East Kent Gazette, Saturday 31 July 1869.

Narrow escape from the shot of a blunderbuss at Teynham.

Thomas Avis, alias "Bingo," a ne'er-do-well sort of fellow, was charged with having fired the contents of a blunderbuss at a young woman named Elizabeth Clark, at Teynham, on the previous day.

Prosecutrix said she was servant with Mr. John Ferrell, landlord of the "Teynham Arms" beerhouse, Teynham.

The prisoner came into the house about noon on Tuesday, and called for a pot of porter, which he paid 4d for. Two more men came in afterwards, and Sat down with him. He called for a pint of porter, but not offering her the money she reminded him that she had brought the porter. Prisoner said that would be all right and she was to tell Mr. Ferrell, her master. Prisoner remained till 3 o'clock, when he went into the yard, to the water closet.

She afterwards went out for the purpose of getting a can of water, when a gun went off. She thought it was from the closet. She threw the can down, and ran back into the house. Prisoner followed her. She did not see him when the gun went off. When she got into the house, she saw him through the window. He had the gun in his hand. There was nobody else about there with a gun. Prisoner was a stranger to her, and she had had no quarrel with him.

Mr. Rigden:- Did the shots come near you?

Witness:- They came just over the door where I went in. Here is a splinter of wood off the pump.

Mr. Rigden:- Were you far from the pump when the gun went off?

Witness:- I was just going to it. It is a wooden pump.

Mr. Ferrell said that the place where she dropped the can was exactly 6 feet from the pump. The pump was 5ft 8 inches high. Had she been at the handle the shot would have lodged in her head.

Prisoner:- When I came out of the closet she was indoors.

Witness:- I saw you through the window.

Prisoner:- I was fastened in the closet for half an hour. I could not get out any other way, so I let the gun off. As soon as I got out, I did not see anybody excepting her, and she was indoors.

Mr. Rigden:- You could have got out without firing the gun, especially in that direction.

Prisoner:- I could not.

Mr. Ferrell:- The girl called me immediately. The can has not been moved, and I measure the distance from the pump this morning. It is 6 feet.

The prisoner was remanded till this (Saturday) morning. It transpired that the door of the closet could only be bolted from the inside. The report of the gun was first believed to be an explosion of gas. The prisoner is supposed to be suffering from aberration of mind. The blunderbuss, which was used, is a very old fashioned firearm. It is the property of Mr. Charles Clinch, who has employed the prisoner to keep birds off his cherries. The gun was purchased at the sale of the property of the late Right Hon S. R. Lushington, who, it appears, brought it from Madras, where he was governor of of that province some years ago.

It is rumoured that prisoner had been locked in the closet for a lark.