The Sun.
London, England, 1864-07-07 00:00:00

mh SUN, LONDOY, THURSDAY EVENING, JULY 7,1864 w

Total Destruction of Savoy Chapel by Fire,
(This Day,)

This laming the venerable Chapel Royal, in the
Precincts of the Savoy, was entirely destroyed by
fire.

The confusion necessarily attendant upon such a
calamity at present precludes any lengthened
details, The fire was discovered at about five
minutes to two by a quantity of smoke issuing
from one of the windows near the new entrance,

hut on attempting to gain an entrance to the
edifile the doors were found all to be locked, and,
still worse, the person it. charge of the keys was not
to be found. At this time had admission been gained
to the chapel 10 or 12 buckets of water might have
saved the venerable building, but nothing fir some
time could be done but to quietly gee 3 on the rapid
progress of the filmes. At ten minutes past two
the organ was seen through the oriel windows to
fall to the ground, and then a scene of terrific
grandeur presented itself.
At this time, although situate in the
centre of the metropolis, not a single engine
had arrived. The chapel was now one mess of
flame from end to end, and it was not until all hope
of saving any portion of it was gone that the en-
gines arrived.

At this time the flames rushed with dreadful
violence through the aperture, which till then had
held the large stained glass windows, and seized
hold of the back part of the premises of
Mr. Finney, tailor, Strand. The engines were
got into action, but the fire had burned itself nearly
out in the chapel.

At about half-past two the roof of the sacred
building, which had burned with terrific violence,
fell in, and thus partially smothered the burning
timbers. Tee iff,,,ct of the water on Mr Finney's
premises was successful, and at the time we went
to press the flames were very greatly subdued.
The whole of the communion plate, parish regis•

try, and other valuable articles are saved.
It appears that a gas fitter was at work near the
organ this morning, and it is supposed that that
unfortunate circumstance has led to the destruction
of the chapel, which was one of the great antiqui-
ties of the metropolis.

THE YELVERTON CASE,

HOUSE OF LORDS.

YELVERTON V. YELVERTON (OR. LONGWORTH).

This morning, at 12 o'clock, this case was called on
before the Home of Lords.
Mr Rolt, Q.O , in commencing his reply on behalf of the
Hon. Major Yelverton, the appellant, said that during the
aejournment he had been able to oondense his arguments,
and hoped their lordships would hear with him through the
observations he had to make, which should be strictly per-
tinent to the questions at issue. The learned counsel went
through the early history of the case with reference to
the promise, which, he urged, had not been proved, and
the respondent's counsel had failed to deduce
it. The cases that had been cited were under
decidedly diff.rent circumstances, and not entitled to
the weight that the Lord Advocate had rested upon them.
With regatd to the meeting in Scaktland, it was absurd to
suppose that the respondent was not aware of the law of
Scotland, and had marriage been intended she would have
taken care to preserve some strong evidence of that mar-
riage, according to the law there, and also in Ireland if a
secret marriage had taken place there or elsewhere.
There must be mutual interchange of consent in Scot-
land, and their lordships must have evidence of when
the interchange took place, and that must be when
the copula took place, or immediately before. (He (Mr
Rolt) took it that it would be their lordships' judGment
that the promise must take place in Scotland, and could not
be carried into Sootland to be the foundation of evidence of
the marriage. He pre-supposed the promise must be
seriously made; but if a woman surrendered herself with-
out marriage she knew she was committing fornication,
and no marriage.
Lord Brougham—The copula must be with the intent
of consummating the marriage.
_ .

llr Reit put —his prop )sitiou to be that there was a
serious promise, and that the parties must consider it to
be so. Had the promise becu made and copula fol-
lowed, then the law considered that as the
mutual interchange of consent. Noting the alleged
promise and the correspondence, their lordships
would not took at a single letter or a single passage, but the
entire correspondence, and unless it proved that tne appel-
lant stood towards the respondent in the character of an
accepted lover there was no proof of the promise. The
learned counsel at much length proceeded to cite some cases
with regard to a promise de future. That was an arbitrary
and positive law, which did not consider an interchange of
consent as copula assured it, but upon the argument on the
other side, even taking their statement to be true, it would
seem that if a man promise to marry a woman while they
were on a voyage from India, and afterwards cohabited for
one night in Scotland, that would be a marriage according
to the law of Scotland; and it would be most important
that the judgment of the House of Lords should be well and
maturely considered when so large an interest was involved.
Referring to the marriage of habit and repute, the illicit
connexion between tee parties had a considerable bearing
upon the law of the case, of which he would treat presently.
As to the illicit intercourse, and how far it affected the pro-
mise, he (Mr Roll-) should urge without fear of contradic-
tion that the law made it, that a promise made during
illicit intercourse was not a valid promise. The Attorney-
General had argued that no intercourse had taken place in
Leland until atter the scene which took place in a chapel at
Rostrevor, but no one but the Attorney-General could have
that opinion if they read one tittle of the evidence. The
facts, the circumstances, the documents, everything might be
construed to prove, if hey proved anything, that there was
a general promise subsequent to or during the time of the
illicit intercourse; but, even looking at the letters and
words, their lordships would remember that promise was

one thing and intention to promise another. The learned
counsel read portions of letters supporting his views of the
case, and cited further cases on the effect of copula
after promise or More as the case might be.
(The case was proceeding when we went to press.)

LAW INTELLIGENCE—(This Day.)

COURT OF BANKRUPTCY.
(Before Mr Commissioner Bolroyd.)

IN RE ARNOLD.

Question--Can a bankrupt surrender after having been
convicted for not having done so.
This bankrupt was described as of the Commercial• road,
East, cheesemonger, and this was a meeting for last ex-
amination and discharge.

Mr Chidley appeared for the assignee, and said that they
did not oppose the application. A difficulty, howeyer,
arose, as there was a former bankruptcy soma years ago
to which the bankrupt did not surrender, and he was sub-
sequently tried and convicted for the offence. The present
bankruptcy was an adjudication by one of the registrars,
and as there had been no surrender under the first ;milk-
ruptcy, an application was made to allow this bankrupt to
do so, and Mr Commissioner Rine made an order to thAt
effect, but the order had been mislaid.
His Honoc said that the can roust bo adjourned for tho
production of the order, end to consider whether the Court
had the power to take a surrender after conviction.

POLICE INTELLIGENCE—This Day.

MA.RLBOROUGFI STREET

AN EXTRAORDINARY AND SHOCX.ING STORY.—A tall
good-looking, and well-dressed young woman, named
Catherine Schlei, was charged before Mr Knox with break-
ing two panes of glass of the value of 16e, the pi operty of
ilr Samuel Humphreys, engraver, 12, Green street,
Leicester. square.
Mr Samuel Humphreys said that about four o'clock that
morning his bells were rung violently, and two of his win-
dews broken. His daughter saw the prisoner do it. The
value of the glass was 16s.
l‘lrs Jane Tomaline, daughter of Mr. Humphreys, proved
g the prisoner wrap a pocket handkerchief round her
seeing the
onapnrdisbr break
then entered
k the windows.
The into a detailed narrative of the
circumstances which drove her to the commission of the
offence. bat the details are of such a disgusting nature that
they '.re utter ly unfit for publication. She was fully cor-
roborated in her statement by her mother and sister. The
magistrate expressed great sympathy and told ber father,
who was the cause of all her trouble, that his presence was
a pollution in the courr, and that he was sorry the laws of
England did not give the power to expel such a disreputable
wretch from the country. Great commiseration was shown
for the prisoner in court, and the magistrate ultimately
discharged her, and banded her over to the oare of her
mother.

A Terrible Scene,—Fourteen Deserters Shot,

The South Carolinian of May 24 records the
execution of fourteen Confederates at Dalton for
desertion. A correspondent who 'witnessed the
affair eays—" 'When I arrived on the ground 1 found
the division of Major-Gen. Stevenson drawn np in
lines, forming three sides of a hollow square. In
front were fourteen stakes with a coffin at the foot
of each, and in the rear of these a long line of yawn-
ing gt aves. Ina few minutes after our arrival, four
waggonscontaining the unfortunate men fiiedslowly
through ''
-ha lines and approached the fatal spot. The
men, with one exception, approached unmoved, and
calmly looked around as though they were uncon-
scious of the fearful end they were approaching. By
directio❑ of General Beynolds, they were drawn up
in line, and a number of cha, lains approached them
and besought them to give the few remaining
moments of their lives to prayer, which was fol-
!owed by the reading of the twenty-third Psalm,
and an eloquent prayer, which ,effected the pri,
soners very much. General Reynolds then asked
them it they had anything to say, and addressed
them in an impressive manner for a few minutes.
Two of them said they had no intention of de-
serting the service ; one said he was cut off from
his commend at Mission Ridge, and did not know
where to go, end so went home; the other said he
deserted on account of his family. Several of their
regimental and company officers now came forward
and bid them farewell. The men, with one excep-
tion, were very excited, several having lost all con-
trol of their feelings. General Reynolds turned to
them and said, 'May God have mercy on your souls,
and turned hastily away. The guard stepped for-
' ward, and taking each to a stake, tied them fast,
and then bound a cloth over their eyes. All began
to pray, and some were shouting and clapping their
hands. The shooting detail, consisting of 120 men,
were marched in front of them, and an officer stepped
aside and raised a handkerchief ; then the ominous
clicking of the locks was heard which thrilledthrough
the bystanders and caused the unfortunate men at the
stakes to shudder and tremble as though a galvanic
battery had been applied to each. One moment,
and a hundred tubas are levelled at their breasts.
We hold our breath in suspense, and a sickly faint-
ing feeling takes possession cf us. 'While our eyes
are riveted'on the handkerchief—the fall of which
is to send these men to an untimely and dis•
honoured grave—the officer turns from the con-
demned to the detail, hurries along the line, drops
the handkerchief, and turns away. A ragged volley,
followed by straggling shots, and two of the men
are lifeless, others are screaming in their agony,
and imploring and beseeching the men to finish
the work so badly done. A few struggled to a
half...reclining position, suspended by the rope
w'eich confined them to the stakes, and expired.
A young soldier rushes up to shoot a poor wretch
who is crying in agony for death and presents his
gun, but, sickened with the horrid eight, turns
away, then wheels, and quickly aiming his gun,
sends a ball through his breast. At last the
Provost guard arrives, and despatches the few who
were yet struggling. With a sad sickened heart I
turned away, end even after I had mounted my
horse I heord a shot fired at some poor fellow who
bad lingered ten or fifteen minutes."