Game Law Squabbles.
The Times, 1824-09-27T00:00:00

Zit John Utgr6avepreferred a complaint against one of the under. keepers of Estrl Groavenor, named Jone&. SirJohn then spoke..Mr. Mayor, I am here to lay a conmplaint I against ills maTa for insulting and threatening me. On T'erday morning last I sent a letter to Evans, my tenant, inforiniirg himn I intended to gr is couraing. Accordingly, we went in the fields be- I hind nmy bouse, with another man, Vernon. The field we were in wag cloteto the plantation, when Jones came u*, and said that he i hrad becn sent by Roberta of the l,odge to watch tne. and to tell mne that I must go oat of the field wtich belonged to Earl Grosvenor. I had,. never seen hint before. I thought this most extraor- dinary, and particalatly as coming from one for whom I II. I one so rttuch as I had for Lord Grosvenor. But that doe', not matter: for I've found out oftenl the villaiur of' the I keepers (loDking at Mr. Davies). Liat year my dogs were poi. I goted by somne one. But I'll come to the point: so % en the man caTne ul. hislarge Newfoundland dog set upon mine, atnd he cried out, D-n his dogs, let him worry them." Is this to be borne? wouldi any gentleman stan d surh treatment ? I von't tbr one, and if I can't have Tedress here, I'll indict hin; li'n detern1 r,ed on that. Jones.e-Opentlemn, Roberts of the Lodge came to rne and said tbat Sir J'bhn was out, and if he went off the three next fields, he would be on his8 Lordslhip'e land, and- Sir John.-But I've not done yvet. le further said, tlhat 'he next I time I canme there he'd bring a gun and he'd marit nic wi It it. Jones..Ideny I said anything of the sort: it's not likely I should. Sir John....&In order to show yea how poaching is .oing on titere, I weTit over to the plantation, and there I saw Joseph Hughes anld another with along pole, not 30 yards from me; he was beating tip there, end I saw them drive two hares into gins. I have the g:ns I mnyself. *as it likely that Lord Grosvenor's men could not have teen thisi? On another ocwasion I eats a mtnn who was a stranger to me, because he was bettef dressed than Lord Grosvenor dreqses his keepers. I was atterwerds told that he was Lordi Hel1-rave's keeper. r saw hiim shoot a hare, and put it intn his pocket. I lecoved him as iar as the Loelge an(i there he asked mv name. I said yny nanie was Cotgreave, tbor was itot ashazmed of it; and I told fhim if' lie di I not produce the hare, I would fine him for having game in his I possesion. I got the hare from him<, and I sent it to a widow ladev. a neighbour of nine, over the Way, and I'd a good deal of tfun about it; for I sent it with Lord Belgraye's colftufirents, and sefi after. wards told me that she was in high favour at Eaton, as his Lordship l had sent her a hare. Now, I should not woistder it' that niian had been setting gins, for I saw him take a liare out of one. Alr. FI ICHCTTA1 MADD0Co..-What it; YOU wish, Sir John, to have this man done with ? Sir John.-WVhi to be bound over-I shall insist upon it. I have been treated in a shameful wav they've poisoned my (togs, nod not only that, but I think tuy'lifet's in d,nger; a fortnivht agu I feun(d a pistol loaded svitit bll, placed in a gap where I usually stand. That could net be to kill game. I assure you, fIr. Alavor! 1 ve in a very bail neighbourhood, and I considei myself in daniger. Vernon, Sir John's 'witniess, was then called upon, and lie corro. borated the knight's allezation. We were oil Sir .fohn's land, and i the man (Jones) jumped over tile hedge, and aild if wre killedl a hare there, he won Id take it. I did not hezr him say any thing about threatening Sir John. Evans, the other witness, tas tice interrog-ated bv. Sir John I did not l,ear the man thireaten at atll, nor did I hear hin say a wordl about a gun. Sir John...-.But I'll swear it; I'll make an affidavit of it. Jones_.-All that I said to Sir John was, that if he came there atgain, I must serve him with a proper notioe. I was not then aw.Tre that Sir John was on his own land; Roberts. of the Io dge. said he must be orciered off. T saw hiin, however, eni Samuel Harding's land, and that belongs to Lord Grosvenor. Sir Johtn._Tlcre is a commorn road there. I was crossing to Bax_ ter's field. Jones.-I then said, t( Sir John, you are trespassing." At that tinte his servants were beating the sides of the hedge ; Sir John-! have been very ill-treated. Every tlhing hias been done to annoy me; the plantation is brought down cluse to my field but Provietiece Iles so ordered it, that the hares comne oUT of' the plantation on my land, aned I can kill seven or eight w here I could not before kill one. I 'oppose I am to give every accommodation lo Lord Grosvenor, but am to have none my-elf'. It's only the other day that his Lordship wanted one of my fields because it 'lay conve. nient for the new road, and I gave it to himn immediately. 'And yet I always do wrong ' I am just like Uriah's wife; and it ghows what a misfortune it is to live near a great man. I am determitied. how. ever, to be treated like a gentleman, as I ought to be. The MAYOR.-I arl sure Lord Grosvenor would never demand any eltitg that is uaraeasorable. 'lre Town Clerk now proceeded to take Sir 3ohn's deposition. ini whieh he swated, that Jones - hal threatened to do hirn some gevous bodtily harm, and he fears he will do hia sacme grievous boldilyhm" The MSAYoR (to Jones).-Sir John has agreed net to proceed l further, if Vou will promise not to ofFend in future. Jones.-I will ziot speak to him, Sir, if he will keep off Loid Grosvenor's land. The 'Town Clerk.-But you must do that legally; there are legal means of doingthat. Sir John.-The land .1 geoerally go on is Sir John Egertrn's, and belongs to the manor of Handbridge. 'When I was Sheriff, I had a walf ofF the same land myself. HIere the conversation sltopped. Sir John agreed to pay expenses, and the afflir terminitted. - OAMf LAWSQUArSBBLES. - CHESTER POL.OFVTlf'IE.