CHICHESTER.
THE CASE OF STABBING AT THE WHITE HORSE.—Last week we reported a case of stabbing which occurred early on Wednesday morning. The young man charged with the offence is Owen Griggs Mackie, clerk in the London and County Bank. The examination of the prisoner took place on the 18th (too late for our last week’s edition), and as the evidence of the witnesses is somewhat contradictory, we give it fully. The prisoner was first taken before the Mayor (R. G. Raper, Esq .) and he was charged with unlawfully wounding George Mant, with intent to do him some grievous bodily harm, at the White Horse Inn, South-street, on the same day. —Mr Titchener appeared for the defence. The following evidence was produced :— John Stoveld Coxon deposed: I am a grocer and baker, of Petersfield; I am at present staying with Mr. G. Mant, North street. I was in the bar of the White Horse, South-street, this morning about a quarter past twelve; Mant was there, the prisoner, and several other persons. Prisoner came in after | was there. I was at one end of the bar and prisoner at the other. Mant, prisoner, and Evans were talking together: I heard the name of Farndell mentioned. There were high words, and Mant and prisoner were standing in fighting attitude. Evans sald ‟Mind, he’s got a knife.” Prisoner struck Mant with it; this was the first blow struck, had there been any other before I must have seen it. He struck Mant on the chest; Mant took hold of him and put him back against the bar and prisoner stabbed him then in the back. I rushed up and took the knife from him; it is the one produced, and the blade now open is the one with which he stabbed him. Mant had a coat on but not his over-coat. They were both sober. I heard of no previous quarrel. When I took the knife he ran off. I ran him after but could not catch him. I went home with Mant. I afterwards saw the wounds, which were bleeding. I had been in the bar about an hour when this occurred.— George Hurlstone Elliott, MRCS., practising in Chichester deposed: I was called to Mr. Mant at quarter past one this morning by a constable. He was sitting in a room down stairs. I examined him and found a punctured wound in the left side of the chest, two inches below the nipple, over a rib, and about half an inch in length. As it was not bleeding I did not explore it. It seemed to take a direct course on to the rib. On the right shoulder, three inches from the spine, was another punctured wound of a similar character, in my opinion, piercing to the blade bone. Both wounds had bled but were not then bleeding. They were such wounds as the knife now produced inflict. I do not consider Mant to be in danger, but I think it would be prejudicial to him to come out now.—The case was then remanded until the evening, ‘At seven o’clock the Mayor went to the house of Mant and took his evidence. I am a baker, of North Street. The prisoner came into the bar of the White Horse where I was early this morning. stabbed him. Mant had a coat on but not his over. I stood at the passage door and he passed me with a dog. I said “How poor the dog is.” No angry words passed between us. It was about eleven when he came in: I went there about ten o’clock. He was at one end of the bar and I the other after this. I was talking to Coxon when prisoner came up to me and said he had lost a pipe like Coxon’s. Prisoner, referring to Coxon’s pipe, said how nice it has been mended. Prisoner said ‟I will take very good care I have it.” I replied ‟So would I, if it was a twelvemonth hence, if I had lost a pipe.” Prisoner and I shifted over to the front of the bar. Evans was standing near, and he said, in prisoner’s hearing, ‟Steady, George, he has got a knife in his hand.” He held it behind him, and I could not see if it was open or not. I took round him and tried to take the knife from him. I said ‟Jack, I am stabbed,” for I felt something go into my side. Before Coxon could get round I had another on the shoulder. I was holding prisoner at this time. Coxon took the knife and prisoner ran off. I saw blood on the knife when Coxon gave it to the police-sergeant. Before the talk about the pipe, I said something about his hitting Farndell. I saw prisoner hit him in the North-street some three months ago. I did not touch or provoke prisoner before he struck me except by talking of Farndell.—Cross-examined by Mr. Titchener: prisoner said his dog weighed 6lb. I said I could get one which could beat it. I did not add that ‟If he can’t beat yours I can beat the master.” Did not say, ‟I’ve been daggers drawn with you since Farndell’s row,” nor ‟I have been waiting to get a chance at you for some time.” I did not say, ‟If I were sure you would not County Court me I would drop into you now,” and I did not want him to swear he would not. I did not continue to ask him to do this, nor do I know why he went to the other side of the bar. I pulled off my overcoat after he was gone there. I did not say he should not get to the bank next morning. I did not rush up to prisoner, take him by the throat, and push his head over the counter. Evans was between us when he called out. It was then I tried to take the knife from him. I rushed at him then because Evans said he had a knife in his hand. I was not sober and not tipsy: I knew what I was doing. Prisoner did not come at me to strike with or without a knife. Evans said he would do it, and I then went and took hold of him. When the knife was taken away he ran off. I was not bullying him for half an hour before it happened. I only spoke about his striking Farndell.—Henry Stephen Evans, seedsman, living with his father in North-street, deposed: I went to the White Horse at five minutes past eleven: I saw Mant there, Gut, ‟Ben,” and others. I was leaving at a quarter past eleven, when I saw Mackie at the door, and he asked me to go in with him again as he should go home himself directly. Mant made some remark about the weight of the dog. Mant took the dog between his legs, opened his mouth, and tossed him down, saying he was good for nothing. he said he could bring a terrier which could thrash him. The matter dropped, and then Mant began wrangling with Guy; he was thoroughly disagreeable. Payne came into the bar, and Mant went with him into the passage. When they returned, Mant said he had a dog which would fight prisoner’s dog. Prisoner said, ‟He did not buy his dog to fight; it was only a lap-dog.” Five minutes after this Payne and Mant came to words. mant had been talking about how he could fight and what he could do. Mant came to the front of prisoner and said, ‟Your dog is no good,” and said that he could bring one to fight him for any amount, and added, ‟and I would fight the master after if he has no stick.” Prisoner’s stick was on the counter. Mackie said ‟Perhaps you will, what has that to do with me.” Mant said ‟I should like to punch you, but I won’t pay for it.” Mackie again said ‟Do as you like.” Mant said ‟Will you pull me?” Mackie had his pipe in his hand and was poking it out with a knife, or something like it. This is a common occurrence with him. Mant tore off his coat, rushed at Mackie, struck him and knocked him against the counter. He got his arm round prisoner’s neck and began punching him. I pulled Mant away and stood between. When Mant was about to repeat his blows, I said, ‟Look out, he has got something in his hand.” Mant struck me in the mouth, dashed in and closed with Mackie again, and there was a general rush on to Mackie. Prisoner rushed out of the house and Coxon started in pursuit of him. I did not see prisoner give any blow. This was just as I had been hit in the mouth.—Cross-examined by Mr. Titchener: Mant said to me outside the door after prisoner was gone, ‟You are a friend of his, I should like to knock your teeth down your throat.” I forgot to say that when wrangling, Mant said to prisoner, ‟if I thought you would not pull me I would stop your going to the bank to-morrow.” Mant was drunk or very excited. He was very noisy and troublesome all the time I was there. He was playing practical jokes on some man named ‟Ben” when I went in. After Mackie was gone he several times offered to fight me. He said, ‟He has pricked me,” and opened his shirt, and I saw that there was a stain of blood on it. He was there swinging the stick about for ten minutes after prisoner was gone.—Edward Foster, stableman, living in Snag’s-lane, deposed: I went to the White Horse about a quarter before eleven and stopped till 12.15. The first I heard was Evans saying ‟There is something in his hand.” I had been in the bar all the time but was talking to another man. I saw Payne and another rush in and take a knife away from Mackie. I heard no loud talking, and saw no blow struck. Except from what I have been told I don’t know that anybody was stabbed.—(This witness gave evidence most reluctantly, and constantly contradicted himself, but he had to enter more fully into the matter in cross-examination by Mr. Titchenor.—Cross-examined: I held Mant’s coat because I was nearest; they were going to fight or something. I don’t know what Mant did after I held his coat.; I don’t know if he moved. I did not see him strike anybody or anyone else strike him. I did not see him go up to prisoner, and I am sure that prisoner did not go to him. Payne and another rushed in, but I did not see who they caught hold of.—William Payne, colt breaker, deposed: It was near twelve when I went to the White Horse; there were five or six people present. Mr. Mant called me out (he had been having words with prisoner). He said to me in the passage, ‟I want to punch his head,” and went back into the bar and begun to talk to prisoner. He appeared to want to fight prisoner but he would not. There was a struggle between them. I don’t know which struck first. Mr. Evan’s said, ‟He’s got a knife in his hand.” I flew up directly and caught prisoner’s arm, and another man took the knife out of his hand. Prisoner ran away. I said to the baker (Coxon) ‟Shut that knife.” I was talking to Foster when it began. Prisoner ran out first, Mant followed, and I held the man who had the knife until prisoner was got out of the room.—Cross-examined by Mr. Titchenor: Mant pulled his great coat off; he chucked the coat to his man (Coxon) who held it on his arm. He then went up to prisoner and wanted to fight. I could not hear what he said. I saw Mant holding prisoner before this. That was all that Mant wanted to say when he took me into the passage; after a few words he came back and the scuffle commenced.—Several other persons who were in the bar at the time were called, but did not appear to know any thing further about the assault. The landlord was in his bar parlour and did not see anything of it until he heard the scuffle which followed the blows being struck. He said he went in then to look after his glasses. The knife was produced by the witness Coxon; it was a common-looking penknife with several blades.—Prisoner reserved his defence, and was committed for trial at the Assizes.—He was admitted to bail; two gentlemen at once stated their readiness to be his sureties, each for £100.
Mey's Tem. PERASCE aND Tue GRANTING OF —Our readers know that the Rev. Geldart Riadore invited the working men of the city to meet for the discussion of points above mentioned at ‘he Assembly Room last Thursday evening There he meeting, but by degrees the room began to was not a great nuntber present at the opening of ceremony left the ground. LITeRary Society aND Insrirere —On Wednesday last the Rev. Noel Fearn was to have given the results of a personal vicit to the Churches of Asis Minor, by way of a lecture before the members of this society: but weather was so excessively bed that no sudience assembled, and, enmsequently, although the lecturer was present, no lecture was delivered The snow was falling heavily at the time and the streets were an inch or more deep in slippery slush, so that no one, having any regard of his health, would venture out, even to hear about the Churches of Asis Minor. Socrery, of the committee held 9 found that the fimances of this society are in a healthier condition than they have been for some time Arrangements were then made for an exhibi- tion to take place in June next The schedule of prizes to be then awarded was drawn up with mech jodictous care One or two unimportant tems were struck out of the lists, and in the place of them the number of prizes offered for really useful and attractive was ipereased. If we get as good » display as we did last year everybody whose is worth anything will be satisfied ; a better show we can hardly expect to sce in provincial town Mk