The Sun. — 1837-08-01 (London, England)

THAMES POLICE.  ATTEMPT TO DROWN ♦ BOY.—Yesterday a waterman named Richard Harwood, of Woolwich, was brought before Mr. BRODERIP and Mr. COlf BE, charged with committing a violent assault on a youth named Robert Hendrick Goddard, the son of a respectable tradesman, and attempting to drown him.  Th• prisoner was convicted on Saturday in the penalty of 51. by Mr. BRODERIP and Mr. GREENWOOD for the assault in question, but the latter gentleman not having been able to qualify for Kent since the death of his late Majesty, the judgment was suspended until yesterday, and the case was again heard. It appeared from the evidence that th• complainant possessed a boat, a small dingy, twelve feet long, which he kept alongside Mr. Koff's wharf, at Woolwich. On Tuesday last the complainant saw the prisoner in his boat, towing his own, and supposing it to be in danger, he asked Harwood to get out of it, which he refused to do. Young Goddard then engaged a waterman, named Crout, to put him on board, which was done, and the prisoner was again requested to leave the dingy. The prisoner refused, and knocked down the lad against the thwart of his own boat. Goddard soon recovered himself, and the prisoner seized him by the collar, and using dreadful imprecations swore he would drown him. A scuffle ensued between them, and the prisoner laid hold of the prosecutor, and forced him over the side of the boat into the water, swearing he would drown him like a dog, The boy held on by the prisoner's collar, and saved himself. He recovered himself again, and the prisoner repeated his attempt to drown the lad, exclaiming, " You --, sink you like a dog." Goddard held on by the gunwale of the boat, with one leg in the water and the other out, and he must have inevitably perished had not another waterman hauled him away, and dragged him into his boat in a most exhausted state,  Mr. R. M. Goddard, sen., confirmed the evidence of his son, and stated that some persons came to his house and told him that Harwood was drowning his son. He repaired to the spot, and saw Harwood forcing the lad into tl-e water, and swearing he would drown him like a dog. There were fourteen feet of water at the place, and his son was nearly gone. The defendant afterwards came upon the wharf to which the witness belonged, and swore he would drown the boy some day or other, and used language of the most horrible description. Mr. Goddard added that Harwood was a most determined ruffian, and had used such threats that he was really afraid of his life. Crout, the waterman who took young Goddard into his boat, said the lad was knocked down in the most brutal manner, and that Harwood made a deliberate attempt to drown him by forcing him into the water.  The prisoner in defence said that his own boat, by some accident, was sunk, and he got into a boat to tow it ashore, but his own boat being too heavy for the pram he was obliged to jump into Goddard's boat to save his life. Young Goddard came into the boat and ordered him to go out. He asked him where he was to go, and they had a scuffle. The lad attempted to shove him overboard, on which he said, " If you want to drown me I'll drown you first ;" and he then forced him into the river.  Mr. BRODERIP asked if it was necessary for the salvation of Harwood's life to jump into the other boat? Crout said  certainly was not.  Mr. ComaE, in confirming the original decision of Mr. Broderip and Mr. Greenwood, said that it was very lucky for the prisoner he had not drowned the boy, or he would have been tried for murder. He sentenced him, in default of paying 51., to two months' imprisonment in Maidstone gaol.