The Sun.
London, England, 1852-12-03 00:00:00

POLICE INTELLIGENCE.

SOUTHWARK.—The Rev. Daniel Donovan, Roman
Catholic priest of Webb-street, New Weston-street,
Bermondsey, was summoned before Mr. A'Beckeit, for
committing an assault on Mary Murphy, an Irish-
woman.

Mr. Watson, who attended on the part of the com-
plainant, said that she was recently confined of a child,
and that while she was still labouring under indisposi-
tion from that cause the defendant called at her place of
abode, in Palmer's-rents, Bermondsey, on Friday last,
and inquired of her whether she had had her infant bap-
tized by the Rev. Mr. Armstrong. She replied that she
had ; upon which the defendant told her that she had
sold her soul to the devil, and, lifting up his umbrella,
struck her a blow on the side of the head. He then
left the room, but returned in a short time afterwards,
and struck her three different times with the umbrella ;
and not satisfied with having given vent to his feelings
by such an attack on a poor defenceless woman, he
called the landlady, and, addressing her, asked her why
she did not turn the devils out of her house (mean-
ing the complainant and her child). rib then went away,
and the result was that Mrs. Harrington, the landlady,
a Roman Catholic, fearful of the consequences if she suf-
fered her unfortunate lodgers to remain there, eventually
took the bed from under her, and she and her child were
compelled to sleep on the floor of the room. He (Mr.
Watson) did not wish to distort or exaggerate the facts,
but he should prove that the conduct pursued by the de-
fendant on the occasion was as represented. The law,
the defendant ought to be made to know, would not
allow of his being suffered to use physical compulsion in
a case which he imagined was opposed to the doctines
which he promulgated ; and therefore, if the evidence
produced bore out the statement of facts, he trusted the
magistrate would have no hesitation in dealing with the
charge in such a manner as would prevent the defendant
in future from having recourse to such an unjustifiable
attack upon a poor woman. He then called
Mary Murphy, a young woman with an infant in her
arms, who, on being sworn, said that she now lives in
Palmer's-rents, Snow's-fields, Bermondsey, and that her
husband is a labourer. That on last Sunday three
weeks she gave birth to a child while lodging at the
house of a Mrs. Harrington, in Ebenezer-place,
Bermondsey. She knew the Rev. Mr. Dono-
van, the defendant, and he called upon her last
Friday while she was sitting up by the fire with her
child in her arms, and asked her if she was the woman
that the man fell upon by accident when drunk, and she
replied that she was. He then inquired if she had had
a child christened lately. She said that she had, and he
asked by whom, and she answered by the Rev. Mr.
Armstrong, the Protestant clergyman. The moment
she mentioned Mr. Armstrong's name, the defendant
struck her on the side of her head with an umbrella,
and exclaimed, " Don't you think you have sold your
soul to the devil ?" She replied that she did not think
she had, upon which he walked out of the room. He
returned, however, in about three or four minutes, in a
passion.
Mr. Watson—When he came back, did he say any-
thing to the landlady ?
Complainant—He struck me three times with the

umbrella, in the landlady's presence, and said to
" Why don't you send these devils out of your house ?"
The landlady at first said nothing in reply, but when he
repeated the question, she then said that she would
make her and her child quit the house. The defendant
then asked her (the complainant) if any ladies had called
upon her since her confinement, and she said " Yes,"
and he then inquired if they had brought her anything,
and upon her replying in the affirmative, he asked her

if she thought slie-was doing her soul good by accepting
charity from them, they being Protestants. She said
that she was glad and thankful for the assistance she
received ; and he then advised her not to take any more
from them, and left the room.

Mr. Wa-tson—Now tell us what the woman Hawing•
ton did on the occasion?

Mr. A'Beckett stopped the complainant, and said
that, as it was admitted the defendant was not present
at the time, there was no occasion for introducing matter
not strictly applicable to the case as it affected her.
The complainant was then cross-examined by Mr.
Salomons, on behalf of the defendant, and in reply to
the questions she said that she was a married woman,
but that she had not the certificate of her marriage. She

was married at Pembroke, in Wales. She had relief
from the defendant the third day after her confinement.
He gave her a shilling. She had also relief from the
nuns belonging to the convent in Bermondsey.
Mr. Salomons : Of what religion are you ?—Com-
plainant said she was a Roman Catholic before her mar-
riage, but that since that event she had become a con-
vert to the Protestant faith.

Mr. Salomons asked her if she knew the different be-
tween the two religions ?
Mr. A'Beekett said that putting such questions would
only puzzle the woman, and that he had better only ask
her those having reference to the alleged assault.
Cross-examination continued—Will swear that she did
not exclaim, in the hearing of any persons, that she
would pitch the Rev. Mr. Armstrong to the seventeen
devils. (Laughter.) She recollected the defendant
having asked her where the father of her child was, and
when she told him that she did not know, his then say-
ing that he did not believe her. He also said that she
would be cursed for ever. Mrs. Harrington, the land-
lady, and another lodger were present when the de-
fendant assaulted her, and therefore she had not com-
plained to them, as they witnessed the transaction. Her
husband did not fetch the defendant to her. She did
not sing a song immediately after the departure of the
defendant on the day he assaulted her.

Mr. Watson having signified that that was his case,
Mr. Salomons said the fact was that the complainant
had practised a good deal of cunning fraud under the
guise of religion. Slw was Catholic and Protestant, just
as it suited her to obtain what she required. She first
received relief from Mr. Donovan and some lady nuns at
13erreonasey, and afterwards imposed upon the Rev.
Mr. Armstrong, by informing him that she had become