The Sun.
London, England, 1855-11-13 00:00:00

THE REV. DR. 'VAUGHAN.

At the Lambeth Police Court yesterday, the Rev.
Dr. John Vaughan, incumbent of St. Matthew's Church,
Brixton, appeared by counsel before Mr. Elliott, to
answer a summons obtained against him last week at the
instance of the churchwardens, who alleged that the rev.
gentleman had been in the habit of falsifying the regie-
tere for his own personal benefit and advantage.
From the statement which had been made by Mr.
Clarkson, when applying for the summons, it appeared
that the rev, doctor had been in the habit of keeping the
registers of burials in the district of which he is the in.
vubent, and that it was his practice to bury Persons
who had resided out of the district in the burial ground
of the church, charging double fees for them, whereas
for the parishioners who died only single fees were
charged. These double fees had been taken in many
cases, and the registers had been falsified for the pur-
pose of enabling the incumbent to place the difference
in his own pocket, instead of accounting for it, 0.3 he
ought to have done, to the churchwardens. It was fur-
ther stated that in the cases charged against him the
rev, gentleman had stated that the person on whose ac-
count he had received double fees had resided within the
district, knowing it to be false, and upon that pretence
had only accounted for single fees. The case excited
great interest, and the small inconvenient court was
densely crowded.
Mr. Parry applied for a postponement of the summons
granted against Malby, the sexton, on Thursday last, at
the instance of Dr. Vaughan, for alleged perjury at the
Lambeth County Court.
Mr. Ballantine (who . had been instructed by Dr.
Vaughan to prosecute) said he had no objection, and the
case was ordered to stand over for a week.
The original case against Dr. Vaughan was then pro.
ceeded with ; Mr. Clarkson appearing for the prosecu-
tion, and Mr. Ballantine and Mr. Prideaux for the rev.
defendant.
Mr. Ballantine said that, in accordance with the sum-
mons, Dr. Vaughan was in attendance, and he suggested
that the rev. gentleman should be given into custody in
the usual manner, so that it might be known who were
responsible for the case.
Mr. Clarkson said that the reverend gentleman would
appear to the summons.
Mr. Ballantine said that this summons was a scheme
to shift the responsibility from the churchwardens to the
magistrate. Persons had ventured to come behind a
man's back and to make a slanderous statement against
him, but did not dare to give him into custody. (Hisses
in court.)
After some further discussion, the rev. gentleman was
given into custody by Mr. Alfred Staft Mr. Prior, and
Mr. John Edwards, the churchwardens of St. Matthew's
district church, of which Dr. Vaughan is the incumbent-.
The rev, gentleman was then placed at the bar.
Mr. Clarkson, on behalf of the prosecution, said he
would at once proceed with the charge against the doc-
tor in reference to the case of Mr. Raven.
Mr. Thomas Booth, of Russell-grove, Brixton, said he
was the registrar of the second part of Kennington.
Stockwell-grove was in his district. He registered the
death of Wm. Raven, of Stockwell-grove, in his district.
(lie produced the certificate.) Upon registering that
death he gave the certificate required by the ae..t of par-
liament to the person who registered the death.
Mr. Charles Rogers, solicitor to the prosecution, said
he obtained from Dr. Vaughan a certificate of the burial
of Raven, showing the place at which the deceased was
supposed to have died. It was a copy from the original
entry in the register. (This document was put in, but
its contents did not transpire.)
Mr. Frederick Hayden said he was an undertaker,
re-iding at Stockwell. He conducted the funeral of Win.
Raven. Raven resided in Stockwell-grove, in the dis-
trict of Kennington, not in that. of St. Matthew's, Brix-
ton. In order to the interment of Raven, he applied to
Malby, the sexton, on the evening previous to the funeral.
Malby refused to take the interment, unless witness saw
Dr. Vaughan, as the deceased lived out of the district.
On the following morning witness saw Dr. Vaughan,
who at once refused to take it. Witness represented that
Raven's friends were very anxious that he should be
buried there, as a child of his had been buried there a
few weeks previous, Dr. Vaughan then consented, and
witness paid him double fees at the doctor's request, the
amount being 1/. 15s. He gave two sovereigns to Dr.
Vaughan, who gave him a receipt and five shillings.
When Dr. Vaughan handed him the receipt he said that
if any person asked him where the funeral carne from he
was to tell a lie, and say Robert-street (in St. Matthew's
district).

By Air. Ballantine—lt c'ztainly struck him as very
strange that a clergyman should direct him to tell a lie
in such broad terms, He did not consider it to be his

' duty to remonstrate with Dr. Vaughan. The rev. gen-
tleman said, "Tell a lie," and did not at all conceal his
object. He had destroyed the doctor's receipt, it being
ha custom to burn such documents as soon as his cus-
tomers settled his bills;
George Malby, the sexton of the district church of St.
Matthew, Brixton, said he knew the person of the late
Mr. William Raven, who lived at Stockwell-grove, which
was without the district of St. Matthew. The fee pay-
able for the ground to persons residing within the district
was 65., while it was double, or 125., to those without. j
He remembered the application to bury Mr. Raven being
reaele by Mr. Haydon, an undertaker, in consequence
of which he went to Dr. Vaughan's and Haydon fol-
lowed him. The object of the undertaker's interview
was to ascertain whether Dr. Vaughan would take single
fees for the burial of a body where death took place out
of the district. The doctor's reply to this was, that be
could not take less than double fees. Dr. Vaughan said
to Haydon, that if anybody asked him where the funeral
came from, or what were the fees, he .was to tell a lie,
and say it came from Robert-street. The single fees were
—ground fee, 63. ; the death fee to the minister, 3s. 5,1.;
the clerk's fee, Is. Eed. ; and the sexton's fee, 6e. 4d. ;
mating altogether 17s. 6d. Haydon paid 353., being
double fees all through. The rough book (now produced)
is that in which Dr. Vaughan entered his fees. He
found the burial of Mr. William Raven entered on the
19,1 September, 1554. There was the following entry
in Dr. Vaughan's handwriting:—" William Riven,
Robert-street, 33 years of age-11. 155."
By Mr. Ballantine—Re thought it was rather a cool
thing for the parson to ask the undertaker to tell a lie;
The Vaughan had never directed him to a lie about
matters of business. The rev. gentleman had given lim
money to pay a distress out of his house. It was on the
12th of July, and the amount was 121. It was very
generous and kind. Witness subsequently brought an
aGtion against the rev, defendant fcr 27. 103., when Dr.
Vaughan pressed him fur the 127., brought an action
alainet hirn for the amount, and recovered it in the
C :unty Court. Witness hail never been accused by Dr.
Vaughan of stealing the burial fees. In the case of a
person named Harrison lie received permission from Dr.
Vaughan to keep back 68, in order to return it to the
relatives of the deceased. It was the custom of the doc-
tor, in cases of poverty, to return the fees, and this was
one of those cases.

Mr. Rogers, in order that his testimony might not be
repeated i❑ the other cases charged in the summons,
put in a copy of the registry of burial of Mr. Itiven,
which he had obtained from the parish registry, and also
a copy of the registry of burial of William Begbie, who
died at Guy's Hospital on the 20th of November, 1854,
and in the case of Jane Webb, who died out of the dis-
trict. In all these cases Mr. Clarkson showed, by the
document produced, that, although the doctor had n-
ceived double fees, he hal only accounted for single fees
to the churchwardens.

This was the case for the prosecution as far as the ewe
of Raven was concerned.

Mr. Ballantine contended that this was an infamous
and maligns of charge, concocted by persons whom de-
fendant had offended, and encouraged by others in a
higher position in society. Dr. Vaughan repudiated
the charge with indignation and horror, although per-
haps he had fallen into mistakes inconsistent with the
character of a minister of tare Gospel. Dr. Vaughan
was a man of property and position, and he was charged
with having pilfered small sums which would probably
amount to 41. or 51. a year to add to a large fortune, of
which he was possessed. The learned courrpel desig-
nated the whole proceedings as a base and vile conspi-
racy, and contended that there was no ground for send-
ing Dr. Vaughan to trial on the testimony of such wit-
nesses as Ilaydon and Malby. It was absurd to sup-
pose that Dr. Vaughan should have been so madly reck-
less, so careless of reproach, as to ask an undertaker's

man to tell a lie in order that he might rob the parish of
a few shillingl, inviting the whole world to come down
to denounce him as a liar, a swindler, a scoundrel, and
a thief.

Mr. Joseph Mary-Church Vaughan, a son of the
reverend defendant, and a member of Trinity Hall, Cam-
bridge, said that about the middle of September, in
1854, while the cholera was raging, Haydon and Malby
came together about the funeral of a person named
Raven. The doctor met them at the door, and said
that there had been complaints about the number
ecif.d ft .in-
termentse that had taken place in the churchyard, ,
could not be troubled with the application. He refer
them to the churchwardens. No remark watell a
s made
to
about money. If the doctor had told Haydon
lie he must have heard it. Such an observation
certain was never made. He rememberedas
father
his he w
making the entry of Raven's death in his book. It was
that of Raven, of Robert-street. The amount entered
down
what
the sexton
was 6s. for ground fee. He
told him, and there was no gist
put down certificate pro-
duced. There was a great tdifficutar y at that time in
procuring registrars' certificates.
By Mr. Clarkson—There hads been two meetings in
the parish in reference to
his father. He went to the
idibdenhoatlff oetfc r,hr, p.
e vopalue aftrona
lal.
first, but it was composed of inferior persons, and he did
not attend the second. Witness
London to attend the meetingt
on
He went into the parish of St. Clement Dane, Strand,
said he would aw
a per,
where his father was formerly curate, and he s
d Pearce, who attend the meet-
ingome others with him. He did not
son name
and bring s
knew what business in thefirst Pearce was •in , or in what street
i
'
he lived, but it was street past Temple Bar.
Pearce and his friends came down in cabs, and after
the meeting was over they asked for their expenses.
Witness said he would call upon them in the morn-
ing, and he did so. Pearce said his expenses had
been 13e., and witness gave him 17s. Pearce wanted
more, but witness would not give them more, as he said
be should not like Dr. Vaughan to know that he had
paid,thern to corn() and show their respect. (Laughter.)
Five men came down and proceeded to Dr. Vaughan's
house, where they were invited to partake of refresh-
ments—beer and wine. He never heard that directions
were given to the men to put out the lights of the meet-
ing, to have a rap at the chairman, and to put an end to
the proceedings. Dr. 'Vaughan went into the room while
the men were there. He did not converse with
the
wasthenl,
but he might have spoken to them. When men
cams back from the meeting they said that theY' had no
opportunity of showing themselves, as the meeting
so violent, and all one way. (Laughter-)'
1 aatilorifild by
By Mr, Ballautine—Aticas 1et...14-14c=