The Sun.
London, England, 1858-09-25 00:00:00

rHE SUN, LONDON, SATURDAY EVENING, SEPTEMBER 25, 1858.

Now, you are lying there, and hope to be delivered
and live ; therefore you should confess your sins to
me.'

" Curate—Have you ever been confirmed ?
" Woman—No, sir.

" Curate—Then, remember, if you die you can
never enter the kingdom of Heaven. If you lire,
you must receive the holy sacrament.
" Woman—No, sir, I can't do that ; I think that
requires a great deal of preparation..
" Curate—Then you cannot go to heaven.
" Lady—Now, listen to me. That man is not a
fit person for you to see in your present situation.
As you value, as I hope you will value, your own
soul, do not confess to him ; confess to:God alone,
and you will, through Christ, be saved, and through
him alone. But 'ou must endeavour to live a
better life for the luture, &c.
" Woman—He said I was to be sure and not to
tell my husband, and I would not tell him for the
world : so don't you, ma'am.
" N.ll3.—She was afterwards called upon by a
lady calling herself ' Sister Ellen,' and upbraided
for repeating the conversation, and again • advised
me to tell her husband."
Mrs. Mary Ellen was then called and examined
by Mr. Cripps—l am the wife of John Ellen. I
reside at Thicket Lodge. I went to see Mrs. Arnold
on the 17th of March. I found her in bed in her
room. She appeared exceedingly ill from excite-
ment—she was crying. I inquired the reason of her
distress. She made a statemeht to me as to the
cause of her distress. After I went home from her
I wrote down that statement immediately. I went
direct home after I had seen her. I have the paper
still by me in which I wrote down that statement.
Mr. Cripps—l propose to pnt in that statement
as evidence and ask the witness questions as to its
correctness.

Mr. Coleridge could hardly think his learned
friend was serious in such a proposition ; but rather
than interpose any, objection he would, if his
learned friend, as a lawyer, tendered the statement
in evidence, not interfere.
The Chairman intimated that the question
whether the statement could be received or not
was for the commissioners to decide.

Mr. Cripps urged his right to put in the paper,
which he said he put in merely to test the accuracy
of the witness's memory.
The Chairman, after consulting with the other
commissioners, decided that they were bound by
the ordinary rules of evidence, and that the proposed
statement could not be admitted.

Mr. Cripps pursued his examination of the wit-
ness as follows :—After I saw Mrs. Arnold I saw
Mr. West in company with Mr. Gressley. It was
on the 24th of March, at my house. I have a memo-
randum of what had been said, which I made on
the same day directly after they left. They came
together. 1 addressed myself to Mr. West, and
said I understood that a most disgraceful conversa-
tion had taken place between one of Mr. Gressley's
curates and Mrs. Arnold. I did not know Mr.
West, for Mr. Gressley had not introduced him.
Mr. West said he went through the whole of the
commandments to Nancy Arnold, and when he
came to the seventh he said that he told her she

must not only love her husband, but be faithful to
him. I said, " I beg your pardon, sir ; what she
has told me is widely different to that." They
asked me what it was, and I said I would not re-
peat it before Mr. West. Mr. West then left the
room. After Mr. West had gone the conversation
was carried on with Mr. Gressley. Mr. West came
back again, but not while the bonversation was
going on. I said to him when he came back that I
had asked Mr. Gressley when he had confessed, and
now I asked him the same thing. He replied he
was not bound to tell me. Afterwards he said he
must leave the conversion of this poor woman in
my hands. Mr. West said nothing to me about
what took place on his visit to "Nancy Arnold on
the 17th March. He said something about the
seventh conunandment, about her having. broken it.
He said she was a bad woman, aid I said if what I
hear is true she may have been so. He then said
she might have broken the commandment. I said
she may have broken all the commandments but
the sixth, that I know nothing of. Before Mr.
West left the room he took some book out of his
pocket, which he was about to open to show me
the form of the visitation of the sick. I said Ido
not want to know anything about that. He began
to read at the " There shall the minister." I said I
wanted to hear nothing about it.
Cross-examined by Mr. Coleridge—A woman
was with Nancy Arnold, named Mrs. Folley. After
Mrs. Arnold had told me what Mr. West had said,
I called Mr. Folley, and told him the greater part of
it. When Mr. West was present with Mr. Gressley
at my house, I did not say that if I was
sure it was true, I would publish it or take steps to
make it known. The statement written down by
Mr. Clark was from the account given by Mrs.
Arnold at my house. There were five persons
present. I did not see the statement written. I
saw Mrs. Arnold put her mark to it. I know Mary
Lee. I had no conversation with her upon the
subject of this inquiry.
Re-examined by Mi. 0.-Ippe, -Thy paper signed by
Mrs. Arnold is in substance the same as the memo-
randum I made on the 17th March.

Mrs. Lucy Laivrence Carden, examined by Mr.
Coleridge—l went in October to Boyne-hill to visit
the poor. I visited Mrs. Arnold, and sent her
little girl to school. I was ill for some time, and
saw Mrs. Arnold somewhere about the .12th of
March. I visited her, perhaps, three times between
the 12th and the 19th. She talked to me about
Mr. West. She said she was satisfied with what
Mr. West had done, and that she had received com-
fort from his visits. She said he had promised to
come again. I saw her again after her confine-
ment. I believe. I saw her after the 19th of March
and before her confinement, but will not say posi-
tively. She did not in giving her account of going
through the Tea Commandments say a word about
confession or absolution. She did not say a word
about being told that she could not go to heaven
unless she was confirmed. She did not say a word
about Mr. 'West having told her not to tell her
husband.

The witness was cross-examined by Mr. Cripps,
but nothing was elicited to alter the general tone of
her evidence.

Mary Ann Smith, examined by Mr. Coleridge—l
live in the adjoining cottage to Mrs. Arnold. Both
cottages are under the same roof. I have known
her for several years. I have not seen her drunk,
but I have sometimes seen her a little "beery." I
recollect Mr. West calling upon her during her con-
finement. She did not say a word to me about Mr.
West having told her not to tell her husband. She
said Mr. West had been trying to get her ready to
come to the communion table ; but as she was not
dressed she was not at all pleased. lam not sure
that it was the same day that Mrs. Ellen was there
or the day afterwards. She never said anything
to me about Mr. West having talked to her about
confession. She did' not seem upset when I saw
her after Mr. West's visit. She appeared to have
been crying, and he handkerchief was in her hand.
When Mr. West came tile time before last Mr.
Arnold was at home. I did not see Mr. West but
Mr. Arnold -said to me that somebody was talking
to his wife, and he could not get out the flour in
consequence for the baking. When I went in to
see Mrs. Arnold presently afterwards, she said,
Mr. West has just gone.
Mrs. Jane Winch examined by Mr. Coleridge—
I know Mrs. Arnold. I went with her to the
gleaning field in. July last. We had some com-
munication with her about Mr. West, and she told
me that Mrs. Ellen was at the bottom of the stairs
listening while Mr. West was there. I said to her,
" Why did you tell people that Mr. West gave you
half-a-crown, and told you not to tell your hus-
band P" She said it was ad— lie, that Mr. West
had never given her half-a-crown, or told her not
to tell her husband, but that it was a made-up tale
lietween Mr. Clark and Mrs. Ellen,- who were
offended with her for sending her child to All
Saints Church to be baptised.
By Mr. Coleridge—l mentioned it. because the
story told in the newspapers was not, as I thought,
true ; for I did believe what Mrs. Arnold said to me.
Thomas Miles--I am gardener to Mr. Gressley.
I have known Mrs Arnold 20 years. I remember
her living with a man named Stubbs. He kept a
beer shop, and I have seen her there 12 months
together. Mr. Arnold sometimes went there, but
riot very often. I have seen other men there. I
expect they
were after her from what they talked
about. She had a child while there, but she said
she did not know whether it was Stubbs's or Ar-
nold's.. I had some talk with her about this matter
two months ago at Druce's beer shop. She said
that what she had said before was not true; it
was a lie, and she wished me to tell Mr. Gressley
so. She said Mr. West asked her about the-com-
mandments, but as she was no scholar she could not
answer. She said that Mrs. Ellen asked her where
she was to have the child christened, if at Boyne-
hill Church, and added, if she would have it chris-
tened at Bray Church or Cawley-corner Church
she would stand godmother to her. From what I
know of Mrs. Arnold I would not believe her on
her oath.

Cross-examined by Mr. Cripps—l have been Mr.
Gressley's gardener fifteen months, and I also ring
the bell at Boyne-hill Church. I had last seen Mrs.
Arnold before this conversation, perhaps a year
before. She knew that I was Mr. Gressley's gar-
dener, and told me to tell him what was said. She
began the conversation by asking if I had heard
the d—d lies that Mrs. Ellen had been talking
about her ; and said that it was all made up by Mrs.
Ellen, and asked me to tell Mr. Gressley so. I did
tell him on the following day.
Thomas Martin, examined by Mr. Coleridge—l
live at Boyne-hill. I have known Mrs. Arnold. ten