The British Press; or, Morning Literary Advertiser. — 1825-08-26 (London, England)

BATTON-GARDEN, Afro. 25.—An " operative" of the name of Gunstone was brought up this morning on a charge of assault upon a fair lady, answering to as many names as a Spanish gran. dee. The more plebeian appellations of Smith, Lewis, &c. by which she was occ.-sionally known, were however, this day laid aside for the single and sonorous designation of De Margent. It appeared front the complainant's statement, that on Monday night last, )ust about the witching hnur " when church-yards groan, and graves give up their dead," she was aroused from her balmy dumber by the cry of "murder," proceeding from the adjoining apartment, dedicated to the sole and separate use of a lady of the name of Allan. Superior to the idle fears which ope. rate so forcibly upon most of her sex, she leaped valiantly out of her bed, and shrouded only in her chemise, hurried to the supposed scene of slaughter. Here she discovered the prisoner, hlr. Gun. stone, also a fellow-inhabitant of that most commodious of all pos. sible tenements, No. 6, St. James's-walk, Clerkenwell, engaged in the most chivalrous enterprise of attempting to strangle the afore. said Mts. Allan with both his truculent hands; when, on her yenturing gently to suggest the propriety of his allowing that maltreated lady to breathe the upper air a little longer, he saluted her with a volley of epithets of all others the most uumusical to female earn, miscalling her " human face rarzine," and insinuating, in terms too plain to be mistaken, that her whole body politic was actually and bona file that of a female dog. A retort was unavoidable; Mr. Gunsto.le was informed that he was no gentleman, nor did he behave himself as sic/c. An immediate release of the gasping Mrs. Allan was the consequence, and all Mr. Gunstone's vengeance di. rected agamst the solitary chemise which alone prevented the breezes of midnight from visiting Mrs. De Margent too roughly. Here, in imitation of the Roman orator of old, Mrs. De blargent began to unfold the garment in question, but his Worship, who probably feared the too strong excitement of sympathy which so pathetic an exhibition was likely to occasion, positively forbade its production; and the lady, having told her tale of woe, now " paused for a reply." But a charge of this nature is easier made than answered, and Mr. G. was forced to admit that lie had, on this melancholy occasion, " put an enemy into his mouth which had stolen away his brains,", when, meeting with 51w,. A., who, as well as the prosecutrix, he considered to he absolute noiuncca, the devil had somehow put it into his head to sin against gallantry as he had done, when Mrs. De Margent, unadvised, "coming between the tiger, and his wraeh," certainly came in for her share of maltreatment. He was, however, now sober and sorry, and had already offered every apology in his power. The worthy Magistrate, however, seemed to think something, more was due to offended justice, and ordered him to find brill to answer AN his conduct before twelve good men and true at the next Sessions.  Four privates of the lit Regiment of the Foot Guards were brought before the Magistrate for having pawned two pair of regi. mental trousers, at Mr. M•Cree's, in Gray's-lon-bine, for be., contrary to the articles of war, which make it eritnival fur any soldier to dispose of regi:i.ental property. The pawnbroker attended, and Mr. Sergeant SE T.LO le informed him that by the 154th aection of the Mutiny Aet, lie was liable to a penalty of 61. t,:r receiving any clathang, accoutrements, Ike. from a soldier.  Mr. tree said, as there were no regimental marks on the 'rouser'', he had taken them in pawn in the ordinary course of busiresa.  The Magistrate thought no pawnbroker could ..nistake the nature of the articles, and conaidered Mr. M`Cree's conduct highly re. prehenaible. The Sergeant of the Company to which the men belonged was sent for, who, on his arrival, stated, that Col. Woodford, their coin. mending officer, had, in other inetances,,convicred pawnbrokers in the full penalty for offences similar to the present, and he had no doubt the same course wool,' be pursued in this case. I'wo of the soldiers were dismissed as not being implicated in the charge, and the other two went, given into the custody of the sergeant, to be tried by martial law.  MAI Lao 110