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
So that you see, Gentlemen, it was not the voluntary intrusion of Mr.
Patrick upon Mr. Church, when he went to his house; but it is in
compliance with the request of some of the Congregation. He says “Mrs.
Thomas went to speak to his wife, and it was at my wife’s and his wife’s
request that he went.—The interview with Mr. Church lasted near an hour.
It seemed to be a long while, not much less than an hour, as near as I
can guess the time. When he came out I put some questions to him
respecting what had passed between him and Mr. Church:—I asked him what
Mr. Church had said? and he replied that Mr. Church did not say
anything.”
Now, Gentlemen, it is impossible that Church could have said nothing, for
it is not very likely that Mr. Patrick would be occupied for an hour
hearing himself.
“He said Mr. Church seemed very much confounded on account of the cause,
but said noting.”
Certainly, Mr. Thomas, from the nature of things, must be incorrect, for
it is impossible that Mr. Patrick could be an hour in conversation with
Mr. Church, and that the latter should say nothing. Mr. Patrick could
not be an hour in conversation with himself.
“He said Mr. Church seemed very much confounded on account of the cause.
He (Patrick) seemed to insinuate that it would be injurious to the cause
God. He did not say, “the cause,” but I only suppose he meant the cause
of God. I asked whether Church had said any thing, and Patrick said
“No.” He said he seemed very much confused. I said, what do you mean?
If there is any thing against the man, do you think I would not have been
faithful to him and have charged him with it? Mr. Patrick said, he did
not know any thing about that, and that he was not the proper person. He
said, “I don’t know,—I am not so proper as you.” I said to him, “what
did he say respecting the report?” He said it was false.—Patrick himself
said the report was false. I then said, “what did Mr. Church state
respecting its having been reported that he was in liquor?” Mr. Patrick
replied, “that that was false, and that there had been a great deal of
exaggeration. I never put the question to Mr. Patrick, “whether he
thought that Church was implicated in the transaction or not?” I never
used these words or any to the same effect. I put these words to him,
“Why,” says I, “You did nothing. Did Mr. Church acknowledge nothing to
you?” “No, Sir,” says he, “he did not.” I said, “as you can bring
nothing against him, let us pray for him, if he was under any such
temptation.”
The phrase which the witness uses seems to signify that the Defendant’s
disposition was not very proper. What occasion was there to pray for him
not to be guilty of such an offence? What temptation could there be to a
moral man to excite him to the commission of so unnatural a crime?
“Mr. Patrick never delivered any opinion to me, whether he thought Church
was implicated in the transaction or not. Nothing more passed at the
meeting.”
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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