The Stourbridge Observer, Cradley Heath, Halesowen & District Chronicle.
Stourbridge, West Midlands, England, 1873-06-21 00:00:00

EXTRAORDINARY AFFILIATION CASE

AT CRADLEY HEATH.

At the Birmingham Police Court on Monday
before Mr. T. C. S. Kynneisley, an extraordinary
affiliation case was heard. henry Bissiker, school
master corngreaves, near Crudley, was summoned
by wary Whitehouse, of Lennox Street, Binning
ham, to show cause why he should not be adjudged
the putative father of a child to which the com-
plainant had given birth on the 6th of August
last. Mr. Cheston appeared for the complainant,
and Mr. Underhill, barrister, for the defendant.
The parties formerly resided at West Bromwich,
and were members of the Wesleyan Methodist
body. The complainant, a well dressed young
woman, having been called, stated that the child
boin on the 6th of August, 1572. She had known
defendant four or five years. An improper intimacy
took place between her and defendant on two occa-
sions at her father's house at West Bromwich, in
the begining of November' 1871. Mr. Cheston here
read two letters which defendant had written to
1 complainant whilst he was a student in the Wes
I leyan training College Westminster. In one of
those letters he complainant about his being ill
and pitching the senna tea which had been pres-
cribed for him through the window. He told her
in another letter how he loved" the Docter's The-
ology with all his heart," and gave her for her
female trends some extraordinary riddles to solve.
In course of her cross examintaion by Mr. Bader-
hill complainant said she was 30 years of age, and
defendant was about 10. It appeared from a fur-
ther statement made by complainant that when the
defendant, subs sometimes slept with brothers.
came into her bedroom and the alleged improper
intimacy took place she was not alarmed but sur-
prised. She made no noise. Iler bedroom was next
to thot of her father. Dekndtint told her not to
make a noise as her father would hear her, and it
would prevent him (defendant) going to college.
In the letters she wrote to defendant in the follow
lug February, March, April, and June, when at
college, she never suggested that she was likely
to become a mother, She mentioned the matter to
Mr, .11. Ernshaw," a Methodist parson," but
previously told her father. The matter was inves-
tigated by the " elders" or class leaders of the
Wesleyan body, and the result was that defendant
was dismissed from college, and was now a school-
master earning £6O. per annum. She denied that
she had stated before the "elders" that what had
taken place was more her fault than his(defen-
dant's).—Rebecca Stockey, a witness called for the
complainant, said she had often seen defendant
kissing complainant, and had said to him "the
little feet will make big ones run after them for
this game." There were two pairs of stairs to the
house of complainant's father, and when the com-
plainant went up one, the defendant invariably
ran up the other.—The defendant admitted kissing
the complainant, and said, in answer to Mr.
Underhill, that among persons of the religious
persuasion to which he belonged it was by no
means unusal for them to kiss when they met.
He strongly denied domplainant's staement as to
there having been any improper intimacy between
them. In answer to Mr. Cheston, defendant said
that thirteen out of sixteen class-leaders who
investigated the case found him goilty.—Enock
Bissiker, father of the defendant, said complainant
stated before the class leaders that she had led
defendant astray.—Mr. Kynnersley said the corro-
borative evidence was not strong enough to warrant
him in making an order on defendant.—No order
was therefore made.