The Sun.
London, England, 1846-08-10 00:00:00

ASSIZE INTEL
HOME CIRCUIT.—Guildfo
COOKE O. WETHER .41:7
The above cause was resumed ail EN,
o'clock.

Elizabeth Revell deposed that, in September, 1843,
she was in the service of Mr. Wetherell at Byfield, and
her husband was engaged as coachman. While she was
in the defendant's service, several little things were ob-
served between Mr. Wetherell and Mrs. Cooke which
excited attention, and at three o'clock on one Sunday
morning she saw them both go into Mrs. Cooke's
room, and they remained there in the dark for twenty
minutes, when• they came out and went down stairs..
Witness had frequently seen Mrs. Cooke go from her
own bed-room early in the morning to her father's with
her dressing-gown, and after she had gone to bed she
had heard their bed-room doors open and shut. Upon
another occasion she went into Mrs. Cooke's bed-room

in the morning, and distinctly observed upon the bed the
appearance of two persons having lain upon it. The
witness then gave similar testimony to the other wit-
nesses with regard to the appearance of Mrs. Cooke
before her departure for the country and upon her re-
turn. Soon after Mr. Wetherell was in the Queen's
Bench prison. She went there to see him, and he asked
her if she had heard any thing about what Mr. Russell
and his wife had to say about him and his daughter,
and she told him that she had. She saw the defendant

out again a cbiy or two afterwards, and he brought up
the subject a second time, and asked what Mrs. Russell
had said. She told the defendant what Mrs. Russell
stated, and that she suspected Mrs. Cooke had miscar-
ried. She likewise told him what the washerwoman
said, and he became very red, and turned his face away;
and he then said, " Well, if I choohe to wash my linen
before I send it away, what has that to do with my
daughter?" Witness remarked that his daughter's linen
also appeared to be washed, and to this he made no
reply. At this time Mr. Wetherell owed her husband
some money, and upon his saying that he did not care
about what the-Russells said, but he wished she would
go out of the way, she told him that if he paid her what
he owed them she would go away the next day.
Cross-examined--The defendant generally came down
to Byfield on -Saturday night, in order to be ready to
perform divine service the next Sunday. Mrs. Cooke
always went to church on the Sunday. Before the esta-
btishment was broken up, there were four male servants
and three females kept at Byfield. She was aware that
the defendant was in difficulties, and that he used to

,ravel in different directions in order to avoid the sheriff.

Proceedings had been taken by her husband against the
defendant to recover his wages, and latterly Mr. Cooke
had acted as his attorney against defendant.
llq Serjeant SHEE —She only knew that from what
had been told her, and did not know it of her own
knowledge.
Margaret Langridge, lady's maid in the family, de-
posed that she had frequently seen the defendant aad
his daughter kiss one another in, as she considered, an
improper manner. She had seen them do this when
- -

Cooke had nothing but a dressing-gown over her
night-dress. She remembered Mrs. Cooke coming down
to Byfield after the marriage, and witness slept with
her; and she remembered one night, after she had un-
dressed her for bed, she told her that she (witness)
might go to bed, as she was going to her papa's room,
and she went oat of her bed-room. Witness went to

sleep, and was awoke by Mrs. Cooke coming into her
bed-room, and from the appearance of the fire and the
candle she should say she must have been away for three
hours. She did the same thing another night, after she
was undressed, but she was not away so long, and not
more than half an hour. She had repeatedly seen the
father and daughter embrace each other when they had
nothing but their night-gowns and dressing-gowns on.
They did this both at night and in the morning, and as
she considered in an indecent manner. Mr. Wetherell
had no trousers on—nothing but his stockings and slip-
pens ; and both before and after the marriage, she had
seen him put his arms around his daughter's neck, and
press her to him in an indecent manner.
Cross-examined—Witness went into defendant's ser-
vice in March, 1842, and she noticed the familiarities
very shortly afterwards, and always thought defendant's
conduct very indecent ; but, notwithstanding this, she
assisted in promoting the runaway marriage with Mr.
Cooke, and was quite aware for some time before that
secret courting was going on. Mr. Cooke used to come
to the house when the father was out. She thought
what she had seen was very indecent and improper, but
did not say a word about it to Mr. Cooke. The wit-
ness admitted, in further cross-examination, that she
did not make so full a statement when she was before
summoned at Croydon ; but she accounted for this
by saying that the questions were not put to her.
She said that after Mr. and Mrs. Cooke went away
from Byfield, they took up their residence in fur-
nished apartments in Welbeck-street ; but she declared
that Mr. Cooke never staid out all night while they were
there ; but on one occasion he did stay out till three
in the morning. She had been to No. 29, Seymour-
street, and saw a lady there, but did "not know her name
She had heard it was Mrs. Bayton.
Elizabeth Cranford deposed that she was engaged by
M`r. Wetherell to make his bed and wait upon him while
he was in the Queen's Bench prison. Mrs. Cooke was
in the habit of visiting him every day, and she was in
and out until the evening. In consequence of what she
had heard relating to the connexion between Mr.
Wetherell and his daughter, she used to make the bed
in a particular manner, and she frequently remarked
that the sheets had been turned from the top to the
bottom, and she also observed other appearances which
excited her suspicion. She also said that she several
times found Mr. Wetherell's room door locked when
Mrs. Cooke was there, and sometimes when she knocked

she was'kept two or three minutes before the door WEI
opened, and sometimes she went away to another room
because she could not wait. She spoke to Mr. Wetherell
about the door being locked, and he said he looked it
because he was afraid Mr. Cooke would send some one

to insult his wife.

Cross-examined—Mr. Cooke was a prisoner in the
Bench before Mr. Wetherell came there, and a lady
used to come there and walk about with him on the
parade. She generally came to the prison on a Sunday,
and they used to call her Mrs. Cooke. She could not
say whether Mr. Cooke was twice in the prison, be-
cause "so many gentlemen came in and out."—(A
laugh.) She was dismissed from attending in the prison
because the governor suspected she had brought spirits
into the prison, and she refused to be searched. She had
taken spirits into Mr. Cooke's room, but did not see the
lady who was called Mrs. Cooke in the room at the
time.
By the Jury—The door was not always locked when
Mrs. Cooke came to see her father.
William Hammerton, a person employed at the Sheriff's
lock-up house, in Chancery-lane, deposed that while Mr.
Wetherell was confined there, he had seen Mr. Wetherell
sitting by the side of his daughter with his arm round
her neck and his hand on her breast. He had also seen
her sitting upon his bed in his bed-room.
By the Court—The bed-room was the only private
room that Mr. Wetherell had.
Mr. Young, a clerk at the Weedon station upon the
Birmingham Railway, deposed that he knew the defend-
ant, and in the autumn of 1843, he directed him to for•
ward any letters that might be brought to him by his
coachman, to the address, "T. C. Mills, Esq., Post-office,
Gloucester." He identified some envelopes that were
produced, as those he had sent in pursuance of the direc-
tions given to him by the defendant.
Cross-examined—Believe he told Mr. Wetherell at
this time that a " gentleman" was waiting for him on the
other side. He afterwards heard that person was a
sheriff's officer.
Evidence was next adduced to show that letters, ad-
dressed as stated by the last witness, were sent through
the post-offices at Chepstow, Gloucester, and other
places, and that they came into the possession of the
defendant.
The statement, made in pursuance of a judge's order,
of the places where the adultery was charged to have
been committed was then put in. The act was charged
to have been committed at Eaton-place, at Gloucester,
Chepstow, Monmouth, Bath, Bristol, Clifton, and lastly
at the Queen's Bench prison in the county of Surrey.
This closed the case for the plaintiff.
A great number of letters were read in the course Of
but tthheofpo following
tiff nwseurpeptohret onlyofthe action.
material Ones
reliedcase,
tipoo by
first was a letter dated 20th October, 1642, a
week after the marriage of the plaintiff. It was as fol-

lows :

" My dearest Mary,—Oh how terrific is that storm
which has arisen against your unhappy father ! Where
will these things end? My health is marvellously good,
tint my peace of mind is like the steam from the vessel,
gone for ever. Pray write one line to say you are well.
Alas ! you cannot say you are happy. We fall together.
i Give it to our friend Hutchings, who will send it to
Nisbitt, who will soon know where to address.
"THE WRETCH."
The next was a letter from the daughter to her father :
"My dear Father,—lf you do tell my husband all, he
will, I fear, not return to me. I was advised to give
back the papers and key I took from the office, and I
have done so, The writs I still hare. I should like to
see you, and would come, but will pray and strive to be
quiet.—Your unworthy child,

" M. E. M. COOICE.
" P.S.—lf you give in, and John does not return, it
will be the greatest folly. I fear only for YOU."
The next was a letter relied upon by the plaintiff as
a proof that the defendant was aware of his daughter
being in the family-way in April, 1843, and that he was
taking measures to procure a miscarriage. It was ad-
dressed by the defendant to Mrs. Cooke:-
4‘ Byfield, April 1, 1843.
" My darling will be pleased to hear that a kind Pro-
vidence has once more brought me to this quiet retreat.
On a former occasion I travelled to London with a
clerical schoolmaster, and he accompanied me to-day to
Blissworth. It helped to beguile the way, though it de-
prived me of the pleasure, perhaps of the pain, of reflec-
tion. All here is quiet; not any letters for you, and
only one for me. I have not said anything to Roby, for
the chief difficulty will be in her travelling with me,
which is certainly very objectionable, and I fear you will
find it difficult to obtain the assistance of a certain
coachman's wife, as she has children. It may be best to
obtain the assistance of a regular surgeon, if possible,
but take care to avoid any such connexion as may bring
former servants to the house, or bring you in contact
with any of those families you wish to avoid. I hope it
will not be required for any long period of time, but that
we may soon let the house. This will be the most im-
portant step we can take at present, and we must endea-
vour, through this troublesome year, to remain as snug
as we can, and a good let would materially assist us to
shake off a certain party. Prayers can do wonders for
us! Should it not bring relief in greatest straits, it pro-
motes resignation and acquiescence in the Divine will;
and, after all, this should be the object of our principal
aim, that God's will may be done. God be with you to-
morrow, and with your affectionate
wpaErernat,
said that De citu
For the defendeat. Se ERELL."
Mr. Sergeant CHANNaLL
.then rose toy asroesTes
etie ju.r4

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