ithr
On Wednesday Dr. Lushington, Judge of the Arches Court, delivered judgment in the case of the Reverend James Bonwell, perpetual curate of St. Philips's, Stepney. Our readers sill remember the painful dicta. Mr. Bonwell courted a Miss Yorath, alleged to her friends that he was a single man, and promised to marry her. He seduced her ; she came to London and lived for some time with him, both in private lodgings and at his own house. Miss Yorath was in due time delivered of a child in the parish school-house at Stepney, Bonwell being present. The child died suddenly, and Bona-ell surreptitiously buried it. Hence the prosecution. Dr. Lush- ington minutely examined and recounted the facts of the whole case, and in conclusion said—" That Mr. Bonwell has committed the very gravest of ecelesiastical offences, seduction and adultery, fraud and deception, cannot be doubted. The proof is overwhelming. The necessary consequence must be grave—public scandal, and the worst example has been set to the parishioners whose spiritual interest he was bound to watch over. I have pondered carefully what decree it is my duty to pronounce under these circumstances. I have carefully considered whether there are any circumstances of extenuation. I can find none. There is not the plea of early youth; there is not the strength of temptation whisisr.might possibly have misled a single man ; there is not a mei4:4tccidental deviation from the rules of propriety. This is the a married man with a family, his wife at the head of a ladies' college, who seduces the daughter of a deceased clergyman, a seduction de- liberately carried on under the pretence of marriage. There is one thing most digsraceful in Mr. Bonwell's conduct, and that is his attempt to throw the blame upon the victim of his passions. Mr. Bonwell put this question to Mr. Yoreth—' Did I not inform you that I never should have gone to Newport unless it had been at Miss Yorath's earnest request ?' The an- swer is 'No, I am not aware that you did.' That question was manifestly pat for the purpose of throwing the blame on this unfortunate woman. Now, there is one further consideration to which this Court is most es- pecially bound to pay attention. The scene of some of these discreditable occurrences is the schoolhouse of the parish. The place where this most unfortunate lady is concealed and harboured, where she is delivered of an il- legitimate child the offspring of the incumbent of the parish, having been brought to that place by his instrumentality, is the school-house, where the principles of religion were to be inculcated and the foundations of sound morality laid. That very place has been polluted, the ministry of the parish has been disgraced, and all the moral and religious persons in the parish bait) been scandalized. What natural hope is there that Mr. Bon- well should ever again fulfil his spiritual duties to the parishioners of that parish to their edihcation ? None. The sentence I pronounce is depriva- tion and condemnation in costs."
The crowd in court mate an attempt to applaud at the conclusion of the judgment. Mr. Bonwell, in the usual form, "protested of a grievance," and gave notice of an appeal to the Privy Council. After the Court had 'risen, a few hisses and abusive remarks were directed by some of the crowd against Mr. Bonwell. He began to address them in explanation or justifi- cation of his conduct, but the hissing being continued, he retired.
George Alexander Nicholls has been apprehended, because for a length of time he has annoyed the Royal Family, and it is not thought safe to leave him at large. He believes himself to be Jesus Christ, and that he was horn in Noah's Ark. He has sent presents to the Princess Mary of Cambridge, who he believes to be attached to him. Brought before the Westminster Magistrate, he said—" I am not insane, but I'm an injured man. I've been much wronged. I've been robbed of all I possess, and now they want to call me insane. I've written to Lord Shaftesbury. I've written to the Queen, asking for a fair trial. I want an open court. I don't want to be shut out from everybody, and left alone with those who will any anything against me. I don't admit the power of this Court to try me. I don't ad- mit that I'm insane. I'm as sane as any one here ; for there is n3 subjest- religion, philosophy, history, geography, or what rot—that I cannot dis- course upon in a rational manner, and yet I'm called insane." Mr. Paynter observed there was no doubt about the state of the un- fortunate gentleman's mind, but before he 'could do anything the man must be examined by a medical gentleman. Inspector Thornton—I can fetch one immediately. Mr. Nicholls—" I object to this. I am not going to be deprived of my liberty on the evidence of one man. I want to be examined by several gentlemen. I'm not going to be sent to a prison or a madhouse because one or two men sent by Sir Richard Mayne please to say I'm insane. That man Williamson told me coming along that nothing dishonourable should be done towards me, and I'm to be sent to a madhouse, and my life to be sworn away for money. It is the greatest crime under Heaven for William- son to get up and say I'm insane. I appeal to Heaven I'm sane."
Mr. Rust, a surgeon, examined him and found that he was really under the dominion of gross delusions about his personality. In answer to a question he had declared himself to be the Saviour, and endeavoured to prove that he was so by Scripture, and saying that the space between two marks on his side was where the spear had entered.
He was then given over to the parish authorities of St. George, Hanover Square, as a lunatic, declaring to the last that he was sound in mind and had been thanked by the Government for his plans for his country'a.safety.
Three women, two of them young, one a middle-aged married 4oinan, were charged, on Tuesday, at the eierkenwell Police Court, with ataempt- ing to kill themselves. One was sent to an infirmary, a second conniatted to the care of the gaol chaplain, the third allowed to go home with her mother.
Frederick Augustus Davies, a merchant, is in custody on a charge of forging a bill of exchange. He had a discount account with the Bank of England. A bill drawn by him on John Wrcford and Co. for 479/. Gs. fell due on the 7th of July ; Daviss went to the Bank on the 5th and offered to take it up, but the head of the discount department, pointing out the ir- regularity, refused to allow it to be taken up. The bill was sent to the proper quarter and proved to be a forgery. Daviss hid himself, but he was discovered, and arrested.
Mr. Storey, merchant, has been fined by the Lord Mayor and severely reprimanded for assaulting a policeman in the city. Storey was drunk at the time, although it was early in the afternoon.
A young woman who had pledged a ring, went to the pawnbroker and said she desired to redeem it. When he brought it she took it up, saying it was hers, and finally, in a scuffle with the shopruan, she swallowed it. Brought before the Southwark Magistrate she first denied the charge and then pleaded guilty. Mr. Burch= told her that no doubt she thought she had done a clever trick in getting possession of her ring with- out paying the pawnbroker the principle and-interest for which it was pledged, and that the law could not reach her. She had, however, pleaded guilty to the felony, but under the circumstances he should not past a severe sentence on her. She must be imprisoned and kept at hard labour for fourteen days.
Susannah Plummer has been sent to prison for stealing meat. She is a confirmed meat stealer. Her performances in this line are astounding. Roche, the gaoler, told Mr. Selfe that he had known the woman for fifteen years as a stealer of meat. About three years ago she -was brought before Mr. Yardley under very singular circumstances. She commenced plunder-. in the butchers' shops at Poplar, and proceeded westward until she reached lerhitechapel, and she then went down the Whitechapel Road to the Mile End Road, picking up a joint or piece of meat wherever she had an opportunity, and she was at last captured at the Jews' Respite' with a ham in her pos- session. Mr. Selfe, "A ham at the Jess' Hospital ; that is very singular. How did she carry the meat she had stolen from the Shops?" Roche, "'lust is the meat extraordinary part of the affair. Directly she stole a piece of meat she went to a publichouse or beerehop, and left it there, making an excuse. that she had another errand, and would return presently. The meat collected at publichouses arid beet-shops between Poplar and Whitechapel, and Whitechapel and the Jews' Hospital, on that Saturday night amounted to la cwt. The prisoner had stolen the whole of it from various butchers' shops."
Allen Fairrie Johnstone and Sarah Elliott, were charged before the West- minster Magistrate with stealing a child—a little thing, five years old, com- pelled to sing at concerts. It turned out that other ahrirges were hanging over the prisoners. They-had obtained moneys clothes, jewels, on the faith of the woman being, Lord Forteseue's daughter, and Lord Palmeretoa's niece ! They were remanded.
Mr. Frederick Gray, a passage broker has been compelled to restore '25/. to a young woman, an intended emigrant to New Zealand. Jane the emigrant, took an " intermediate berth" for which she paid M. When she went on board the ship, she was shown into a steerage berth, without light or ventilation. She refused to go and summoned the broker. Re surrendered thereupon and promised to make restitution ; the Lord Mayor remarking that had he not done so he would 'have inflicted upon him ibe full penalty.
A Coroner's Jury has been sitting to receive evidence touching the death of Mrs. Emsley atsStepney. Neighbours and other persons have been ex- amined, but not one particle of light has yet been thrown upon the incident. There are not wanting those who think that tile poor woman injured herself while in a fit, but the president belief is that she must have been killed, and large rewards are offered for the conviction of the murderer.
An extensive fire, originating in the adjoining premises of a coachoraker, has destroyed the concert-room of St. Martin's Hall—a subject of universal regret. The fire broke out before daybreak on Sunday morning; and, in spite of the great exertions of the fire brigade, committed the sad havoc we have described. A number of houses were also injured.
Previous page
