Northern Times.
Liverpool, Merseyside, England, 1860-01-17 00:00:00

THE. HATCH- CASE.

The shorthand writiaes notes of the evidence and the
depositions of the witnesses who were in court ready to

be called for the defence in the case of the Rev. Mr.

Hatch are lying before i.s; and, having read them atten-
tively, our astonishment is increased that, upon such
testimony, any jury could have convicted any min, hos
ever vile his previous character. Let us add that it la-
spires alarm also; for what security has innocence if it
be possible for, a man, to be found guilty of such a charge
on such evidence ? The reader will be amazed to learn.
that the alleged offence was sworn by the girl to,
have been committed upon her by the prisoner in, the •
bed in which his wife was lying, wide awake, by the •
girl's side,. and actually touching her, and that she (the
girl) said nothing, and did nothing, to inform Mrs.
Hatch what was going on ;if indeed it was possible for •
-such a thing to be done close to her without herknow-
ledge—and this, according to the girl's monstrous story, - .
occurred' 'not on -one occasion 'only,' but every morning
for many days; If there was one • married man on th.;
-jury, how could he have consented to convict a issi?,°
gross indecencies committed with a child in his wile „
bed, with his wife by his side, in the morning,while"
they were all—wife, husband, and child—talking and
laughing together. Yet it is of this utterly incredible
story that the jury fOund Mr. Hatch guilty. Tho de-
fence was overwhelming. Every, person in the house
was there,ready to prove that they had seen nothing ap-
proaching to imPropriety, and that 'some of the state-
, ments of the girl, where she could be contradicted, were
certainly false. • Mrs; Hatch alsd deposes that nothing
of the kind' described did occur,' or could possibly
have taken place, in the bed. More than all this, the
girl admitted, in. her deposition before the magistrate,
that she had made out the story because she wanted to
be taken from 001104. Now copies the question;-why the .
-
witnesses for the defence were not called; and it is to this •
that we desire_particularly to direet.the attention-of the
law lords and others who devote themselves to the itn7
provement of the law. It is the reply given to the pro-
secution, by
,calling witnesses for the defence, that in
this, as in so many other cases, prevented the whole of -
-the evidence on both sides-that is to say, all the mate-
rials from which the judgment- is to -be formed—from
being submitted to the jury. Practitioners in_eciminal
courts rightly -held- no maxim in greater reverence than
this—" Never to give a reply if you can help it." Expie
rience proves that there is nothing so dangerous as
'reply., The jury convicted ; but they now say- that if
• -theyhad been aware of the defence, they should have'
~aequitted. The Scotch law is more just to prisoners,-
Not only does it not give-the last word to the prosecu-
tion, but in all cases the prisoner has the last word --
Law Times. -

DEATH OF LORD LONDESBOROUGH.—We have to
announce the demise of Lord Londesbo rough, who
expired at half-past two a.m. on Sunday, at the family. •
residence in Carlton House-terrace. The deceased
nobleman had for some months been in declining health,
and during the last ten days of his fatal illness all
hopes of his recovery were given up by the emi-
nent medical gentlemen in attendance on his lord-
ship. The lamented deceased was the second sur-
viving son of Henry,' first- Marquis, Conyngham, by
his marriage with Elizabeth, daughter of Mr. Joseph
Denison, and was horn 21st October, 1805. He was
twice married, first, 6th July, 1833, to the Hon. Henrietta
Maria Forester, fourth daughter of the late Lord Foies-
ter, which estimable lady died in April, 1841 ; and
secondly, in 1847, to Miss Bridgeman, eldest daughter of
Captain the Hon. C. Orlando Bridgeman, which lady
survives her husband. His lordship leaves issue by
both marriages. As Lord Albert Conyngham he sat
in the House of Commons for some years previous
to his elevation to the House of Lords, having repre-
sented Canterbury from 1835 up to February, 1841,
and again from March, 1847, to the early part of
1850, when he was raised to the peerage by the title
of Baron Londesborough. In 1849 he assumed
the name of " Denison " in lieu of that of Conyn
gham, in accordance with the will of his maternal
uncle, Mr. William John Denison, who bequeathed to
him the bulk of his immense wealth. In politics Lord
Londesborough was a staunch supporter of the Whig
party. He is succeded in his title and extensive landed
property by his eldest son by his first marriage, the Hon.
William Henry Forester Denison, M.P. for Scarborough.
His lordship, who was born 19th June, 1834, was
returned at the general election in 1857 for Beverley,
and at the late election was elected for Scarborough at
the head of the poll. . vacancy therefor? occurs in the
representation of that borough,