London Adjourned Sessions...
The Times, 1824-06-26T00:00:00

The only case of any ptiErlic- nrtereS tWss an inuicztent against a ; fellow named WiUigr,n Nc ai, ; arising out of circsm-.: s;ances of very frequentvecurrence i thp .pu:bc streets. The prosecitor, Mlr. Constantine Dri -, a pork.butcher ii t Tooley"street, stated, that he was riding witg jf' sEyvant in a light chaise-cart, on the 20th of February last, atld> a pIstiig alrng Wathiug..sereet1 he camne up with a very heavily M*ntown.carl, drawn By two horses, and driven by the prisorier. T%ere not behn2 suffident room for him to pass it, and as it rained very h-td at th.e time, he would speedily have been wet through it; followin at the slow pace the prisoner s cart was going. He called to him cnivl te desire him to pull up on his own proper side. Tki &e appeaTed willing to do immediately; and, having made saufficlet t rooni he was attempting to pass, when the prisoner instantly ittZI)a kis horses across, so as to bring the two vehicled in contact. AW'. however, saw the trick in sufficiellt time to prevent its tsiking effect,- and, by backing his horse, preserved botb his haisd5 sd probab)y his life. Again the carman was desired to pull up, an 'agappesred to comply, but just as she chaise was ceming abreast,of his cart, he repeated the trick, and MUr. Briggs and his chaise ver, narrosdv escaped being overtLrned a second tiine. A third_tdme-th,e de fp. dant was called to, and again he made an opening,' hrough wv s AIr. Briggs with some dexterity managed to get safely, the caire attmpting, but too late, to repeat kis former naniceuvre. Foiled in this, he flogged the fore-horse so as to force him out before the chaise, but Mr. Briggs being a tolerably good driver at lehgth got clearly past hirnm and was about to remonstrate with him on his con, duct, but was quickly prevented by the prisoner's setting on hinm with his cart whip, and violently belabouring both the servant and himself, the effects of which lie (M?r. Briggs) felt severely for a fortnight afterwards. The prisoner, in his defence, did not attempt to denty the previous -attempts to upset r. Briggs and his chaise, but endeavoured to justify the assault, by stating that there was not sufflicient roomn fo. Mr. JSriggs to pass, and that in attemping it he ranagainst hit fore horse, and drove him on the pavement, which had irritated him to strike him; but he called no witnesss to prove the truth of this assertion. The Jury, without hesitation, brouglht in a verdict of guitlty, and the RECORDER, in passing sentence, observed with greAt severity upon the conduct of the prisoner and others of his description, whoL seemed by their actions to be void of all feeling and cre for the' lives of his Majesty'ssabjects, or the carriages with which from their avocations they were necessarily brought in contact ; and it was the duty of that C,ourt, by severe punishmeats, to bring such persons to their proper senses. It was only at the last sessions,hesaid, that the driver of as wvaggon had been sentenced to seven years' transportatrion for a similar act of wantonness towards two persons in a gigs by which one of them lost his life; and if loss of life had ensued in the present instance, and frsm the superior weight of the cart, It ap- peared almost an act of Providence that it did not, assuredly the sen- tence of the Court would not have been less severe. It wag neces. sary, however, to make an example of him, as a warning to carmew in general. and he accordingly sentenced him to six months' inpri_ sonment in the Giltspur-street Compter. LONDON ADJOR.NrD SESSIONS, FtRTAY, JtU 2 .