The Express.
London, England, 1857-10-13 00:00:00

8111/0 CZABOZ AGAINST A CLERGYMAN.

(THIS DAT.)

A 0011.16111i011, under the Church Discipline Act,
hewed at the inelonee of the Bishop of London, was held et
Doeieee-eummene, this morning, to Inquire into the troth of
a dregs made whet the Rev. Edward John Smith, per-
petal& curate of Norwood, of " having Minded against the
laws ecclesiastical, by having, within two yaws from the
date of the commission, in his panonage-houn at Norwood,
at muidry them, invited or permitted John Douglass,
then in his service as footman, to deep in the same bed with
Mee, and having taken at snail y times divers improper, in-
decent, and filthy familiaritim with the said footman, and by
taring game ally demeaned and conducted himself tower&
the mid footman to a manner unbecoming a clerk in holy
cram"

The commission we directed to Dr. Lushtasks (the
Vlcer-Osaeral), Dr. Sinclair (the Archdeacon of Middlesex),
the Rev. R. C. Nina, perpetual curate of St. Michael's,
Highgate; the Rev. Michael Gibbs, vicar of Christchards,
Rewrote-street; and the Rea. W. Canton, rector of St.
Margaret's, Westminster. All the coonalasionen were pre-
sent except Mr. Curates.

Dr. Pi!Himont appeared on behalf of the bishop, and
Mr. Malkin, Q.C., for the reverend defendant.

Dr. Phillimore having briefly opened the ease, end
by the evidence of Mr. Watts, the registrar of the
that Mr. Smith was hemmed to the curacy on the
13th of July. 1838 called Henry Mayhew, • former
servant of the defendant, who deposed' that on
several oaceirkme in the months of April and May lest he
found that John Donee" the footman, did not Amp In his
own bed, and mew out of Mr. Smith'. bed-room early in the
morning ; that on or merlon he pieced a ladder against
Mr. South's window, sad saw JAW fruitage= and the foot-
man in bed together: that he afterwaids mentioned the
matter to Mr. Smith, who said it wee fonl Winer on his part to
sleep with Douglass, but that he bed done oo became he lad
• very bad told, and he Liked him (the witness) sot is
mention it, as people were very wicked in the std it
would ruin him if it got abroad, and elm requested his to
endeavour to prevail on the female servants not to mama it
to the washerwomen, who were coming to yeah on the
following Monday.
Harriet Salmon, and Isabella Haut, who at the period
referred to, were respectirely cook end housemaid in the de-
fendeat's aerviee, stated that on oecneions alluded to by the
preview witness the footmen's bed had not been slept
in, and that in their opinion two persona had slept
in the defendant's bed. They ale° spoke of the defendant
having ezeuaid himself to them on the ground of his
baying • cold, and requested them not to mention the ca.-

14. Alfred Welah, chtirchanuden of Norwood, stated that a
meeting of the vestry was held in July lam to investigate
the charge, and that the rm. defendant being present admitted
that the footman had slept with him, mooning no the reason
that he had a very bad cold, and denying that he had been
guilty of any criminality. This witness also stated that the
attendance at the pariah church bad fallen off in conaequenos
of the charge having been made, and that the scandal on
the enbjeet had been very injurious to the canes of religion in
the
parisik
Kr. Bodkin brief y addressed the oatatoiesioneve on behalf
of the defendant. Ile mid that Mr. Smith did not deny, and
bed never denied, that the young man slept with him ; but
he was prepared to state on oath, if the court would receive
by evidence, that neither in act, In thought, nor in
nmmlive had he been guilty of anything criminal.
The learned conned contended that the mere fact
of two persona of the same sex sleeping together
did net of Itself Justify the inference of criminality
minim* *Mum obseraing thot his client admitted that ha
had been guilty of an indiemation, but nothing beyond. Be
also reemoted that he was at that moment surroseded
by wand of his brother clergymen, and
ej by perisideners, who had come forward to Wily=
confkkence in Ids Innocence and their respect for hie peed
ohmmeter.

TlTsVicez-General haring intimated that the evidence of
lir. Smith c.mld not be receiver! in hit own ease,
nit rev. defendant said ho hoped, nevertheiw, he should
le 'floored to rya few words. Ile hod submitted to the
etaamiasion, in order that he might have an opportunity of
rowting, as he did now mom m emnly, that he was per-
hotly lasocent of any criminality, either in act or motive.
The rev. defendant wee proceeding to make other remarks,
but was interrupted by
The Vier-fleseral, who said that the commleilottera

could not hear any Wither matement from him.
The oommiealesers them retired to consider the evidence,
mad after an absence of about half an hour, returned, when
Vicar-Oesral morbid that the COUffilialliOttfl were
=des dig Am we imiklat prima facie ground for
gnsisibes.

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