The Sun.
London, England, 1870-07-21 00:00:00

LAW AND POLICE.

LORD RANELAGH AND HIS TORMENTORS.-.-Joseph Gray,
servant, 35, Palace-street, Pimlico, and Wm. Buckley,
Lowndes-cottage, Lowndes-square, servant, were charged
before Mr. Tyrwhitt, at the Marlborpugh-street Police
Court, with behaving in a disorderly manner, and with
being drunk ; and Gray was further charged with assault-
ing Lord Ranelagh, residing at No. 7, New Burlington-
street. Sergeant M`lienzie, 4C R, said that about one
o'clock that morning he was on duty in the Regent-circus,
Piccadilly, and saw the prisoners having an altercation
with Lord Ranelagh, with a crowd of about 50 persons
round them. His lordship complained of having been
grossly insulted and assaulted, and he saw Gray in a
fighting attitude in front of his lordship. Buckley
pushed Gray aside, and placed himself in a fighting
attitude, and aimed a blow at Lord Ranelagh. He (the
sergeant) stopped the blow, and requested the prisoners
to go away, and they refused, saying that they would see
him and Lord Ranelagh -- first. He then took them
into custody, Lord Ranelagh charging Gray with assault_
ing him. In answer to Mr. Tyrwhitt the sergeant said
both prisoners had been drinking. Police-constable John
Martin, 62 C, gave similar evidence. Lord Ranelagh said
that shortly before one o'clock this morning he was cross-
ing from Waterloo-place to Regent-street, when the pri-
soners and another man passed him, and called out
" There's Madame Rachel's man," and used other insult-
ing expressions, especially Gray. Some persons standing
by said, " What blackguards you are," and an altercation
then took place, which lasted ten minutes, every one's
attention being drawn to him. He kept his
temper, and begged Gray to go away, upon
which he refused, saying he had as much right in the street
as he had. He told Gray that he had, but that he had no
right to annoy him. He then walked away, and the
prisoners followed him, and he was afraid he would lose
his temper, but several persons told him not to do so, as
the prisoners were well-known characters, and he did not
do so, having frequently been insulted about the Madame
Rachel business before.y Gray then came up to him and
said " I'll fight you. I don't care a - for you or any
other lord. lam better than any of you," and put out his
hand, scratching his nose. The police then came up, and
he gave Gray into custody for assaulting him. He co
sidered the prisoners' conduct very aggravating, as he mo ved
away to avoid them. In reply to Gray, his lordship said
he was not in company of two females. Gray said he did
not know his lordship. Lord Ranelagh asked if that
was the case why he spoke of Madame Rachel.
Gray made no answer, and in reply to Mr. Tyzwhitt the
prisoners said they were servants out of work. Mr.
Tyrwhitt said that he had frequently noticed what a tur-
bulent set servants were. They were over fed, over paid,
and ready to fall into any piece of mischief which came
before them. He considered it a fortunate thing for
families that such fellows were out of place. Such assaults,
without any provocation, would always be punished as
they deserved, and the prisoners would have to pay a fine
of 25 each.

INDECENT BATHING IN THE THAMES.—John Pretty,
George Brett, and Henry Arthur Travers, three lads,
were brought up at Westminster Police-court, charged
with indecent bathing in the Thames. Inspector Coucher,
of the Thames Police-court, said that at a quarter-past
eight, last night, he saw the defendants in a boat off
Cremorne, about 100 yards from the shore. They got in
and out of the boat three or four times, and he pur-
sued and captured them. Mr. Arnold asked was there
any one to complain about the indecent exposure ?
The inspector replied in the negative. Mr. Arnold said
if it was any offence it was one at common law, and pro-
ceedable only by indictment at the sessions. Inspector
Prescott, T Division, said there were many complaints
from this place. Mr. Arnold—They must have been using
telescopes to witness anything indecent. He should ex-
tend the bail to next week, and if any one had been an-
noyed by these particular boys, his only course would
be to send the case to the sessions. He was not going to
punish these boys for an offence that some others had
committed. There was no such offence as indecent
bathing.
THE WAR AND GERMAN DEBTORS.—A singular colla-
teral effect of the approaching struggle between France
and Germany was brought under the notice of the Court
of Bankruptcy, Mr. Registrar Pepys sitting as chief
judge. A petition for liquidation having been filed by a
debtor named Julius A. Ernst, merchant, of Wood-street,
Cheapside, application was made for the appoint-
ment of a receiver, in order that the property, worth
about £2,000, might be protected. Among the grounds on
which the application was supported, it was urged that
the debtor, being a German, was liable at any time to be
called on by his sovereign to serve in the army now col-
lecting for the defence of his country ; and he was
anxious, in such an eventuality, that his property should
be secured for the benefit of his creditors. The court,
acquiescing in the propriety of this course, appointed the
gentleman recommended as receiver—Mr. R. Brett,
accountant, of Leadenhall-street, who is also a German.
ASSAULTING LORD RANELAGIL—Joseph Gray, servant,
35, Palace-street, Pimlico, and William Buckley, Lowndes
Cottage, Lowndes-square, servant, were charged at Marl-
borough-street Police-court with behaving in a disorderly
manner, and with being drunk, and Gray was further
charged wit assaulting Lord Ranelagh. The noble lord
said that shortly before one o'clock in the morning he was
crossing from Waterloo-place to Regent-street, when the
prisoner and another man passed him and called out
• There's Madame Rachel's man," and used other insulting
expressions. He walked away, and the prisoner followed
him. Gray then came up to him and. said, " I'll fight
you. I don't care a-- for you you or any other lord.
I am better than any of you," and put out his hand,
scratching his rose. The -police then came up, and he
gave Gray into custody. Gray said he did not know his
lordship. Mr. Tyrwhitt said that such assaults, without
any provocation, would always be punished as they de-
served, and the prisoners would have to pay a fine of £5
each, or two months.

ARREST OF A SHIPOWNER.-At the Mansion House
John Fitzgerald, a master mariner, was brought up on
rethand before the Lord Mayor, charged with being con-
cerned with another man not in custody in scuttling a
vessel called the Admiral Napier. The alleged •offence
was committed in the beginning of June, insurances
having been previously effected in the Azicuda Assur-
ance Office and at Lloyd's. On the last occasion a
warrant was issued against Hector Gillies, the owner of the
ship, and although the detective officers had had to go to
the Island of Syke, a three days' journey, they had suc-
ceeded in arresting him, and according to a telegram re-
ceived by Mr. Lewis, the solicitor for the prosecution, he
would arrive in London that night. Gillies was, said Mr.
Lewis, probably the more guilty of the two, and he
would be placed by the side of Fitzgerald in the dock.—
Undei the circumstances it was arranged that the case
should be taken on Friday, and Mr. Lewis said he should
have to open the charge against the owners at some
length.

A WIDOW PROSECUTED BY HER HUSBAND'S REPRE-
SENTATIVES.—In the Court of Vice-Chancellor Bacon on.
Wednesday, the cause of Hovenden v. Lloyd was inves-
tigated, and it was a very peculiar one. Mr. Lloyd, a
Metropolitan perfumer, lived unhappily with his wife,
and obtained by a petition to the Divorce Court a judicial
separation, on condition that he should make a certain
allowance as alimony. Mrs. Lloyd being thus left to a
certain extent, dependent upon her own exertions, also
commenced a perfumery business in another part
of London, and did a considerable trade in
various articles, with respeet to which her
husband had acquired some repute. No objection was
raised to this until the death of the husband, whose re-
presentatives, however, now sought to restrain the
widow on the ground that their business was seriously in-
jured in consequence of her using labels of the same form
as those of the husband. The Vice-Chancellor strongly
condemned the proceedings, and dismissed the bill with
costs, on the ground that the acquiescence of the hus-
band left his representatives without any locus standi.
THE ESTATES OF SIR R. CLIFTON, BART. —Lordßomilly
delivered judgment in the matter of a petition which had
been presented for the purpose of having the residue of
£7,000 upon the life estate of Sir R. Clifton, Bart., di-
vided among several mortgages according to their priority.
His lordship stated that Colonel Hayworth was appointed
to receive the rents and profits of the estate, as well as the
interest accruing from £3,500 Three per Cent. Consols,
and the dividend upon £40,400 in trust in the cause;
and it had been directed by previous decrees that
this money should be appropriated by the receiver
to passing his accounts, his first duty being to
pay premiums upon policies of insurance, the residue being
paid in such a manner as might be directed by the court.
It was impossible to say that the former decrees were in-
tended for the benefit of the mortgagees, who would,
therefore not derive any advantage from the estate until
the remaining interests had been settled. The prayer of
the petitioner, Mr, Wintour, that the sum of £2,747 which
had been paid by the receiver into court, and stood to the
account of the life estate, might be applied to the liquida-
tion of the amount due upon his security, could not be
acceded to.

CHARGE OF SEDUCTION AGAINST A MINISTER.-At
the Worcester Assizes on Monday, before Mr. Justice
Mellor, the case of "Davis v, Gray "came on for hearing.
Mr. Huddleston, Q.C., with Mr. J. 0. Griffits, appeared
for the plaintiff; and Mr. Powell, Q.C., with Mr.
Motteram, for the defendant. The declaration stated that
the defendant debauched and criminally knew the plaintiff's
daughter, whereby she became pregnant, and the plaintiff
lost her services, for which he claimed damages, and to
which the defendant pleaded not guilty, and denied the
truth of the allegation. The cause was heard before a
special jury. In opening the case Mr. Huddleston stated
that the plaintiff was a man of advanced years,
who had worked as a fish-hook maker for forty
years for Messrs. Hemming and Co., Redditch,
and he had earned the respect and esteem alike
of his master and his neighbours. He had reared six
daughters, with great respectability, of whom one—and
indeed he might say two—was the subject of this action.
His daughters, Margaret and Rebecca, were aged respec-
tively 24 and 26 years of age. Plaintiff himself was a
member of the Congregational Church, at Redditch, and
his daughters assisted in the Sunday school, and the
various offices usually performed by the ladies of a con-
gregation. Henry David Gray, the defendant, was, he
was sorry to say, a married man, and he was the
minister of the Congregational Chapel. He had re-
cently undertaken the duties of that chapel, and he
seems to have been a person who had acquired a con-
siderable influence over the female portion of the congre-
gation—an influence which very often the very position
of a minister gave. They would find that early in the
painful narrative the defendant began his insidious
attack upon the virtue of this hitherto respectable
girl, and he seemed to have approached her
with some of those phrases of sanctity which
would almost to them—knowing his object, seem
simply blasphemous. Defendant appeared to have made
a deliberate scheme of seduction ; to have commenced by
exercising a species of pastoral and religious influence
upon her mind, and gradually to have worked into the
sensual feelings of the girl, step by step undermining her
chastity.whilst occupying the position of her spiritual
counsellor. Mr. Huddleston then narrated the facts
of the case, particularly referring to the conduct