The Sun.
London, England, 1840-04-06 00:00:00

JOHN THOROGOOI).

[The following is an extract of a letter written by a
gentleman who visited the Church-rate victim.]
23th March, 1840.

Slll,--I this morning visited our friend, John Thoro-
good, and was much struck with his altered appearance ;
his health is evidently giving way. I made some sugges-
tions as to vesting the money subscribed ; he repeatedly
said that he regretted very much that any money had been
raised at all. He is depressed, yet he is still John Thoro-
good, and as great a roundhead as ever.
I saw a gentleman, who is an excellent friend of his,
and he assured me that, if a house were bought with the
money subscribed, and stocked with goods, so bitter is the
spirit of the High Church Tory party at Chelmsford
agains, him, that no person dare go into it and buy ; if
they did, the certain consequence would be, that these
people would be marked, and the gifts at Easter and other
times would be withdrawn, and the custom or employment
afforded them they would certainly lose.
Dr. Pritchard, whose attention to him ever since he was
confined, has been above all praise, says his health is suf-
fering. He has had an attack of gaol scurvy ; his teeth
are loose ; he has pains in his limbs ; and, a month or two
ago, he really thought he should have lost him.

(From the Scottish Pilot.)
The following letter has been received by Mr. Russell,
from Mr. Thorogood, in acknowledgment of the sum of
321. 16s. 3d., forwarded by him, being the amount contri-
buted by the friends of the prisoner, as the result of the
subscription which was undertaken for his behoof in this
city. It is painful to observe, that the health of Mr. Tho-
rogood is yielding under the effects of his long-continued
imprisonment. It behoves the friends of religious liberty
to ponder well this announcement, and to redouble their
efforts, in order to secure the liberation of this victim of
Clerical rapacity :
" Chelmsford Gaol, March 24, 1840.

" Dear Sir,— I return you my sincere thanks for the
very kind letter you have done me the favour to write ;
and to the kind friends whose contributions you have sent,
I beg you will offer my sincere acknowledgments.
" The sympathy of Christians, next to the convictions
of my own conscience, as in the sight of God, is that
which sustains my spirit ; for I assure you, Sir, although
I feel it an honour to be selected by my Divine Master
to bear my unworthy testimony to what I am fully
convinced is the truth, yet there are times when,
under the pressure of sickness, occasioned by the long-
continued confinement in this damp prison, the heart sinks,
and I find I require all the aids, both of the promises of
the gospel, and of the sympathy of Christian friends, to
bear me up.
" I have been afflicted with dreadful pains in my head
for the last five weeks, but have received most kind atten-
tion from Dr. Pritchard, a physician of this town, who
has been always ready to render me his valuable services.
With many thanks for your great kindness, I am Sir,
your obedient servant,

“JOHN THOROGOOD,

THE EXECUTION EXPECTE!) ON SATURDAY
LAST ,T STAFFORD.—Extract of a letter from Stafford,
April 1 !—" The people here are absolutely making as
------- much preparation in laying in provisions for the execution day
JACK ASHORE. 3 Vols. as if it was some great national rejoicing. It is absolutely
Colbol n London, 1840. sickening."—[On a former occasion of this kind some hundreds
of the mob arrived in the railway pig-carriages—the ordinary
WthileWleillaetlilleale.(:rlLerlactinagn.oth:er of those naval novels with
libraries have been inundated for vehicles (intended for human beings) being insufficient to carry
them all. In that instance, which happened in the Spring of
svo -It six or eight I,curs. It is neither better nor
1838, a respite delayed the'execution;and the disappointment
mar:e than the generality of these fictions, and is or the of the wretches assembled at the feast of blood was vented in
t e'mpounded of the same motlcy and incongruous the most awful imprecations. At the expiration of the respite
materials.on The. story refers to the strange fortunes of. the convict,_ ah young woman whosed pregnancy had delayed the
sentence—e unuhehrcw.
he no
ut
siet
s;
were and, in
th sight
thronged
e dofwit
with
I, ee_ • J°bn Truepenny, a common staler—whence it execusetiou
,bonves its title of " Jack Ashore"—who, just as he is Forrupes, still f
suspended,r s
-t or rather fiends, whosep behaviour showed the "benefit"
Gl:t to be flogged on board the ninety g,un•ship, the I'
to he derived from those examples.]
1,... :Y. for getting unreasonably drunk, is discovered to A gentleman named Duzier, of Lucerne (as a
of luck t
English Baronet of ancient descent and enormous
Swiss correspondent of the Quoti din,sie,an
san
se
comingse tnadt ei
ascending
1 ot
sNwohm:enhoatsomfbaethenne
fortune,toucile oftand is of course allowed to quit the ship, un-
he cat-o'-nine-tails. This surprising change hi ;hest insihoeudntfao'r mountains of Sinwt:irtezPe'r(liaitnYd
the Uctliberg, when, wishing to reach they
and , 4kes place about the middle of the first volume, days since from
the
1 of Ili_.remainder. of the tale is taken up with details
duly s capricious and extravagant freaks ashore, when ;
vi,tu r''''ll9);z,d :14 S'r Jol+n 'Few/N(4,m, Thrt.; of thp one of sibl,. he attempted to slide down
planes
~
those inclined planes used for sending down timber;
companions,
not finding him on their arrival at the bottom,
bottom as speedily as
Ifir,s,,ciominpap,itch.,nf
him.
btit found only his corpse. with his
d.,.. s,"tia to enLi..p i,ut, "" " kn"'""6° "" d i'''')(3.'s sk:ull traeturcd. A favourite little dog was lying on his mai-
' "Pter• who had become vehemently enamoured of 1 er's body.