The Sun.
London, England, 1858-11-26 00:00:00

to herself she denied it, and on her father repeating
it she said that, not wishing to contradict him, she
" kept it to herself," and declared she had never
told a falsehood on the subject. Her stepmother
after the first violence of her fathei towards her,
said, " How very wrong this is for him to be doing
so," and she (witness) replied that it was, and told
her she had no business to hold her as she had, when
she replied, "Oh, what matters?" This was a good
while before she left. When the magistrate told her
she had perjured herself she had spoken the truth.
She had seen her stepmother go with a man across
to his own place, and that was after her father had
gone out to work. She went down in her night-
dress, and stayed half-an-hour with the man, and
had done so about five times. Her father said his
wife went to a bad house, and then it was she had
told him what she had seen. The witness further
said that before her stepmother went away she
used to ask her (witness) to go upstairs, and
on her doing so her father used to take in•
decent liberties with her in his wife's pre-
sence, but on one occasion he turned her out of
the room. Improper conduct between her father
and herself had taken place six or seven times
while her stepmother was in the room.
Mrs. Mary Farrell, the aunt of the last witness,
was next called, and in cross-examination by Mr.
Wontner said " The girl lived with me in Ireland
from a year old till she went to her father, she
being then 14 years of age. I don't remember that
I ever said that she had been guilty of any in-
decency towards herself. She knew as little of
indecency as a child 10 years old, and I don't
recollect ever taxing her with any such thing. I
have not done so, nor have I ever told her father so."
Mr. Sleigh here applied fora remand, which was
granted, but Mrs. Itudledge was admitted to bail.
It was stated at the former examination that the
prisoner was a clerk in the Arsenal, Woolwich
Dockyard, but it appears he is only a labourer
there.

ALLEGED .RAPE IN ESSEX.

(From the Essex Herald)
'On Saturday last, at the county magistrates'
office, before S. G. Cooke and W. R. Havens,
Esqrs. George Cudmore, aged 33, carrier from
West kersea to Colchester, was charged with com-
mitting a rape upon Mary Ann Roofe, a single
woman, aged 19, in the service of Mr. Henry John
May, oyster merchant at West Mersea, on Tues-
day, the 16th November. Prosecutrix is the daugh-
ter of James Roofe, for 25 years a respectable offi-
cer of the Colchester borough police. For obvious
reasons we omit certain details of the evidence
adduced.
Mr. J. H. Church appeared for the prosecution,
and Mr: 11.. Jones defended the prisoner.
Mr. Church, in opening the case, said that pro-
secutrix up to this occurrence had always been
very decent and well-behaved girl, and he did not
suppose that there would be the slightest imputa-
tion cast upon her character.
Mr. Church then called the prosecutrix, a rather
good-looking young woman, aged 19, who came up
with her parents, and whose evidence, taken the
previous day, before W. R. Havens, Esq.. was read
over to her and signed. It was to the effect that on
Tuesday morning, Nov. 16, the prisoner, George Cud-
more, a carrier from West Mersea to Colchester,
called at Mr. May's, her master's house, as was his
custom, about half-past eight, and said " Good morn-
ing, Mary ; is your master ashore?" She replied he
was not : and at this time she was busy in the little
parlour taking dirt out of the fire-place. He then
made use of expressions which led her to suppose
he intended to take liberties with her, and she told
him he should not. She went into the kitchen,
where he followed her, took hold of both her wrists,
drove her against the wall, and pulled up her
clothes. She called out that her master was com-
ing, and he let her go. He again seized hold of
her, and thrust her on to a chair, and she called
out, " For God's sake, don't !" ie said, " I will,
be ," and committed the offence, although she
strove against him with all her power, but could
not prevent him ; she told him she would tell her
master, and he said, " Don't be such a fool ;" she
saw her master in about twenty minutes, but did
not like to tell him, and her mistress was in Lon-
don ; as soon as she could leave the house between
ten and eleven o'clock of the same day, she told Mrs.
Cook, who lives in a cottage adjoining their gar-
den ; her father came to see her the next day, and
she told him. Cudmore had twice before tried to
have connexion with her.
Cross-eiamined by Mr. Jones—She was 19 next
birthday. Had known Cudmore about 12 months.
She had never joked with him further than being
civil, or given him liberties of any kind. Did not
remember telling him three or four months ago that
she had dreamt about him, and would swear that she
did not. Emily Nevard, a young woman living
on St. John's-green, was with her at the fair,
and on leaving her she went down Magdalen-
street to the dressmaker's, and then re-
turned to her mother and aunt at the Plough
corner. She again went to the fair between six
I and seven o'clock in the evening, with her aunt and
cousin, named Charles Lukin, a painter, living at
Southminster, and did not stay at the fair later
than ten. When she left the fair she went up to
Mrs. Taylor's, Military-road, where she slept that
night, and the next morning she went home to her
father's at Lexden. She slept both nights of the
fair at Mrs. Taylor's. Did not tell Cudmore the
next day that she was very sleepy, as she had been
at the fair both nights with her young man. Her
mistress lately had to complain of her conduct with
a cabman who recently came to the house, but she
never told her her other servant did not conduct
herself in that way. Cudmore had only been five
minutes in the house before he • took liberties with
her, and had been there altogether 20 minutes.
When Cudmore came in she was in the little par-
lour, and on her going into a back-house to melt
some grease off some candlesticks he followed her.
Cudmore did not say, " I shall be off, I cannot
stop any longer;" and she did not say, " 0, stop a
little longer." Did not say to him, " I shall be
done in a few minutes," or " You have got no cou-
rage in you, you only promise." During the five
minutes before Cudmore touched her, she had
not said anything to him. She only tried to
resist him. Would swear she never gave him
any liberties in her life. On two previous occasions
Cudmore took liberties with her. She told him
she would tell her mistress, and he said, "Don't
be so silly, it is only a joke." Never complained to
any one of them. Did not tell Cudmore he must
wait until her mistress went to London. Had never
given him gin and water and other things. Upon
her oath, all that took place with Cudmore was not
with her consent. When she told him her master
was coming she did not rush out of the' house, but
ran into the back kitchen. She did not run into
Mrs. Cooke's or any other neighbours because he
followed her. She did not stop in the back house,
because she was afraid he would interrupt her
there. Did not know that the conversation in the
back house could be heard by the neighbours. She
made as much noise as she could. The nearest cot-
tage to the back house was not distant the length of
that room, and that cottage was Mrs. •Mussett's.
Had she made a noise, she did not know, if Mrs.
Mussett had been in the cottage, whether she
could have heard her. The back house was a
boarded building with cracks in it. She knew Mrs.
Mussett was at home that morning. The back
house was the length of that room from the kitchen.
The back door of the kitchest was open. There was
a little yard between the kitchen and back house.
She could not shriek out. She never could call
very loud, but called as loud as she could. She
called out, " For God's sake don't, Cudmore."
She could not say any more, her strength failed
her. It was the second time her strength failed
her. Notwithstanding her distress and anguish
of mind she could not shriek out more. She
did not call out loudly the first time, as she
thought ber master was coming. She had not seen
her master on the other side of the water a few mi

nutes before Cudmore came. She did not go with
Cudmore to look for her master. Had she called out
for assistance in the yard, coming out of the back-
house into the kitchen, she should not have had it
that she knew of. There was a straight path from
their yard up to Mussett's back-door. There were
two paths, one leading down their garden and one
up to Mussett's house. She did not noticae:vhheetdihedr
the doors or windows of Mussett's house were open
or shut. After all that occurred she dide nrnot master, kiss
nContd Cudmore, or orcalsidknhioirme tcoambreuasghahinertodisvese h
dress,
as he said he would; she did not know how long
buttold itbiwmatsbetnhetbsaatmsebdeay,
and before
would tell her
Isthewas before she went to Mrs Cooke's that
he came a second time. Cudmore
dinner;master. afterwards,
came. a third time
to the house just before two o'clock. It was at the
time her master was
camecud
mback t
ot h
Ce 0 sodinece naabout
0 u t
at breakfast that Cudmore
time.tNs, o oe'le' l omastermrthen to
el
rd
master came to breakfast she did not speak. Her
master was there, and saw Cudmore as soon as he
came to the door. A man named Lufkin lived in a
house of Mr. May's, but she had not been frequently
"larking" and playing with him. She never bad
done so.

Re-examined by Mr. Church—The cabman alluded
to came with two gentlemen in a cab. She did not
take liberties with the cabman, or allow him to
take any with her; all the conversation she had
with the cabman was about a little child being run
over upon North-hill. Her mistress did not like
her to talk to the cabman, but he did not offer to
take any liberties with her, arid nothing was said
about his taking liberties ; it was the mere fact of
her talking to the cabman that her mistress corn
plained of. Mrs. Taylor, at whose house she slept,