The National Register.
London, England, 1815-11-12 00:00:00

"f ilk STAtifiSTAL RE(

NOV. 12.

ELIZABETH PENNING.

The name of this young woman has been lately revived
in the public recollection, with increased interest, by Mr.
Hove's important publication, which abounds with facts
and &tails of the most extraordinary kind. For the pre-
sent, we offer our readers some extracts from her letters
until we have had an opportunity of more maturely con-
sidering the work, and we insert the following communi-
cation from Mr. Howie.

TO THE EDIIOR OF THE NATIONAL REGISTER.
SIR,
I have this day read in several of the Daily Papers, a sort
of Certificate of the character of kfr. Robert Gregson Tur-
ner, o Chancery lane, law Stationer, one of the Prosecu-
tors rf the late Elizabeth Penning; it is as follows:
" ELIZABETH FENNING.--INFORM A TION TO TILE
IV A R V.—Slander and evil report infect the mina of a multi-
tude ac strongly and forcibly. and ..fren with a more direful
effect. than the most contagion- disease spreads its baneful de-
struction to the human body It is rapid in its progres, and
extends its venom in every direction.—The object of this
short address too the Public, is to justify, defend, and protect,
the character of a young man, Mr. Robert Gregson Turner,
from calumny, th.tt has been wickedly attached to his credit
and reputation. He is a yoting man that has been exempla-
Ty in his moral conduct, industrious, of mental and acquired
abilities above the common order, modest and chaste in his
manners, respectable and correct in his general depot finent.
The tale that is current of Mr. Turnet's Insanity and De.
rangement is false. We certify that we have long known
him, some of us from his infancy, and we assert that the fa-
cilities of his mind are sound and perfect; that we never
knew or heard of any thing to the contrary, until since the
Trial of Elizabeth Penning, and that all the mischievous fic-
tions in. circulation concerning him are groundless and un- I
merite

" Conceiving this ungenerous attack on the. character of
so deserving a young man dangerons to his future prospects
in life, and distressing to his feelings,—we most cheerfully
certify that he is justly entitled to the representation above
stated, and most sincerely recommend to the public t 3 sup.
press every opinion in hostility to what we have announced
to be tit)...

(S;gliej)
" THOMAS CRISPE, Chancery-lane.
". JOHN CAVELL, C 3, C.,r4-Street.
jAMES WHITTLE, Fleet-Street.
" JOSEPH PORTER, Fleet-Street.
" WILLIAM EWINGS, Fle-r-Strect.
" SAMUEL IL DI NG, Strand.
" J. H. THOMPSON, Chancery-lane.
JOHN WI NC Fl ED, Holborn.
" THOMAS FI.A.SIIMAN, Ely-Place.
" ROBERT GAR WOOD, Bishopsgate-Street.
44 j ()FIN JEREMY, Holborn.
" JOSEPH CRAIG, Holborn.
" JOHN IWBONOUGH, Castle-Street, Holborn.
" London, Nov. 8, 1815."
Now, Sir, if this Certificate, particularizing nothing of what
it professes to deny, and specifying nothing of what it affects
to.support, is intended in any way to allude to the Publica-
tion now on sale by Inc, concerning the late ELIZABETH
PENNING, it may not be deemed improper for me to declare
that I am possessed of AUTHENTIC DOCUMENTS, and pre-
pared with incontestable proofs of every. thing which that
Publication sets forth, as well concerning the conduct and

Y

Is ri

character of Mr. R. G. Turner, as concerning every other
person unto whom the facts of that' Publication are in any
respect applicable; and, as the Thirteen Certificants mo-
destly require the Public to suppress every opinion but
what they announce to be true," and lest. from their request
being suffered to pass in silence, it may be supposed that
they have some pretence to urge such a sweeping demand, [
particularly solicit attention to the following quotation from
that Work :
" At a Meeting held at Newgate, on the Monday before
the Execution of Elizabeth Forming, in Mr. New.man's house,
Mr. Gibson, of the house of Corhyn and CO. Chemists, and
Druggists, No 300, Holborn, stated the circumstances alluded t 4
to in the presence of the Rev. Mr. Cotton, the Ordinary, '
the Rev. Dr. Perkins, Chaplain to H. R. H. the.Piince Re-
gent,
Mr. Linder Sheriff Leigh, and several other Gentle-
men. It was then agreed, that the proper course to be taken
was to lay the circumstances before the Under Secretary of
State for the Home Department, Lord Sidmouth, the Secre-
tary of State being out of -town. AcCordingly, between
three and four o'clock in the afternoon, B. Sharp,
Mr. Ogle, Mr. Blathwaite, Mr. Aherdour, and Mr. Gibson,
waited upon Mr. Becket, at the Secretary of State's 'Office,
and Mr. Gibson stated to that Gentleman the circumstances
as hereafter particulariZed. After listening to them, Mr..
Becket recommended Mr. Gibson to attend at the Recorder's
house, in Bloomsbury-square, the same evening at eight
o'clock; and before they separated it was agreed that one
other person should attend also.—At eight o'clock, Mr. Gib-
son, and Mr. J. B. Sharp, attended at the Recorder's house,
and there met the Recorder and Mr. Becket, to whom Mr.
Gibson. made a statement of facts in the following words, or
words to that effect :
" About the month of September or October last, to the
best of my recollection, Mr.-Turner,• junior, called at our
house, and appearing in a wild and deranged state, I invited
him into a back room or counting-house, where I detained
him, whilst \lr. Crockford, another gentleman in Messrs.
Co, byn's !muse, went to his father's. In this interval, Mr.
Turner,, junior, used the most violent and incoherent expres-
sions—such as, lify dear Gibson, do for GoD's sake, GET MI:
sEEERED oR CONFINED, for, if• lam at liberty, I shall do
!some mischief; 1 sIIALL DESTROY MYSELF AND MY WIFE:
I must and shall do it, unless all means of destruction are re-
moved out of my Way ; therefore do, my good friend, haee me •
put tinder some restraint ; some thing.,from agora tells me f mast
do it, and unless I an prevented, 1 certainly shal do it.' "
" Mr. Gibson, to whom Mr. Robert 0. Turner thus ad...
dressed himself, also stated to the Recorder and Mr. Becket,
other circumstances exhibiting the general symptoms
fr yaioddes-
raned mind. He for:her stated, that Mr. Crockford, a gen-
',
tleman associated with him, could confirtn the fact of his,
Mr. Robert G. Turner's mental derangement at more per
than the instance then alluded to: but that Mr. Crockford
was unfortunately at that time out of town. Mr.. Gibson
concluded by stating, that in the interval between Elizabeth
Fennigg's apprehension and "her trial, he waited on Mr. Tur-
ner, senihr, and strongly urged the impropriety of proceeding
with the trial, entreating him " to consider the state of air
son's mind, and the language he had used, and trusting that l;.4:
consideration of these circumstances would induce them not to
press the trial. He acquainted Mr. Turner, cm that these
were not alone his sentiments, but that some mutual friends
of the Turner's /:moil/ and himself had mentioned the impro-
priety of Mr. Robert G. Turner's being at large under the
circumstances with which he was afflicted."
It appears to me that if the Tiiirteen Certificants deny that
Mr. R, G. Turner was insane when be iinplored " to be cone.