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
After soliloquising some time in this style, he began a long history of
his having gone from Spring's to Burn's, and Burn's to Spring's, and
betting upon the "match for Monday;" and taking the long odds at one place
and giving them at another, till the magistrate and everybody else was
quite weary of it. So his worship discharged the prisoner; recommended
_Mister_ Burn not to addict himself to "shaking in the hat," directed the
city officer to return Mr. Freshfield his 300_l._ "cheque," and advised
Mr. Freshfield to put it into his pocket, and return to his native woods
as soon as possible.
A SUNDAY'S RIDE.
Mr. Lester, a respectable elderly man of considerable property, residing
at Battersea-rise, applied to the magistrate for an assault warrant
against a person whom he described as a high-flying linen-draper, carrying
on business in Parliament-street. The warrant was granted upon his
affidavit, and Mr. Highflyer was shortly after brought up in custody; but
as the magistrate had been called from the bench for a few minutes, he
seized that opportunity of making an _atonement_ for his misconduct to the
party complaining, and so escaped the Sessions, though the assault and
outrage he had committed were certainly most sessionable.[20]
It appeared that this Mr. Highflyer had determined on taking his spouse
for a ride in a gig--we beg his pardon, in a _tilbury_,--one Sunday, and
that they did take a ride in a tilbury accordingly. They trotted gaily
along in connubial comfort till they had almost reached Battersea-rise;
but there all the connubial comfort evaporated: for--whether it was that
the motion of the tilbury swung away Mr. Highflyer's ordinary notions of
connubial concord, or whether the expansion of prospect around him
produced a corresponding expansion of the amatory principle within him, we
know not--but so it was, that about a quarter of a mile on this side
Battersea-rise, he bowed very gallantly to a pretty young woman who was
passing; and she familiarly nodded in return. Now this might be all very
innocent, but his wife thought otherwise; and she took so much umbrage at
it, that high words ensued. In short the "green-eyed monster" took
possession of all her perceptions; and Mr. Highflyer, in the buoyancy of
his heart and tilbury, carried it with such a high hand--so cavalierly as
it were, that his lady declared she would not ride another inch with such
a faithless creature, and insisted upon his setting her down directly. And
cruel Mr. Highflyer did set her down _instanter_;--instead of trying to
pacify her, and convince her of her error, he coolly set her down and
drove on without her. This was nearly opposite Mr. Lester's house on
Battersea-rise; and as Mr. Lester looked through his window he saw the
lady sitting on a low wall by the road-side, weeping and sobbing most
piteously. Mr. Lester, though as sturdy a John Bull as ever thrust carver
into smoking sirloin, has much of the spirit of chivalry in his
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
Reviews
Reviews
No reviews yet
Be the first to share your thoughts on this work.
Elsewhere in the archive
Join the Discussion
Join the discussion
Sign in to leave a comment or review.
Sign InorCreate an account