MR TUCKER'S LIFE PRESERVER, EXETER, 1842.

"Mr. Tucker was proceeding, late at night, along the bottom of Paris-street,  when a female came up to him, and said,  'My dear, are you good natured?'   He declined to answer her at first, and to a second interrogation to the same effect, merely replied that his many years attendance on the poor as a poor doctor, had sufficiently established his reputation for good nature.

"Two fellows then walked up, and one exclaimed, 'How's Mr. Barnes?'   Mr. Tucker made no reply.  The other then put the same question.  Mr. Tucker still said nothing.  One of the desperadoes then put his hand to his collar.   Mr. T. immediately made a blow at him with his life preserver.  This desperate hit took effect in the mouth of the villain.  He immediately staggered off,  his teeth rattling on the pavement like a small shower of hail stones.  Mr Tucker had the satisfaction of seeing that if he did not stop the robber, he succeeded in stopping his teeth.  This fellow was no sooner struck, than the worthy doctor swung the life preserver - since called a Tucker - round with a vengeful aim, and with so much effect,  that the second rascal took to his heels with what the Gazette calls 'the alacrity of a policeman'

"The particulars of this attack and discomfiture we derive from the police at the Station House, where they were communicated by the worthy doctor himself.  But the incident of the teeth is from a popular version of the affair - Mr. Tucker being no braggadocio, does not vaunt of his own prowess."

*

A Victorian life-preserver was a mini mace, a short rattan handle and an articulated, heavy, often leaded, striking ball.   The force was in the swinging, a skill which Mr. Tucker had clearly mastered. 

"My dear, are you good natured?"  sounds to me to have been a meme of the 'ladies of the town', rather more subtle than the 'wanna good time, love?'  which once echoed from Soho doorways. 

Mr. Barnes, another doctor, had been beaten and robbed by this same trio on the Barnfield road that same evening.

It would have been fun if The Times had established its neonism,  never go without your tucker &c., but it seems it was not to be.

'Alacrity of a policeman'  these days could only be heavy sarcasm.

A poor doctor was not necessarily poor, just as a diabetic nurse is not necessarily diabetic.  It is unlike the Victorans to use a linguistic shortcut that could lead to confusion.  Like Winston Churchill, let us in general prefer not to use hyphens but they would help here.

Braggadocio/braggadochio is, surprisingly, a word invented by Spenser for The Faerie Queen,  at least so says my Encyclpaedic Dictionary, 1895.

Source: The Western Times,  20 August, 1842.

A DAWLISH BOATMAN'S EVIDENCE, EXETER, 1842

"I am a boatman in the coast guard service;  on the night of the 23rd April I was on duty;  it was my duty to meet the officer to communicate with him at Pocombe Lane at one in the morning; about that time I was proceeding there, and had to go into the lane between Teignmouth and Dawlish, when I came near Mr. Phillott's house, I met about ten men;  I haled them, 'who comes here?'  It is our duty to hail people when we meet at that time.....George Smith, one of them, said d--- your eyes what is that to you;  he then struck me a blow with a stick and knocked my hat off;  I had my cutlas in my hand, raised it to fend off the blow, and the scabbard flew off;  I made a cut at him and he fended it off with a stick - which flew out of his hand.  The whole of the party surrounded me.  I told them to keep off me and let me alone, or by God, I would cut some of their heads off.  William Hole then struck me a blow on the right cheek; I then fell back and fired my pistol as an alarm shot, the mode by which we signalize each other.  I knew Hole.  the party all fell on me when I fired my pistol.  I retreated back, defending myself with my cutlas, my foot caught in a stone and I fell down.  I then fired my pistol which was loaded with ball, I did not fire at them as I could not have missed them if I had.  William Hole then seized my arm, and took the pistol out of my hand, they seized my cutlas, and cut the string by which it was fastened round my wrist.   William Hole jumped upon me, kicked me, and got the pistol out of my hand.  The others kicked me when I was down - one of the gang sung out, heave the ------ over the cliff." 

*

This was the second time Boatman Edward Welch/Welsh had given evidence to an Exeter Assize Court with reference to this assault.  In April four of the men who attacked him had each been gaoled for four months but justice(?) had only now (The Western Times of 30th July 1842) caught up with William Hole.  The judge who passed sentence on the others said that if the offence for which they were convicted had been committed in the pursuit of any smuggling transaction, the sentence would have been much more severe.

The lads, who did not really want to throw the bugger (what else?) over the cliff, had been drinking in a Dawlish inn.  (St. George's Day?)   Their friends told judge and jury that these were, "peaceable, steady, respectable men" but Edward Welsh clearly found them otherwise.  It is an open question whether they attacked Edward Welsh because he was an exciseman or because he was that silly bugger, Edward Welsh, challenging them with his cutlass and his two pistols.

The Times spelled cutlass with one or two esses dependent on the phases of the moon.

His officer in his evidence said that Welsh had been given orders to challenge with Who goes there?, but our hero clearly preferred Who comes here?!

William Hole was imprisoned for four months with hard labour.