The Stourbridge Observer, Cradley Heath, Halesowen & District Chronicle.
Stourbridge, West Midlands, England, 1868-02-01 00:00:00

THE "PECULIAR PEOPLE."

An inquiry has been held at the Crown Tavern,
Blackfrians-road, London, touching the death of 1401.11.1
Wagstaffe, aged fourteen months. The deceased was
the daughter of two saints of the faith called the
Peculiar People. Though a girl, she was named Louis
after a saint of the church. As will be seen by the
evidence taken in the case, the unfortunate child lost
her life through the too strict adherence of her parents
to one of the tenets of the Peculiar Church.
Mrs. Alley, Princes-street, Blackfrinrs-road, said that she
was a is idow, and was one of the Peculiar People The
deceased was the dau,hter of Thomas Wrgstaffe. a wharf
labourer, and Mary Andrews, his wife. The child was al-
ways delicate, and it suffered from a cough. The elders of
the Church were called together, sod they anointed the
child. The ceremony gone through was the pouring of oil
out of a phial on to the child's chest ; they pm) el to the
Lord to heal the child and raise it up again. Witness did
not suggest the calling in of a doctor, because when she was
herself laid low the Lord of All raised her up again. She
went by the Word of God. On Tuesday last she saw the child
was worse death took place on Wednesday. They gave
every nourishment to the child and gave it brandy and water.
The reason they did not call in a doctor was that Scripture
sail, "Cursed is man that trusteth in man," and also,
" 'frost not in an arm ,d flesh." _ .

-•--- --
A Juror: Did not Jesus speak of calling hi physicians to
the sick
Witness ',fanatically In what part of lloly Writ do you
find that?
The juror confessed that he did not know, but he asked
the witness "II your leg was broken would you call in a
doctor, or would you merely pray to the Lord to get it
mended?"
WitIRMS: The Lord says, "Not • bone of the righteous
shall be broken."
Thomas Cook, the coroner's officer, deposed that from in-
formation he received, he went to 3, Whitehorse-yard, and
there in a loft overt stable in wht.:ll was ~ne horse, lie sew
the dead body of the deceased child the mother, Mrs.
Ailley, and two male persons were in the loft. They said
that the child had been ill a fortnight, and that no doctor
had seen it. 'God raised up the sick and wounded."
Witness said, "What ! without medical aid ! What do you
call your religion?" They answered, "Peculiar People."
Witness remarked that be bad never heard id such a re-
ligion before, and bethought they were very peculiar indeed.
Dr. Donohoo, Westminster-bridge-road, said that the
parents called upon him for a burial certificate tier the
child was dead, and of curse he refused to cue it. lie had
since, by the coroner's order, made a poll mortem examina-
tion, and he found that death had re, ulted from left .mma-
tion of the IRMO The disease had been going on for ten
days. It medical aid had been called in the child would
have had a fair chance of recovery. Brandy and water was
highly Improper; It would aggravate the disease.
Thomas Wagstaffe, the child's father, was then asked for
an explanation of his conduct in not getting in medical aid
for his child. Ile "The rea•on Is I pave icy bran to
the Lord sin years ago, and I believe that God is of my
body. Now, I believe that when I am laid low, the lord
will raise me up. Six years ago I believed as the people of
the world do. One of the elders of the Church will address
you upon this."
The Cinvner said that as the CRS@ was a serious one, he
would hear any witness that cull be produced
A miiiille-ageil man, who nail the appearance of a shop-
keeper, then stepped forward, and said that he was au elder
Ba .
banded in "A plan for the elders of the Peculiar People,