The Sun.
London, England, 1869-10-27 00:00:00

LORD DERBY'S FUNEI?AL.

Lord Derby's funeral is fixed for Friday at twelve
clock. Preparations were on Monday made for uncovering
the new vault in Knowsley Church, which is about a
mile and a half from the hall. In order to
accommodate the ecrtCge, limited though it to
it will be necessary to remove most cf the pews
from the body of the church, so as to afford the spectators
an opportunity of witnessing the interment. In the vil-
lages in the immediate neighbourhood of the park there
will be an entire suspension of business on the day of the
funeral.

Yesterday's Liverpool -llercury says that the Countess of
Derby is quite as well as can be expected.

TRIAL OF "PROFESSOR" RISLEY.

The trial of Richard (better known as "Professor")
Risley took place at the Central Criminal Court on Tues-
day before the Common Serjeant. The indictment charged
him on one count with attempting to unlawfully abduct;
by a second with attempting to take out of the possession
of her mother; by a third count with attempting to corrupt
the morals of, and by a fourth and subsequent count with
committing various assaults on Mary Ann Mason, a child
under the age of 16 years.

Mr. E. T. E. Besley prosecuted, and Sorjeant Parry, Mr.
M. Williams, and Mr. D. Straight were counsel for the
defendant.

Mr. Besley, in opening the case, said the main question
would be the taking the child out of the possession of her
parents. The learnal counsel read the Act relating to
such offences, and stated that the question as to the length
of time the child was out of the possession of her parents
had nothing to do with the question, which really was.
Had " allurements " been used which determined the pos-
session ? It was not even necessary that the accused
should have an immoral intention ; the mere taking out of
the possession of the parents was an offence. It had been
held by the highest authority that if a child was out on
a lawful errand, she was still in- possession of the
parents. The facts of the present case were exceedi:_gly
simple. The prisoner had been going about with circuses
from Australia to China and back again, and had recently
come to this country with a troupe of Japanese artistes.
He had adopted the high-sounding title of " professor;"
but with what authority the learned counsel could not say.
On the 17th of August the little girl was sent by her parents
from her home at Fulham on an errand to a mar-
ried sister, who lived in Mornt-street, Grosvenor—
square. Sho came by an omnibus, and was about
returning home, and when at Regent-circus, looking
out for a 'bus when she thought she would go and see t.
Mrs. Chickley who lived in Greek-street, Soho. It
was midday; but only one person, Mr. Hales, a gentleman
connected with the Morning Star—observed what subse-
quently took place. The prisoner followed the girl and
spoke to her when she was looking in at Stagg and Mantle's
shop, in Leicester-square, and offered to take her to the
theatre that evening, showed her a handsome ring and
asked if she would like one. The little girl went away
through Ryder-court into Hayes-court, and when in
the latter place the accused took hold of her and tried to
get her to go into a fruiterer's, and then a coffee-shop.
He then bought some apples for her. The little girl went
on to her friends in Greek-street, and arrived in a state of
great trepidation, and was crying. Mr. Hales followed her
into the house, and afterwards followed the accused, and
saw him to speak to one girl of 14, and another of 7 years
of age. Some women observed him accost the younger
of these two, and threw some dirty water on him.
He was complaining of this to a policemon whom Mr. Hales
had just spoken to, and that functionary said that Risley
must know the cause of the dirty water being thrown on
him, and that Mr. Hales had a charge to make. The
accused was asked for his card, and then said his name
was Signor Ricardo, of the Surrey Theatre, and subsequently
that he lived at 45, Surrey-street, Strand, though there are
not that number of houses in the street; ultimately his
name was obtained, and Mr. Hales with the child attended at
Marlborough-street Police-court, where a warrant was
taken out for the apprehensicn of Risley. lie was taken
into custody at Nottingham Theatre. He then said that
he was fond of children, and might have treated the girl
in question in a fondling manner; so that, at all events,
was an admission that he had touched the child.

Mary Ann Mason, aged 12 years and 8 months, was
examined by Mr. Begley, and fully bore out that gentle-
man's or ening speech. In cross-examination by Serjeant
Parry, the prosecutor, failed to shake her evidence, except
in one particular, which was where she said that she had
been to see one sister when it was really the other that she
had visited.

Henry Hales, recently on the staff of the Morning Star,
gave corroborative evidence. When the prisoner first
spoke to the girl he took hold of her hand. He took her
near Stagg and Mantle's, and pointed to a dress, and wit-
ness saw her shake her head, as was the case when the
accused shewed her a ring.

Elizabeth Chickley, who said her husband was a button
stamper, stated that when the girl arrived at her house
she was in a state of great excitement ; in fact, it was
twenty minutes before the girl could give an intelligent
account of what had happened. _ _

By Ferjeant Parry : The house she lived in was not a
house of ill-fame. There was a rumour that a man had
been robbed of £lO in a house near the one she lived in,
but she did not believe that the one she lived in was the

After some further evidence had ,en given, the jury re-
turned a verdict of Not Guilty, which was received with
loud cheers.

On Monday two women pleaded guilty at the Roch-
dale Police-court to robbing an Irish cattle dealer of upwards
of £lOO. The man was enticed to a Lowe in a low neigh-
bourhood, was suddenly attacked by a number of men and
women, and robbed of the amount stated above, and was then
turned into the street nearly naked. The men have escaped,
and the magistrates have committed the women for trial.

On Monday afternoon a conference of theDiasentiog
ministers of Cardiff was held at the Town Hall for the
purpose of considering the religious and social condition
of the town. The following resolution was passed:—
" That this Conference having had under reviow the
religions condition of a large number of the in-
habitants of this town, deeply deplores the sad
state in which they are content to live and die,
and would, with a view to meet the need of the case,
press upon the Christian churches in the town the vast im-
portance of continuing in full vigour all their present re-
ligious organisations. They would suggest to the churches
in Cardiff the desirability of adopting an extensive house-
to-house visitation, carried on by the volunteer members
from each church."

LONDON GAZETTE—Last Evening.

FOREIGN OFFICE, OCT. 23.

The Queen has been graciously pleased to appoint the
Right Honourable Austen Henry Layard to be her Ma-
jesty's Envoy Extraordinary and Minister Plenipotentiary
at Madrid.