The Sun.
London, England, 1862-09-18 00:00:00

THE SUN, ILONDON, TER/ RSDAY 141 VE NE N SEPTE VIBE ft 18, 1862.

SERIOUS CHARGE AGAINST A CLERGY-
MAN IN JAMAICA.

The Jamaica Watchman of the 11th ult. contains
a correspondence between Geo. W. Gordon, Esq.,
and the Lieutenant-Governor of Jamaica, as to the
state of the lock-up in the parish of St. George's-in-
the-East, at Morant Bay. Mr. Gordon made a com-
plaint to the Lieutenant-Governor, on 7th May last,
of the inattention of the justices in dealing with
cases which he said were unnecessarily delayed ;
and meantime the parties accused were confined in
a lock-up, a place the most revolting and disgusting
to human nature that could be imagined. Through
want of cleanliness there was stench enough to
produce immediate sickness and disease, and pri-
soners were frequently for days and weeks
locked up together in one horrid room, where
they all mingled together, eating, drinking, and
sleeping, and doing everything that nature required,
and all imbibing the stench that must arise from
human beings huddled together in such a manner.
Mr. Gordon farther complained that the rector of
the parish, the Rev. Mr. Cooke, sent a poor sick
man, named Williams (on what authority he could
not find out), to the lock-up, and the poor man had
been confined there from the 26th April, actually
living in the privy of this unventilated place. Mr.
Gordon submitted that the Attorney-General had a
good action against the clergyman, and begged his
Excellency the Governor-General to institute an in-
quiry. Mr. Gordon also complained of the insuffi-
ciency of the means in the parish for the relief of
the poor, there being no proper almshouse for their
reception. On the 12th of May the Lieutenant-
Governor promised an inquiry, and on the 17th of
May Williams died, his death, as Mr. Gordon as-
serts, having no doubt been accelerated by the
causes he described in his memorial to the Lieu-
tenant-Governor, but no inquest was held on the
body, which was buried without funeral rites by
the rector's son, the parish clerk. On the 14th of
June his Excellency wrote to Mr. Gordon, intimat-
ing that an inquiry had been made, that his charge
against the rector of the parish was unfounded, and
his general allegations as to the state of the lick-up
exaggerated, and demanding explanations of how
he came to make such unfounded charges. The same
day Mr. Gordon replied, reiterating his charges,
and demanding further investigation ; in conse-
quence, a special session of the peace was directed
to be held. This special sessions met on the 3d of
July, and, according to the official report of the pro-
ceedings, the rector of the parish was again cleared,
the lock-up (which- in the meantime, however, had
been cleansed) was visited, and declared to be in a
proper condition, and Mr. Gordon was rebuked.
Mr. Gordon, thus baffled, has appealed to the press,
and publishes the whole correspondence and docu-
ments. He asserts that there has been an official
attempt to stifle inquiry; that he was first con-
demned unheard, and that afterwards, at the spe-
cial sessions, which only met in consequence of
his persistence, and which, was, in fact, a meet-
ing of the parties implicated holding a court
on themselves, he was not allowed to explain his
case, and the witnesses whom he tendered were not
examined. This seems to be borne out by a para-
graph in the minute of the sessions meeting, viz.,
" Mr, Gordon tendered the following witnesses to '
prove the past condition of the lock-up ;" but
though the evidence of the rector and the keeper
of the lock-up is given in full, there is no mention
of those other witnesses being examined. Even
according to the statements of the rector and the
keeper, thei:e was a most unsatisfactory state of
matters at the lock-up at the time Mr. Gordon com-
plained, and there was some cause for Mr. Gordon's
complaints, and for reform ; but, of course, the
rector does not criminate himself as to his connec-
tion with the man Williams. He denies having
given authority for his confinement, and says he
merely directed him to the lock-up for shelter, giv-
ing him a shilling from motives of benevolence, and
having no suspicion that the man was to be treated
as he was; while the keeper asserts that the man
of his own choice would stay in the privy, and re-
fused to come out. Which party is right as to the
facts cannot be said, as there is only evidence on
the one side ; but from the correspondence published
it does appear that there has not been that full
inquiry which ought to have taken place into such
a serious charge ; and the character of the Govern.
ment officials at Jamaica and the justices of the
parish is gravely compromised. To vindicate them-
selves, Mr. Gordon, we hope, will be allowed an
opportunity of bringing forward all the evidence
he has to give.