The Sun.
London, England, 1841-11-27 00:00:00

BERNARD CAVANAGH, the " FAST-
ING MAN," IN READING GAOL.
(FROM A. CORRESPONDENT.)
READING, FRIDAY.—The very natural excitement
which has been created, not only in. the minds of the
public generally, but amongst the medical profession
especially (many of whom still consider that Bernard
Cavanagh is not wholly an impostor, if such a qualification
ran fairly be given to the term), in consequence of his
examination before the Mayor of this borough, on Thurs-
day, the 18th instant, and bis committal to the county gaol
for three months; with hard labour at the tread-wheel,
as a'rogUe and vagabond, induced me to visit him in the
prison yesterday, having had every facility most politely
accorded to me by the authorities of the borough and the
Governor of the prison, Lieut. Hackett, R.N.
Without venturing to give an opinion myself as to the
supposed impositions practised by this man (who really
in appearance looks more fool than knave), or as to his
real powers of abstinence from food or drink, especially
after the statement which I subjoin to this narrative,
given to me by Mr. Bulley, the assistant surgeon to the
county gaol, and surgeon to the Royal Berkshire Hos-
pital (whom I fortunately met in the prison, and in
whose company I conversed with Cavanagh), I shall
merely confine myself to the relation of such facts as
came within the scope of my own observations—admit-
ting, however, and most frankly, at the same time, that
I went to the prison very naturally, I may say, strongly
prejudiced against the " Fasting Man."
Various opinions having been hazarded as to the lega-
lity of the Mayor of Reading committing this man as a
rogue and vagabond, from the nature of the evidence
which Was brought against him, it may be worth while
to state that his conviction took place under the sth of
George IV., commonly called (I am told) the Vagrant
Act, the substance of the clause being as follows :
" Every person. [to be deemed a vagrant] going about
as a gatherer or collector of alms, or endeavouring to
procure charitable contributions of any nature or kind,
under any false or fraudulent pretence."
It should here, however, be observed, that although it
was clearly proved before the Mayor that the accused
purchased tho bread, with the ham and saveloy accom-
paniments, and at an obscure part of the town, and at a
considerable distance from the Black Boy, yet there was
no proof (however strong the presumption might have
been) that he had eaten them. His having disguised
himself in the way described in the Morning Papers of
Monday last, with a handkerchief tied over his forehead,
nearly covering his eyes, another tied over his chin,
nearly up to his mouth, and a large black patch upon his
nose, leads to the very natural conclusion that deception,
if not gross imposition, was intended.
If Cavanagh be an imposter to the extent presumed,
there are, in the opinion of many, no grounds for sup-
posing that his " Man Friday," Tiernan, was aware of
his tricks. If Tiernan had been in his confidence,
there was certainly no reason for Cavanagh going
out himself to make his own purchases of food,
with the chance of being, as he was, detected. Tier-
nan observed to the Mayor, when he was before the
Reading Bench of Magistrates, that it was no wonder
(if Cavanagh were an impostor) that he had de-
ceived him, when it-was well known that 1)--..tors Blun-
dell and Kenny, and several other medical men is r,oa_
don, had been deceived by him also. There was some-
thing certainly extremely plausible in all this, as far as
Tiernan was concerned. I have learned that Cavanagh
went out for the purpose of taking the air three times
every day from the period of his arrival at the Black
Boy, until he was apprehended and convicted as " a
rogue and vagabond."
Upon my arrival at the county gaol, I found Cavanagh
occupying a cell on the first floor, ten feet by five, in
which was his truck-bedstead. The windows in the
prison are so constructed, by means of blinds, that it is
totally impossible for any article, however small, to be
conveyed to him through such an opening. I afterwards
saw Cavanagh in a room down stairs, in the presence of
the Chaplain of the prison, Mr. Bulley, and the Deputy-
Governor. He not only appeared in excellent health
and very good spirits (not at all "down " at his present
situation) ,but there was a colour upon his cheeks clearly
indicating there were no symptoms of starvation visible.
His voice was firm, and he altogether appeared to be en-
joying good health.
He stated in reply to the questions I put to him, that
he was very comfortable, and wanted -nothing. After
some hesitation he said there was one favour he had to
ask, and that was, that as he felt extremely cold in his
bed during the night, and suffered much from this cause,
he wished permission to be allowed to warm his feet by
the fire before he was nightly locked up. Mr. Bulley,
who has behaved with great humanity towards him while
he has been incarcerated, immediately gave instructions
for this favour being granted.
Cavanagh stated that he attended the service at the
Catholic chapel on the Sunday, after his arrival at Read-
ing, when he received the sacrament. He likewise stated
that on the Saturday preceding he went to confession to
the Rev. Mr. Ringrose, the Catholic priest, who, at that
time, did not know who he was, or his name or occupa-
tion, but that he has since told him. (He has not re-
quired the services of the priest at the Gaol up to to-
day.) I then entered into conversation with him, the
substance of which is as follows :
How long do you, now, mean to maintain you have
lived without food ?
Cavanagh—l have not tasted either food or drink for
upwards of five years and a half.
But if you don't wish to be considered as an impostor,
how can you get over the fact of your disguising your-
self, and purchasing ham and other things at the shop in
Southampton-street ? I admit having bought those
things, for I felt hunger for the first time since the time
I have named.
You ate the ham and saveloy, of course ? No, I
did not.
Well, what did you d 0 with them, then P—l walked
into a field and then my hunger left me. The things
fell out of my hands into the field, and I left them where
they fell.
Can you state what field you went into and left the
food you had purchased ?—No; I don't know the name
of it, but I could very easily point it out if I were there.
What was your object in buying the ham and bread?
—Because I felt hungry. As soon as I got there I felt
no appetite.
In reply to another question he said, " I fancied I
could eat a little, but I do not imagine I was prompted
to eat by the LORD."
•He said he slept well, and complained of nothing but
the cold at night. -
When he was apprehended he was dressed in a very
respectable suit of black, wearing a 'chain round his
neck, to which was appended a black cross. He is now;
however, in the gaol dress.
Upon Cavanagh stating that he could point out the
field in which he had dropped the ham, &c., on Thursday
last, an application was immediately made to the Mayor,
S. Chase, Esq., who was then sitting at the Magistrates'
chamber, for permission for the man to leave the prison,
for an hour, in custody, good and sufficient bail being
offered for his safe return, in order that he might have
the opportunity, thus far, of clearing his character.
The Mayor, however, who behaved with great politeness
to the applicant, stated that the apication could not be
acceded to. This refusal was certainly to be lamented
(although I do not know if the Mayor had the power to
grant the required boon, the prisoner being confined in
the county and not in the borough gaol) •, because if
the man's tale be correct—viz., that he did not eat the
provisions, and they were found in a field near Reading,
this fact would go very far towards exonerating Ca-
vanah from that charge, at any rate. If the field were a
thoroughfare, and as more than a week has elapsed since
they were dropped, it is far from improbable that they
may have been picked up by" man or beast" before now.
Before I add to this communication a document which
has been placed in my hands by Mr. Bulley, the surgeon
to the county gaol, who has attended Cavanagh since
his confinement, I will state some further particulars re-
lating to this man's conduct since lie has been in gaol,
which may be relied on. They may tend to shake the
opinion of many who, like myself, were strongly dis-
pmoasned,,,tiolistlelionrkrecttha4te,siingsnteataidonolf,ohuiisd,bbeeinag,,
Fa
a.:4‘tlinasting
postor." lie may be an impostor, now, for aught I know,
to a certain extent (for as to flesh and blood enduring
five years and a half total abstinence from food or drink,
it is, I confess, rather too much for one to give credence
to) ; yet, when I state, upon the most undoubted autho-
rity, that from his first entering the prison up to this
present writing he has been closely watched, and that he
has neither tasted the one nor the other, in any shape, it
may be better to leave the public to form their own opi-
nions as to the extent of the imposture the man
mayhave been guilty of.
He ha
sonmbee daily upplied (this is the ninth day of
his imprient s
) with the usual gaol allowance, and
at the usual intervals. This, whether his food has con-
sisted of bread,• vegetables, gruel, Water, scc. has been
,
carefully weighed upon its being taken to his cell. After
leaving it there a necessary time for him to take his
eyiguhrietdnu, cwhheed:iaintdbiamsmbeeedinateb
meal, it has been taken away
af
in-
variablyrticwl ea hdfaos
vuainngdga i
tonb been
beet
nr i cot
taken
kype n
away
the
same weight, not a
por consumed.
The following is a copy of the document I have vea-
viously referred to, placed in my hands this morning,
by Mr. Bulley, from which it will be seen that that gen-
tleman very humanely caused Cavanagh to beexempt
from the punishment of the tread-wheel, after lie had
undergone the labour for nearly three days:—
" Friarnin, 12 o'clock.
"Bernard Cavanagh, at this d y atem,o compgleted his ninth
day of entire abstinence from food and drink.
" After the closest watching and the strictest care on
the part of myself and the turnkeys of the prison, to
pr vent the possibility of his clandestinely taking food,
I feel satisfied and convinced, in my own mind, that Ber-
nard Cavanagh has not tasted food or drink during the
nine days he has been an inmate of the gaol. He re-
mains, notwithstanding the privations he has voluntarily
endured, in a state of perfect bodily health, and I cannot
detect the slightest alteration in his appearance or spirits.
"In stature, Bernard Cavanagh is about the middle
height. his manners are quiet and unobtrusive. He
may be said to be reserved before strangers. He is, how-
ever, uniformly good tempered, rational in his conversa-
tion, except on religious subjects (on which he seems to
labour under a peculiar delusion), and expresses himself
as perfectly happy.
" He is extremely anxious to undergo any trial I may
think fit to make of his powers of abstinence, without
regard to time, and expresses himself as unwilling to
leave the prison until such fair trial has been made.
" I wish tocorrect a statement which has gone abroad,
respecting my being instrumental in keeping this unfor-
tunate person upon the tread-wheel. The following is
the fact of this circumstance :—On Sunday evening,
three whole days after he had been imprisoned, I ob-
served that during the period he had taken neither food
nor drink. Thinking that under this extraordinary
condition of his system hard labour might be injurious
to his health, I ordered him to be immediately removed
from the wheel, entering such order in my Journal.
The Visiting Magistrates and the Governor of the prison,
however, thought otherwise, and he was again, on Mon-
day morning, placed upon the wheel, and remained at