6 or 700 persons before the
house throwing stones at the windows. She remained
till nine o'clock, for fluid not get near the door. Mrs.
Wilkinson, the molter of the last witness, corroborated
her evidence. Two other witnesses proved the riot
and injury done to the prosecutrix's house.
Mr. BRODERICK, for the defendants, said, the riot
bad been entirely caused by Mrs. Middleton's having
cruelly beaten the young female defendant ; and that
she was certainly mistaken as to some of the defend.
ants being present. The Learned Gentleman called 19
witnesses, some of whom saw the prosecutrix beat the
young female defendant, Hannah Denman, at her door,
about five o'clock on the evening of the riot ; and
others of them proved alibia on the part of some of the
defendants, and that the others, though present, took
no part in the riot.
The CHAIRMAN, in charging the Jury, observed,
that had it not been proved in evidence be should
have thought it impossible that a riot of the character
and continuance that had been described could have
taken place within a mile of the metropolis and no
peace officer be brought to quell it. It was scarcely
less surprising that none of the grown persons who
were present had been indicted ; bad any of them been
found guilty of such a heinous offence the Cyst woul4
know how to deal with them, but iihsattl sity of the'
present defendants be found guilty it would be a mat-
ter of great difficulty to know how to dispose of them.
He hoped, however, that whatever the verdict might be,
the proceeding that had taken place would serve to
prevent the recurrence of such a disgraceful outrage.
The Jury, after a short consultation, acquitted all
the defendants.

Mrs. Middleton declared, with great emotion, that
after what had taken place she could not sleep in ber
house without a guard.—The Magistrates assured ber
she should be protected.