The Express.
London, England, 1849-06-26 00:00:00

She laboured under deletions of a religious character. The
certificate which I then gave states that the plaintiff "had
of late estranged herself from her mother's house, in which
she had always previously resided, to follow a Mr. Prince,
whom she believed to be Almighty God, and herself im-
mortal."
Cross-examined—l bad been about half an hour in convex
sation with the plsintiff. I asked her various questions as
to her general health. I then alluded to Mr. Prince. She
declined in the first instance to answer any questions; but
did not confine her refusal to religion. Sae afterwards
answered me. I am surgeon to the University College and
also of the Queen's Prison. I am called upon to attend in
as many as from 7 to 12 cases of this sort every year, in each
of those institutions. The plaintiff's statement that she be-
lieved " Mr. Prince to be Almighty God," and her general
manner, confirmed my judgment she was insane. I had
no communication with any other surgeon when I certified.
Dr. R Rowland, a phyeician residing at Woburn-place,
who had also seen the plaintiff, after she had been taken
away from Charlinch, deposed to her statements with re-
ference to Mr. Prince, and her belief that that person was
God Almighty. He fairly had represented her state of mind.
Cross-examined—l had been conversing alone with her
fur about twenty minutes. I am not the general attendant
of the family. I was called in by Mr. Stedman, who is a
general practitioner in Guilford-street. He is the regular
aVe. dant of the Ripley family, and is, I believe, brother in-
law of Dr. Stilwell. The plaintiff first refused to answer any
questions. She sail she would not deny that her belief was
Mr. Prince was God Almighty. I certified the plaintiff as
insane.
Sir F. Pollock directed the witness's attention to his cer-
tificate, wherein it was stated that the plaintiff neither ac-
knowledged nor denied her opinion of Mr. Prince, stating that
she had entered fully into that subject with her family and
friends. . .

The witness said he was perfectly convinced that the plain-
tiff was in a dangerous state of mind from her general man-
ner, and from the fact that she acknowledged she made an
attempt to go to the window.
The learned judge commented upon the discrepancy be-
tween the witness's certificate and evidence, and said physi-
cians should he most cautious.
The witness had a r.iitinet recollection the plaintiff said
she intended to escape by the window, and she would nut
promise not to do so again.
Mr. Cockburn.—Did she say she went to the window to
call the police ?
Witness.—No; but I heard since then that she had
said so.
Dr. Arthur Stilwell, the proprietor of Mcorcroft-house,
Hillingdon, was next called. I have lived in this uylum
all my life except for the time I was absent for educational
. The asylum had previously been kept by my
EttrhPe°rB." I have been proprietor of it for nine or ten years.
The plaintiff was received by myself, and was always treated
with the greatest kindness and attention. There were close
and open carriages at her option, and she was allowed to
walk about accompanied by a lady. I had known the family
previously. At first she refused to speak to me of matters
with respect to which she was said to have had Adenines.
Bhe afterwards, at different times, said that Mr. Prince was
God Almighty manifested in the flesh : that the day of
grace was passed and the day of judgment come. I had no
doubt in the world she was under delusions. She also told me
that Mr. Prince had the power to make her immortal
that she would never die or be buried in coffins as other
people were, but be taken up to heaven in the twinkling of
an eye. Her manner, too, convinced me she was insane.
She said she never prayed, but 'erg prelate. When sing-
ing, she made use of no intelligible words. When she refused
to answer my questions, I felt it my duty to go to the Com-
missioners of Lunacy, and I laid the matter before them.
I saw them personally. Before I left Lord Ashley had come.
That was on the 29th December, 1616. Dr. Turner and
Mr. Campbell were there. They examined the plaintiff
alone. No order was given for bee release. She escaped
either the Ist or 2nd of Junuary, 1848. She said she was
going to call upon my wife, a few hundred yards from the
asylum. She had been permitted to go cut alone for some
months before. She was found, the day but one afterwards,
at the railway station.
Sr
F. Potluck If she was allowed to walk out alone,
why should she be kept there ?
Witness: For the patty's own advantage. The commis-
sioners knew nothing of this lady's being allowed to walk
out alone. Tee object was to ascertain how far the patient
had recovered. She was discharged on the 15th May, 1848.
The 9th of May the commissioners had last visited her, and
on that day she hal not lost her delusions. I have a memo-
randum of what sho said on that day. It stated that she
believed Mr. Prince could render her immortal, that the
day of grace had jimmied, and the day of judgment arrived.
That she believed the "spirit of the Lord had entered into
Prince. That she had long ceased to pray, and had taken a
great antipathy to her mother and family. She always
talked of her sister, Mrs. Ripley, and Mr. Bliley with much
affection.
Cross-examined—l received three guineas a week with
the plaintiff. Those are the lowest terms upon which I re-
°sive patients. She had no private sitting-room. She had
the use of my private study. She was allowed the use of i
pen, ink, and paper. She might have written letters, but I
should net have sent them for her to Cnarlinch. In Sept.,
1847, she became more cheerful. There was no memorandum
then of her having been allowed out unattended. lam not
bound to inform the commissioners of such facts. She was
a. mad on the 9th of May, 1848, as ever she was in her life.
Persons labouring under religious delusions are generally
melancholy, and are very liable to eommit suicide. Such
was the izifluence exercised over her by Mr. Prince, that he
could have made her do anything he wished.
By the Jury—The plaintiff's deli/Wens were entirely con-
fined to those religious subjects.
Mr. Lutwidge, secretary to the commissioners of lunacy,
produced the papers connected with the plaintiff's discharge
from the asylum. The commissioners had specially visited
the establishment eight times while she was an inmate, and
on six of these occasions Miss Nottidge's case was brought
under consideration.
Dr. Thomas Turner examined,—l am a commi sinner of
lunacy, and remember seeing Miss Nottidge, the plaintiff, on
the 29th of December, 1846. I examined her at Dr. Stil-
well's. The memorandum made at the time, stated that
the plaintiff refused to answer any questions relative to her
principal delusion, but she refused to deny that Mr. Prince
was God Almighty. I have no hesitation whatever in con-
sidering her of unsound mind. In July, 1847, she seemed
to be in the same state of mind. I wag at the board when the
order was made for her discharge. She did not herself apply.
It was inconsequence of a representation made to the board
of her declining health. (The reasons assigned, in a minute
of the board, for the plaintiff's discharge, and the resolutions
of the commissioners, were then read at length.) There had
been no abatement of her delusion, and the commissioners
thought she would be capable of managing her affair. I did
not concur in the propriety of the plaintiff's discharge. I
did not think her competent to manage her affairs and that
was my reason for not assenting to her discharge. I thought
she would do just as she has done.
Sir F. Pollock.—But why was there not a commission
issued to inquire into her state of mind t
The learned counsel declined to disease that question at
present, and it being then near half-pee Iles o'clock the case
was again adjourned to this (Tuesday) raorakag.

THE POLICE COURTS.
BOW.BTBEET.

CHARGE or MANSLAUGHTER AGAINST THE SURGEON
OF A Cormier SHIP,—A middle-aged man of respectable
appesrance named George Ferguson, described aa a surgeon
residing at 16, Tavistock street, Covent-garden, wu charged
with having on or about the 10th of May, 1848, caused the
death of John Job, a convict, on the coast of British Guiana.
Mr. Maul*, solicitor to the Treasury, who had a private
interview with the magistrate before the cue wu called on,
and who attended to conduct the prosecution, stated that the
prisoner had been apprehended for the manslaughter of a
convict upon a warrant which had been transmitted from
British Galena sigaed by the governor and endorsed by the
Secretary of State for that purpose ; but having carefully
looked over the depositions relating to the circumstance, he
did not consider theist was in them evidence sufficiently
Wong to sustain a charge of felony against the prisoner.
Mr. Moll—There is no doubt that the Secretary of State has
the power to endorse a warrant under such mremustanose,
but if upon examining the depositions there duo sot appear
sufficient grenade to justify farther proesediagt, alter what