At the Bow Street Office, on Saturday, Captain Marryat, the
author of Peter Simple, Sec. and editor of the Metropolian Magazine, pre- ferred a charge of assault against Mr. William Johnson Neale, the. au- thor of Cavendish and the Port Admird, and his brother, Mr. Melville Neale. The Captain thus stated his complaint-- On the previous Wednesday afternoon. at about four o'clock, he was passing the New National Gallery, Trafalgar Square, when he met the two defendants, who came up to him and stopped his way, both carrying sticks in their bands. Mr. William Neale then approached him and said, " Captain Marryat, I be- lieve?" Witness then replied, " Even so." He wore a heavy boat-cloak at the time; and seeing, from the attitudes of the defendants, and from their raising their sticks, that they meant mischief, he threw his cloak from his shoulders and hung it on the paling surrounding the new building. Mr. W. Neale then said, " I have come to tell you that you are a coward, a liar, a blackguard, and only want courage to become an assassin." Having uttered these words, he elevated his stick and struck at him ; but he stepped on one side and ftvoirled the blow. Captain Marryat in turn raised the stick which be carried, and 'truck eke de- fendant with it on the head, whereby it was broken into pieces. He thencissed with him; but he had retreated across the road before he caught him. Ile immediately knocked him down, where he held him for somt time. The other defendant, Mr. Melville Neale, then came up, and struck witness with a stick on the back of the head. He rose to repel this second attack ; when Mr. William Neale regained his feet, and, having been already deprived of hie stick, took up a piece of granite and threw it at his head. Witness now endeavoured to secure the defendants until the Police should come up; but they both took to their heels, and made their escape. This was all he bad to state.
Captain Marryat then underwent across-examination by Mr. William Neale; with a view to show, that though the two brothers were walking together, only Mr. William Neale was engaged in the assault—that Melville Neale did not carry a stick, but an umbrella — that Captain Marryat's stick was loaded, and that he struck Mr. Neale when down ; all which the Captain denied. Mr. Neale wished to give the Magi- strate some account of the origin of the quarrel ; but this was not allowed, and both the defendants were bound over to appear and take their trial at the Sessions for the assault. Mr. Melville Neale has since denied that his brother was knocked down by Captain Marryat ; . he says that he fell over a heap of stones. The running away he also denies, all the parties moved off to avoid being taken up by the Police, none of whom saw the scuffle.
Mr. William Neale being prevented from stating the nature of the provocation be received, before the Magistrate, has published in the newspapers a series of letters that passed between the parties previous
to the fracas in the street. Some account of these letters, as part of the week's literature, will be found in the review of Will Watch, Mr. Nestle's new novel] Mr. Francis Valentine Lee, a barrister of the Oxford Circuit, was charged on Tuesday with threatening to horsewhip Mr. Shutt, the Marylebone Magistrate, and provoking him to commit a breach of the peace. Mr. Lee was accompanied by two brother barristers, Mr. Phillips and Mr. Godson. Mr. Shutt stated his complaint— That on Saturday last he was accosted in the public streets by Mr. Lee, who addressed to him curtain worde—namely, " ecounelrel, liar, and coward ;" adding that he had a great mind to horsewhip him, and at the same time hold- Mg up a whip in rather a threatening attitude.
Mr. Lee being called on to explain his conduct, said— - " I certainly do not mean to deny the words; and, as a professional man, I am quite aware of the consequence of haviwg used them. I know, also, that this is neither the time nor place to explain the nature of the circumstance which induced me to act as I have done towards Mr. Shutt. At the same time, I am quite prepared nOW to state briefly the provocation I received." Mr. Lee then proceeded to mate that he received a communication from a friend of his, a gentleman named Turner, stating that when he (Mr. Turner) was balloted for, as a member of the Clarence Club, he was objected to by Mr. Shutt, who told Mr. Buddy Williams, of the Oxfotd Circuit, that he (Mr. Turner) was the associate of blackguards; and being asked to whom he alluded by the term " blackguards," and to point out one of them, he replied that he alluded to Mr. Lee, of the Oxford Circuit; to whom he had himself applied to his face, the epithet" liar !" with impunity. "Mr. Shutt subsequently admitted," continued Mr. Lee, "that he used die expressions to u hie!) I have alluded, but refused to retract them, or to afford me that satisfaction which was due from one gentle- man to another. I have here some letters, which 1 am desirous of reading, in justification of my conduct." Mr. Lee then produced several letters, and was about to read them.
Mr. Shutt here started up, and objected to the letters being read ; and Mr. Halls, the Magistrate, decided that they ought not to be read. He then asked Mr. Lee if he denied having used the offensive words. Mr. Lee—" I certainly have no wish to deny any thing, nor have I come here for that purpose. I believe the expressions imputed to me, as addressed to Mr. Shutt, are correct, with one exception. 1 think the words I used were, Liar, blackguard, and coward,' and I might have added scoundrel.' I am not quite sure that I did not.) At all events, I have no reason now to retract my words."
Mr. Sbutt—" You may say what you like of me in private; but I will not be insulted by you in the public streets."
Mr. Lee—" You should not have compelled me to adopt that course by re- fusing to retract your slander, or to afford me the satisfaction of a gentleman."
Mr. Shutt—" You know that the situation which I told precludes use from adopting such a step, even if I felt justified in meeting you."
After some further altercation, Mr. Lee was bound over to keep the peace towards Mr. Shutt and all his Majesty's subjects for twelve months; himself in 400/. and two sureties in 2001. each. Messrs. Phillips and Godson became Mr. Lee's sureties.
Digby, the notorious informer, was charged on Thursday with re- ceiving money to compromise informations. He will be prosecuted by the committee of omnibus proprietors, and will not lin allowed in fu- ture to lay any ir. formations at the Bow Street Office.
Several omnibus-drivers and conductors have been fined at the Police-offices during the week, for imposition and assaults. On Thursday, one of these fellows was fined .5/. at the Queen Square Office, for seizing one of his passengers by the ear, and tearing it shockingly, because be remonstrated against being taken to Regent Street Circus, instead of Bond Street, according to agreement.
William Hill, the driver of the go-cart in which it was suspected thatCubley the soldier, who was robbed and assaulted at Battersea, was conveyed, was reexamined on Monday, at the Union Hall Office. A blue coat, cut up, and a shirt with some blood on it, were found in a cup- board at his house ; and there was some discrepancy in the account he gave of himself on the evening of the robbery, and that of a witness whom he called on his behalf. He admitted that he had been drinking with the soldier at the Rockingham Arms, near the Elephant and Castle, and that he got a fly far him from a neighbouring stand ; but said that be did not go with him in the fly : he knew the names, however, of the men who did go in the fly. On Tuesday, the soldier was brought to the Office, but did not recognize the prisoner. All that he could tell about the affair was, that after having drunk too much, he left the Rockingham Arms to go to Battersea ; and after walking some distance, he asked the way to the Reverend Mr. 'Weddell's, of a stranger whom he overtook. He then walked on for some distance further, and again inquired of another man whom he overtook, and who walked by his side. As he was walking side by side with the man be had last spoken to, the latter turned suddenly upon him and struck him upon the bridge of the nose with something sharp, and with such force as to knock him down and render him, insensible. He added, that he had no remembrance of any thing afterwards until his wounds were being dressed at the house of the surgeon in Battersea Square. The prisoner was remanded.
It was stated in evidence before the Magistrates at Bow Street on Thursday, that no less a sum than 2800/. had been paid to common in- formers within twelve months, for the purpose of compounding infor- mations against the proprietors of hackney-carriages.
Previous page
