The Sun.
London, England, 1841-09-16 00:00:00

INTELLIGENCE:
MANSIOA-HOUSE.
A ease of very gross immorality was exposed yester-
day in the Justice-room, before Sir Peter Laurie, wh,-,
stated `that in the whole course of his experience he haa
no, Qr been calk.d to adjudicate under cireumstanci s at
a similar to emse wh'ch were candid!), avowed by the
two parties who appealed to
.him for his decision.
A man of wry decent appearance, named Win. Wriyia,
who said that he was a yeast-maker, was placed at the
bar, with a female infant in his arias, having been taken
into custody by a policeman for having stolen the child
from a Mrs. Harriet Elphy, the mother.
The ctimplainaut. a comely well-dressed person, stated
that she had been obliged to leave her husband, who had
been respectable, but was now a costermonger in the
perrywirkle line, on account of ill-treatment. By her
husband she had had four children, three of whom were
under his protection, and the fourth was under here, un-
til the defendant thought proper to take possession of the
little girl, upon the pretence that she was his own child,
which the Alderman might be assured was not the ease.
Sir P. LAURIE—Does he mean that he is the father of
the child, you being the mother ? Defendant—Just
so, Sir. That's just the case, she is the mother and
James is certainly the father. In fact, she gave me up
the child herself, and as it is.rnine, I shall take good
care of it.
Complainant—l do assure you, Sir P. Laurie, whatever
he may think, that he is not the father. My husband is
the father of my four children.
Sir-P. LAURIE (to the woman)—Do you mean to ad-
mit that this man has had any reason to suppose himself
to be the father of this child ? CoMplainant—Why, he
may suppose so to be sure, but I assure you, upon my
honour, he's very much mistaken. It is not, nor is any
one of my children his, whatever may be his opinion.
Defendant—Tut, tut ; I've been a much greater fa-
vourite of hers than her husband has been for the last
five years, and its rayther odd that she should deny that
I tun the father of this baby. As far as Matters go, she
and I am a great deal more man and wife than she and
her husband are, and no mistake.
Complainant—Not now, not now. Idon't want to have
anything to do with you more ; and if my husband pro-
mises to treat me well, I'll go back and live happily with
him.

Sir PETER LAURIE—I never heard of anything more
abominable.
Defendant—Correct, Sir; you're quite correct. Its
very bad indeed.
. Sir P. LAURIE—Why,' woman, is not your husband
jealous of this sort of rrticipation ? Defendant—Jeal-
ous ? Not at all. He knows all about it as well as I do.
Sometimes I lodged with them, and sometimes they
lodged with me, but wherever we were there was always
a complete correspondence between her and me. Lord
b'ess you, its no use to disguise it.
Sir P. LAURIE—WeII, you ai'e certainly the most
barefaced profligates I ever beheld, both of you.
Defendant—You are quite right, Sir, quite correct. I
know it. Its all bad as sure as this dear baby is mine.
Complainant—You shall not have it, I tell you. The
child -is my husband's, I tell you; and I have often told
you so.
Defendant—There, now. Why, your Worship, the
reason she wants the child, is because she knows if I keep
it I shall never go to see her any more. All she wants
is that I should go back to her ; but, as your Worship
says, that would be very incorrect, and I'll do nothing of
the kind.
Sir P. LAURIE—Why, you and she and her husband
are not a tittle better than brutes of the field.
Defendant—Correct. sir: you're quite correct, I do
assure you. You never spoke a more true word.
Complainant—Your Worship is not aware that this
mar, who wants to persuade me that the child is his, is
now living with a Mrs Brown, with whom he has lived.
at least thirteen or fourteen times. She's here waiting
for him.
Sir P. LAURIE.--Let Mrs. Brown step forward.
Mrs. Brown, a steady, sober-looking woman here made
her appearance.
Sir P. LAURIE—WeII, Mrs. Brown, do you happen to
know that gentleman at the bar with the child in his
rars ? Mrs. Brown (looking towards the bar)—Do you
mean that gentleman, your Lordship? (pointing to the
policeman.)
Sir P. LAURIE—No. I mean the gentleman next to
him.

Defendant—Yes, yes (to Mrs. Brown). Don't you
deny it.
Mrs. Brown—Oh, yes, please your Worship, I know
Mr. Wright.
Sir P. LAURIE—Do you live with him ? Mrs. Brown
(evidently shocked)—Live with him ! Oh, lie, no. I
hope the good lady as did live with him aint been taking
away my character. •
Sir Y. LAURIE—She only says that you and he now
live together as man and wife, and that you have done
so 13 or 14 different times.
Defendant—l did not live with her half so often, I'll
be on my oath.
Mrs. Brown—Your Worship, I hope you'll protect
me. lam a widow that lives by hard work, and I was
just taking care of the dear baby for Mr. Wright. I
hope the child could not do me any harm.
The policeman said that he apprehended the defendant
at Mrs. Brown's lodgings, where Wright appeared to be
master.
Complainant—Please your Worship he lived with Mrs.
Briwn, as modest as she is, when his own wife was alive.
I know all about it.
• Sir P. LAURIE—The defendant must give up the child
to the mother, as she desires it, and a worse mother never
had a child. I must say that I never beheld more dis-
gusting profligacy.
Defendant 02,-iving the child to the mother)—Correct,
Sir, you're quite correct. Its all bad. Now she thinks
I'll go back to her because she has got the child, but I
never will, and I'll tell her husband so.
Sir P. LAURIE desired that the Justice-room should
be cleared as soon as • possible of such vermin. Thus
the case, which excited great disgust and laughter, ter-
minated.

FLAGRANT DESECRATION OF

THE CEREMONIES OP THE IWMISH CHURCH.

(From a French Paper.)
On the 28th of July, at about two o'clock, the inha-
bitants of Fontvannes were surprised, on passing near i
the church, at hearing chants from the Liturgy sung
with a most energetic and extraordinary power of lungs.
They at first thought that the curate was going through
a sort of rehearsal, but were speedily undeceived.
raose whom they found in possession of the church
were truly somewhat strange viceg,ererts. Two two
were in the reading-desk, and two more walking to and
fro ; they had substituted for the sicerdotal vestures
the cloths of the altar, which were thrown over their
shoulders in the form of a surplice. They t'o
iost ad of tl;e salutations and externs!
signs used in the Catholic ritual, grimaces and
ridiculous distortions of countenance— formed in
procession, and preceded by a broom instead of
a crucifix, they, in this way, marched round the
church. Mer a scandalous " confessional" scene,
which the priest and the penitents were most
grotesquely delineated, and in which tee symbol of con-
fession Was represented with mockery and derision, the
new officiators sprang up, caught hold of the bell-ropes,
and, pushing themulves backwards and forwards, th, y
swung immediately in front of the altar ; the ctli,,rs,
displacing the confessional, carried it in triumphal pro-
cession round the church ; these latter, roaricg and
singing, broke the chain and the wax taper of the lamp ;
the 'saws, breaking to pieces I,oneath their feet the
:seat of the curate, made the church the theatve of the
most cnlrabie sacrilege grid desecration, But the ex-
ce4ses of this gang of maniacs did not stop here. ale
of them, b,,ing wounded by too prolonged a swine on
the bell-ropes, jumped downs utte ing hotsihlo oaths,
and approaching toe statue of the Virgin, be ad-
dressed it in highly disgusting language, and,
finally, gave it a blow on tho cheek. It
will hardly be believed, but it is, neverthe!essl
the fact? that these wretches had pgt 0T!? ErleWisera,
isle excuse of into4icatlon to estenuate tivir infamous
conduct ; on the contrary, they acted with calmness,
reflection, and perfect sang froid, and were so well
aware of the consequences of the unheatd•of offences
which they were committing, that two of the gang tf:ept
watch spa ware 4t lire dos of the elloycb-, in order
to prevent the approach of the curious, as well as to
give notice to Ilex companions in case of need.
It is impossible to account for the above conduct by-
alleging the ignorance or stupidity of those accused, the
latter being, for the most part, rot mbers or affluent famis
lies, ant) of tolerably pod edopation. One of them,
named Braley, is a professional singer; another, Cleda-
nor Pernet, has been for sonic time c:erk to a huissier ;
Ind his accomplices arc for the must part owners of pro-
' perty, and sons of affluent p 'rents. The eight accused
all belong to the commune of fstisßac;
tie proseeption wits on the complaint of
the assistant-curate of the Church of Fontvannes ; and
that worthy ecclesiastic made his deposition with great
calnines,•, endeavouring to extenuate the rcvoltini con-
duct of the accused,

•
In &pitei howmtpr, of the able addresses of their de-
fenders, MM. Eel*lin and Masson, the accused,
upon whom M. Robert (the deputy attorney) (lentanded
That the severest.punisliment of the tribunal should be
ififlot were coudernncd qs ffillows t—The principal
ringleader, °alley, to 40 days' imprisonment, and to a
fine of 100 francs; Bra'ey, the singer of Estissae, to a
month's imprisonment end to a fine of 100 francs ; Cie-
lanor Pernet, the hussier's clerk, to 20 days' imprton-
ment and to 0 fine of 20 francs ; Hut alias liitlit, and
Niels, to 15 days' imprisonment and a fine of 16 francs ;
Sutot, Armand, Toutet and D manehe were ditch irged.

WOOLWICH, Se:PT. 14.—NAVAL ISTELLI-
- Comet stuttill-vesziel, . Lieut.- Coin. Frede•

.;c1; Chevalier Syer. left. Woolwich this afternoon for
ChathaM, having embarked Lieut. Wood, 1 sergeant, 2
wrportthi, 1 drummer, and 30 privates of the ootwieb
livision of the Royal Marines, to join one of her Ma-
lesty's ships, name not yet known to them. It is the ge-
neral impression, however i that theirtiltignlo 45tination
will be China. No. I Troop
ship, passed the Royal Arsenal, Woolwich, about half-
past 1 o'clock to-day, having embarked the 2d battalion
of the Rifle Brigade at Deptford for a passage to Ber-
nuda. This gallant corps has only been home about
Four years, having returned from Corfu in June, 18:;17i
And their previous foreign service at
Nlediterranean was 13 years, hails pro:q0104 to Malta
in 1824. The AINFPPIPAN 1 A 114.150 was towed down by
wo large steamers, and on passing the, Rovid Anent.).
.he band of the Rifle Brigade .truelt up a lively air, and
the men gave three cheers, which were responded to by
the Royal Artillery assembled on the wharves to witness
their departure.