Old times : $b A picture of social life at the end of the eighteenth centuryAshton, John
History
Old times : $b A picture of social life at the end of the eighteenth century
Ashton, John
Great Britain -- Social life and customs
But the man kept up the feeling against him, by his own conduct, and
could not be quiet in prison. _The Oracle_, of August the 20th, has
the following account of "The Monster's Ball":--"The depravity of the
times was manifested last week, in an eminent degree, in Newgate. The
Monster sent cards of invitation to about twenty couple, among whom
were some of his alibi friends, his brother, sisters, several of the
prisoners, and others, whom we shall take a future opportunity to
notice.
"At four o'clock the party sat to tea; this being over, two violins
struck up, accompanied by a flute, and the company proceeded to
exercise their limbs. In the merry dance, the cuts, and entrechats, of
the Monster were much admired, and his adroitness in that amusement
must be interesting, from the school in which he acquired this branch
of his accomplishments.
"About eight o'clock the company partook of a cold supper, and a
variety of wines, such as would not discredit the most sumptuous gala,
and about nine o'clock departed, that being the usual hour for
locking the doors of the prison."
Williams gradually faded away from public notice until early in
November, when eleven of the judges met in Serjeants' Inn Hall, and
consulted on his case, which had been reserved. The questions were:
First, whether his having an intention to cut the person of Miss
Porter, and, in carrying that intention into execution, cutting the
garments of that lady, is an offence within the statute of 6th Geo. I.
c. 23, s. 11, on which he was convicted; the jury having, in their
verdict, found that in cutting her person he had thereby an intention
to cut her garments? Secondly, whether the statute being in the
conjunctive, "that if any person shall assault with an intent to cut
the garment of such person, then the offender shall be guilty of
felony," and the indictment, in stating the intention, not having
connected it with the act by inserting the words that he "then and
there" did cut her garment, could be supported in point of form?
Nine out of the eleven judges were of opinion that the offence,
notwithstanding the finding of the jury, was not within the statute,
and that the indictment was bad in point of law.
This decision reduced the Monster's crime to a misdemeanour.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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