NORTHAMPTON PETTY SESSIONS.
Reaping Extraordinary.—Richard Garratt, a burley Hampshire reaper from Petersfield, was charged with being drunk and disorderly. About twenty minutes before six yesterday he was going along Regent-square flourishing his bean hook about like an ancient Briton, and followed by an admiring multitude. Mr. Colledge’s servant girl happened to be cleaning her master’s window at the time, and Garratt made, or affected to make, a cut at her ankle as he passed. He went into the Bull, and laying down his reaping hook, somebody who had seen the peril which had threatened the girl’s leg, wisely secured the weapon, upon which he became disorderly, and was taken into custody. He was sorry, he said, for what had happened; very sorry, for he was going into Yorkshire, and there he ought to have been instead of in a station-house at Northampton. He was fined 5s., and 2s. expenses, and was allowed a week for the payment—a privilege which he seemed duly appreciate.
‟Thus bad begins, and worse remains behind.”—John Miller was charged with assaulting police-constable Gammage in the execution of his duty? Gammage found him lying by the West-bridge, drunk. The constable tried to persuade him to go quietly home, but he said he shouldn’t go either for him or his masters. Gammage then took him into custody. Near to St. Peter's church he tripped up the constable’s heels, and threw him on his back. His own story was that he was going peaceably along, when he suddenly found himself seized by the collar. He endeavoured to pull himself away, and the police in an opposite direction. He was fined 5s. and 4s. 6d. expences and in default 14 days’ imprisonment.—Mr. Keenan said there was another charge against him in the county for stealing a gun, which he had taken to go a poaching. He pawned the gun, but after he was in custody his wife redeemed it, and returned it to the owner.
More Extraordinary Still.—Jesse Butcher, another black-bearded reaper, was charged with being drunk and disorderly, and assaulting the constable. He came into the town with Garratt. He got into the Shakespeare, and flourishing his reaping hook about, threatened to scalp the whole establishment, guests and all. He had been among the Snake Indians, where he became accomplished in lifting hair. The worthy landlord of the Shakspeare takes after ‟bald-fronted Caesar,” and presents no forelock to hold by, otherwise he would probably have been by this time in a condition to announce an unprecedented attraction at his music saloon singing an Indian war song in character, with his own hair at his girdle. After the defendant was ejected from the Shakspeare he became so violent that was necessary to take him into custody, when he aggravated his offence by assaulting the police. He was fined 5s., and 4s. 6d. expences, or seven days’ imprisonment in default.