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
By what part did you lay hold of him?—As near as I can guess it was the
upper part of his arm.
Upon laying hold of him, what observation did you make? What did you
ascertain from laying hold of the person? Could you tell whether it was
a man or a woman?—I laid hold of his arm, and felt lower down, and found
by the sleeve that he had got a man’s shirt on.
How far did you feel lower down?—I had a hold of him by the upper part of
the arm, and running my hand down to the wrist, I found he had a man’s
shirt on.
Could you tell whether the wrist was buttoned?—Yes.
Was it buttoned?—It was.
Could you tell at all by the feel of the arm itself, whether it was the
arm of a man or a woman?—I knew very well it was a man.
Could you tell that from the feel of the flesh?—I could not tell that.
By Lord ELLENBOROUGH.—You knew it was a man—By what circumstance?—Because
he had got a man’s shirt on.
You knew it was a man by the shirt?—Yes.
By Mr. BOLLAND.—Did the person say any thing to you in answer to what you
said?—He answered—“Adam, don’t you know me? I am your mistress,” in a
faint voice, like a woman.
And was it the voice of your mistress, Mrs. Patrick?—Oh! no, sir!
Could you tell whose voice it was?—Yes; I knew the voice directly I heard
it.
Whose voice was it?—Mr. Church’s.
What did you do afterwards, and what did he do?—He fled from the room
directly.
When you use the word _fled_, what do you mean by that?—He went out of
the room.
The word _fled_ indicates more than merely going out of the room; did he
go out in a hurried manner?—He went out in a hurried step.
Upon his going out what did you do?—I got out of bed, and put on my small
clothes and shoes, and went to the man up at the kiln.
What did you do first—when he went out of the room—what did you first
do?—I got out of bed, and put on my small clothes and shoes.
Did you see him go out of the room?—Yes. As he opened the door I saw by
the lamp that it was Mr. Church, and he had only his shirt on.
Where is that lamp that enabled you to see the person of Church?—Outside
of the door.
What door do you mean?—Outside of the front street door.
In the street?—Yes; on the Terrace.
And that lamp throws a light through the fan-light of the hall door?—Yes.
By Lord ELLENBOROUGH.—The lamp is at the street door?—Yes, my Lord.
By Mr. BOLLAND.—Is it a gas light or a parish light?—It is a parish lamp.
It is not one of the new lights?—No.
It is not a gas light?—No.
By Lord ELLENBOROUGH.—Where were you standing at the time?—I was getting
up, my Lord.
By Mr. BOLLAND.—Did you go out of your room?—Yes, I did.
By Lord ELLENBOROUGH.—You say that when he went out of the room, you saw
it was Church, by the lamp: what lamp do you mean?—The lamp at the door.
What door?—The street door.
Where were you when you saw Church at that time by the light of the
lamp?—In bed, sitting up. I had not then left my bed.
You must have opened your door?—No, my Lord; Church did that.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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