The British Press; or, Morning Literary Advertiser.
London, England, 1819-09-14 00:00:00

LONDON SESSIONS.

If,ster.hr the London Semitone comment-ea before the
Looto MAN ott, thr RECORDS t, Aldermen J. J. SMITH, Sir
J. :404417. Cu,, and ROTIIW
Prctinnett rtated to the Grand 41try, that the (+f-
irer,. thisy 11411 to intinirr into were nrithereu 'TOYS nor
titi;ratit 4.1 it/Inlet Sessions, 1111 rods a period untie year
as the prr.ent.

•
• . IRON COFFINS. • •
Erbearof Joel Vridgean waa indicted for leis* .446
Platted Jewels Frevin. one of the parish (Ahem or Sk.ko-
-111..w'5., Holborn, in the caveat iOll of Mls duty. •
Mr. W %krone, openeA the case. , The Defendant; he said,
sells patentee of the newly-invented ir.iikeollina• shoat which
there had been latterly so much discussion. There bad beets
a law-soil in the Ecclesiastical Court against the parish of
Mt. Andrew's upon the subject, which was terminated by the
death of the final Defendant. On the 10th of June
lest the Defendant tucks corpse to the littrying•ground be.
longing to the parish istOray s where a Minister
and Sexton atten•led to rets•ive it. Toe former, 'spots find-
'tog that the hotly wait enclosed in an inns coffin, objected to
the interment of the Moly unless a wooden coffin was sub_
sainted. The Defen.lane refused to ply with this pro-
posal. saying, that even if he was inclined to unease the
corpse the experiment would be wastiect silo I, it !kiln wag
of :he virtues of the new expedient that the coffin could ne-
ver he op, nett. The conseepteore of this dispute was, the
Defendant took the rani • to At. Andrew's, Holborn, and
laid it woo.: 0i... of the tomb atones. lie die, egarded all ex-
Postulation, and continued to insiet u; the burial of
the busty. A mob collected about the place ; the Dr-
affikeesed them. exhibiting a mood of the coffin,
mind e‘plainetl the -iir.tteetion it all;oilril against fivda.
innfr4rs; he M.* Pala, that the ot.j..e:om lay with the
SiAtioi, whir would he deprived of his rood:imams nerved
t a connivance at the practice of booty snatching. A
ternius disturbance arose nuitingst 1,500 or 2,001) people
who were collected in and alutnt the church-yard. The
tliorehwardens came and ordered the Defendant to leave the
chnieloyard; he refused, and was taken into custody ; lie
resisted violently—the mob called "a rescue!" he struck
she Prosecutor a desperate blow ota the month. Mr. /Val-
ford *laud, that the question before the Jury had no refer-
ence to the right of interment in buts coffins, but regard-
ed the assault committed upon the officer.
A coaverssition here took place between the RECORDER
and Mr. Wauroso, upon the practice of burying 111 iron
eiffins, in which he slated that much incoureeience must
arias from it, especially in small churcloyards, where the
graves womb, some he tilled up to the surface.
The Defendant denied this, and Paid that the coffins being
Made of sheet iron, would lie eaten lip by rust ns 11,1011 as
the corpse would be detoured by worms. The process would
he much eta i. ker than was generally imagined.
Frevin, the Prosecutor, gave att account of the disturb.
arc:., and said that stones and mud flew about in nil dim-
/loos; the Defendant, in going tip Hulborn•hill, gave him a
desperate blow in the mouth.
The witness underwent a severe cross•examination by the
Ft o.ct o tor, who defended himself.
A Lumber of other oitnePaes confirmed this account of the
rvr arid said they bdirred the Prolocutor ...awed a blow
bat c..ntrl not swear it.
Mr. Erilemin crose.examined all the witnesses. bill there
Wei no important variation in their teetimotiy.
• Mr. Bridgman, in his defence, said, that the action was
brought at the instance of the parish, to serve as a cloak
to the violences committed upon Loin ; that he had beer
seised in the chinch-yard, in the performance of his solemn
.Into, by eight pariah officers, amongst whom was the Pro-
acetone, who abused him in the most ruffianly msnuer ;
that he was pinioned by two men at erch side, and that the
P•osteator held him by the collar, and behaved ash ex-
treme I Wear* tow.tras him ; that the Prosecutor struck hits
with his staff an the head, upon which he turned round to
speak to•him, on which Frevin Paid, " M'hat ! would you
Stu ike an officer The Defendant added, that the officers
who rondos-led him along were most of them in:oxieatsd,
far there Mut hero a pariah feast that day ; and that ['resin
himself was at a loss, et Gnildliall, how to introdnee a
charge. which he at last brought under most awkward cir-
cstsitanres.

31r. Bridgman,a relation to the Defendant, stated that he
hnJ followed tlw Defendant up Dolla ~,,, had seen Frevin
tattike hire, and that ito resistance had been made.
Two min r tei•eesses ilepoicti to the same effect.
?be It ['Cl/K I, summing up, said that those who did
not a 4.di to hot y their friends in wooden coffins might ear-
-1 iitdy pot them in iron oars, but he thought it only fair that
t',.ty should do to the expense of iuterruig them in vaults.
ils c winented n pint the contradictory evidence.
The Dcienian: wns Acquitted.