The Sun.
London, England, 1863-01-13 00:00:00

Abduction of a Farmer's Daughter.

At a session of Glocestershire magistrates of the
Chipping Sodbury division, held on Friday, at the
Cross Hands Inn, John Richard Crampton, late
schoolmaster of the Horton National School, was
charged with having taken off an unmarried girl,
Emua Stinchcombe, daughter of Daniel Stinch-
combe, against the will of her father, she being
under the age of 16 years. The complainant, Mr.
Stinchcombe, is an extensive farmer, residing at
Horton, and the prisoner, who is a married man,
and who appears to be something of a musician,
frequently visited the house under pretext of
giving lessons to Mr. Stinchcombe's son in the
piano. Crampton seems to have availed himself of
the opportunity thus afforded to engross the
affections of Miss Stinchcombe, a girl 15 years
of age, and to have induced her to quit her
father's house surreptitiously in the night of the
3d inst., and to proceed with him to Chippenham,
from which place they took the train which leaves
for Reading at 2.55 p,m. The elopement of the
girl was discovered early on Sunday morning,
and the matter was placed in the hands of Mr. Rawle,
superintendent of the Gloucestershire constabulary
for the Sodbury division, who succeeded in tracing
the fugitives to Coppenham, and telegraphed a de-
scription of them to the police authorities at Read-
ing. On the arrival of the train at the latter place,
Crampton and the girl were detained till the ar-
rival of Superintendent Rawle, who at once took
Crampton into custody on a charge of abducting
the girl. In reply, the prisoner said that he was
going to take the girl to his wife, that he knew he
had done wrong in taking her away without her
father's consent, and that he was sorry for it. The
prisoner and the girl were brought back to Chipping
Sodbury, the prisoner being lodged in the station-
house, and the girl handed over to her uncle, Mr.
Thomas Stinchcombe. The above facts having been
proved in evidence, Cramptou expressed a wish that
Emma Stinchcombe should be examined as a witness.
Mr. Rawle, however; stated that he did not call the
girl on the part of the prosecution. The prisoner
then stated that the girl left with him by her own
wish, and that he did not know that he was laying
himself under the lash of the law in what he was
doing. He denied that he had taken her away with
any evil intent, admitting that he had acted more
out of foolishness than wickedness. He implored the
prosecutor not to press the charge, stating that he
was already a ruined man, and beseeching forgive-
ness of God for his conduct. The prosecutor said
he should let the law take its course. Mr. Hartley,
magistrate, said the case must go before a higher
tribunal, and committed the prisoner for trial at
the next assize. Crampton was then charged with
stealing a silver spoon, the property of Mr. Stinch-
combe. In this case the girl Emma Stinchcombe
was called as a witness, and she stated that she had
left the spoon at the school at Horton, and that
Crampton had told her on two or three occasions
to take it home. The last time he did so was last
Monday week, and then he said he would put it
in his pocketbook and take it down himself. The
magistrates decided that the evidence was inconclu-
sive, and the prisoner was accordingly merely com-
mitted on the charge of abduction.

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