The Sun.
London, England, 1867-05-14 00:00:00

THAMES.

A VIOLENT LOVER.—EXTRAORDINARY CASE.—
John Piper, a seaman, aged 40, was brought before
Mr• Paget, charged with threatening to shoot Miss
Jessy Woodroffe, a young lady about 21 years of
age, and putting her in bodily fear.
Mr. Charles Young, solicitor, conducted the pro-
secution for Mr. and Mrs. Mills, the stepfather and
mother of the complainant, who, he said, had been

most shamefully persecuted by a violent and wrong-
headed man. The young lady was the daughter of
Mrs. Mills, by her first husband, and a well-con-
ducted, intelligent young lady of good education
and address. The prisoner was quite unknown to
the family he had harassed. Four years ago the
prisoner bought a pair of boots in the shop of
Mr. Mills, who kept a large outfitting establish-
ment in the West India-road, Limehouse, and he
then became enamoured of the charms of Miss
Woodroffe, or pretende 1 to be so, and had ever
since, at intervals, pestered her with his attentions,
and dec'arcd himself violently in love with her. Ile
had called at her residence at all hours, followed her
over the streets when she was out, declared most
unalterable love an 1 constancy towards her, an I
said he would die if she did not marry hiir.. She
had in vai❑ repeatedly told him to desist from his
attentions ; her opposition only made him the more
ardent in his professions of attachment to her per-
son. The prisoner had been at home for the last
18 months, and during the whole of that time he
had become a nuisance and annoyance to Miss
Woodroffe and to Mr. and Mrs. Mills. The prisoner
had frequently remained in the street opposite the
shop of Mr. and Mrs. Mills from eleven o'clock in
the day until one and two the next morning,
and occasionally going into the shop, and
alternately making use of fond and endearing
language, and declaring there was no happiness
on earth without her, or threatening to shoot her
if she did not marry him, or to shoot any one else
she might marry. Mr. Mills' workpeople had fre-
quently removed the fellow, and officers of that
court had remonstrated with him. His threats,
violence, and bad language towards Miss Wood-
roffe had become so continuous and alarming that
the young lady was obliged to take out a war-
rant. He should call a witness to prove that the
prisoner was a married man and the father of
one child, and his intentions must therefore be of
a dishonourable character.

Miss Jessy Woodroffe confirmed the statement
of her solicitor, and said that twice last week the
prisoner came into her step-father's warehouse and
said he would shoot her if she did not marry him.
He followed her through the streets and collected
a mob about her.

Mr. Partridge—Did you ever give him any en-
couragement to address you as.a lover ?
Miss Woodroffe—Nong whatever, sir. His pre-
sence and language are very disagreeable.
The prisoner, who spoke with a strong northern
accent, said he dearly loved the young lady and the
very ground she stood upon. He saw her for the
first time four years ago, and her father said to
him, " I wish you to be my son-in-law." The young
lady had sent him letters declaring her affection for
him.

Miss Woodroffe—Never. Send letters to you,
ndeed !

The prisoner then produced a letter, signed
" Rosella Mills," in which the writer declared that
" John Piper, her dear Piper," would alone make
her happy.

Miss Woodroffe was desired to look at the letter,
and she said it was not in her handwriting.
Mr. Partridge asked the prisoner why he
threatened to shoot the young lady.
The Prisoner—To prevent her having anybody
else. I know she loves me. She is always inquiring
after me. If she will send me a letter stating she
don't love me, I will give her up. I could have
married a richfarmer's daughter but for her. Let
them tell me by letter she will not have me, and I'll
go clean away.

Merritt and Walton, officers of the court, said
they had removed the prisoner from the front of
Mr. Mills' house, and expostulated with the prisoner
by direction of Mr. Paget, and he said he would
never give her up.

Mrs. Rachel Mills, mother of the complainant,
said the prisoner had called her daughter a bastard,
and threatened to kill her. Her daughter had not
given him the slightest encouragement.
The Prisoner—Let her give me her handwriting,
and I'd give up the chase ; not without.
Mr. Charles Young asked the magistrate to call
upon the prisoner to find sureties to keep the peace
from the prisoner's annoyances.

'Pk,. ID T fa.
he promised that.

Mr. Partridge doubted whether the prisoner was
in a sane state of mind, and told him the letter pro-
duced was a forgery, which the young lady, whose
conduct was very proper and becoming, entirely re-
pudiated. The prisoner was labouring under some
extraordinary delusion. The young lady and her
family must be protected from these annoyances—a
persecution it had been justly called. lie ordered
the prisoner to find bail to be of good behaviour,
and keep the peace towards her Majesty's subjects,
and especially towards Miss Woodroffe, his own
personal recognisance in £lOO and two sureties of
£5O each, and remanded him until Saturday next.
In the interval a surgeon would inquire into the
state of the prisoner's mind.

THE DREADFUL TRAGEDY AT
BUCK UURST HILL.

THE EVIDENCE OF MISS GRIPPS THIS DAY.
WALTHAM ABBEY, Tuesday.
At a quarter to 11 o'clock this forenoon the magistrates
took their seats upon the bench; Mr. Dowes was chair-
man.

Mr. Abrams, of Bow-street, London, appeared to watch
the proceedings on behalf of the accused.

Mr. Jessop, the clerk, read aloud the charge, which
stated that Frederick Alexander Wahine had maliciously
stabbed and wounded Matilda Grippe with a dagger in a
field at Buckhurst-hill with intent to murder her.

The first witness called was Matilda Gripps. She ap-
peared to be very weak, and she was accommodated with
a seat.

She was sworn, and Mr. Jessop then read over to her
the depositions which she had previously made. He read
it in the third person, and as ho stated the facts that she
had deposed to, she answered "yes" in a very feeble tone
of voice. The depositions stated that sho had met with
the accused on the night of the 24th of April near her
father's house, and that he invited her to take a walk, and
that she consented. When in a field near Buckhurst-hill
he charged her with speaking to other young men, and
that she denied it. He then struck her on the head and
then with a dagger on the breast.

At that point she said, in a very faint voice, "And be-
hind the blade bone."

The clerk then continued reading the depositions, and
said that he stabbed her several times, and that she know
not what happened.

Clerk—Have you anything to add to the depositions that
you have made ?

Matilda gripps—Nothing.

Mr. Abrams then said that he should like to puka few
qKestions to her, and he asked her if she had not always
been very affectionately treated by the prisoner ?
Miss Gripps —He always treated me with the greatest
affection and attention. I know that his father had an
estate. I made the prisoner's acquaintance at his father's
house. He never complained to me of pains in his head.
He never told me that watchmaking gave him pains in the
head. He did say that brickmaking agreed with him
better than watchmaking. He said he had better health.
I recollect his having his ears pierced, but I do not recol-
lect that he had it done on account of pains in his head.
I walked out with him on Easter Monday. He told me
that he had been to the stag-hunt. He did not tell me
that he was uneasy in his mind. Ido not recollect that
he told me that he could not sleep at night. 1 would not
venture to swear that he did not. He came to my house
on the Tuesday evening. Ido not think that he was in
an excited state. He came at a quarter past eight o'clock.
We left the house at, half-past eight o'clock. I did nut notice
anything peculiar in his manner. I do not recollect his
reply to me, " Matilda, I feel unhappy in my mind." He
might have said so.

'At this stage of the examination the witness became
quite overcome, and she closed her eyes, and lay back in
the chair. Dr. Horne at once came to ker assistance.
Mr. Abrams said that he would make the examination
as short as possible. Miss Gripps was here assisted out of
the count.