The Sun.
London, England, 1849-08-21 00:00:00

THE LATE CONVICT MARY BALL

AND THE GAOL CHAPLAIN.
(From the Coventry Herald.)
The univel sal prevalence throughout this city of
certain reports respecting something alleged to have
occurred between the late convict Mary Ball and the
Rev. Richard Chapman, in the discharge of his func-
tions as chaplain to the gaol, coupled with the fact of
the removal of the latter from his office, rer dars the
matter of such interest as to justify us in laying be-
fore our readers the facts of the case, which are as
follow :
On Saturday afternoon, the 4th of August, the
governor of the gaol, Mr. Stanley, had occasion to go
to Birmingham. On returning, shortly after six
o'clock the same evening, he was informed by Miss
Winter, the assistant matron, that during his absence
the chaplain had visited the prisoner, Mary Ball, then
under sentence of death, and by force, in her pre-
sence, had held the condemned woman's hand
over a lighted candle, thereby burning and blis-
tering it. Mr. Stanley immediately ran to the
cell, when the prisoner showed him her hand,
which he found to be blistered as he had
been informed, the prisoner expressing herself
glad that he bad come, and complaining of the
Rev. Mr. Chapman's treatment. In the absence of
Mr. Cope, the nearest resident visiting magistrate,
the governor instantly proceeded to the Rev. H.
Bellairs, of Bedworth, also a visiting magistrate, and
informed him of what had occurred. Mr. Bellairs
thereupon ordered that the chaplain should desist
from further visiting the prisoner, or from discharg-
ing any duties at the gaol until an examination had
been had before the visiting justices, a meeting of
whom he directed to be convened on the following
Tuesday, the 7th instant. At the same time Mr.
Bellairs notified to the governor his intention to per-
form the morning duty, and preach the condemned
sermon in the gaol chapel on the Sunday, the sth
instant, which he accordingly did. In pursuance of
these directions, a meeting of the visiting magistrates
took place, the Rev. Richard Chapman being present,
and the examinations were gone into. Mr. Stanley
repeated the statement already related ; adding that
in the complaints made by the Frisoner, she de-
clared she would relate upon the gallows what had
happened. Susannah Winter also informed the
magistrates that it was about half-past five o'clock on
the Saturday afternoon that the chaplain visited the
prisoner, and immediately on entering the cell he
called for a lighted candle, which was brought to him.
He then took the candle in one hand, and with the
other laid hold of the hand of the prisoner, Mary
Ball, which he held over the candle, and asked her if
she felt it. After a time she snatched her hand away,
having previously endeavoured to withdraw it, saying
at the same time that she did feel it. The chaplain
asked her what that would be compared to the tor-
ments of hell, where her whole frame would be burn-
ing for a hundred years ? Whilst the chaplain held
the prisoner's hand over the candle, she tried hard to
get it away. Miss Winter gave it as her opinion, to
the best of her judgment, that the hand of the pri-
soner was held over the candle two minutes. The
candle was first held at a distance from
,her hand,
and brought nearer to it gradually. She tried hard
to gtt it away whilst it was being held. The
chaplain afterwards read some prayers, and went
away in about ten minutes. After this, Miss Winter
states she locked at the prisoner's hand, and finding
it very red and partially blistered, she applied some
yellow soap to it, and at this time (Tuesday) it was
much better, the blisters having broken. Atter Mary
Ball got her hand away Mr. Chapman told her not to
think be was actuated by any motives of cruelty to-
wards her, and that his design was to give her some
idea of what the torments of hell were. _ _

These statements having been made before the
magistrates, in the presence of Mr. Chapman, he
admitted that they were substantially correct, with
the exception of the time mentioned by Miss Winter
during which he held the prisoner's hand over the
candle, which be did not think exceeded a few seconds
whilst subjected to the flame. He added that he was
actuated by the best of motives ; and that what he
did was to facilitate her notion of pain. Also, that
the prisoner was a woman of obtuse intellect, and
that he thought her mind would be more likely to be
acted upon through the medium of the senses.
After these examinations were concluded, the magis-
trates passed a resolution to the effect that it was not
advisable to continue the Rev. Richard Chapman as
chaplain to the gaol, confirming the suspension of him,
as ordered by the Rev. H. Bellairs, and continuing
that suspension until an order thereon be taken at the
next general quarter sessions of the peace.
The magistrates also declared their approval of the
prompt conduct of the governor of the gaol, and
further expressed their sense of the services rendered
by the Rev. H. Bellairs in preaching the condemned
sermon, and in undertaking the duties of the gaol
under the circumstances above described.

It was agreed to send a copy of the depositions to
the Secretary of State ; and that the Rev. J. B. Col-
lisson, vicar of the parish in which the gaol is situ-
ated be requested to perform the duties of the chap-
laincy until the next quarter sessions.

ROYAL ITALIAN OPERA, COVENT•GARDEN.—This
3 the last week of the season, and in order to give those

an opportunity of enjoying good music who have hitherto
been prevented by economical motives from patronising
this magnificent lyrical establishment, the prices of
admission will be this week reduced so as to be
brought within the means of many who have hitherto
been compelled to deprive themselves of this rich mud-
cal treat. But, although the prices are reduced, the per-
formances will be of the same high character es ever.
This evening the Prophete will be performed ; on
Thursday, the second and third acts of the Huguenots,
and the coronation scene from the Prophetc, and on
Friday (instead of Saturday), being the last night of the
season, Don Giovanni, with Madame Viardot Garcia as
Zerlina.

ROYAL ITALIAN OPERA, COVENT•GARDEN.—Her
Royal Highness the Duchess of Cambridge, accom-
panied by her Serene Highness the Grand Duchess
of Mecklenburgh Strelitz, the Princess Mary of Cam-
bridge, Prince Richard Metternich, Princess Melanie
Metternich, and the Countes de Chandos, honoured
the performance at the Royal Italian Opera, on Saturday
evening, with their presence, and occupied her Majesty's
box. Her Royal Highness was attend€d by Mr.
Edmund St. John Mildmay. Among the visitors were
his Excellency the Russian Minister and Baroness
Brunnow, and Mdlle. Olga de Lechner ; the Marquis
and Marchioness of Clanricarde, Lord Hubert and the
Ladies Emily and Margaret de Burgh, the Marquis of
Titchileld, Dowager Marchioness of Sligo and the Ladies
Browne, the Marchioness of Westmeath, Earl St. Ger-
mans, Sir William and Lady Georgina Codrington,
Countess of Essex and Miss Johnstone, Lady Mary
Bentinck, Viscount Clifden, Viscount Mahlon, Viscoupt
Exmouth, Lord Arthur Hay, Lord Ernest Bruce, Hon.
John Coke, Hon. John Fortescue, Hon. Henry Coke,
Hon. George Wrottesley, Hon. Spencer Montague,
Hon. Edward Upton, lion. Mrs. Cust, Lady Lawley,
Hon. Miss Talbot and Hon. Miss Jane Talbot, Hon.
Mrs. Abbott and Hon. Mrs. Murray, Hon. Theobald
Dillon, &c. -

SINGULAR DEATH OF A BURGLAR.—Yesterday
evening Mr. Bedford held an inquest at St. James's
workhouse on the body of Henry Edgar Blackwell,
aged 20, whose death was caused by a fall from a house
in Oxford-street, in the attempt, it was supposed, to
commit a burglary. It appeared from the evidence that

the deceased-resided at the house of a man named
Greaves, in Blackfriar's-road. This Greaves was a very
bad character, and it teemed probable had led the de-
ceased astray. At about two o'clock on Sunday morn-
ing Mr. J. Rallies, residing at 332, Oxford street, was
awakened by his servant, who said that some men were
breaking ir. He went down stairs, and on opening a
landing window ho heard a groan from the area be
neath, or the backyard. He gave an alarm, and then
went to the front of the house, and called for the police,
who arrived soon afterwards. There was a pane of
glass broken in one of the third story back windows,
and a part of the frame had been cut away
with some sharp instrument. The noise of the
falling glass had awakened the servant. On
going down stairs into the back yard he found
the body of a man quite dead, and bleeding
profusely from the head. From a subsequent examina-
tion, it appeared that the deceased, accompanied by
another man, secreted himself in the yard of the Argyll
Arms public-house. Thence they contrived to ascend
to the leads at the back of the house. They had re-
moved the top of a conservatory on those leads, and
having entered it, had commenced cutting away the
third floor window, in order to enter the house. Hear-
ing an alarm given, the deceased attempted to escape,
and in doing so fell to the ground, from a height of 30
feet, literally dashing out his brains. His accomplice
also jumped or fell, and was so mach injured that the
police captured him and conveyed him to the hospital,
where he still remains. The Coroner summed up these
facts to the jury, observing that the cause of death was
all that it was necessary for them to decide. It would
not be of any service that they should enter on the ques-
tion of bow the deceased got on the leads, but they
would use their own discretion as to dealing with it. The
jury returned a verdict " That the deceased was killed
by a fracture of the skull, caused by a fall from the leads
of a house, while attempting to commit a burglary."
THE ARMY.--The Diana, with Captain Durnford,
Lieutenants Willis, Buchanan, Chute, and Crawley, and
Assistant Surgeon Bassano, 159 men, 19 women, and
27 children of the 70th Regiment, from Cork, arrived at
Calcutta on the 16th of June. The Ratcliffe, with Majors
Cheap and Bush, Lieutenants Mundell, Allman, Lees,
and Jones, and Assistant-Surgeon De Lisle, 157 men,
11 women, 26 children, and Mrs. Bush and 3 children,
96th Regiment, arrived at Calcutta, from Australia, on
the 23d of June. The Ursula, with detachments of the
83d arrived at Bombay on the 25th of June.
oOUTHAMPTON, TUESDAY MORNING.—The cotton
market closed at Havre on Saturday evening with a
sale of 1,650 bales. Yesterday the demand was regular,
but buyers declined acceding to the increased rates
demanded by holders to any extent. The sales to two
o'clock were 1,224 bales. The rise since last quotations
was about 2 francs. The Marquis and Marchioness of
Normanby arrived yesterday at Havre, and are sojourn
ing at Frascati's Hotel.
POST-OFFICE NOTICE.—In obedience to the com-
mand of her Majesty the Queen, the town of Cove, in
Ireland, will henceforth bear the name of Queen's Town.
If we knew all we desire to know, man would be
no longer man.—Eliza Cook's Journal.