The Infamous Life of John Church, the St. George's Fields Preacher: From His Infancy Up to His Trial and Conviction, With His Confession, Sent in a Letter to the Rev. Mr. L--, Two Days After His Attack on Adam Foreman, at Vauxhall, With Clerical Remarks by the Same Gentleman; to Which Is Added, His Love Epistles to E**** B****. Together With Various Other Letters, Particularly One to Cook, of Vere-Street Notoriety.Anonymous
Religion
The Infamous Life of John Church, the St. George's Fields Preacher: From His Infancy Up to His Trial and Conviction, With His Confession, Sent in a Letter to the Rev. Mr. L--, Two Days After His Attack on Adam Foreman, at Vauxhall, With Clerical Remarks by the Same Gentleman; to Which Is Added, His Love Epistles to E**** B****. Together With Various Other Letters, Particularly One to Cook, of Vere-Street Notoriety.
Anonymous
Church, J. (John), approximately 1780-approximately 1825; Church, J. (John), approximately 1780-approximately 1825 -- Trials, litigation, etc.; Trials (Sodomy) -- England
“Haste, escape for thy life, tarry not in all the plain.”—See Gen.
xix. 17.
Great credit is due to Mr. Patrick for the perseverance he has manifested
in bringing this hypocritical wretch to justice. Unmindful of the
threats and abuse of a party, and not to be deterred by the heavy
expences attending such a prosecution, he has, at length, finally
triumphed over all the arts and intrigues that had been practised against
his obtaining the desirable end, namely, in tearing off the mask from
this _pretended pious_ preacher, and rendering him amenable to the
offended laws of his country.
It may not be improper to state one of the tricks made use of to throw
the prosecutor off his guard. A limb of the law it appears, of the
_Jewish_ persuasion, _gratuitously_ offered to conduct the prosecution
for the young man; but upon a refusal being given to him, on account of
Mr. HARMER being selected for such purpose, it was ultimately discovered
that this _philanthropic_ Israelite had been exerting himself towards
exculpating Church, with all the ingenuity he was master of in his
defence, from the heinous offence alledged against him. The “law’s
delay” was resorted to, but only to put off the trial till the next
assizes, but the expences materially increased, as a means of deterring
the prosecutor from proceeding. It is however lamentable to observe,
that the charges in bringing such a wretch to justice, should amount to
eighty or ninety pounds!
The wife of Church, upon being made acquainted with his diabolical
propensities, became distracted, and was in a continual state of
intoxication, till death relieved this unfortunate woman from her
troubles. But it appears that since he has been charged with the above
detestable offence, in order (we presume under the mask of hypocrisy,) to
rescue in some degree his character from the public odium with which it
had been marked, induced him to marry a respectable woman, who kept a
seminary for young ladies at Hammersmith. The verdict of “Guilty” had
been scarcely pronounced, when the relatives of the children, with the
greatest promptitude possible, took them all away from the said school.
Notwithstanding the above confessional letter, (see page 14,) for the
authenticity of which we can vouch, having the original in our
possession, on the Sunday after it was sent, he had the audacity and
wickedness to stand up in his pulpit, and endeavour to calumniate his
accusers and assert his own innocence; but this effrontery, it seems, has
at length left him, since the verdict of twelve impartial men have
pronounced him guilty, that on Sunday last (Aug. 17.) he had not the
temerity again to face the numerous audience that had assembled both
within and without the walls of his chapel.
From the acknowledgment of this monster himself, the profits of this
_precious_ recepticle produced him from 1000_l._ to 1200_l._ annually.
* * * * *
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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