26 



ANNUAL REGISTER, 1S14. 



was, it is said, pretty much intoxi- 

 cated, and was reported so by an 

 officer to Major Gordon, who 

 commanded the detachment, and 

 that the said Gregory was very re- 

 fractory. On this Major Gordon 

 said to the officer, " it is of no 

 use talking to a drunken man, j'ou 

 will only get abusive language 

 perhaps; order Gregory into the 

 cvistody of the rear-guard (this was 

 in the barrack-yard). Immediate- 

 ly after the detachment marched, 

 and the rear-guard not following 

 9S soon as it ought, Major Gor- 

 don, it is said, on inquiry, found 

 that Gregory, the private before 

 mentioned, refused to go on. He 

 went to him, and Gregory said to 

 the major, that he would not 

 march until he was told why he 

 was a prisoner. Major Gordon 

 then said, " Gregory, you are 

 drunk." The man said, " I am 

 not drunk," and made use of mu- 

 tinous language to the major, and 

 still kept his horse back, refusing 

 to go on. Major G. then seeing 

 the corporal of the rear-guard 

 without a sword, asked him the 

 reason, and he was answered, 

 that his sword was at the head- 

 quarters to be sharpened. The ma-- 

 jor then observing that the refrac- 

 tory soldier had a sword, he drew 

 it out of the scabbard, and struck 

 the prisoner's horse several times 

 with the flat part to make him go 

 forward, Gregory still keeping a 

 tight rein to prevent it. Tiie 

 horse then turning sharp round, 

 and the Major holding the sword 

 out, or refjeating his stroke, the 

 point of the sword entered Gre- 

 gory's leftside, just under the ribs, 

 which caused such effusion of 

 blood, that the poor man died in a 

 few minutes. The prisoner, as is 



supposed b}' some, in pulling up 

 the horse, and leaning back, might 

 have met the point of the sword. 

 The poor man cried out, " O ! 

 O !" and fell backwards; the horse 

 then ifoius: on a few yards. Ma- 

 jor Gordon ran and assisted m tak- 

 ing him off from the horse, saying, 

 " for God's sake will any person 

 run for medical assistance, and for 

 a magistrate," as he wished to de- 

 liver himself up. He then deli- 

 vered himself up to the Deputy of 

 Ramsgate, saying he was fearful 

 he had killed the man ; he knew 

 not what he should do, and had 

 no idea how it could possibly have 

 been done, for it was uninten- 

 tional. The Coroner was in- 

 stantly sent for, and a Jury sum- 

 moned, who, after hearing a great 

 mass of evidence, returned a ver- 

 dict of Manslaughter against Major 

 Gordon, who was last night com- 

 mitted and sent to Sandwich, to 

 take his trail at the next sessions 

 in that town, on the 14th of April, 



The Major was afterwards tried 

 for the murder of this man, of 

 which he was acquitted ; but was 

 brought in guiltj' of manslaughter, 

 the jury being of opinion, that he 

 had used the sword incautiously. 



28. A gang of swindlers has 

 been detected, which, perhaps, for 

 deep-laid, and organised schemes 

 of depredations,- has but seldom 

 been exceeded. For this purpose, 

 it appears, chambers in Clement' s- 

 inn were hired, which one of the 

 gang occupied, as an attorney, and 

 another as his clerk, where there 

 were papers and books, with writ- 

 ing, going forward, like any other 

 office for regular business ; but 

 since the discovery of the gang 

 the papers have been seized, and 

 prove to be for the purposes of 



