The Sun.
London, England, 1847-07-03 00:00:00

LAW INTELLIGENCE.
COURT OF QUEEN'S BENCH, July 1.
(Sittings at Nisi Prius at Westminster, before Mr. Jus-
tice WIGHTMAN and a Special Jury.)
THE QUEEN V. SEPTIMUS RAMSAY, CLERK.
The court, as yesterday, was crowded to excess with
eager listeners, and although all females had been de-
sired to leave it during the proceedings, there were seve-
ral female auditors in the out-of-the-way corners of the
court. The Bishop of London, Archdeacon Sinclair, and
the Rev. Sir 11. R. Dukinfit>ld, the vicar of St. Martin's
parish, in which St. Michael's is situate, were on the
bench.

James Jones—l am a silk mercer in the Strand. lam
one of the churchwardens of St. Michael's, in the Strand.
Mr. and Mrs. Emmerson were engaged there as singers.
I was present at the meeting at Mr. Manning's. Mrs.
Emmerson was called upon to explain the meaning of a
letter that had been received by Mr. Ramsay. She said
she should have no objection to explain it before one
person, and she named myself. I refused, without some
other person accompanying me, and I named Mr. Man-
ning, as being a married man. lam sure the proposition
of going into a private room came from Mrs. Emmerson.
We all three retired into a private office, and then she
made a statement. I should not say she made it with
reluctance, but with much boldness and energy. She
alluded to three occasions. Mr. Manning said the whole
should be disclosed to her husband. On our return to
the room Mrs. Emmerson made the same statement as
she had made in the private room. I believe Mr. Man-
ning put the questions to her. He asked her if it was
merely a trifling kiss. I asked her if she had not pre-
viously given Mr. Ramsay some encouragement by
squeezing his hand, or something of that sort. and she
emphatically said, " Never;" but that in the vestry he
had pulled her clothes over her head. She said if Mr.
Ramsay had paid her the 251. she would not have made
the charge; that it would have been all settled. I have
known Mr. Ramsay five or six years. I cannot hold a
man in higher estimation.
Cross• examined—l never heard anything against him
before. I have been churchwarden three years. I have
heard reports of this before. Mr. Ramsay showed me
the letter Mrs. Emmerson had written to him, and talked
to me on the subject. I think I might have asked him
whether he had not given her a kiss. These things be-
gin by degrees, and often the overtures are made by the
woman. Mr. Manning said it was a thing that could not
be compromised.
Re-examined—The meeting was held with the greatest
solemnity. Mr. Emmerson made an apology to me, as
he had made an insinuation regarding me and his wife.
Mrs. Emmerson told us that Mr. Ramsay wished to
t .ke such liberties that no woman would submit to, and
that she would not have minded if he had acted as a man,
and I then boldly put a question to her, to which she
assented.
Tnomas Phippian—l am one of the churchwardens. I
have known Mr. Ramsay for ten years. His character
has been very good, and my estimation of him very high.
On Saturday, the 9th of January, I saw Mr. Emmerson,
and he told me he knew the letter his wife had written.
That was in answer to a question of mine. On the fol-
lowing Monday, at the meeting, Mr. Emmerson denied
any knowledge of the letter. Mrs. Emmerson herself
repeated the charge before all the persons at the meet-
ing, after she had been out with Mr. Manning and Mr.
Jones. She was very cool and bold—very collected.
She said if Mr. Ramsay had sent the 251. she should not
have sent the letter.
Cross-examined—She was at first reluctant to make
the statement before so many gentlemen. It was sug-
geted by Mr. Manning that she should repeat the state-
ments she had made to Mr. Jones and himself, in the
presence of the other gentlemen. After having made
the statement, she asked the defendant if he denied it:—
He said he totally denied it all. I can't say whether
that was in answer to Mr. Menning's question. Mr.
Manning put questions to Mr. Emmerson before all the
gentlemen.
Re-examined—Mr. Manning told us the particulars
when he came from the private office, and he recom-
mended Mrs. Emmerson to have a legal adviser.
Frederick Manning—l am the attorney for the de-
fendant. These gentlemen assembled in my drawing-
soom. Mrs. Emmerson resisted my application to ex-
plain the charge; but with considerable difficulty I got
out of her that she would explain it to one gentleman in
a private room. It was assented to, and she named Mr.
Jones, and I associated with him. We went into a
private room and she made a statement, that Mr. Ram-
say had made several
rs atfsaesaults upon her, and had not
acted like a man; that she felt disgusted at his conduct
,aiiininffidecs. ulty,
srepulsedhaes infhaairmdae.s She thenteelmineglnismt
wiateperpdeachroeennr
ctcel hyranlrevgdi et.htlo atoutfh.taerterve.
wards insisted upon her stating to the company that which
she had stated below, and she then stated in general
terms the substance, but did not go so fully into the
detail. Her husband also insisted upon her stating it.
It was not stated as if it were a pleasing duty, it was
with more apparent reluctance than she had exhibited to
tie down stairs. She said it Mr. Ramsay had paid the
251. she would not have sent the letter. I never said
anything to her about a kiss. I was too much disgusted
with the whole matter. I have known Mr. Ramsay for
three years, and believe him to be one of the most moral
men in London. He is of a peculiarly nervous tempera•
ment; he can't stand still when excited.
This witness had been in court the whole time, although
the witnesses were ordered out of court.
Martha Ward—l am the pew-opener at this church.
When I am in the church I can hear any noise in the
vestry. My daughter assists me. lam in the habit of
going into the vestry just as I please. I can hear it any
wine is uncorked in tho Mro. Emuierson once
complained to me that she could never see Mr. Ramsay
alone in the vestry. This was after July, 1845. She
once asked me if I was going to make a present to any
One what I would give them ? and she afterwards told
me that she had presented Mr. Ramsay with a turkey.
She always spoke in the highest praise of Mr. Ramsay,
and said she never could do too much for him.
Cross-examined—l have been there thirteen years. I
have never told Mrs. Emmerson that Mr. Ramsay was
alone in the vestry. I did not tell her on the occasion
alluded to that Mr. Ramsay wanted to sp-'ak to her in the
vestry. I never saw her go the vestry. I know a
young woman who was formerly in the service of Mr.
Ramsay, who is now in Canada She went with her
~wn money. I never had a conversation with Mi s.
Emmerson upon the subject.
By the JuDoE—I never told Mrs. Emmerson that Mr.
Ramsay had ruined his servant and had sent her to
Canada, and had sent her 504 to keep her there. I
:levee told her that if Mr. Ramsay discharged me I would
glow him to the devil.
Elisabeth Wanl—l live with the last witness, who is
my mother. I remember a Bible being presented to Mr
Ramsay on his birth-day. On the Sunday after that I
••aw Mrs. Emmerson. I asked her if sne had not given
Mr. Ramsay two purses, and she said she had. I have
heard her speak of Mr. Ramsay's kiudness up to last
January, when she was dismissed. I have lived with
Me. R.imsay as a servant.
He is married, and has a
family. I never saw any impropriety in his conduct.
Cress examined—My mother and I now live at the
church.
Thomas Edward Wood—l am clerk at this church, and
have been so foraeven years. lam in the habit of going
in and out of the vestry just as I please. Any noise in
he vestry can be heard in the church. Mr. Ramsay is
most upright man. Mrs. Emmerson never made any
complaint to me.
Alexander Smart—l have known Mr. Emmerson
three or four years. I was engaged by him to sing in
the choir of St. Michael's Church. I sung there first
on the 20th of November, and I continued to do so
till Mr. Jones came into the organ- loft and said the choir
was dismissed. I never signed a written engagement
eith Me. Emmerson, but he sent me one signed by
himself.
)gross-examined—l can't recollect when the engage-
ment took place. If any one has sworn that a me-
morandum• was made I should not like to contradict
whenlB4s.
them.
James Clark—l am the organist at St. Michael's. I
have never heard Mr. Ramsay spoken of but with the
greatest respect, except by Mrs. Emmerson, about July,
shlewsaasidexrdeisdsinngota khnithwOhpiimnioans owf.eMll ra.si shelam
and that he had kissed her in the vestry, and that she
had told her husband, who said he did not think the
worse of Mr. Ramsay for it, as it showed a manly
ui's)tn has
fi
Dir.he slightest
Ramsa
Ramsay. Mrs.
improprietymrs
.Ernerreferred to the kissing sometimes during the sermon.
con-
ductreeln ong the partnever ofs avv t
She made no overtures to me.
Cross-examined—l am a married man with a family.
I was on friendly terms with Mrs. Emmerson in conse-
quence of our position, and upon one occasion she made
a point that I should be continued as organist. Some time
afterwards she told me that Mr. Ramsay had behaved
improperly to her when he called at her house, and she
also stated to me that upon one occasion of her being
in the vestry Mr. Ramsay had drawn up her clothes.
She told me all this long before the dismissal of the choir.
I dill not mention it to the defendant, because I did not
place the slightest belief in it, and I thought it would be
too offensive to him to mention it to him. I continued
to be on friendly terms with her until the dismissal of
the choir. I considered it to be slander, and therefore
never named it to any one.
Henry Walker—l know Mrs. limmerson from singing
in the same church with her. She told me that Mrs.
Ward had told her that Mr. Ramsay
had slept one night
with her and another with her daughter. It was before
last Christmas that she told me so.
Cross-examined—She did not mention the name of
Braithwaite. I think it was in the church she told me.
When we are not singing we talk in the organ-loft.
William Braithwaite—l assisted in the choir at St.
Michael's Church. Mrs. Emmerson several times told
me that she was passionately fond of Mr. Ramsay, and
adored the ground he trod
on : that Mr. Ramsay had
kissed her in the vestry, and that her husband knew
about it and laughed at it; but I was not to say anything
to him, because he would be offended with her about it.
She said she could do anything with Manning, and had
been out with him a week together visiting.
Cross- examined.-_I sing at Drury-lane and Covent-
garden in the chorus. I have not been in the habit of
singing at public houses in particular. I have sung at
Evans's, but not at the Garrick's Head. I never went
to that church tipsy, but I was tipsy one Saturday
night, and I therefore did not go to the church the
next day, and on the following Sunday I was told to
leave because I had absented myself on the previous
Sunday. Mrs. Emmerson wished me to stay, and I did
so. What Mrs. Emmerson told me was said at various
times. It was a little confidential, and no one else heard
it. One thing brought up another. I told Mr. Jones
of it last year, about the middle of November. I cannot
tell why I told him. If I liked to tell him, I suppose I
might. It was to let him know what sort of characters
he had in his choir.

Re-examined—l told Mr. Jones that Mrs. Emmerson
was a very base woman, I thought, and that whatever
transaction he had with her he had better not not do it

slope.