The Trial and Conviction of John Church: The Preacher of the Surrey Tabernacle, Borough Road, at the Surrey Assizes, at Croydon, on Saturday, the 16th of August, 1817, for an Assault With Intent to Commit an Unnatural Crime.Anonymous
Religion
The Trial and Conviction of John Church: The Preacher of the Surrey Tabernacle, Borough Road, at the Surrey Assizes, at Croydon, on Saturday, the 16th of August, 1817, for an Assault With Intent to Commit an Unnatural Crime.
Anonymous
Church, J. (John), approximately 1780-approximately 1825 -- Trials, litigation, etc.; Trials (Sodomy) -- England
Did you go into the house with him?—Yes; he unlocked the door, and we
went in.
The door of what?—The back door, where we went into the house.
The outer door?—Yes.
The garden door?—Yes.
When you got to the house, what did you and he do?—He went and put the
remainder of his clothes on.
Well; what did you and he do?—We went and searched every room in the
house, beginning at the bottom, and going on upwards to the top, except
my mistress’s room and Mr. Church’s.
Did you go into all the other rooms; did you open them all?—We went into
all the rooms except Mr. Church’s and Mrs. Patrick’s.
You did not go into Mr. Church’s room, or into that of your mistress?—No.
Did you open the doors of those two rooms?—We did not open the door of
either of those two rooms.
When you came to Mr. Church’s door, did you say any thing?—Yes; I said,
“I’ll go and pull him out; shall I?” The lad said, “No,” for fear of
disturbing his mistress.
Upon that observation of the lad’s about disturbing his mistress, did you
forbear going into the room?—Yes, I did.
What became of Foreman for the rest of the night?—He came along with me
into the Pottery; he came down stairs, locked the back door, and staid
with me the whole of the remainder of the night; he returned with me to
the Pottery, and staid ’til the morning.
Now, for what purpose did you search in all the rooms of the house?—To
see if there was any other person in the place.
Did you find any window or door open, at which any body could have got
into the house?—No; I saw them all close and fastened.
_Cross-examined by the_ COMMON SERJEANT.
When he came to you, he told you that Mr. Church had been there; but did
not explain what he had done?—No.
That you are quite sure of?—Yes.
Lord ELLENBOROUGH.—What words did he use?—He only told me that Church had
behaved in a very indecent manner to him.
COMMON SERJEANT.—You had never any intimation that there were thieves in
the house? You did not go to search for thieves in the house?—When he
told me that Church behaved in a very indecent manner to him, I went to
see if there was any other person in the place.
Did he not tell you he believed there were thieves in the house?—No.
Lord ELLENBOROUGH.—I think you are misled by what the witness, Foreman,
said. It is a mere form of expression. You are going upon a wrong
scent. The witness did not say, in terms, that he believed there were
thieves in the house.
COMMON SERJEANT.—That was particularly mentioned by Foreman in his
examination.
Lord ELLENBOROUGH.—He might have used the word thieves; but it is very
unimportant. It is giving a consequence to a phraze that is in very
common use, and means very little.
Mr. GURNEY.—I put the question to him in terms, whether he did not go to
search for thieves in the house.
Mr. MARRYATT.—He adopted the whole of the sentence certainly, in the
answer he gave to the question.
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