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Leader (1850-1860), 4th September 1852, Edition Country of 2, Page 8, A RESISTLKSS INQUISITOR. KNlcvKitnociKic...

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      Extraordinary Narrativi [The Following M...

      declaring that the child had not had anythin g to its lips during the whole term , and that they were thoroughly convinced it was a genuine case . This , however , did not fully satisfy the gentlemen alluded to . The thing was now universally talked of in these localities , and it was determined to spare no pains to test it to the utmost . They formed themselves into a committee of eight persons , and drew up regulations for their guidance ; one was that for eight days and nights she should never be left un watched ; and another was that each gentleman on guard should make a written entry of thc events that occurred every hour , and that he should sign his name to it . ( This committee will not make their report until the evening of this day . The facts we subjoin , therefore , are not received

      direct from any of their number , but we think we may guarantee their strict correctness . ) On Saturday week , August 21 st , this watch commenced , and went on without the slightest thing to excite any suspicion , excepting a little restlessness , until the even ing of the following Thursday , when Messrs . Piteairn and Burton ( bookseller ) , were relieved by the Revds . Webb and Whitby . The former gentleman had long been a sceptic in the matter , and on entering the room thought he discovered an unpleasant smell . He left for an hour ' s walk , leaving Mr . Whitby in charge . The father then entered , and complained of the want of faith which the watchers in charge manifested , and then suggested that they should seek the blessing of God . He immediately knelt down and prayed with great apparent earnestness and solemnity , and at considerable

      length . Mr . Whitby was close to the bed , and during the prayer noticed some " agitation of the clothes , and fancied that something was offending his olfactory senses . When Mr . Webb returned , Mr . Whitby mentioned his suspicions , and as the nose of the former gentleman again convinced him that something was wrong , he insisted that the bed should be searched . Two nurses , who wero also present , proceeded to make tbe examination , and they reported that all was right—not a-suspicious thing had been found . Mr . Webb not being satisfied , and feeling the delicacy of his position , went to the clergyman ' s house , aud secured the assistance of a medical gentleman who was staying with him . The circumstances were stated to the surgeon , who determined on instituting a further search in presence only of thc nurses . For some time their efforts had no

      result , but at length a bundle was discovered between the child ' s arm and body , which one of the nurses immediately laid hold of . The girl , as it is alleged , instantly called out , " You must not touch thnt . " " But I must have it , " said the woman . "But , " said the deaf child , " you shan't have it . " "I will have it , " exclaimed the nurse , and away went the bundle , the child with great resignation saying , " Well , if you will , you must . " Thc surgeon undid the parcel , and found it to consist of about a score of napkins , bits of linen , & c , which , it is said , had been recently used . These were spread out upon the counterpane , and the parents and the two watchers were summoned in to gaze upon the not very fragrant discovery . Of course tho utmost consternation was depicted on tho faces of the parents . The mother immediately accused the child of deceiving

      her , but was properly stopped by thc remark that this part of thc imposition could not have been carried through without her agency . The father seemed in an agony of distress , and solemnly protested that be w as entirely ignorant that the napkins were thero , and that so far as he knew neither morsel nor drop bad passed the child ' s lips for sixteen weeks . Messrs . Webb and Whitby , the medical gentlemen , and the nurses , immediately left the cottage , and all , with the exception of the surgeon , walked on to Woodbridge , feeling indignant at the imposition that had been practised . It is important , however , to notice that during Saturday , Sunday , Monday , Tuesday , Wednesday , and Thursday , she bad had no'food or drink , neither was any food found in the bedding . Mr . Matcham , a medical practitioner , makes the following statement : —•

      " To the Editor of the Ipswich E . rpress . "Sir , —In consequence of the statements which have been made relative to tho above case , I took the earliest possible opportunity of visiting the parents for tho purpose of hearing their version of the affair . I now append briefly their statement : —1 st . Elizabeth Squirroll did not take any food during the time the gentlemen appointed to watch were present ; nor had she taken any for fourteen weeks . 2 . No food was found in or about , the bed when searched by the nurses . The evidence so far is conclusive . The onl y suspicious circumstance is the searching of the bod and finding twenty-one pieces of handkerchiefs , cloths , and fragments of long deserted and forgotten drosses , containing dried fences , hard , mouldy , and swimming on tbe surface of the water when put into it . After hearing the

      statement of the parents , 1 proceeded to the clergyman of the parish ( the Itev . Air . Frances ) , und had an interview with Mr . Frances , the surgeon , who made the examination at , the request of Air . W ( d ) h . His answers to my interrogations were most satis factory . On examining the pulse be found it beating Ho to the minute ; it , subsequently increased fo . ) f > , and ultimately to JtiO . lie is of opinion that Elizabeth Hquirrell is suffering from a disease of the heart , which of course would readily account , for the variation of the pulse . Air . Frances found no ( trees that had recently passed , nor was there any appearance of urine , which I humbly submit lo the learned and reverend divines would have been the caso had she taken food ov drink

      during ( he time they were there or previous . J respectfully submit , that there is no evidence to criminate either father , mother , or ilaughter . I confess it is dilfioult to account for tho discovery of ho many fragments of garments , A . c . ; but thc fact itself , when properly considered , exonerates the _jinrents , for no one could believe them so devoid of cleanliness as to leave such things in tho house to the detriment of their own mid child's health , if thoy knew of it . In review of these facts , I must , conclude that there is no evidence at present to justify us in branding tbe _Squirrells with imposture . I would invite tho public to visit , for themselves , hear lho _countcr-siatomonl . H , and then decide . The inquiry baa terminated ho far in a very ungeiitjcmanly and unscientific manner , und nothing but a second watch

      Extraordinary Narrativi [The Following M...

      of gentlemen who have no interest but the public in view will be conclusive . Trusting to your usual willingness to give the truth so far as you can arrive at it for the insertion of this letter , I am , sir , yours , & c , " _Aifeed Tt . Matcham , M . D . " _ETorwieh-road , Ipswich , Monday , August 30 . " But we hasten to conclude our narrative : — On the morning following the discovery , the father came to Ipswich with a bundle of napkins , which we believe he took to Mr . Webster to prove that they had not been recently used , but we cannot tell whether these were the identical ones that were found , whether the wife deceived the husband , or whether all have been engaged in carrying through one of the most blasphemous pieces of deception on record . After the discovery the girl folded her hands ,

      and looking to heaven ( for it is fully believed she has the use of her sight ) , said , " I commit myself to the care of my guardian angel , and know that God will take care of me . When her father left for Ipswich , she exclaimed , " Never fear , father , I shall weather the storm— 'twill all end well . " We understand that her parents and herself still stoutly assert that she has taken no kind of nourishment for sixteen weeks , and that each of the three is most anxious for a further trial which shall extend over fourteen days . Unless there be full and unimpeachable testimony that the state of the napkins was such as to indicate without doubt that they had been recently used , the case in the eyes of the public will not be deemed satisfactorily settled . Our duty is to state the two sides of the case , and to leave

      our readers to form their own conclusions . It must not be forgotten that the whole value of the discovery rests on the testimony of the two nurses and the medical gentleman , and in the preceding letter "Mr . Matcham coolly asserts that the surgeon tola him the fceces had not recentl y passed , nor were there any appearances of urine . If this be so , what becomes of the discovery ? What becomes also of the fact that , closely as the girl was watched nothin g was seen to pass her lips , and the fact also that her pulse alternated from 85 to 120 a minute ? Were the nurses , also , quite accurate in their account of what occurred when they seized the napkins ?

      Probably it will be deemed necessary to make a further examination , should not the report of the committee be perfectly conclusive . We need hardly add that it is believed the girl can see , and that her alleged ability to read writing with her _fingers is disputed . It is also believed that she can hear , and if the conversation regarding the clothes bo accurately narrated , there is positive proof that she has the use of this faculty . Regarding the ringing of the glass , we ought to add that she has in her room a glass harmonicon , which frequently laid on her bed , and on which she was very fond of playing , though wc cannot conceive what deli ght she could take in music that she could not hear . The

      belief is , that this is tho means by which the ringing is occasioned ; that in lieu of the invisible angel ' s wings , she touched it under the bedclothes while her visitors were absorbed in their devotions . But wc must leave the whole case to tho judgments of our readers . Much more might be written . We might enlarge upon the fact tbat the girl is undoubtedly an extraordinary character—that at the beginning of her illness she certainly took but little to sustain life—that reports of her abstinence from food spread widoly—that the cottage was besieged—that its humble occupant was lionizedthat tho parents had their vanity flattered and their pockets replenished—and that the thing has gone on to the present moment , interspersed with many extraordinary circumstances . For the present , however , wo drop further allusion to tho matter .

      Ar00806

      National Orphan Girls' Home A I,Akge Mee...

      NATIONAL ORPHAN GIRLS' HOME A i , AKGE meeting was held at _Reigafe , on Thursday week , to promote the interests of the Orphan "Girls ' J Ionic . Mr . W . Paynter took the chair , and called on tho Reverend Joseph Brown , rector of Christ-church , _IJluckfriars , to propose the first resolution . Mr . Brown explained the principles which govern the Orphans' Home , the particulars of its first establishment in 1849 , and tho progress it had made , the premises having been since purchased by Mr . J . Minter Morgan . Being tho rector of a thickly-populated parish , he was well acquainted with the necessity for such institutions . None but those who from duty or charitable motives bad the scenes incidental to disease

      wbieb often prevailed in poor neighbourhoods brought under their notice , could tell the misery occasioned by the removal of parents . The cholera had thrown many orphans on tho consideration of the charitable , and had mainly convinced him of the necessity for establishing an Orphans' Home . More recently they had the H ° niking of * the Amazon , and there wero instances of orphanage arising from similar consequences which were unprovided for b y a specific charity . There was grout difficult y in the way of getting an orphan into the large , asylums without considerable interest . Tho

      Orphans' Home was intended to bo opened to all pressing eases , but thoy must , look to tho public to support them . All thoy wanted was funds to carry on thoir establishment . There were id , present thirty children provided for , nnd tbey had room for twent y more children , but their means were not _sufljoient to meet ( ho extra expense . Any one _subscribing 10 / . annually would be entitled fo place a child in tho asylum . After entering into a financial statement , tbo rev . gentleman coi _. chided by moving tho following _resolution : — " That the protection of the orphan is so frequentl y _promised , and is a duty no often cowin _^ _andoflj in ho Borip-

      National Orphan Girls' Home A I,Akge Mee...

      _tures , this meeting cheerfully acknowledges the r _» n _- _^ i this country affo _^ s to the _Christian g the _^ S _^? benevolonce through its different orphan asylums " Ta plause . ) " _t PThe Reverend Harry Dupries seconded the _resolu tion . + u-The _Reverend T . Jackson , prebendary of St . Paul ' next addressed the meeting at considerable length and took occasion to allude to the praiseworth y liberality of Mr . Morgan , that benevolent individual who had _pur . chased the ground on which the asylum was built , and invested it in trustees for the purposes of the Orphan Home . The charity was also indebted to the Reverend J . Brown ; and indeed , what he took in hand _was sure

      to he well done , and worthy of notice . It had taken a century to place children in their proper position in society , and he trusted this country would sustain the progress that had been made . It was necessary to train up children to become useful members of the society they helped to fprm . He was in New South Wales twelve months ago , and was strongly requested on coming back to England , to recommend respectable females , that had received a Protestant education to emigrate to that colony , where there was every prospect of their doing well , provided they were instructed in

      the means to make themselves useful before they went out . It had been his lot , only the week before , * to address a number of young females who were about to take a passage for Australia , and , as emigration went on , there would he a great demand for fepiale servants whom institutions , such as the Orphan Girls' Home could train up to be a credit and a recommendation . " That the National Orphan Home , from its object being to receive more especially those who find great difficulty in . obtaining admission to other institutions , and from ita being located in this neighbourhood , deserves the warm support of this meeting . "

      The Reverend T . G . P . Hough supported the resolution . The Reverend T . Pyne , in proposing the third resolution , drew attention to the large number of children that might be made useful members of society , if they could only obtain the benefit of such a charity as that before them . He earnestly pressed his hearers to increase the funds and the sphere of its operation . "That the reverend the vicar and clergy of Richmond and of the neighbourhood , be respectfully requested to allow sermons to be preached in then * churches on behalf of the charity , and that the principal booksellers bo requested to receive subscriptions and donations for the Home . "

      The Reverend A . Wilkinson , in seconding the resolution , hoped that the example set by an individual would not end there , and that Mr . Morgan ' s liberality would not be allowed to remain a solitary instance . The resolutions were carried , and the meeting separated with the usual vote of thanks to the chairman . _1252 . were collected at the meeting .

      Church Patronage. The Following Letter H...

      CHURCH PATRONAGE . The following letter has been printed in the Daily News this week : — " Were tho Church of England rig htly extended and rightly patronized , thero would bo neither sedition nor plebeian infidelity in the land . "—Chalmers on Church Patronage . Sib , —Will you permit tho following , extracted from the Clergy List , to be made public , as a specimen how Tory bishops apd chancellors have exercised their solemn trusts :

      The Rev . G . T . Pretymun is—1 . Chancellor of Lincoln Cathedral , with tho Prebend of Stoke annexed ; 2 . Canon of Winchester ; 3 . Rector of Chall ' ont , St . Giles , Bucks ; 4 . Rector of Wheathainpstead , _Herta ; 5 . Curato of Harpenden , Herts , all in the patronage of tho Bishop ; and 6 . Perpetual Curate of Nottloham , Lincolnshire , in his own gift . The Rov . Richard Protyman is— 1 . Precentor of Lincoln Cathedral , with Prebend of Kilsby annexed ; 2 . Rector of Stoiiy-Middleton , Oxfordshire ; . 1 . Rector of * Wulgravo , "N orthamptonshire ; 4 . Rector of Hannington , Northamptonshire ; 5 . Rector of VVroug hton , Wiltshire , all in tho Bishop ' s patronage . Tho Rev . F . 1 ) . Perkins is—Vicar of Stoke , Warwickshire—patron , Lord Chancellor . Vicar of Sonio , _Warwickshire-pafi-on , Lord Chancellor . Vicar oi -patron , Lord Ohan-LincobiHbiro patron , Down llathorly , Gloucestershire—patron , Lora _^ n . mcellor . Hector of Swuyfield , Lincolnshire patron , Lord Chancellor . Your obedient servant , A _Cuua _' _I'H with En-TV Pounds I'icit Annum . Those gentlemen are proper contemporaries with fbo Reverend Robert Moore , who enjoys a sinecure ° ' 1 ) 000 / . a-year , t \ _yo livings " of 1000 / . each , and a fat canonry at Canterbury 1

      A Resistlkss Inquisitor. Knlcvkitnocikic...

      A RESISTLKSS INQUISITOR . _KNlcvKitnociKicit has told some good stories in his day * but wo do not think he over surpassed the following specimen of what can \ w effected by _ingenu ity anil i » ipudciico : —

  • Citation
    • Leader (1850-1860), Sept. 4, 1852, page 8, in the Nineteenth-Century Serials Edition (2008; 2018) ncse.ac.uk/periodicals/l/issues/cld_04091852/page/8/