The Sun. — 1848-10-14 (London, England)

SOUTHWARK.  William Foster, a tradesman carrying on business as a tin-plate worker in Union-street, was charged before Mr. Cottingham with inflicting a severe wound on the head of Henry Hyne, a hatter, with a life-preserver.  The complainant, a portion of whose head was strapped with adhesive plaster, stated, that he had known the defendant for a considerable period, and that they were always on the most amicable terms; that he was in the habit of visiting at his house; and that he went there on Wednesday night, and saw his wife, the defendant being from home at the time ; that while he was there the defendant returned, and without the slightest provocation rushed upon him with a life-preserver and struck him with it on the head : that he was confident he would have murdered him there and then had he not escaped out of the house, and that it was only miraculous that he was enabled to effect a retreat, as the wound inflicted by the blow cut open his head, which bled profusely, and a medical man pronounced that if the blow alighted on a different part of the skull it would have killed him. As it was he (complainant) was extremely ill from the effects of the attack, and was incapacitated from attending to his daily avocations. The defendant, in answer to the charge, said, that for some time past he had suspected that an intrigue was carrying on between his wife and the complainant, for the latter always took an opportunity of calling at his house when he was absent; that in order to satisfy himself on the point, he concealed himself in a cupboard in the house when his wife supposed he was from home, and had not been long there when the complainant made his appearance, and from the conversation that he overheard between the parties he was satisfied that he was correct in his conclusion as to the nature of their intimacy. He, however, remained in his hiding place until he heard the complainant and his wife go up stairs, and when he was in the act of getting out of the cupboard he threw down some pots and kettles that stood in the way ; the noise made by it alarmed his wife, who came running down with a candle in her hand ; he met her on the stairs, and, rushing by her, sprang into the room where the complainant was, and in the height of passion attacked him, not with a lifepreserver, as he described, but with a large streetdoor key, with which he struck him on the head. He added, that he had correctly described the circumstances, and only regretted that he had not " given him much more," and should have done so had he rot made a precipitate retreat from the house. Mr. COTTIMIIIAM said that the explanation just given by the defendant threw a very different light upon the affair, and that if he had grounds for supposing that the complainant was carrying on an illicit intercourse with his wife, such provocation was sufficient to cause him to take summary vengeance on her seducer.  The complainant declared that there was no foundalion fur such a suspicion, and, as he had said before, he and the defendant had been on very intimate terms, and he merely went to the house to see him, not expecting he was out, and that he only went upstairs into a room where goods were kept, and he wished it to be ureiersood that he did not go into any bedchamber. He added that the defendant was a man of a violent temper, and that it could be proved that he had maltreated other persons without just cause. The defendant denied the latter imputation on his character, and said he defied him to prove his assertion. Mr. COTTINGIIAM said that it certainly was a very savage assault, and might have ended in the death of the person who was attacked. The defendant, howt leer; had given an adequate reason for his attack on the complainant, and as the latter had states' that his assailant was in the habit of attacking persons without cause, he should allow the case to stand over until Monday, in order to bring forward witnesses to prove his assertion, and that in the meantime the defendant should enter into his recogniaances in the sum of 401. to appear on Monday.