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Leader (1850-1860), 10th March 1855, Edition 2 of 2, Page 10, ALTERING A PARISH REGISTER. A singular c...

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      ; , - Of To - L " Our Civilisation. R Ov...

      hold of the boy , who escaped , but was afterwards taken into custody , and brought before the magistrate at Worship-street , fie stated as an excuse that he wanted to frighten the missionary away , but was ordered to pay 5 / ., or be committed to the House of Correction for two months . At the Clerkenwell police ' court , on Tuesday , two Irish labourers were charged with riotous conduct in the burial ground of Trinity Church , Gray ' s Innroad . They had accompanied the body of a friend's child to the ground ; and , being Roman Catholics , they objected to the clergyman reading the Protestant service . They therefore knocked the book out of his hands , and commenced shovelling in the earth , which led to a contest between them and the

      sexton and his assistants , and to their being given j & to custody of the police . A gentleman present explained to the magistrate that , as the law prevented a Romanist minister from officiating in a Protestant burial ground , their custom is to have the service read previous to nailing down the coffin , and After a portion of consecrated earth has been placed with the body , the friends of the deceased have no objection to burial in the parish churchyard , but they object to the reading of the Protestant service .. The magistrate expressed an opinion that in such cases the service might be dispensed with ; but the clergyman said that he was bound to deliver it . The case was then adjourned , in order that application might be made to the Bishop of London for the discontinuance of the Protestant service in such cases .

      John and Elizabeth Rogers were charged at the Clerkenwell police-court on Tuesday , with cruelty to their child . It appeared that the child—a little girl—had been thrown on the parish four times through the harsh treatment of its parents . On Sunday evening , the landlord of the house in which the defendants lodge , sent his child down the kitehen stairs to fetch water , and , as she was passing the coal-cellar , she heard a slight knocking at the door , and a voice from within said , " Little girl , little girl , open the door ; I am so cold and hungry . " The child , being frightened , ran away and told her father , who went to the cellar , and found a little girl huddled in a corner , _ shivering , and praying for . something

      to eat . He took care of her , and sent an officer to investigate the matter . According to the statement of a married woman who . lives in the house * the child was once brought home in a very bruised state , and with a sore finger . "I washed and cleaned her , " said the witness , " and put a poultice on her finger . I left her in my room , and went down stairs . -As I came up I found that Mrs . Rogers had taken her from my room , and locked her up , and she was crying very much . Mrs . Rogers , however , forgot that she had not secured the second door , and the poor child put her hand out , and then I saw that the poultice was off the finger , and that it was bleeding . Although I have frequently heard the -child crying , I never

      saw anyone beating it . " The father stated that up to three o ' clock on Sunday the child had been in his room , and that she had had a good dinner- at-one .- -In—answer—to -this , -the- child herself ( who was very ragged and dirty ) stated that , after her breakfast , about the time " when the sun began to come out , " her mother put her in the coal cellar ; that she had no dinner—" only some bread-and-butter which the gentleman gave her "but that she was not whipped ; and that she was shut up " because a gentleman and lady came to have then : likenesses done" ( the father is a photographer ) . Mr . Birchmore , overseer of St . Paucras

      Union , said that about six months ago the child s arm was broken , or seriously injured , by a blow from the female prisoner , who is the mother-in-law ; and the child said this was done in aiming a blow at her head with a poker , and that no one did anything for the hurt , as she was always locked in the room ; An elder brother was produced for the defence , but his evidence only substantiated the charge . Eventually , it was determined that -the child should be taken into the Union ; and , upon the father agreeing to pay a weekly sum , the two prisoners were discharged without any punishment for their long and systematic cruelty .

      22g Th^ Lead E Ft. [Satttrpat,

      22 g TH ^ LEAD E ft . [ Satttrpat ,

      Altering A Parish Register. A Singular C...

      ALTERING A PARISH REGISTER . A singular case was tried on Tuesday at Oxford before Lord Campbell . The Reverend John Allen Giles , D . C . L ., was charged with having married " Richard Pratt and Jano Green on the 5 th of October , 1854 , and feloniously made in the marriage register-book of the snid parish a certain false entry respecting the particulars of the said marriage . The said entry was alleged to be false in three particulars —firstly , in stating that the marriage took place on the 3 rd of October , whereas it took place on the 5 th ; secondly , in . stating that the marriage took place by license , whereas there was no license ; and , thirdly , in stating that one Charlotte Tato was present at the marriage , and signed her mark in the * cgt * ter-book as a witness , whereas tho said Charlotte Tate was not present at tho mnrrihge , and did not « gn her mark in tho register . " Dr . Giles (/ who ie a man of considerable literary

      attainments ) was curate orBampton in Oxfordshire , and Jane Green was in his service . The girl was engaged to Richard Tratt , and on the 5 th of October , 1854 , Dr . Giles married them at the parish church at 6 o ' clock in the morning . They were seen to onter the church by a farmer named Edwardes , and , from what he said , : inquiries were made . On the 2 nd of the month , Dr . Giles had obtained the keys of the chest where the registers of marriages were kept , and , on returning them to the parish clerk on the 5 th , he told him , as a secret which was not to be repeated , that a wedding had taken place there on that morning , adding tliat the clerk should have a double feeif he kept the secret . Subsequently ,

      the clerk found an entry stating that Pratt and Green had been married on the 3 rd , and that Charlotte Tate ( also a servant of Dr . Giles ) was a witness . The affair having led to a great deal of gossip , Dr . Giles wrote to the Bishop of Oxford on the 11 th of October , stating that he had in fact married the couple on the morning of the 3 rd , but that , one of the entries being incomplete , they went to the church again on the morning of the 5 th , and that " a gossip of the village spread the report that they went to be married . " On the 24 th of October after an inquiry before the magistrates had taken

      place , Br . Giles wrote again to the Bishop , admitting that he had misrepresented the facts in his former letter ; and stating that he had performed the marriage on the 5 tli , but that lie did not know that it was uncanonical to marry before eight o ' clock . He also acknowledged that there was no license , but said that he thought " the parties were answerable for the license . " He wrote again on the 26 th of October , explaining that his false statement arose out of " the dreadful prospect of felony , with fourteen years * transportation . " In the same letter he solemnly averred that no " gain or advantage" to himself influenced him .

      " May I plead , my lord , that when I recovered from the first pang of madness I forbade every one to speak of misrepresenting the facts , and gave an . account of the whole affair to him , who stated it before the magistrates . The sole cause of my so acting was that reckless rashness to which I have ever been liable in doing the first thing that suggests itself to me— This -was my impulse then . _ It was notorious to all my family that this young woman was going to be married to the young man . J . was ~ atr ~ the time overwhelmed with hard work from various causes . Mr . Adams being away , I had additional sermons . I had six pupils preparing for Oxford and the army , with whom I was occupied six . Jiours & day ; and thirdly , my dear child belonging to Christ Church School , had been sent home in a fever , and with his life despaired of ; six nights had I sat up with my wife , watching his sufferings . "

      Further on , Dr . Giles thus explains his ignorance of his professional duties : — " During the twenty-three years that I have been in orders I never practised my profession until the last few years atBampton j and even there I have been regarded as a-mere help to others , leaving 4 o them _ ali , parpchial matters . The cause of this was the necessity of being ordained in orders to hold a fellowship ; and so I am bitterly expiating the crime ( too common ) of . making holy orders a qualification for worldly advantages . " The letter concludes with an earnest appeal for mercy , the writer undertaking to perform any penance the Bishop might please to impose , to give up his literary occupations , and devote himself to the Church , and to yield the proceeds of his labours for any length of time to the poor .

      Besides these facts , the evidence proved that Dr . Giles had for some time after the marriage paid Pratt 5 b . a week through tho medium of another person , and that subsequently he paid tho passage-money to Australia of Pratt and his wife . On the Doctor being taken into custody , he said to Charlotte Tate ( after having whispered something to her ) , " Can't you swear that Richard Pratt nnd Jano Green were married on Tuesday ( the 3 rd ) between eight and nine o'clock ? " The girl answered ,

      Yes , 'I can ; " but the Doctor afterwards said to tho police officer , " I will tell tho truth . It was intended that they should bo married on Tuesday , the 3 rd , and myself , my son , Jane Green , and , I believe , Charlotte Tate , were at the church , waiting ; while waiting and expecting Richard Pratt would come , I made tho entry in tho register . Richard Pratt did not come , and I afterwards married them on the Thursday morning , before eight o'clock , at their request , because Pratt's master would scold him if he was away from his work . "

      The defence was that the Doctor wns so overwhelmed with literary labour , that , through utter recklessness , he had made mistakes . Several clergymen and publishers spoke highly of his character ; but the jury returned a verdict of Guilty , with a recommendation to mercy . Lord Campbell said there appeared to be no foundation for the suspicion that his desire to get Jane Green married and out of the way aroso from some immoral act . He sentenced him , however , to twelve months' imprisonment but without hard labour .

      _, ^ ,__ Ajj L Luulm* A 1 Alilbh Kegis1er

      HEALTH OJF LONDON DURXN © TEE WEBE-( 2 > Vwr the Hegi & trar'GmeraVs Report . ") The winter ' s cold . lias passed away , but its effects sfill appear in the registers , on whidh , during the week that ended on Saturday last , the deaths of 15 G 0 persons are inscribed . The deaths in the last seven weeks have ¦ been 10 , 96 B and have thus exceeded the weekly averages of the ' year round by 2288 .

      If we revert to the six cold weeks , when the mean temperature was 28-4 deg ., the varying influence of cold on life at different ages becomes more apparent than it was in the calculation that was based on five weeks . Thus after deducting the average deaths at each age , an excess remains referable to the extreme cold in the numbers of 419 under the age of 20 ; of 200 at the age of 20— £ 0 ; of 392 at the age of 40-60 ; of 752 at the age of GO—80 ; and of 205 at the age of 80 and upwards .

      The cholera in six weeks of 1854 was four times as fatal as the cold in 1855 , and , although its fatality increased as age advanced , it followed a different law thus in 10 , 000 living at the age of 20—40 , the epidemic cholera was fatal to 24 , the cold to 2 ; in 10 , 000 persons of the age of 40— ' 60 , cholera was fatal to 39 , cold to 9 ^ at the age of 60—80 , the proportions to the same number ( 10 , 000 ) living were , cholera , 64 , cold , 51 ; at f te last age ( 80—100 ) thej > rbportions changed to cholera , 90 ; cold , 207 . The average deaths from pneumonia , bronchitis , and asthma in six weeks are 351 ; the deaths from these

      causes rose to 2349 in the six cold weeks . Influenza , hooping-cough , croup , and a few other diseases of the zymotic class , mortification , cancer , scrofula , apoplexy , paralysis , epilepsy , heart disease , terminated fatally in proportions above the average j so-did consumption , but to a slight extent only . The cold , therefore , brings quickly to a fatal end many chronic diseases which it does not induce . Last week the births of 838 boys and 888 girls , in all 1726 children , were registered in London . In the ten corresponding weeks of the years 1845-54 the average number "was 1551 .

      Miscellaneous. Cjrtstal Palace, Sttdenha...

      MISCELLANEOUS . Cjrtstal Palace , Sttdenham . —The success which has attended the establishment of a news-room in the Crystal Palace , has indueed the directors to commence 4 he formation of a free library ( available to visitors ) in connexion therewith . "The artistic and scientific works ^ alreadycollected for the use of the company ' s staff will form the nucleus of the new library . The extension of the company ' s plan has-called forth large donations from Messrs . W . and R . Chambers , and other great publishers , as well as liberal promises of support from many distinguished friends of education .

      Fatal Gun Accedesjx . —Mr . Brown , a solicitor of Walsingham , was snipe shooting in company with his nephew , a boy about fifteen years of age , when the gun of the former accidentally went off , and shot the youth , who at first was not aware of the fact . The next minute-. he _ sank . jn . . Jbhe _ . s __ pf ., _ h ^ companion , observing , " Never mind , uncle—you could not help it " He died on the evening of the same day . Earl Stanhope expired on the 2 nd oF March , in his seventy-fourth year . He is succeeded in the earldom by his only son , Viscount Mahon , the well'known author and literary executor of the late Sir Robert Peel . The schooner

      SniPWKECK and Loss of Ltfe . — Statira , Captain Williams , has been wrecked on the Laughame Sands , not far from the spot where the Queen of tho West recently met a similar fate . The captain , the mnte , and two seamen were drowned ; nnd from the testimony of a lad who survived we gather the particulars of the case . The weather was foggy , and the sea heavy ; tho captain and crew , immediately upon the vessel going ashore , took to the boat , which , however , capsized ; and all except the boy perished . Even ho was three times washed from tho boat ; but eventually reached the shore in safety , though greatly exhausted . Upon examination , it appears that the vessel , having struck upon sand , received no serious injuries , and that the captain and crew would have had a goou chance of saving their lives liad they remained .

      DESTRUCTION BV FlUE OF AN ENGLISH STKAMKR — Tho Bona journals announce the total destruction by fire of the English steamer Petrel , of 820-horse power , which had arrived there a few days before from Sebnutopol to load a cargo of hay , and at the same time to take m tow an Austrian vessel , also laden with hny . "Ot n . vessels had their cargoes on board , and were preparing to sail on tho 14 th or 15 th ult . ; on the 12 th , at hallpast six in tho morning , a thick smoko was seen to iama from tho Petrel , on perceiving which , the Inspector ot Customs instantly boarded her with nil the iiwn l > o could muster . It is not as yet known what occasioned tho fire , but it showed itself first in tho hold where tli « coal waa stowed . ; thence , it gained tho galley , nnd afterwards tho hay , when , the flames spreading rnpuliy , all hope of saving tho vessel woe abandoned .

      Visit of this Quekn to thk Woxtnihco Soltokiis at Chatham . —Her Majesty and Princo Albert , ' on Saturday last , proceeded to Chatham , and visited tno hospital at Fort Pitt . Tho number of wounded m tno

  • Citation
    • Leader (1850-1860), March 10, 1855, page 10, in the Nineteenth-Century Serials Edition (2008; 2018) ncse.ac.uk/periodicals/l/issues/cld_10031855/page/10/