The Press.
London, England, 1854-09-30 00:00:00

THE PRESS.

grata ititiV Volta.

A WELL-DRESSED YOUNG MAN, calling himself
Benjamin Kort, and described as a master painter,
was charged at Southwark Police Court with creating
an obstruction in the Borough-road by preaching
therein on Sunday afternoon. Mrs. Jones, the land-
lady of a public-house in the road, was the chief com-
plainant in the case, and alleged that the defendant's
preaching was violent and obnoxious, and had col-
lected a mob round him, among whom she expected
a riot :
Mr. d BaezErr—Did you say the prisoner was preaching?
V,,tness—Yes, sir; but very improper. Ills language was
blasphemous, and more likely to cause a disturbance than gain
converts. He dawned the Irish and the Catholics, which I con-
sidered very improper conduct. I saw a number of Irishmen
near hint, and, apprehending from their gestures a distnrbettee. I
sent for the police. The defendant and another man had dis-
gracefully conducted themselves for some Sundays past, and It
had become an intolerable nuisance.
The prisoner, in reply, broke out in an excited strain, declaring
that he had a mission from Gud, and defied any one to prevent
his preaching.
Mr. d BEd:Err—You are labouring under a great mistake, and
you cannot be allowed to create an obstruction in the streets.
Will you promise not to utfeud again?
Prisoner—l will not make such a promise, as lam only obey-
ing the commands of God.
Mr. d Bscaerr—[ have no doubt that your intentions may be
good, but your conduct is likely to cause a great deal of ill feeling
among the parties who may surround you, You must keep
within the limits of the law or you will be punished. You are
now discharged.
The prisoner then left the court.
A FATAL AND DISGRACEFUL AFFAIR has occurred
on board her Majesty's ship Dauntless, now lying in
Portsmouth harbour. Two girls of the town, named
Lodge and White, living in Gosport, were walking in
Portsmouth streets late on the evening of Sunday
week, when they met two officers of the Dauntless,
who entered into conversation, treated them with
liquor, and finally invited them on board the ves-
sel. The girls consented, and while on board drank
more wine and brandy, and spent some hours ap-
parently in rather riotous enjojment. At one in the
morning White came away in a bolt, leaving her
companion Lodge still on board. This unfortunate
girl remained for some time, it is stated, in the cabin
of Lieutenant Knight, one of the officers who had
originally invited her to the Dauntless, and afterwards
came into the gun-room, where she lapsed into a
state of complete intoxication. Witnesses examined
at tb subsequent inquest state, that they heard the
screams of a female issuing from the ship at inter-
vals, for some hours, during that night. Other wit-
nesses, belonging to the crew of the Dauntless, assert
that there was no screaming, but that Lodge re-
mained in a state of drunken insensibility until nearly
four in the morning, when she was put into a boat
and sent on shore. The boatmen who took charge
of her declare that her dress at the time was dis-
ordered and torn, her hair dishevelled, and that she
had no stays on. They took her, still almost insensible,
to the police-station, and gave her up to the in-
spector. During Monday the unhappy woman re-
mained very ill, complaining of great pain, and de-
claring that sbe had received her death blow. In
the evening she was removed to her parents' home,
where she died on Tuesday morning. An inquest
was held on Friday and Saturday in last week, at
which Lieutenant Knight, and other °dicers of the
Dauntless, voluntarily placed themselves under ex-
amination. Medical evidence Was also given aft to
the cause of death, which was found to have resulted
from rupture of the bladder, but the body piesented
marks of other recent and severe, though not fatal,
injuries. The following verdict was teturned
according to the evidence given by the medical men,
we feel bound to give as our verdict that the death of Matilda
Jane Lodge arose from the rupture of the bladder; but we feel
also bound by the evidence to find that such death was mainly
accelerated by the 111-treatment deceased received on the night
of Sunday last and the following morning, on board the hulk to
to her Majesty's ship Dountkes in Portsmouth harbour, and to
which we respectfully call the attention of the authorities.

Further inquiries in relation to this ease are still
pending. A court martial is preparing on the con-
duct of several officers of the ship in which the affair
occurred; while the civil authorities at Portsmouth
are about to institute criminal proceedings against
some of the parties implicated. Lieutenant Knight
has been placed under close arrest on board his ship,
pending the instructions of the Lords of the Admi-
ralty as •o further proceedings.
Ax ELDERLY FEMALE named Margaret Spenning
has been caught while attempting to smuggle four
quarts cf gin, concealed in a bladder, into the
Queen's Prison. At her examination before the
police magistrate,
Charles Collwell, chief turnkey of the above prison, said he
bad known the defendant some years as being a constant at-
tendant at the prison chapel every Sunday. Latterly a great
quantity of spirits had found its way within the walls, and every
precaution was used to detect the parties who brought it. On
Sunday afternoon the prisoner rime as usual with her prayer-
book in hand, and was shuffling through the lobby towards the
chapel, when witness suspected that she had something contra-
band about her. lie accordingly stopped her, and asked her
Politely what she had concealed under her clothes, when she
indignantly replied, "How can you be so indecent to ask such a
question? I aril only flesh and blood under toy clothes." Wa-
nes*, however, did not bAieve her, hut handed her over to the
female searcher, when a bladder containing four quarts of gin