The Sun.
London, England, 1865-08-15 00:00:00

PRICE 4d.
STAMPED sd.

Extraordinary Charge-

Yesterday Chas. Gordon Sprague, a surgeon, who was re-
cently tried and acquitted on an indictment charging him
with administering poison to Sarah Chalker, his mother-in-
law, with intent to murder her, at the Exeter Assize;, was
brought More the Lord Mayor (Alderman Hale), at the
Justice-room of the Mansion-house, charged with rape.
Tho prosecutrix was Hannah Hart, a respectable-looking
young woman, who gave her evidence with much propriety
of manner. She said, mostly in reply to questions from
the bench—l are 25 years of ago next birthday, and am a
servant to Mr. Jenkins, a surgeon at 22, Philpot-lane, Pen-
church-street. Mr. Jenkins occupies the whole house there.
The prisoner had been in Mr. Jenkins's service two days as
an assistant. Mr. Jenkins left town on Saturday morning, '
and I and a boy were left in the house with the prisoner,
who attended iu the surgery. On Saturday afternoon,
about 3 o'clock, I was taken very ill, and went upstairs
to my bedroom. The prisoner was not in the house at that
time. I believe he had gone to attend patients. I told the
boy I was ill and that I would lie down for an hour. I
asked him to call me at 4 o'clock. I closed my door and
went to sleep.
The Lord Mayor—Did you un dress ?

Witness—No. I do not know how long I slept before I
was roused by the boy, who told me the doctorwas coming
up to see me. I said I did not wish him to come up as I
should be better soon. The prisoner came upstairs shortly
afterwards into myroom, and, taking a chair, sat down by
my bedside, and asked what was the matter with me. I said
I felt very poorly. The boy was then in the room. He sent
the boy downstairs to the surgery for a particular bottle
of spirits of some kind, but I cannot tell you the name of
the spirits.. The boy came back and said he could not find
tbe bottle. He brought up a bottle of something else, but
it was not the right one. The prisoner then sent him into
Mr. Jenkins's bedroom to bring some brandy, which he did.
He first gave me a wineglass full of the brandy, which
quite overpowered me. The boy was then in the room. The
prisoner had requested me to drink it all at once, and I did
so. He then put his hand up my drawers to my left side,
and asked if I felt any pain there. I said I did not. He
raised my head up and gave me another glassfull of some-
thing which I believed was brandy. He told me to drink
it at once, and I did so. He said I should be quite right
after I hid had that. I lost all my senses then, and could
not remember anything after until I was roused by a heavy
weight upon me. I then found the front of my dress all
open, and my clothes thrown up over me. I heard the
prisoner walk out of the room as far as the landing. I was
raising myself up in bed, and he came in and threw some-
thing over me which burnt very much, and scorched my
neck. He stood by the side of my bed while ho threw it
over me. It took my breath away, and I felt the burning
directly. I tried to speak, but I could not. Ho went out
of the room after he threw it. I cannot remember any-
thing from that time. I was afterwards awoke by a sick-
ness, and tried to get out of bed, but I could not. It was
quite dark at that time. I lay there until the boy called
me, and said two sergeants of police wanted to speak to me.
I went downstairs and spoke to them. I never saw the
prisoner again until yesterday, when I charged him with
committing a rape. [The witness here described the cir-
cumstances of a criminal assault.] The boy had been out
with some letters, and on his return he said he had rung all
the
had bl:fltlst„hbauhtonuoabooldryhehnadthceomtweotoploeltichei-nsieirng.
eaTnhtse
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did not see him again until half-past 12 or lon Sunday. He
had been out all night. Mr. Jenkins went away on Saturday
morning to go to Wales ; the prisoner accompanied him to
the railway station. On Sundaymorning,before the prisoner
returned, I sent for Mr. Goode, surgeon. When tho prisoner
came home I was upstairs dressing. He rang the bell three
times. I went down and answered it. When he came in 1
asked what ho thought of himself in leaving me in the state he
did on Saturday night. He replied he did not know what I
meant. I was going upstairs to finish dressing when he called
back, and said he was sorry for having kept me up, and
asked me to forgive him for what he had done. I said I
would not. I had sat up waiting for him until 4 o'clock on
Sunday morning. He asked me a second time to forgive
him. I told him I had some ono waiting for him. I meant
a policeman. I went upstairs, and when I came down ho
was out. A policeman was outside looking for him. I did
not see him again until 5 o'clock, when he came in with his
brother. The boy went out at my request for a policeman.
He rang the bell and I let the policeman in. I took the
policeman into the surgery, where the prisoner was, and I
charged the prisoner with committing a rape upon me. The
prisoner made no reply. He was taken to a police-station,
and I went there afterwards with another policeman. I was
first examined by Mr. Humphreys, a surgeon at the station,
and again this morning by another surgeon, Mr. Marsh, a
friend of my master.

By the prisoner and Mr. Oko (chief clerk)—On Saturday
evening, the boy having complained of being very tired, I
took out some medicine for him to Cornhill and White-
chapel. I first mentioned the matter at 10 o'clock on Sun-
day morning to a friend of my master. When the police
sergeants came I did not tell them ; I did not like to do so.
They came about another matter. The boy had gone out,
and I was asleep in bed. They came because of some ono
ringing so long at the boll.
John Pye—l am errand boy to Dr. Jenkins. On Satur-
day afternoon, about 2 o'clock, or a little after, the last wit-
ness told me she was ill, and she would go up and lie
down, and that if she was longer than an hour I was to
call her. About five minutes after she had laid down the
prisoner asked me where she was and I told him. The pri.:
Boner left his dinner and went up to her immediately,
saying he would go and see her. I showed him the way.
She was then asleep, but she awoke on our going into
the rooms The prisoner took a chair and sat down by her
bedside. He told me to go down to the surgery and fetch
up a bottle—about the sixth on the counter, with a label
in Latin which I cannot remember. I brought up a
bottle with " lodine pure" upon it, and gave it to him.
There was very little in it. He said that was not what he
wanted, and he then told me to go into Mr. Jenkins's bed-
room and bring a bottle of brandy, which I did, with a
wine glass, and gave them to the prisoner. I then left the
room, because I had to answer the door downstairs. In five
or ten minutes the prisoner came down. In that interval I
had gone up and told the prisoner there had been two
rings at the door. I knocked at the bedroom door, and
told him that through the door. He had then been in the
room nearly a quarter of an hour. He did not open the
door. A few minutes afterwards there was another ring,
and I went up and told him (through the door. He an-
swered me without coming to the door. I could tell that
by the sound of his voice. He said he would be down in
about ten minutes. He came down in about that time, and
attended to two gentlemen who had been waiting in the
surgery. After that he went up stairs. While he was at-
tending the gentlemen I went up to Hannah's bed-room,and
and asked her how she was. She was lying down
water
and bathe her forehead, which I did.
seemed half asleep. She asked me to get someidcohl
er head
prisoner came up again, nearly half an hour,
him
to
ached very much and her back. 1 remaintetsahereanudntitlhtehne
that
a packethe h had
bills in envelopes to take out and deliver. I left the house
d
went down stairs. On his return I understood say
dshoeneh
allad hhaedoo"nisodmfeohr hysteric" from
and returned about
half-past nine. The prisoner was
for that purpose about half-past three,
out
ferothmenfrigghavtleaumde
• but there was no answer. There is a
rang several times,
when I ret ed. I
h
ventilator in the wall, and 2I asked a yourig gentleman
who was passing to give me a lift throug it, and he
On jumping down ontho inner side
Id 4111:aor.d the(Aou laugh.)
af
andforks spoons rattle in the dining-room,
and suspecting some -one was in the house who ought
not to be there I would not go up stairs- until I saw
a policeman. I went to the door and saw two police-
sergeants. We went into the house together, upon
which one took a-poker and the other his truncheon, and
searched the house. (A laugh.) That was about 10 o'clock
on Saturday night. We found Hannah in her bedroom.
I roused her up, and she came down and spoke to the ser-
geants. I . complained of being tired, and she said she
would take the medicine out for me, the change would do
her good. I was left alone in the house, and I fell asleep
in the kitchen. (A laugh.) I was awoke by some one
laughing. I heard the prisoner's voice. I looked through
the rails of the stairs, and saw a gentleman with the pri-
soner, whom I took to be a patient. They at length went
out together, and in a minute or two afterwards Hannah
returned. We both sat up together until 4 o'clock nett
morning waiting for the prisoner, but he had not then re-
turned. I went home, and did not see him again until
Sunday afternoon. He rang the house-bell and I opened
the door. He said, "Well, John, has anybody been here ?"
I said, " So," but I thought to myself that some one would
be very soon there for him—(a laugh)—for Hannah and I
had settled what we should do when he returned. I was
half a sleep at the time she told me what bad happened.
When the police-sergeants came and I wont upstairs her
clothes were in disorder.

Police-sergeant Whiteedeposed that about a quarter past
nine on Saturday evening he was in Gracechurch-street,
and was called by the last witness to go to the house of Dr.
Jenkins in Philpot-lane. He went with him and Sergeant
Speck. They searched the house, and on going to the top
storey they found the prosecutrix asleep in a bedroom and
breathing very heavily. She had been sick. The lower
part of her legs to the knees were bare, and the bedclothes
thrown across them. The boy wanted to wake her, but
they told him he had better not until they had gone
downstairs. He afterwards woke her, and she came
down to them. There was nobody in the house but
the prosecubix, the bop, and them. They told her for
what purpose they were there, and she said she was not
aware there was any one in the house except the boy, the
assistant having gone out. Being satisfied all was right on
the premises Sergeant Speek and witnesa left. She made