Some Selected Reports from The Windsor and Eton Express
19th April 1834
Disturbance with the Military - On the night of Wednesday last the peace of the borough was disturbed by a number of the Foot Guards behaving in the most disorderly
manner in George-street, flourishing their bayonets and making use of them upon the persons of any of the mob there congregated that happened to fall in their way. The Castle guard was
sent for to take the refrectory men into custody, and their presence and the exertions of our police soon restored order. One of the soldiers, however, who was in the custody of the
guard broke from them and struck Barnes the turncock, who was standing at the top of George-street, a most violent blow
in the face which brought him to the ground; and afterwards, this same soldier rushed at an old man named Tubb, who was
walking along the street carrying two pails, and felled him to the ground also. The police officers of the town, upon seeing the soldier break from the guard and continue to commit such
outrages upon the inhabitants, seized hold of him and conveyed him to the borough gaol. On the following morning the soldier was taken before the Mayor to answer any charges that might be
preferred against him - James Barnes appeared and charged the prisoner, whose name is John Eiden, with striking him a violent blow on the face without any provocation, as he was standing at the top of George-street, about nine o'clock on Wednesday night, complainant further stated that the blow knocked him down, and that while down on the ground he was kicked by some other soldiers-
Simms, the gaoler, and Lovegrove a constable swore that the prisoner was the man who struck the complainant, and Simms stated, that in taking charge of him, he the prisoner struck witness a blow in the face- Tubb was also present and stated that he had been struck to the ground by a blow from a soldier the previous night, but did not wish to proceed against the prisoner, if he were the man - Some
other persons were present also who had been wounded by the soldiers bayonets, but it was evident from what these persons stated, and from the evidence against the prisoner, that he had used only his fists in the affray. The assault upon Barnes being clearly made out, the prisoner was called upon for bail to answer the charge at the next Quarter Sessions in the Borough, and in default of which he was committed to gaol, to await his trial for the offence. Adjutant Hope, in the absence of the Colonel of the regiment, was present at the examination of the prisoner, and from the observations which dropped from that gentleman we are inclined to think some means will be adopted to prevent a
recurrence of such disgraceful scenes; and in the hope of not witnessing a repetition of them on this borough, we decline making such observations on this disturbance, as under other circumstances, we should have felt ourselves compelled to do.
A soldiers wife named Topp[?] was this day committed by Edmund Foster, Esq, to Reading gaol for stealing a piece of bacon from the shop of Mr. Wells cheesemonger, at the bottom of Peascod-street.
On Monday last a man named Charles Wilson was taken before two of the Bucks magistrates, Messrs. Freeman and Clowes, charged with having on the 12th inst., committed a most violent
and unmanly assault on a poor woman named Kezia Hawkins. It appeared that about noon on the day in question complainant was returning from her work in the fields, a short distance from her house, to dinner,
when she observed the defendant, an ill-looking fellow, promenading the environs of her domicile, taking care to keep out of public gaze as much as possible.
From his suspicious appearance, and thinking he was after no good, she went up to him and asked him what business he had there ? He said "You have some money, and some money I'll have." She replied, "there was no money there, and that he had better go away." Upon which he seized her by the neck, and struck her over the head with a stick he had in his hand. The poor woman endeavoured to resist
this ungallant proceeding, when, as a sort of repetition, he made a similar assault with his feet to what he had previously done with the stick, kicking her once most violently in the stomach. A
labouring man, a neighbour of Mrs. Hawkins, who was near, on seeing this outrage came to her assistance, and took the fellow into custody.
The prisoner made a most desperate resistance attempting again to impress the recollection of his visit by another kick or two at the complainant. The Magistrates, on hearing the case,
to which the prisoner pleaded intoxication in his defence, sentenced him to pay a fine of �4.5s, together with costs. In default of which he was committed for three months, to Aylesbury house of correction, and to be kept to hard labour.
A man named Francis Charlton was also taken before the Magistrates, charged with an assault on a man named Joseph Allam; and also a breach of the peace against a man named Rose, in
challenging him to a fight. In the former case he was sentenced to pay a mitigated penalty of 1s 2d and costs, or be committed for one month; in the latter, to enter into sureties to keep the peace for twelve months.