OFFICERS SENT TO GAOL, aleutta, 9th June.
Considerable astonishment has been caused here by the conviction and heavy sentences passed on Lieutenant King, RE, "Mr. Trotter, of the Public W rtmient, by' the Chief Presidency a charge of assaulting Mr. LIV. Low, of the firm of Messrs. Jardine, inner and Company. The facts of the case Mr. Low had a lady friend ay, living at Mrs. Bertram's: CanneStreet, where Messrs, Potter also resided. After eleven o'clock on the night of the 9th May, Mr. Low, who was a frequent visitor, was seen coming out of Mrs. Gray's bedroom, Next morning Mrs, Bertram wrote to Mrs. Gray a letter saying: After last night's disgraceful conduct you must leave house at once." Mrs. Bertram also wrote to Mr. Low telling him never to enter her in, To this Mr. Low sarcastically replied "I aust say the indignation professed is too laughable from" you," meaning, it is alleged, that Mrs. Bertram being an ex-barmaid her moral character did not stand very high. Other aspersions, were cast on Mrs. Bertram's character by Mrs. Gray. Mrs. Bertram showed these letters to Mr. King and Mr, Trotter, who undertook to chastise Mr. Low. Tu the meantime Mrs. Gray had removed to a hoarding house in Dacre's Lane, where late on the night of the 17th, Messrs. King and Trotter waylaid Mr, Low and assaulted him severely with their fists and sticks, While Mr. Low was defending himself against Mr. Trotter's attack, Mr. King came up from behind and struck Mr. Low avheavy blow with a stick, rendering Mr. Low's arms powerless. The assault was then continued till Mrs. Gray opened the window of her room and called for assist-Mess ing and Trotter mounted their bicycles and rode rapidly owly, Mr. Low at the time being quite ignorant as to who his assailants were. Subsequently he obtained their names and addresses and instituted proceedings. Messrs.
King and Trotter then offered to apologise and pay all Me, Low's legal and medical expenses together with any further sum that might be arranged by counsel engaged by the parties. Mx. Low, at the instance of Messrs. Jardine, Skinner and Ca., it is id, refused to necept these terms and went on with the prosecution. The ease watched with great interest by both military officers and civilians.
The Magistrate, disposing of the ease, said he thought that a premeditated and totally unjustifiable attack had been made by the two accused upon "Mr. Low, who was waylaid and taken unwares, Ib seemed to him that it was a very serious matter and such an attack as that could only be pected from the lowest class of ruffinns in the slums of Calcutta, That the attack had been made by two gentlemen of position, one of them holding a Commission in Her Majesty's Army avd the other employed in the Public Works Department, made the cise more scandalous, Com:
nant had been taken unawares by both men simultaneously, one from the front and the other from' behind. The attack of the second accused (Lieutenant King)_ was no doubt most vigorous and given chiefly with a sti-k, which was said to be a heavy one, but as the stick had not been pro: Auced i¢. was impossible for him to judge whether it was so or not. The other attack made by Mr. Trotter in front wis probably with his tists and the cut over the eye was probably caused by a ring, Mrs. Gray ssid that Me. Trotter hada ring on and Dr. Caddy stated that the cut might have been from a blow with a ring or some other sharp instrament. As regards the second ent over the eye it was impossible te say whether it_wax done by a stick or with the fists, but Dr. Caddy was of opinion that it was st stick. The result, of this attad strous to Mr, Low whose face and body were covered with blood and there was a pool of blood on the road near his feet. Dr. Caddy also stated that there were seven or eight very large bruises on Mr. Low's hack, while both he and Mr. Low stated that the left arm was temporarily numbed and rendered useless. There was no doubt: that the blows on the back and arm were given by Mr. King with a stick; there was also no doubt. that the blows on the face ter with his fists, which closed up M Low's eyes and made them black, Henderson, counsel for the accused, stated that he did not in any way j what had been done and put in a' letter from defendants' solicitors in which was tated a great deal of facts relating to tatters which arose on account of the quarrel between the two ladies who lived in Camne street. The quarrel _hewe this two Indic 5 his Worship thought, prefectly irrelevant to this There was no evidence given of the motly for this assault, He thought there no justification for this very serious offence, having regard to its premeditation and the manner in which the assault was carried out simultaneously by oth accused in a most cowardly manner. If gentlemen would put themselves in such a position they must bear the consequences and he glad to say that cases like this did not often take place in Calcutta. His Worship did not think that a fine would meet the gravity of the offence. He would convict. both the accused under section 323 I.P.C, As regarded Mr. King there was no doubt, that his assault was the worse of the two, thougli_as regarded premeditation and' the mode in which the attack was carried out both the accused severe in the same position. He sentenced Mr. King to three months' simple imprisonment and to Bey a fine of Rs. 900. With regard to Mr.
otter His Worship held that the assault, was less in severity and sentenced him to two months' imprisonment and to pay a fine of Rs. 200. The fines, if realised,
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.