Northern Times.
Liverpool, Merseyside, England, 1859-02-24 00:00:00

THE EXTRAORDINARY SEDUCTION CASE

The case of Gardner v:• Godfrey was resumed yesterday.
The crowd surrounding the court was much greater than
usual, and a great number of policemen were on duty to
keep the people from blocking up all access to the interior
of the court building.

Mr, Barnard appeared for the plaintiff, and Mr. M.
Chambers, Mr. Serjeant Ballantine, and Mr. J. Brown
for the defendant.
After the examination oUat witness,

Mr: M. Chambers summed up the defendant's case,
and urged upon the attention of the jury the fact
that throughout the whole of the case the defendant's
counsel had never been free from evidence that took
them 'by surprise ; but,. singularly enough, every bit of
evidence that came upon them by surprise,
confirmed the words that he made use of when
he first addressed them ; that every incident, new and
unforeseen, tended to elicit the truth, and to exhibit the
innocence of Dr. Godfrey._ The learned counsel then
addressed the jury for the purpose of showing that it was
anatomically impossible that the offence with which Dr.
Godfrey was charged, could'have been committed under
tt.e circumstances deposed today Miss Gardner. He also
drew their attention to the numerous contradictions which
existed between her statement of what occurred in Fins-
bury-square and the statements of Mrs. Godfrey, Miss
Ballardine, and the servant girl. Strange enough there
were similar extraordinary circumstances in reference
to the occasion on which the offence was said to have
been a second time committed—there were the work-
men about the- house; there was. the brother,. an
active young man; the father not far off, the sick mother
in an adjoining room, and'the unfastened door. Could
they with these circumstances believe what Miss Gardner
had stated ? Then as to the medicine which the defen-
dant had administered to her; at first, no doubt the ad-
ministering medicine raised the darkest suspicion in their
minds, but now it turned out by the production of Dr.
Godfrey's book, that the •medicines given were perfectly
proper. He concluded an elaborate speech by appealing
to them to restore Dr. Godfrey to that good name and
position which he occupied previous to this horrible accu-
sation being made ; andle.asked them solemnly, if they
found their verdict for the plaintiff, how could they re-
concile their consciences to it hereafter ?

Mr. Barnard (in tho-absenee- of Mr. Edwin Jamesl
addressed the jury in reply for the plaintiff. Although
the issae was a fearful one, whether they found their
verdict for the plaintiff ..or the defendant, he trusted
that on a careftil consideration of the evidence and of
all the circumstances of the case, they would find that
they could not resist returning a verdict for the plaintiff.
And he need not tell them that if there was a verdict
for the plaintiff-it should be with such ample damages
as would afford the only compensation which could be
given for a grievance and an injury of this kind.
The learned Judge having summed up,
The Jury retired at .twenty minutes to four, and came
into court at a quarter to five, with a verdict for the
defendant ; the ,foreman stating that it was the belief of
the jury that neither the defendant nor his son veers -the
father of the,ohild..

Outsiti a. the

We are to-day-

in Coll;,equence-
aeltle