The Sun.
London, England, 1840-03-11 00:00:00

CHARGE OF RAPE.

CONSPIRACY TO ABSTRACT THE WIT•
NESSES.

During the last three weeks the Magistrates acting for
the Stoke division of the County of Bucks have had several
sittings at the Christopher Inn, Eton, for the purpose of
receiving evidence upon a charge of rape preferred by Mary
Wilder (a younL girl about 16 years of age, the servant of
Mr. John Atkins, a respectable corufactor, of Slough)
against her master. The offence was sworn to have been
committed on the evening of the 16th ult., during the ab-
sence of the girl's mistress at Woolwich, and when no other
person than the prosecutrix and the accrsed were in the

house.
In consequence of the witnesses having been abstracted
during the period their depositions were being prepared
by the Magistrates' clerk, previously to their being signed,
the proceedings were adjourned from time to time, war-
rants having been immediately afterwards issued for their
apprehension. The parties abstracted were Mary Wilder
(the prosecutrix). and John and Hannah Wilder, the pa-
rents of the girl. A communication was then made to the
Home Office on the subject ; and it having been ascertained
that they had been sent off to Boulogne, an officer was
despatched to France on Tuesday last, where he soon dis-
covered their retreat, and returned with them to England
on Friday.
On Saturday last the prisoner, who had been remanded
to Aylesbury gaol, was again brought before the Bench
of Magistrates, when the witnesses were produced in the
custody of the officer. They then underwent another exa-
mination, Mr. Bodkin and Mr. Williams appearing as
counsel for the accused, and the result was the prisoner
was fully committed to Aylesbury gaol, to take his trial
for the capital offence, and the witnesses ordered to be kept
in custody to be forthcoming at the Assizes.
Since the first examination of the prisoner a charge of
conspiracy had been preferred against Mr. Alfred Atkins,
his brother, and Mr. John Lillywhite, his brother-in-law,
for abstracting the witnesses. The further examination
of these parties upon this charge has been postponed till
the 14th inst., each having entered into recognizances of
100/. to appear again on that day.

,th that
.
lodged
dshwiirteh
tAhleer
.1 Governori z
,fudges' warrants were
tlolne
Edwards, at the expiration
to indictments preferred against them
Monmouth Gaol, for the doeftetnhteionresopfeelltliersesrpse.rioVdisncoefntthaenidr
imprisonment, to answer.
es for that county. In the same
at thecs,
last Summer 111\Iolnodnamy
it,oapbeer
tried
eids
as stated Vincentz and Edwards, the Chartists, are
special juries.
I R.—A t Loughborough,
DISGRACEFUL AFFA
theed Assizes, that '"i
by
, nr in Regent-street,
l'he husband's name is Partridge, r, sit r i
on Monday last, one of those y P
disgracefulb aunbcllieillseagleal
isicieanchsalttoeork.
place of a man disposing of his wife
,
and so anxious did the wife appear to be transferred
rtboohdeyr
hneerw
master, that she actually placed the rope round.
self. The purchaser was a sergeant of Dragoons, now quar-
tered in the town.—Leicester Herald.
FEMALE STEEPLE CHASE.—We understand
a match has been made between two ladies, distinguished. for
their equestrian qualifications, to ride across the country in a
steeple-chace, the day after the Northampton Chase, for 500 1.
a side. Bets are heavy, as the ladies stand high in tke estima-
tion of their respective friends.—Bell's Life.—[eve hope, for
the sex's, not to say for decency's, sake, that this is fudge.]