"JOHN WESTERN, a man in the employ of Mr. Vanstone, market gardener, Foxhayes, was charged with being drunk and creating a disturbance in Fore-street, on Saturday night.
"It appears when the defendant is tipsy he is afflicted with a kind of polkamania, and goes dancing about the streets. On the occasion complained of, he was accompanied by from 50 to 100 juveniles, whose amusement at his antics interfered with the ordinary course of business.
"The defendant having been before the Bench for the same offence two or three times previously, he was sentenced to a week's imprisonment in default of paying a fine of 5s. and costs."
I blog this for the sake of the lively image of John Western on a Saturday night, a poor man who had perhaps drunk away the 5s. that would have kept him out of prison, dancing the length of Fore Street surrounded by 50 to 100 street urchins amused at his antics. The boys and girls were dancing too I hope.
Source: The Exeter Flying Post, 12th March, 1857.
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