Northern Times.
Liverpool, Merseyside, England, 1859-08-05 00:00:00

EXTRAORDINARY CHARGE AT EATH

The Bath Magistrates were engaged for several hours, on
Tuesday, in the investigation of a- char,e against Colonel
John Alexander Forbes, one of the 92nellighlande.rs, who
was apprehended under a warrant for having, on the 23rd
of June last, " unlawfully and wickedly uttered and pub-
lished an obscene and 'indecent- letter,. with- intent to de-
bauch and corrupt Adelaide Lucy- Fenton, and with intent
to incite her to commit a breach of the peace." The case
excited a good deal of interest from the high positions of
both complainant and defendant, the former of whom is
well known in the fashionable circles of Bath. The
following evidence was ' then adduced. Miss Adelaide
Lucy Fenton deposed : I am an unmarried lady, re-
siding at Bath, and have done so for :some years,
at No. 3, Montpelier, and not in the least acquainted
with the defendant ; for the last four years I
have been annoyed by the receipt of indecent letters ; I
threw the first into the fire with utter disgust, not supposing
another would succeed it: About twelve months ago I first
decided to consult the police, and handed- all letters
received over to Mr. Hughes, the chief. -Down to the 23rd
of June I should think I haVe received about fourteen,
but I cannot swear; they were all of the same hand=
writing, and of the same indecent character as the one I
produce ; that I received on the 23rd of June, 1859, through
the Bath post-office, addressed as, it is now to me. I im-
mediately handed it to Mr. Hughes.'

, ~,
• . -Cross-examined : . I am perfectly unacquainted with
Colonel Forbes, and have never been - introduced to him
or spoken to him, to the best of my knowledge, and have
no personal knowledge of him, or he of me, that I know of.
We are strangers to each other.

Mr. Watling, several post-office clerlcS, ,Mr:-Superinten-
dent Hughes, and other witnesses were called,, who deposed
to the facts as opened by counsel:

Mr. Edwin then addressed the bench for the prisoner,
contending that there was no evidence whatever that the
letters were written by him.

The Mayor said that the subject was one of considerable
importance, and a painful one to Jilin. He had liPt to
decide whether the statement was correct, but whether,
on the whole of the. evidence, a prima fade case had
been made out. He thought it had, and therefore his duty
was to, commit the prisoner for trial at the next assizes.
The accused was then asked in the usual way what he
had to say in answer to the charge. His legal adviser
declined to say anything, and applied that he might be
allowed bail, which was granted, on his entering into
recognizances himself in £4OO, and finding two sureties in
the sum of £2OO each. In lieu of the latter, one surety in
£4OO was accepted, and this having been procured, the
prisoner was set at liberty.

HOUSEKEEPERS.--The Coffee sold by Thompion Brothers,
5, Elliott-street, at Is. 4d., is better than you pay Is. Bd. for
ateany Other establishment.
- On Wednesday, the ceremony of opening the new line
just -completed, from Stoke, through Biddulph, to a point
rather over a mile from the Congleton station, where it
forms a junction with the main line, tools place under
favourable auspices. The line has been made by the
Messrs. Tredwell, of Leek ; the amount of contract being
£87,500. Its length is rather over thirteen miles.

&NOMA ACCIDENT.-0; MOnci;le;en—ing, an inquest
was held at Rawmarsh, near Rotherham, on the body of
a young man, named Mark Foiter, who came to his death
under very singular circumstances. The deceased .w4B
servant to Mr. Storrs, farmer ; and on Munday morning
went into his master's orchard to mow a small quantity of
grass for the cattle. In less than an hour afterwards he
was found lying on the grass dead. From an examination,
it appeared Ciat, in mov.mg, deceased had struck his scythe
aeainsr lOg of wood, and -with the force of Ine stroke had
fallen forward against the end the
the .blade, Which had
severed the fernoratartery.. Though the wound was not a
large one, the effusion of blood ~had been so excessive that
the poor fellow had fallen down, exhausted after walking a
few yards ;= he must have expired' in a feW minutes. A
verdict of "accidental death " was recorded.
..