Northern Times.
Liverpool, Merseyside, England, 1857-09-11 00:00:00

A RELIGIOUS MONOMANIAC.

A man shout forty years of age, who refused his name
lend address when taken into custody, was placed at
the bar of Guildhall Polite-court, on Wednesday, before
Sit Peter Laurie, charged with being in St. Sepulchre's
Church with intent to commit a felony. The prisoner
save his name before he was brought up and said it was
William Baxter, and that he was an artificial flower
maker, livieg in the Curtain-road. Turner, the sexton of
St. Sepulchre's parish, said.: I found the church door open
at half-past six o'clock yesterday evening, and on looking
in I saw the prisoner in the pulpit, repeatin4 the Litany
aloud. I -desired him to -come down, but be refused, and
'said he was cent there by the Almighty. He came down
.shortlyufrer, and then proceeded to the etepa at the south
'side of the church, where he said he could see by the
ligheof the gas, and commenced reeding aloud from the
Prayer Bock. Sir Peter Laurie: What part of the book
'did he read? Prisoner : The epistle taken from Isaiah,
.50 h chapter and -Zith verse Behold, the Lord will
help me. Who is he that shall condemn me ?" Turner:
Ater that the ,prisoner went 'up to the altar, where
=I perceived some artificial flowers, consisting cf white
roses, and I inquired if they belonged to him. He replied
in the affirms, ice, and asked me if I knew for whom he
had made'then. I told bits I did not, and be then said
he had mice them for the great whore of Babylon ; upon
which I said he had better take them to her, as ho was
'not wanted there. He would not leave, and I took him by
the collar and tnrned hint out of the church. Sir '
peter Laurie : What did you want in the church? —Pri-
soner : °I "'.found i-, ()Denoted I alway s understood a church
-was free to every one. lam subject to religious enuncia-
lions, 'and this was one of them which came upon me, and
',directed me to go into the first church I found open, and
-I-accordingly went 'into St Sepulchre's, because I found
the-door open. Shs'Peter Laurie ; What -do you mean by
a religious ennnciatlcn ? —Prisoner .: It was a religious
ftidieg which bade-zed me to go in and pray, and preach a
ear= )11. Sir Peter Laurie : I consider yen a -very dangerous
' man, if yon are subject to such cells. Prisoner:: If you
will forgive me this time, I will endeavour not to offend
wen. Sir Peter Laurie : But if yen act upon impulse
e7ou may have no control over your 'feeling., En d might
' comma murder. Prisoner : But I 'heve-wotle to go to, sir.
Sir Peter Laurie : Then why did you not go to it instead
• of entering the church?—Prisoner: I was going to'work,
when I saethe church dooropen, and it was that which
induced th 43 religions feeling to tome overme, and I went
in, and fishing a cushion at the communion-table and no
one in tire church, I knelt down and -acid a prayer, and
then I went int o the pulpit and sang a hymn or two, when
Turner tanned to me to come away.. Sir:Peter Laurie: Did
you -pray and sing without a congregation?—Prisoner :
lelid not notice that at the time. This 'was the first time
I was ever in that church. The pew-opener cf the church
atid: The prisoner is very like a man who frequently
comes into church daring Sunday evening service, and
• conceals himself in the gallery ; and when discovered he
expresses his disappointment because he cannot get into
• the 'pulpit. The prisoner is not the same man. Sir
Peter h ring cautioned the prisoner against any future
attempts at preaching to imaginary conwegations, and
ben. fng him to be a li.tle wroeg in his mind, directed
the officer to take the prisoner home. The charge was
therefore dismissed.