Mornings at Bow Street: A Selection of the Most Humorous and Entertaining Reports which Have Appeared in the 'Morning Herald'Wight, J. (John)
General
Mornings at Bow Street: A Selection of the Most Humorous and Entertaining Reports which Have Appeared in the 'Morning Herald'
Wight, J. (John)
Crime -- England -- London
It appeared by the evidence of Mr. Jonathan Dobbs, an operative
veterinarian (_vulgo_, a journeyman farrier), that Mr. Jonas Tunks, who is
a wandering melodist (_vulgo_, a ballad-singer) by profession, went into
the public-house in question, where Mr. Jonathan Dobbs, and several other
gentlemen, were taking a _déjeûner à-la-fourchette_ of sheep's-head and
pickled cabbage. He entered the room singing, at the very top of his
voice, the favourite _aria_, "Oh, Judy! my darling!" and one of the
gentlemen politely desiring him to shut his potato-trap, and not make such
a noise, he seized a pint of _heavy_ and drank it off to the gentleman's
better manners. The gentleman to whom the _heavy_ belonged, now swore that
Mr. Jonas Tunks should _post the blunt_ for it--that is to say, he should
pay for it. But Mr. Jonas Tunks would do no such thing--"Base is the slave
that pays!" he exclaimed; and immediately called for "a quartern of gin of
three outs," with which he offered to treat--or as a Corinthian would
say,--to "_sluice the ivories_" of the gentlemen present. The gentlemen,
however, would not accept his treat, and "Turn out the blackguard!" was
the universal cry; but Mr. Jonas Tunks was awake to the "_spree_," and
before his enemies could say "Jack Robinson," he capsized three pots of
_heavy_, scattered the pickled cabbage upon the floor, and very nearly
_bolted_ with the better half of a sheep's face! But, unfortunately, just
as he was clearing the threshold of the door, he received the well-shod
foot of the veterinarian in the rear, about seven inches and a half
below the waistband of his trowsers, and the concussion sent him half
across the street, without once touching the pavement! The veterinarian
and his friends, nothing doubting but Jonas was done with, laughed aloud,
and returned into the house; but Jonas was not the man to walk off quietly
under this dishonourable visitation of tanned calfskin, and before their
shout of laughter was over, he had dashed six panes of glass to pieces in
the front window of the house--or, to use a very expressive Eganism he had
_milled the glaze_ gloriously! He was immediately overpowered with
numbers, and handed over to the strong grasp of the Police.
[Illustration: JONAS TUNKS.]
The magistrate having heard the complaint (for the valiant Jonas scorned
to say a word in defence) immediately sentenced him, under the statute
above-mentioned, to pay the value of the glass he had broken--viz.
twenty-five shillings; and in default of so doing, he was consigned to
three months' imprisonment in Bridewell.
Now really this was a very ill-natured prosecution against Mr. Jonas
Tunks; for, after all, what was his offence but a trifling matter of
"_back slum_" Corinthianism?--as the great chronicler of _Life in London_
would phrase it--a mere trifling ebullition of vitality--a slight
manifestation of those lively principles which constitute a true
"Corinthian," whether in Dyott-street or Pall mall.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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