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October 7, 1854.] THE LEADER. 941
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OUR CIVILISATION. Mary Martin, a dissipa...
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Sometimes, it appears, respectable perso...
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At Lambeth Police-court a lad was accuse...
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Mary Donovan cohabited with Bridget Ward...
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Patrick Mahoney had a grudge against a y...
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A-waterman at Hull, named Joseph May, ha...
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The wife of the governor of the Blind As...
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A girl of twelve years of age, named Est...
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Ehza Watson, a girl of 11, pnt arsenic i...
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Foreigners have appeared in our Courts o...
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EEMARKABLE CASES. There have been one or...
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A very " mysterious" caso avuh hoard at,...
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THE DAUNTLESS AFFAIR. Lieutenants Knight...
Note: This text has been automatically extracted via Optical Character Recognition (OCR) software. The text has not been manually corrected and should not be relied on to be an accurate representation of the item.
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Transcript
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Note: This text has been automatically extracted via Optical Character Recognition (OCR) software. The text has not been manually corrected and should not be relied on to be an accurate representation of the item.
Additionally, when viewing full transcripts, extracted text may not be in the same order as the original document.
October 7, 1854.] The Leader. 941
October 7 , 1854 . ] THE LEADER . 941
Our Civilisation. Mary Martin, A Dissipa...
OUR CIVILISATION . Mary Martin , a dissipated-looking old woman , was accused at the Southwark Police-court with attempting to stab her husband , because he would not give her money to buy liquor . He had separated from her on account of her intemperate habits , and made her an allowance . She was imprisoned for three months .
Sometimes, It Appears, Respectable Perso...
Sometimes , it appears , respectable persons are traduced , by young women who believe themselves in danger of being led into evil ways . At Marylebone , Helena Le Grand told a story of her having been sent up to London by a Catholic priest at Leeds , with a recommendation to an institution for Catholic servants . She procured a situation as a servant in Arundel-street , Haymarket , but , believing the house to be one of an improper character , she left , and applied to the magistrate for relief . The secretary to the institution rnad « inquiries , and showed that the house in question was entirely respectable ; and on the occasion when that was proved , Miss Le Grand did not appear .
At Lambeth Police-Court A Lad Was Accuse...
At Lambeth Police-court a lad was accused of inflicting a dangerous wound on his mother , and assaulting his father . He was of violent temper , and was in the habit of assaulting and beating children . His father remonstrated ; he attacked him fiercely , and struck his mother on the forehead with a sharp instrument . He was imprisoned for three months .
Mary Donovan Cohabited With Bridget Ward...
Mary Donovan cohabited with Bridget Ward ' s husband , and , besides that , was constantly insulting and annoying the wife ; and one day last week , after using the most disgusting language to Bridget , stabbed at her with a knife she took from her bosom , and cut her on the arm and . face .
Patrick Mahoney Had A Grudge Against A Y...
Patrick Mahoney had a grudge against a young married woman , Jane M'Ness , because she had been a witness against him for ill-using her niece . He met her , struck and kicked her , and knocked her child out of her arms 5 for which he was imprisoned for four months by the magistrate at Worship-street .
A-Waterman At Hull, Named Joseph May, Ha...
A-waterman at Hull , named Joseph May , had been living apart from his wife , but one evening went to her lodgings , and proposed to sleep there . Early in the morning , he seized his wife and tried to cut her throat , inflicting fourteen wounds on her ; but she struggled successfully against him ^ though so injured as not to be likely to recover . He then sawed at his own throat , and will probably die from loss of blood .
The Wife Of The Governor Of The Blind As...
The wife of the governor of the Blind Asylum , Old Traffiord , near Manchester , was in the chapel attached to the Deaf and Dumb School , and during the communion service a well-dressed young man knelt beside her , and attempted to pick her pocket ; he was detected , found to be a well-known Manchester thief , and committed to prison for threo months . ¦
A Girl Of Twelve Years Of Age, Named Est...
A girl of twelve years of age , named Esther Harrison , who lived in Bethnal-grecn , was out all day in search of a situation . She sat down exhausted on the steps of Whitechapel Workhouse , and was accosted by John M'Grath , an elderly man , who oifered to take her into his service at once . She declined , but he forced her into a house he said was his own , and where there was no ono else but themselves ; locked the street-door , and subjected her to tho grossost violence . He detained her in the house , and slept with her every night from Friday to Tuesday , when she was discovered by her friend * . Tho culprit said that everything had been done with the girl ' s assent ; and the magistrate at Worship-street remanded tho case for further evidence .
Ehza Watson, A Girl Of 11, Pnt Arsenic I...
Ehza Watson , a girl of 11 , pnt arsenic into the dumplings of her master , Mr . Walker , of Melton , near Hull , in order " to cure him of his bad toinpor . " Ho ato , -was very ill , but mm able to froo his . stomach from what ho had oaten , and was saved . The girl lma boen committed for trial .
Foreigners Have Appeared In Our Courts O...
Foreigners have appeared in our Courts of Law iu a disadvantageous light this week . At the Middlesex sessions William Steinfall , a . German , was indicted for having stolon Prussian and Austrian bank-noron , value 50 ? ., and a gold watch , from Adolo Uudgorkuuski . Tho young lady , who ia said to bo pretty , is a Hungarian , and had been a milliner at lioulogno . . She eunio to England in August , and wia introduced to Steiul ' ull by a friend , Madamo SuluiUz . lie became hor Hiiltor ; but on a certain day bin woolny took tho form of violation ; afteT which » ho lived with liim us his wifeand
irrmlu-, ally parted with her 50 / . mid her watch , lie promising to marry her . Ho was about lo leave her , when who gave him into custody for theft . Tho dufonco for the prisoner waa that the whole story vuh untrue ; that nh « had not been violated , had no micU mini of money in hur possession , and that Hlio was intending to " " maku money " in conjunction with " hor pretty <; ouNi ,, Thoroao , " wluim she , wiHhod to send for from abroad , but had not , H ,, flloSent money . Tho evidence for tho defence did not BotiBfy tho jury and tho prkonor waa found guilty and imprisoned for nino months .
Eemarkable Cases. There Have Been One Or...
EEMARKABLE CASES . There have been one or two " causes ce'lebres" before the tribunals . At the Exeter County Court an action -was brought by Mr . J . Spencer , of Dawlish , against Mr . Charles Clifford , of Exeter , to recover 24 ? ., for the maintenance , clothing , and care of a child . The evidence was of a most extraordinary character . The plaintiff ' s wife statecTthat in March , 1849 , a lady , whom she pointed out as Mrs . Charles Clifford
canoe to her , and asked her to take a child for three months ; the terms to be approved of by a Mr . Hanley ; and his approval was conveyed in a letter signed "Amelia Clifford ; " and the same lady afterwards brought the child ; which she . visited from time to time , until some time before Midsummer of last year , since which time she had not seen her ; and the money for the maintenance of the cliild had since become due . At that time she happened to see Mrs . Charles Clifford pass , recognised her as the lady , and applied to Mr . Charles Clifford for payment
. Mr . Charles Clifford said he knew about the birth of the child—that she was born before wedlock , and was placed in the country , and that the parties were nowmarried . He then asked if she would pay her share of the expenses if he endeavoured to get her debt" ? A Mrs . " Welsfbrd who was present said she had better consult her husband upon the matter . Mr . Clifford then went to his wife , and said— " They will say by-and-by that it is ours , my dear . " She saw Mr . Charles Clifford in the afternoon , and told him that she would be a share of the expenses . He said—" Very good , Mrs . Spencer ; let
me have your bill , and I will see you paid . " She asked how she was to make out the bill , and he said , " Just as you have been in the habit of doing . " That was , " Miss Clifford for Mr . Manley , " She sent the bill on the following day by post , and on the Sunday after he wrote her , saying-he wanted the two letters of Mr . Manley . She sent them . After waiting about three months , she called upon Mr . Charles Clifford , thinking she was to be paid . He took her to his brother William's , and they then said they would have nothing more to do with her . Mr . William Clifford still said he had a clue to the parties , but that as she was abusive , he would give it up . ¦
Three other persons positively swore to Mrs . Charles Clifford ' s being the person who brought and used to visit the child . The defence was , that these persons were entirelymistaken in the identity of the person ; that Mrs . Clifford's name was " Matilda , " not " Amelia , " and no lady of the Clifford family bore that name ; that Mrs . Clifford was married in 1848 , and the child was two years old in 1849 ; while medical evidence , and that of persons intimately acquainted with her , was produced to show that there was no reason to suppose Mrs . Clifford had been in the family way before her marriage . Mrs . Clifford herself swore she had never left a child with Mrs . Spencer . "The judge , on this conflict pf evidence , non-suited the plaintiff , saying that the action
Had been brought against Mr . Charles Clifford fox the keep of a child—tho child having been left , as was supposed , by Mrs . Charles Clifford under the care of Mr * Spencer . Now , the only way in which Mr . Charles Clifford could be charged , was by considering that bin wife was his direct agent in placing the child there , or that the child was the illegitimate child of Mrs , Clifford . With regard to the first , it was beyond all doubt that Mrs . Clifford , supposing her to bo tho person that placed the child there , was not his agent in bo doing ; and , in the second place , it was beyond all doubt that , whether it was her illegitimate child or not , lie had ao proof oi it;—on the contrary , ho had every proof that could reasonably bo laid before him that it was not , She waa
known by respectable people , who had no knowledge of her being in tho family way . Therefore , so fur as tho evidence wont , unquestionably there was no ovidencc before Iiiiu to show that tho child was hers . As to the identity of the person , ho must hero acknowledge that when the plaintiff ' s case waa concluded , h « had not tho slightest doubt whatever that Mrs . Charles Clifford was tho person who placed tho child there ; but when ho came to consider tho evidence for the defonou , ho wan so uttorly shaken , that ho now had no opinion upon tho Bulijcct . Jlo thought it likely that those flva or nix individuals -who came to swear to her identity were ini * - taU « n . lie thought it more likely that thuy Hhtmld bo inLftulceu , Hum that Mm . Charles Clifford should bo tho noTHon .
A Very " Mysterious" Caso Avuh Hoard At,...
A very " mysterious" caso avuh hoard at , Lihkimvil relative to the death of Mr * , ttmily Wnl . ts , wil ' u of Mr . William Wnttn , wur ^ oou , formerly of Nottingham , now residing « u . Now Uri ^ hUm , Waw Liverpool , who w-im dmrgod wllh having miido fulmi returns to Uio nigiritrjir nn to tho diiuno of douth of Ids wife , which occurred « n Monday , tlio -: 1 th ult ,. Mm . Walt .- * took uu injection of tobacco wntor on that morning , which produced < kwU . h hi tho afternoon ^ and on tho Wednesday li « r husband made a return to the registrar that who hud died from oan » t , i |> ut . i < iu of the bo-wols and otrusion into tho abdomen . On the Saturday following an in <| UOMt w « h hold , whoh tho jury rutarnod a verdict of " Died from ou overdose
of tobacco . " Informations were subsequentl y laid against Mr . Watts , at the instigation of the brother of tie deceased , Mr . Bark-worth , of Hull , for having made a false return to the registrar . Evidence was heard , but , although , there appeared to be some suspicious circumstances attached to the case , nothing transpired to directly implicate Mr . Watts in having administered the tobacco water as an injection to his wife , or even that he had been cognizant of the fact , until the Wednesday evening after the death , when he was informed t ) y thenservant . For the defence , medical evidence was adduced to show that death might have been occasioned l ) y rupture of the abdomen , produced by long constipation , from which , it was admitted , the deceased suf . fered severely . The magistrates thought there was not sufficient evidence against Mr . Watts to send the case for trial .
The Dauntless Affair. Lieutenants Knight...
THE DAUNTLESS AFFAIR . Lieutenants Knight and Seymour , of the Royal Marines , have been subjected to tlie ordeal of an . investigation before the Magistrates of Portsmouth , on a charge of manslaughter , with reference to the death of the girl Matilda Lodge . The evidence was again gone into at considerable length , but nothing decidedly new was elicited . Mr . Knight was defended by Mr . Parry , the barrister , who made a very able speech ; apart from the mere dealing with the evidence , it contained this pas * sage : —
How did Lieutenant Knight meet . "this girl ? Why , in the most casual way ia the world ; in the streets of Portsmouth- —as many an officer had . met many a girl before , and as officers would continue to meet girls as long as officers were men and as long as women remained in Portsmouth . He regretted that Lieutenant Knight had so far forgotten himself as to take this girl on board ; and this he regretted ' the more as it had given rise to insinuations regarding the jDauntless which were : utterly baseless . The general assertion had been ma < le that such orgies , as they were called , were common on board the Dauntless . Now , they had the evidence p-f Lieutenant Jervis that never since the ship had beon commissioned had he seen anything of the sort—that not in
any single instance had loose women been taken on board , except ia this unhappy instance , which luad been the source of so much bitter regret to Lieutenant Knight , and for which he must suffer , he knew , from the naval authorities . He ( Mr . Parry ) had also to add that there had been a , miserable amount of cant in reference to this taking of the girl on board the hulk . If Lieutenant Knight had been guilty of harsh or unkind conduct towards the deceased—if ho had lifted his little finger against her in any way when he ought not to have done it—they might then have vituperated him as much as
they pleased—they might have allowed him to suffer the blame which he deserved ; but , knowing as they did what was going on in society , knowing that a very thin veil of conventionality concealed it , knowing tliat such matters were constantly going on , there was , he said , a good deal of cant about tho excitement and indignation which was displayed by our very jmoral pubLic when this thin veil was torn oft " . He did not , of course , by any means , justify these matters , which were constantly OC " curring , but still ho felt that there -was too much cant displayed by the public in reference to such conduct as that complained of by some people against his client .
The magistrates came to the decision that there Avas no evidence to make out a case of manslaughter against either Mr . Knight or Mr . Seymour , and tho charge was dismissed . In his concluding observations , tho mayor observed : — No blow , as fur aa we can see , hns been struck by any one . On the other hand , it appears that deceased did fall twice , and , according to the medical testimony , these falls , or one of them , might have given such a nhoek , caused such a concussion to a distended bladder , an to cause it to burst ; and , therefore , unless Lieutenant Knight , however reprehensible hid conduct may be , however wrongly ho may have acted —and ho did act , exceedingly wrongly and Improperly in plying her an
ho did with utimulating drinks—however wrong he wa « to take so littlo intercut in tho unfortunate deceased , having hor merely put into a boat and Hondin ^ her out , without seeing lior , without displaying toward * hor any of those common feelings of humanity which he ought to huvo exhibited—he being the iii . ir . ioii who brought , her , however Improperly , into tho nhlp—liowuver mpnihonsiMo bin conduct may have bovu—niul it lui . i certainly boon very reprehensible—Ilium in no jmliil , on which wo can lay our hands ami sny ( hut tlioro art n point where them in in siidicioiit iiiuminl . of ovidoncu ( . i > justify
uh in sending Lieutenant Knight l < i l / iku bin I riul on n ( . ¦ hiu- ft'o <» f liiiuirtlauglititr . AVhilo n ( , In ju . tli < . ' < i to on rue I von and tlili evidence ) pr < nlm ; od tivl \ in > uu , muni iiiiu to Dulio his triul mi this oIimiw i and , llicivl ' wni , while wo espi-css a strong opinion and convlcliini as U > his coiirlii < st , wo njimt ' ilimninrt Iho charge . TIki chur ^ o agaiiiHt . Lieutenants Knight i »* id Seymour la di « n » it ) i *« d . I would add ,
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Citation
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Leader (1850-1860), Oct. 7, 1854, page 5, in the Nineteenth-Century Serials Edition (2008; 2018) ncse.ac.uk/periodicals/l/issues/cld_07101854/page/5/
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