Northern Times.
Liverpool, Merseyside, England, 1857-08-04 00:00:00

SHOCKING DEPR&VIrY.

HUNTER V. AGNES WILL')I:GrIBY -nig was an action
brought in the Bloomsbury county court, on Saturday.
Mr. Hunter, upholsterer, Tottenham•court road, sued the
defendant, " a lady" residing, at No. 1, Eccleston-terrace,
Pimlico, for the sum of £l5 10i., for goods sold. The
proof of service of the summons was disputed on a former
day, and now came on for decision, and the evidence
given on the part of defendant, disclosed some most
revolting details. E. Bartlett, the officer of the
Westminster County C .urt, in tshic'a district the de-
fendant resides, stated that he left the summons
in due course at defendant's house, as above, and gave
it to a female servant, about four o'clock in the
afternoon. To disprove this statement, defendant's
solicitor called the sister, Theresa, a young and beautiful
girl, about thirteen years old, who swore she took in the
summons; no one else was present, and she afterwards
gave it to John Burden. " the butler." In cross examin-
ation she said she said she was defendant's sister, and
lived wish her and her mother in the house. Anne Rogers,
a woman dressed in the height of fashion, with a pro-
fusion of crinoline, was called by Mr. Bickloy. She said:
I am mother of the defendant, and I act as her house-
keeper. I am, in fact, her servant, and receive wages
from her. There was no one present when the summons
was given to my daughter Theresa. No other female
lives in the house, only myself and daughter. Agnes has
n't had the summons. Cro s-examined by Mr. Ablett :
I have told you I am servant to my daughter (then adding
with the greatest effrontery) : She sees gentlemen. I
can't tell you how many. She gets her living that way.
Has no other mode of supporting herself. My daughter
sees the same gentlemen that visit her sistee Agnes; I
have an inc'me amp own quite sufficient to keep me, but
I always take my regular wages from my daughter Agnes.
Ages keeps a brougham. She has a butler and
secretary. (A. thrill of horror pervaded the whole
court while this woman was giving her evidence.) John
Burden was next tilled, and said : I am " butler '
in the Lady Agnes'n establishment ; my wages are £5O .
a year. I took the summons, put it in a drawer, and
never give it to the secretary or "my lady" till within
four days of the hearing. Mr. Ablett, in a most feeling
speech, remarked upon the depravity of the parties giving
evi :cute in this case, and appealed to his lie our whether
the least reliance could be placed upon the testimony of
such a man professing to be " butler" to a brothel, and
who had said he had taken in the summons after
Therese, the sister, had sworn she took it in.
Mr. Ablett urged upon his Honour if the ser-
vice was not proved, defendant tvnild keep out
of the way, and the plaintiff be defrauded. fits Honour
set I the proof of service had been sufficently given by
Bartlett, and he disbe ieved all that the witnesses had
sworn to for the defence, which he considered dierepntste7e
to all parties c meerned in it. Mr. Ablett then called
plaintiff's foreman as to the &livery of the goods, and
a verdict was given fur the full amount claimed, with
coats of attorney y d witnesses, two days attendance,
and ordered execution to issue instanter against defend-
ant's goods. Then, addressing the mother, his Honour
said : Woman, your conduct is truly disgusting, you
are bringing up a young and I,autiful child (looking at
Theresa) in a career of vice and infamy. She might, under
better guidance prove an ornament to her sex, but yon