The Sun.
London, England, 1861-10-07 00:00:00

TUE OUTRAGE ON A FEMALE.

GLOUCESTER, SATURDAY NIGITT.
The magistrates sitting in Petty Sessions at the
Shirehall here to-day, have been occupied ten hours
in investigating a charge of gross outrage upon a
young girl by seven youths from Cheltenham,
named William Bowen, Charles Adcock, George
Cox, Henry Chandler, Joseph Parker, Thomas
Wheeler, and William Haines. Tine magistrates
present were C. Brooke Hunt and W. C. Lucy,
Esq s.
Mr. Goren appeared for the prosecution, and Mr.
Taynton and Mr. Cooke, attorneys, ft.-1r the prisoners.
The case has caused considerable excitement, and
is pointed at as an illustration of the evils attendant
ou the custom of holding " mops" or " s,tatutcs."
Dorcas Davis, the prosecutrix, aged 6, a good-
looking girl, was the first witness examined. She
was under examination a considerable time, and
stated in effect that on Monday last she went to
Gloucester Mop, and spent the day there. She met
a young man living in her own village (Church-
down, midway between Gloucester and Cheltenham),
in Gloucester, and went to two public-houses with
him. Witness partook of setae beer. They started
from Gloucester about ten o'clock at night, with a
girl named Tombs, to return to Churchdown, and
the three had got some three miles on the road when
a party of ten or twelve men and boys overtook
them at a point on the road about 200 yards from
the Hare and Hounds public-house. She recognised
the prisoners Adcock, Bowen, Parker, Wheeler, and
Chandler, amongst the party. They commenced
by asking Hopkins for some tobacco. He said he
had none, and they then took his hat off his head,
after which they set upon her and her female com-
panion, attempting to throw them down and pull
up their clothes. Tombs and Hopkins ran away,
leaving the witness with the men. One of them
threw her down on her back, and while another sat
on her chest the whole party, one after another,
thrust their hands up her person, lacerating her and
causing blood to flow. They tore her drawers off
her person, crushed her bonnet, and tore her other
clothing, leaving her on the ground bleeding and
exhausted, when her companions returned to the
rescue with some assistance from the public-house.
While she was on the ground one of the men held
his hand over her mouth to prevent her screams
being heard. Adcock was the first to assault her.

no—sanna Tombs, aged 14, the daughter of a car-
penter at Cliurchdown, corroborated the testimony
of the prosecutrix, and said the men attempted to
take similar liberties with her, but she escaped
from them, and ran with Hopkins to the Hare
ai'd Hounds, where they found the people all danc-
ing', as usual at this annual revel. There was
consequently some delay before assistance was ren-
dered. When they got back to Davis, they found
her lying on the footpath, very much hurt and
frightened,
On cross•cxamination, this witness admitted that,
after all this had occurred, and her companion had
been sent home, she went back to the Hare and
Hounds, and joined in the dancing there until four
o'clock in the morning.
Mr. Pleydell Carter, surgeon, of Gloucester, was
sent for the same night, and visited Davis about
three o'clock next morning. She was in a state of
great exhaustion, and could hardly speak.
Mr. Carter described the results of his examina-
tion, which are unfit for publication, but which fully
bore out the statement of the prosecutrix. Con-
siderable violence must have been used.

Henry Hopkins, who accompanied tho girl, and
ran away from them when the attack was made,
corroborated their statement, and excused himself
for running away, by saying that there were too
many for him, and that he thought it best to go for
help. When the men asked him for tobacco, he told
them he had none, on which they said, " Then we'll
have the wenches." As he ran away he heard
stifled screams from Davis, and saw some of the
men pulling at her clothes.
Alfred Garter was at Gloucester wake, and left
to walk home is company with Chandler, Harris,
Parker, and a young man (his cousin) named Turk.
On the way they were overtaken by Bowen Ard-
wick, and Cox. When near the Hare and Hounds,f
Cox took hold of the girl Tombs, whom they over-
took with Davis and Hopkins, but she got away,
and he theu took hold of the prosecutrix, Davis, and
put her on the ground. The others got round her,
and witness heard her say once or twice, " Oh, pray
dont't," but did not hear her scream. Witness was
frightened at what his companions were about, and
made off home with his cousin.

Some corroborative evidence was given and at the
close of a tedious inquiry the magistrates fully com-
mitted all the prisoners for trial on the
,charge of
inflicting grievous bodily harm.

SERIOUS CHARGE AGAINST d CLERGYMAN.

IThe county magistrates were occupied at Mold
on Friday and Saturday last in investigating a very
pa;:nful case. The Rev. John Hughes, perpetual
curate of Gwernafield, was accused by Amelia
Davies, 4 girl who had been in his service, of having
offered her violence. A great number of witnesses
were exarahled on both sides, and the evidence
taken was of vcrygreat length, the principal points
of which will be gathered from the chairman's
decision.
Mr. Raikes said that the magistrates had given
o
an anxious and attentivensideration to the very
ur
painful case for several ho. s of two successive
days, and had come to Ow' conclusion that the
serious charge was not sufficientOr proved to justify
sending it for trial. The originals; immons had been
from some inadvertence or delicacy
common assault; but the evidence of the
out for a
the principal
witness went altogether to charge a ,-ranch more
serious offence, and the accusation of common
assault had altogether merged in a very 6:tifferent
description of crime. The evidence of the t
”TOSC-
cutrix was distinct enough on this point, the. ugh
not confirmed by her own conduct under the c.'r-
cumstances of such an outrage, and still less by tht.'
very bad character given her by a variety of wit-
nesses that had been called for the defence. She
remained in the defendant's house alone with him
after the alleged offence, and di d not indeed
-7e it till her regular months notice was
lea,
nearly up. She complained to no one at the
time, no: to her mother till after having left her
weeks subsequent to the date of the
place some amount of resistance she may have
offence. What
ssible to determine, from there
made it is note
house that night, and the
being no one else in • ouse
itself. But no great
isolated position of the .i.
-
dregs
b:se
tnosiunf fdeurceed ,a or
re
ea
onuyr such
se t
o
violence appears to have
injury-to person or
medical aid or friendly coofidence, so far as regards
her own evidence and adniLtted conduct. After
referring to the witnesses for he defence, Mr.
Raikes added :—" While there can be but one
opinion on the conduct of a single ,Ilergyman re-
taining a young woman of such irregular habits as
the prosecutrix in his family, and, as it, would
appear, certifying her to the bishop for confirma-
tion, in dismissing the case before us as not suffi-
ciently proved for the stringent demand of our
criminal law, we have no doubt that public feeling
will be satisfied, and the purity of the church vin-
dicated, by an inquiry of a clerical nature that Will
be instituted by the proper authorities,, Cheater
Gouronf,