Rudely and indecently accosted

About nine this evening, Mr. Joseph Baretti, an Italian gentleman, well known in the literary world, was attacked at the end of Panton-street, near the Haymarket, by a street-walker, who rudely and indecently accosted him; he pushed her hands from him, and she finding that he was a foreigner, cried out 'French bougre,' and other gross terms of reproach; upon which a man came up, one of her company, and began to abuse and strike him; upon this, more gathered about him, and continued striking and pushing him from side to side.

He at last drew a little silver desert-knife, with a silver blade, and warned them not to use him ill; that he could no longer bear it, and would strike the first person that came near him. They still pursuing him, he, moving his hand backward and forward in running from them, to defend himself, wounded two men (one of whom, named Morgan, died in the Middlesex Hospital).

Mr. Baretti submitted, and was carried before sir John Fielding, who committed him to Tothill-fields Bridewell.

Tuesday, Oct. 10. This afternoon the coroner's inquest sat on the body of Morgan, who died of the wounds he received in the Haymarket on Friday night, from Mr. Baretti, and remained sitting till ten at night, when they adjourned till Wednesday afternoon, and finished late at night examining the witnesses, when the jury brought in their verdict manslaughter. And in consequence thereof, Mr. Baretti was admitted to bail.

23rd. At this sessions also Mr. Baretti, attended by his bail, was brought into court, and indicted for stabbing Evan Morgan, who died of his wounds in the Middlesex hospital. He was offered a jury of half foreigners, but refused it.

The evidence against Mr. Baretti were, a woman of the town, who admitted that her companion had provoked him by a very indecent outrage, and two men, who contested that they had joined with the deceased Morgan in acts of injurious violence, and of whom the second contradicted, in some important particulars, the evidence of the first.

Another witness from the hospital repeated the account which he received from Morgan, who seemed to think himself wounded without sufficient provocation.

The court then called upon Mr. Baretti for his defence, who read from a written paper his narrative of the whole transaction; the purport of which was, that an unexpected violent assault was made upon him by a woman, who struck him in the tender parts, which gave him exquisite pain; whereupon he hit her over the hand, when she called him French bougre, woman-hater, and other opprobrious names; and three men coming up, they shoved him about and struck him. The suddenness of the attack intimidated him, it was dark, no refuge at hand, and he being near-sighted, and thereby unable to judge of his danger, endeavoured to get away, but was hard pressed, repeatedly struck, and pursued several yards by the populace, who were now increased in number; at last, he drew out his knife (an instrument which foreigners generally carry about them), and told the assailants, that he could bear no longer their ill usage, but would defend himself, and warned them to keep off; but they repeating their insults, he, in the violence of his agitation, did the injury, of which he was scarce sensible himself.

In confirmation of this narrative, he produced such testimony from Mr. Wyat, the surgeon, who attended Morgan, and from a gentlewoman who accidentally beheld the whole fray, as was fully satisfactory to the court.

Mr. Baretti's character was then attested by several gentlemen, with whose names, the world is very well acquainted, and among whom were Mr. Beauclerk, sir Joshua Reynolds, Dr. Johnson, Mr. Burke, Mr. Fitzherbert, Mr. Garrick, Dr. Goldsmith, Mr. Stevens, and Dr. Hallifax, &c.

Mr. justice Bathurst summed up the evidence on both sides with great judgement; and the jury, after a deliberation of a few minutes, acquitted him of the charge.

As it was much to the honour of the country, in which a stranger not only met with justice, but even support and protection; it was not less to his, who, destitute of natural interest and connection in it, could alone, from the unblameable tenor of his life and actions, procure such undeniable testimonials to the goodness of his character.