The Sun.
London, England, 1863-09-25 00:00:00

THAMES.

CRUELTY EY A CHARITY SCHOOLMASTER.—A tall and
powerful man named Cieorge Wilson, master of the well-
known Charity School of St. Botolph Without, Aldgate,
on Tower-hill, adjoining the Royal Mint, and distinguished
as the "First Protestant Charity School," appeared before
Mr. Partridge, on a summons, to answer a charge of as-
saulting John Edward Jones, one of his pupils.

The summons was taken out at the instance of the
mother of the boy. She is a poor and industrious widow of
good character, and when she applied for the summons,
appeared in great distress of mind. Her son, a delicate boy,
only 9 years of age, had been most cruelly flogged, as was
indicated by the state of his person. His back and posteriors
were covered with bruises and discoloured, from the inflic-
tion of the dominie. It appeared from the evidence
that the boy had been severely flogged with a cane and a
strap on several occasions, and he had seen other boys
punished very badly by the schoolmaster. The complainant,
notwithstanding his tender years, had been chastised forty
times. His hands were mercilessly cut with a cane in June
last, and the mother then complained to Wilson of his
brutal treatment. The boy's hand was cut with a cane a
fortnight ago. The last cruel infliction was eu Monday
afternoon last, after school hours. The defendant pulled
down the blinds of a room, in which he punished the boy,
put a handkerchief over his eyes, made him pull down his
trousers, and then flogged him over his naked body
with a leather strap. The boy counted as many as
thirty blows. The defendant said he did not in-
flict more than twenty nor less than fifteen,
and produced the leather strap with which he inflicted the
punishment. It was by no means a heavy or formidable
weapon, but, in the hands of a giant like the defendant,
es-gable of injuring a child of tender years with a soft skin
like the complainant.
Mrs. Jones, the mother of the boy, said he had come
home frequently with his hands cut and his person bruised,
and she complained that it was not proper or humane to
punish a child so brutally.
The defendant made a lengthened exculpation, and denied
having punished the boy with unnecessary severity. The
inflictions were necessary for the discipline of the school,
He punished the boy on Monday for telling a falsehood.
He put in a letter, of which the following is a copy :--
" The Rev. Mr. Robertson, incumbent of St. Botolph,
Aldgate, begs to state that John Edward Jones is a boy of
bad disposition, that he has been reproved by the trustees
of the school for insubordinate conduct, and that he has
only been permitted to remain in the school on promise of
amendment. Mr. Robertson begs to state further that he
has reason to fear that the boy has been encouraged in his
bad conduct by his mother, who appears to have given him
injudicious advice, and that the trustees of the school have
the greatest confidence in the master, Mr. Wilson, and
believe that he would not inflict unnecessary or excessive
punishment.
16, Devonshire-square, Sept. 24, 1863."
Mr. Partridge said the statement in writing of the Rev.
Mr. Robertson was no evidence whatever, and be could
pay no attention to it.
The defendant said the summons had been served upon
him so recently that he had not had an opportunity of
calling witnesses, and wished for an adjournment.
Mr. Partridge would certainly give the defendant an op-
portunity of calling any witness he thought proper. The
charge was a serious one. The defendant must recollect
that he was charged with flogging the boy in private during
"play hour," as it was called, and that the punishment was
inflicted e% ith a leather strap on the naked person of the
child, after he had been blindfolded. The defendant would
also recollect what was the state of the child's body just
exposed to view; and that the mother said when the boy
came home on Monday there were red and blue stripes on
his body, and that his hands were cut on a former occasion.
The case was then aijourneLl, to_ give the defendant an
opportunity of calling witnersee to character.