The Sun.
London, England, 1860-05-09 00:00:00

OLD COURT.
(Before Baron Channell and Justice Keating.
THE CASE OF THE REV. MR. HATCH.

Maria Eugenia Plummer, aged 11, surrendered to an
indictment charging her with wilful and corrupt perjury
committed by her on the trial of the Rev. Henry John
Hatch, who was convicted of an indecent assault and sen-
tenced to four years' imprisonment, which ha was now
undergoing in Newgate.
The defendant pleaded not guilty.
Mr. Edwin James, Q.C., Mr. Gordon Allen, and Mr
Giffard appeared for the prosecution ; and Mr. Sergeant
Shee and Mr. Cooper were for the defence.
Mr. Edwin James, in opening the case for the prosecu-
tion, detailed the whole of the facts of the case, with which
the public are well acquainted, and stated that the present
proceedings had been instituted because no steps, ac-
cording to the present state of the law, could be taken for
a new trial en the facts. The only remedy left was to ap-
peal to her Majesty through the Secretary of State, there
being no power to re-open the case, or to hear the Rev. Mr.
Hatch on oath. An appeal to her Majesty having
failed, it became absolutely necessary for Mr. Hatch to
institute proceedings which would relieve him from
the serious penalty and shame which had attached to
him. Mr. Hatch utterly denied the whole of the statements
the girl made at the trial. The learned gentleman then
proceeded to particularize the charges made against his
client, and which he said he should be able to show were
utterly and totally false. The first charge was that, on the
evening of Aug. 11, 1859, the date at which she first ar-
rived at Mr. Hatch's house he put her hand in his trousers
pocket in which there was a hole, and placed her hand
upon his person. The second charge was that on the occa-
sion of a party being given at Mr. Hatch's house, on Aug.
18, he went upstairs, and having taken his adopted child,
Lucy, on one knee, and the defendant on the other, ke then
again exposed himself. The third charge was that the
doors in the passage leading to her room and Mr. Hatch's
were kept unlocked. The fourth was that on the second
night after the child's arrival he went with her into
her bed-room, and then again indecently assaulted her.
The fifth was that Mr. Hatch took her (defendant) every
morning into his own room, in which Mrs. Hatch was, and
there committed assaults of the most disgusting character.
• These were substantially sworn to by the defendant, and
every one of which he would prove was untrue, and that
the whole story was a cunningly devised scheme against
Mr. Hatch. The child was brought to Mr. Hatch's house
on the 11th of August, when the alleged assaults were com-
menced; but on the 25th August Mrs. Plummer came to
Mr; Hatch to make arrangements for leaving another child,
and, during the whole of the time her mother was there,
the defendant never said one word about the assaults. Mrs.
Plummer remained in town for some time, and again
went to the house, but still no mention was made
of the alleged disgusting conduct of Mr. Hatch. The learned
gentleman made an eloquent appeal on behalf of his client,
whose whole prospects in life, he said, depended on the
verdict that was returned in this case.
The formal depositions having been read over,
Mr. Harker, the chief crier of the court, having been
sworn, said he was in court when Mr. Hatch was convicted.
Cross-examined by Sergeant Shee—No witnesses were
calla for the defence—none of the servants of Mr. Hatch
were called on that occasion. Some reverend gentlemen
were amongst those who gave Mr. Hatch a character of
honour and integrity.
The short-hand writers' notes, taken at .the trial, of the
evidence of the defendant, Eugenia Plummer, having been
read at length,
The Rev. J. W. Hatch was then called, and examined
by Mr. Gordon Allen ;he said—l am at present a prisoner
in Newgate, upon a conviction for an indecent assault upon
Eugenia Plummer. lam 42 years of age. I was educated
at Eaton. In 1837 I went to Cambridge University. I
there completed my studies. I was ordained by the Bishop
of Lichfield. I was appointed to the incumbency of Chapel
Norton by the same bishop. I remained there until I was
appointed to Wandsworth House of Correction in 1851.
The plans of the house and garden were then put in,
and, on being sworn to be ace''i ate by Mr. Pereira,
Mr. Sergeant Shee asked several questions with
respect to the distances and the existence of certain
shrubberies.

Mr. Pereira said the distance from the drawing-room
window to the end of the kitchen garden was about 108
feet. There was also a kind of belt of tall shrubs in the
garden, some six, seven, and eight feet high. The present
plans were made in February. lie did not, while engaged
in making the drawing, pay particular attention to the
state of the leaves on the trees, and therefore could not
speak as to whether they would interfere in any way with
a clear view of the whole of the garden.
By Mr. Edwin James—The drawing-room window
commands a full view of the garden as far as the clumps
of trees are concerned,

Examination of Mr. Hatch proceeded with—ln 1856 a
medical officer died in the Crimea and left a child. I was
induced to adopt that child. Her name was Lucy Harriet,
and she then assumed the name of Hatch. Sho was four
years of age when I first adopted her. She was now about
eight years of age. Sloe came to Wandsworth in 1856,
where she has remained ever since. In 1859 I wished to
take some boarders, and I advertised to that effect, and had
an answer from Mr. and Mrs. Plummer, stating that they
wished to place their children out. Mr. Plummer carne
about the end of Ju'y, and after talking the mat ter over the
children came shortly after. In consequence of that ar-
rangement I engaged the services of a lady named Howe
as governess. My household consisted of my wife, her
mother, two French ladies named Gratten, and two servants,
Reeves and Farmer. I remember Mr. and Mrs. Plummer
coming to Wands worth on the 11th of August. They
brought the defendant Eugenia with them. They came
about 11 in the morning. Mrs. Plummer went with Mrs.
Hatch to see the rooms in which the children were to
sleep. Mrs Plummer fixed upon the children's ba-room.
It was the dressing-room of my own bed-room. Mrs.
Plummer wished the doors to be taken off the hinges, as
she wished the children to have plenty of fresh air. I
promised that should be done. Mrs. Plummer had some
brandy and water at our house. Mr. and Mrs. Plummer
and the child dined with us that day. Mrs. Plummer at
the dinner table told me she should take her child to bed
petted. She said the child had been in the habit of
going into Mr. Brighton's (a former school) bed, and she
hoped we would do the same. We promised to do so. I
never said to Mrs. Plummer that Lucy was accustomed to
come into our bed. They remained with us until about
seven c'clock in the evening. I and the family accom-
panied Mr. and Mrs. Plummer to a cab that was waiting
for them.

,The case was proceeding when we went to press.]

NEW COURT.
(Before the Recorder.)
CHARGE Or CONSPIRACY.
The trial of Edward D. Wcltzenstein, Eliza Weltzen-
stein, Hermann Frick, and Madeleine Jourdan, was re-
sumed this morning.

The prisoners were indicted for conspiring together to
obtain £3OO from Joseph Stohwasser, a foreigner, carrying
on business in Conduit-street, Regent-street. There was
also another indictment against the prisoners, in which
they were charged with conspiring to impede the course of
justice, by giving false evidence in the Court of Queen's
Bench, in which Stehwasser was defendant.

;This case had not concluded when we went to press.]

THIS DAY'S MARKETS'.

CORN EXCHANGE.

The show of English wheat in our znarketilio-day was
again limited ; nevertheless, the demand for both red and
white qualities ruled very inactive at fully Is. per qr.
beneath last week's currency. The general condition of
the samples was good.

Good and useful foreign wheats were held at extreme
rates, but the business done in them was very moderate.
All other kinds were a dull inquiry. Floating cargoes sup-
ported previous rates, but the inquiry for them was some.
what heavy.
The inquiry for malting barley wis somewhat restricted,
but grinding and distilling sorts were firm in price.
Most kinds of malt changed hands slowly at late
quotations.

We have to report a slow inquiry for oats on former