The Great Acceptance: The Life Story of F. N. CharringtonThorne, Guy
History
The Great Acceptance: The Life Story of F. N. Charrington
Thorne, Guy
Charrington, Fredk. N. (Frederick Nicholas), 1850-1936; Poor -- England -- London
"The other witnesses, of whom Mr. Rainsford, who is a clergyman, I
will select as an example, spoke also to the defendant's demeanour.
His demeanour on these occasions is quiet and gentlemanly and
courteous; and one of the plaintiff's witnesses, Mr. Dale, spoke of
him, in cross-examination, in similar terms. Sometimes the person to
whom he offers a tract responds with a sharp word, but on the
evidence, as it stands, there is no ground for saying that the
offering of the tract brings him into any angry or noisy altercation
with any person to whom he is offering it, even those who have
rejected it. He said, about one-third of the times that he has been
there (he has been there on numerous occasions), he has been alone,
and sometimes he goes with two or three friends, who are also engaged
in missionary work, and occasionally, he said as many as from twelve
to eighteen. Mr. Grenfell, whom I have already mentioned, spoke of him
as having a _remarkable ascendancy over the persons whom he met on
this pathway_; sometimes he also was accompanied by ladies.
"In my opinion, as the result of the evidence, all these persons
conducted themselves in an orderly manner. They do not, as was alleged
on the part of the plaintiffs, and particularly by the plaintiff
Crowder, in his evidence, form a 'living barricade,' nor do they
cause, in my opinion, any obstruction to the highway.
"Now, the defendant says that plaintiffs and their servants, and
particularly their manager, have been the real cause of such
disturbances as have arisen. The principal offender is Mr. Friend, the
manager, whose testimony I cannot rely upon. Young stands on a level
with him. Young was the doorkeeper, and was not called as a witness.
Mr. Crowder and Mr. Payne have certainly, each of them, taken some
part in creating the disturbances, though in a less degree than Friend
and Young. Now, the witness Howes, who also gave his testimony,
amongst other witnesses, described what was done by some of these
persons whom I have named. They walk up and down with Mr. Charrington.
I should say that his beat, or his patrol, if I may use such a term,
appears to be a distance of about thirty yards each way from the music
hall; and they not only walk up and down with him, but, according to
Howes, they tread on his heels, and a mob accompanies them as they go.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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