The Express.
London, England, 1853-02-14 00:00:00

EXTRAORDINARY INVESTIGATION.

.Mr. Joseph Henry Shorthouse, a surgeon, residing
at Cantlelto*, where he has a very extensive practice, and
who is Llso medical officer to the Croydon and Epsom
Unions, appeared before the bench of magistrates at Croydon.
lon Saturday, to show cause why ho should not pay the ex-
pense incurred for the fueeral of an illegitimate child, of
which be we/ alleged to be the father.
The ease, from the circumstances connected with it,
excited a great deal of interest • the charge baring, in the
first place, app.ared to assume the form of a felony. That,
however, was abandoned, and the defendant was now called
upon to answer the present complaint under tke bastardy
law.

The presiding megistra•es were Moms. Byron, Ricardo,
and Eylee. Mr. Everest, of Epsom, attended on behalf of
the defendant.

Anne Duff was called as a witness in support of the com-
plaint. she was a remarkably pretty little girl, middle de-
posed to the following effect:—She said that she was 20
years old last November, and that she had been in :melee, but
for Vie last two years had lived at home with her father, who
was a labouring man at Carshaltoc. The defendant, Mr.
Shorthouse, had been in practice in Carshalton fur two or
three years, but she knew nothing of him until a short time
before last March, when she had occasion to consult him
on account of her being ill, and she used to go to his sur-
gery for medicine. She did so upon one occasion, and he
asked her to go into the back room, sad when they got in
he poured somsthing out of a bottle and held it to her face,
and she became inseasible, and while in thut state he In-
dia:nil her. When she came to herself her clothes were in
disorder, and the defendant was standing close to her with
his clothes also disordered.. About three weeks after this
the defeeilant again assaulted her in a similar manner, 111:1a
about four weeks afterwards he committed a third as.ault.
Every time it occurred it was in the private room. She St
length told the defendant that she was in the family way,
but he said she was not, and he continued to give her me-
dicine, but she did not take half of it. On the Friday Mean
sho was confined the defendant told her that she was in the
family war, and that he intended to send her away. The
first attack upon her was made is the month of March,
hut she was unable to state the exact day, and she was de-
livered of a child in November. The child was since dead.
She did nut tell anybody what bad occurred beeause the
defendant promised to marry her if she did not, and he was
particularly anxious that the rector, Mr. Cator, should not
know anything about it, as ho said if he did he should lose
his practice. The complainant went on to say that the de-
fendant attended her on her delivery, and when the child
was born he ordered a woman named Clark, a neighbeur,
to take it away, and he said it was dead. She returned uith
the child soon afterwards, and thu defendant then said to
her, "What, have you brought that little wretch hack ?"
and Mrs. Clark said sue had as it was alive, and she would
not have it in her house. She added that the defendant
told her if she did not tell Mr. Cater he was the father of
her child he would marry her on the Ist of January, and
he said he had got a license, and he was looking out tor a
house.

The prosecutrix was subjected to a very severe cross-ex-
amination, and in the course of it she said that she had
been in three different services in Landon, and she only
left Ler bat place in order to attend upon her father a:
home, as her sister had got married. She had gone to con-
sult tho defendant about three weeks before she was as-
saulted by him. She did not know what her disorder was,
but she swore positively that it wee not of a loathsome
character as suggested by Mr. Everest. She also swore
positively that she had never had intercourse with any man
except the defendant, and that he alone was the lather of
her chill. She said she bad never had but one sweetheart,
a man named Dashwood, but she declared positively that
he had never taken any liberties with her. On the day
before she was confined Dashwood was in her bed-room,
and the defendant ordered him out. She admitted that
she told Dr. Shorthouse that Dashwood was her sweetheart,
but she denied positively having et the same time said that
she wished him at the devil, as he had been the cause
of her trouble. The intercourse with the defendant
took place three times without anything being put
over her face. She denied having told the hey. Mr. Cater
that the first assault was committed upon her in the Easter
week, but she did once tell him that defendant was not the
father of her child. After she was cociked, the defendant
assaulted her, but she arr. r told any one that the doctor
had used violence to her. She had never mentioned this
last fact until the present moment. She did not say that
the defendant was the father of the child until after it was
born. When Mr. Cator questioned her, she did not say •
word about chloroform. She admitted that she had heard
that the Km Mr. Caton had said he would give anything
to know whether Dr. Shorthouse was the father of the child,
and she said it was after this that she went to him and con-
tradicted her former statement, and said that he was the
father of her child, hut she told him that he had only bad
intercourse with her once. She made no alarm when the
defendant used violence to her in her bed-room, and after
the child was born she still expected the defendant
would marry her. Tho reason she told the Rev.
Mr. Cator on the first occasion that the defendant was
not the father of her child was, that he requested her to do
so. A day or two before she was confined, she told the
defendant she had not got any clothes fur it, and he told
her not to make any, as the child was dead and rotten.
After her confinement, the defendant gave her 305., in dif-
ferent sums. He attended her as the parish doctor, but she
had no medical order from the relieving officer. She was
aware that the only relief granted to single young women
in the family way was to take them into the workhouse.
In answer to questions put by the court, the complainant
said that the defendant had never made any application for
payment of his bill for attending upon her.
Hester Clark, a neighbour of the complainant, was called
as a witness on her behalf. She slid she was a married
woman, and at the time the complainant was delivered,
' hearing she was ill, she went to see her. The defendant
was there, and, when the child was born, Le said it was an
eight months' child. It appeared to be dead, and she took
the child to her own house, and put it into a warm bed,
and when it had recovered she carried it into the cottage of
Anne Duff; and when the defendant saw it, he asked her
what she had brought the little wretch back for.
Cross-examined—She did not observe anything in the
conduct of the defendant towards Anne Duff except what
she should expect from a kind medical man. She did not
hear the father of the complainant threaten to turn her out
of doors, but he did say that as soon as ever she was well
enough she should swear the child. She once told the com-
plainant that it was reported in the village that a married
man named Moore was the father of her child, and she
laughed, but she appeared to treat it as • joke.
the father of the complainant deposed that shortly be-
fore she was delivered he went to Dr. Shorthouse and
naked him what was the matter with his daughter, and he
slid that she was only unwell, and he asked him to go with
Ida to his surgery and fetch some medicine. As they were
=galong the defendant said she had had a child, but it
el not live, and witness told him it would live long
enough to disgrace him and his daughter all through the
parish. The defendant then said, that if witness said no-
thing about it the child would not live, and nobody would
know anything of the matter. After the child had been
buried, he took the funeral bill to the defendant and asked
him to pay it, and he said he should not have minded what
he paid if it had not been for the scandal in the parish. He
carried the bill to him as the father of the child and asked
his to settle it in that capacity, and he made no denial or
abandon of the fact.
Oroes-examined—Dashwood was a sweetheart of his
daughter's, and was in the house at the time she was in
labour. The defendant sent him out to fetch some brandy
fee her. After the child was born Dashwood came down to
Oarshalton to clear up his point, and satisfy witness that
he was not the father. The defendant told him that his
daughter would be strong enough in about ten days to go
and swear the child, and she was present at the time and
made no remark. When he asked the defendant to pay the
bill he did not threaten that if he did not de so he would
institute a report that ho had committed a rape upon his
daughter, and that a certain lady in Carshalton would do
the same, and would spare no expense. The defendant said
be did not care what he paid so that he was not scandalised in
the parish, but witness did not tell him that if he paid the bill
the reports should be stopped and his daughter should say
there was no truth in them.
Mr. Everest then addressed the bench on behalf of the
defendant. He said that the character, reputation, and
everthing that was dear to his client, was at stake in the
present inquiry, and he felt most deeply tho importance of
the duty that was cut " upon him to satisfy the bench
that there was not the slightest foundation for that
charge, and that it was the result of the most
wicked and deliberate perjury. The defendant was a
man of high character and acquirements, and in addition
to having succeeded to one of the most extensive and respec-
table practices in the county of Surrey, he bad been ap-
pointed medical officer to the Croydon and the Epsom
Union for this district, and as the bench was aware of the
strict inquiries made before such an appointment was
granted by the hoard of guardians, ho need hardly observe
that this was in i!self .1 proof that his character was beyond
the reach of suspicion up to the present moment. Ho then
commented upon the improbability of the tale toll by the
complainant, and the absence of anything like substantial
corroboration it bad received, and the following evidence
was then adduced for the defendant.

Mr. Shorthouac•, the defendant, was first called, and upon
his being sworn, he stated that when the complainant first
applied to him upon the subject of her illnes ho immediately
suspected, from the sypmtoma she described, that she was
labouring under an infectious disorder, and upon exami-
nation he discovered that this was the fact. Ile denied
most positively that he had ever taken any liberties with
the complainant, and avierted that her story was false from
beginning to end. With regard to the chloroform he said
that he had very little use for such an article, and never
kept but a very small quantity. When the girl was deli-
vered he attended in the performance of his duty, and he
said his only mama for erderiug the child to be taken
away was that there era, uu fire in the room, and he sent
it to the neighbour's house where it would receive the
warmth and nourishment it required. Dashwood was pre-
sent at one time, and the complainant said he was her
sweetheart, and she wished he was at the devil, as he had
been the cause of all her trouble. The defendant added
that he remembered the father of the g:rl applying to him
to pay the ,funeral bill, and he asked hint what he had
to do with it, and ho then said something about reports
that were afloat M the village. lie asked him what
ho meant, and the father said that it he did not pay the
bill he would make a stir in the neighbourhood and take
all his practice away.
The Chairman inked th, defendant whether he had on
any occasion promised the gin to marry her ?
The d, fondant said—Certainly not. After the report of
my being the father of the child had got about, how ever,
Anne Duff came to me ►nd said that 1 had promised to
• marry her, a•td I told her iu a joke that if she had gut any
written promise or could Croce it in any way she ought to

bring an action for breach of promise of marriage, and she
would probably get heavy damages.
Mr. Miubleday, an assistant to the defendant, deposed to
the character 'piths malady under which the complainant
was suffering at the period she was attended by him. Ho
said he was present upon one occasion when she came to
the surgery to see the defendant, and had an opportunity
of ascertaining the fact.
The Chairman asked the witness whether it was usual for
two medical men tube pr..sent at the examination of a y..ung
girl under such circumstances?
The witness replied that be did not consider it at all an
unusual circumstance.

The Chairman remarked that it appeared to him that it
was, at all events. highly indelicate.
The Rev. Mr. Cat.ir, the rector of Carshalton, had Mr.
Loraine, a gentleman residing in the village, were then
called, for the purpose of Koehn( that the complainant had
made some contradictory statements with regard to the
manner and the time at which the atieged assaults wire
committed upon her.
The former gentleman, in answer to quostions put to
him, said that he had never heard anything against the
character of the girl, Anne Dull, or lie Gandy, until this
transaction, and there was certainly nothing to induce him
to suppose tl.at they wind; wilfully come forward and
make a false charge of this description. He also said that
from what he kui w of the defendant, be felt bound to
state that he comb:. red Lim utterly incapable if deposing
to what was false upon his oath.
Mr. Loraine also bore testimony to the high character en-
joyed by the defendant.
Tho magistrates, after a brief consultation, said they
were of opinion that the summons must be dismissed. The
law required, in cases of this description, that the charge
should be supported by corroborative evidence, and here
there was certainly no corroboration whatever. Tin
charge was theretore dismissal, an I the bench felt it right
at the same time to express their opinion that the defendant
would leave the court without the slightest ►tain upou his
character.

Mr. Everest then applied for the bench to make an order
fur the gal and her lather to be taken into custody to an-
swer a charge et silful anti corrupt perjury.
The magibtrate=, elk r some dismission, declined to inter-
fere, and vet:au:illy Mr. Everest gave the girl alone into
custlxly ; as it was then too late to go into the cum
against her, s'he was admitted to bail (her father's recogni-
sance being taken) fur her appearance at the next bench
day to gnawer the charge of perjury.

THE ILFORD MURDER.
ILFORD PETTY SESSIONB.-SATI:1[11.11",

The Petty Streams Court, removed from the Ancel Inn
to tile gaol id Ilford, was yesterday t 'remain very touch
crowded by perms who believed that Charles Saunders
would be brought before the black and witnesses examined
ag des'. him. _

;Nein after th. magistrates assembled at prison yes-
terday, the Chairman told the witnesses that as the pri-
soner would not be brought up that day their attendance
would not be incessarv. Should they be required by the
bench due notice s;iould be sent to them. Try were, how-
ever, to bear in ini,.et that sh ml,l the prisoner be tried en
the coroner's warrant, they would he wanted in London at
the neat session of the Central Criminal Court. ife (the
chairman) and his brother magistrates had decided upon re-
manding the prisoner until they should receive instruotiona
from the Secretary of State fur the Home Department, to
whom he would write un Monday. If the noble secretary did
not think a committal by the magistrates necessary,to back,as
it were, the coroner's warrant, then the meglBtrat•s would
not the charge against the prisoner ; but if Lord
Palmerston did think a magisterial committal requisite, the
prisoner would be brought before them neat week, and
evidence gone into. In the interim (this was said in
*rawer to a question from the police inspector) the pri-
soner was to remain in that prison in the sate custody of its
keeper.
The witnesses and others interested in the case then left
the court.

We were informed by the police that the prisoner (Saun-
ders) is either insane or feigns to be so. One constable and
the chaplain deem hint really mad ; others who watch him
say that ho simulates madness, and that in a slovenly
manner. Ou Friday evening one of the warders asked him
how his fingers were (they get cut whilst he was in the act
of cutting his ♦ictim's thee it), when he replied, " He bs
—if he cared—it was no natter whether they were well
or ill, as he was about to be scragged." lie eats, drinks,
and makes merry, as if he considered his to-morrow not
worth a groat. Ho is a very small and thin man, but
Toiler was still shorter and slighter. Tho latter was a
rerievering distributor of so-called moral and religious
tracts.