The Sun.
London, England, 1861-07-09 00:00:00

THE MYSTERIOUS DEATH NEAR
BRADT OR D.

On Saturday, at the Bradford Borough Court,
Mr. William Randall Mackley, surgeon, of Great
Horton, was brought before the magistrates on the
charge of having given a false certificate of the
death of Martha Curtis, his late housekeeper. The
court was crowded with spectators.
Mr. Mossman, solicitor, stated that he had been
instructed by Mr. Grauhan, the chief constable, to
prosecute Wm. Randall Mackley, on the charge of
making and uttering a false certificate. He was not
prepared, however, to go into the case that morning
and would ask the court to grant a further remand.
In the meantime an inquest, by order of the Home
Secretary, would be held, and the probability was
that a still more grave charge would have to be pre-
ferred against the prisoner. He asked for the
remand of the prisoner till Wednesday.
Mr. Terry, solicitor, who appeared for the pri-
soner, said that he did not object to the remand of
the prisoner, . provided the court would accept
reasonable bail for the prisoner's appearance when
required. The present charge, as Mr. Mossman
had admitted, was a most unusual one, and in his
opinion could not be sustained. He objected to the
insinuation that the coroner's inquiry might result
in a more grave charge being preferred against
the prisoner. That inquiry had been already
opened, the medical witnesses having been ex-
amined, and so far as it had gone there was no
ground for supposing that any imputation would
arise from that quarter. With respect to the ana-
lysis of the contents ofthe stomach, he believed they
might have had evidence as to what it was likely to
produce. At any rate, they might learn at what
stage it had arrived. His client had nothing to con-
ceal; he had already courted the utmost inquiry in
his intercourse with the chief constable, before he
was taken into custody, and he was still ready to
do all in his power to elucidate this matter, feeling
that his own professional character was at stake.
He felt that he was deeply injured by slanderous
reports. His whole conduct in connection with
these proceedings was strictly consistent with the
course of an innocent man, and the result of these
inquiries he (Mr. Terry) felt would be such as to
preserve his innocence unsullied. That young man
feared no investigation ; he had, in fact, sought it
and courted it, and was now prepared for the issue.
He was ready to answer any charge. He was a
young man of character and respectably connected.
He had served his Queen and country, and had had
experience such as few medical men could boast of.
Unhappily, he was a poor bachelor, obliged to have
a housekeeper, and in his case an imputation was
cast by slanderous tongues when perfectly unde-
served and gratuitous. The charge of giving a
false certificate could not be supported. The alleged
false statement was simply upon a matter of
opinion—for one scientific gentleman might say it
was false, and another that it was quite consistent
with truth. Besides, he was not obliged by l'aw to
make any statement at all. If there was an error
in the date such mistakes were of everyday occur-
rence, and no fault could be imputed to the prisoner
on this point.
The Mayor asked Mr. Mossman to tender some
evidence to justify the bench in further remanding
the prisoner.
Joseph Curtis, the father of the deceased woman,
was accordingly called to prove that on the morning
of the 26th of June he received from Mr. Mackley

the certificate of his daughter's death. He delivered
this certificate to Mr. Reaney, the registrar. His
(witness's) wife came to Mr. Mackley's the day be-
fore the 25th, and was present when his daughter
died, about 6 o'clock on Wednesday morning.
Mr. James Reany, registrar of deaths in the
Horton district, produced the certificate which he
had received from Curtis.

Mr. Mossman said that this certificate had upon
it the 23d June, as the day on which Martha Cur-
tis died, and purported to be made out on the 24th,
whereas she did not die till the morning of the
26th June. The cause of death was described
in the certificate as enteritis, whereas two respect-
able and experienced medical men, examined at the
inquest, had stated that the cause of death was
peritonitis. Mistake as to the day of the month
could not be alleged, because Mr. Mackley's day-
book showed entries made every day about the time
in question.
The magistrates retired, and were absent a con-
siderable time. They returned to say that the
prisoner would be remanded till Monday. No bail
would be accepted ; but to detain the prisoner in
suspense as little as possible, they required the wit-
nesses to be produced on Monday.

BOULOGNE, JULY B.—The commercial import-
ance of Boulogne continues to increase in consequence of
the operations of the treaty, and it retains its position as the
third commercial port in France (ranking after Marseilles
and Havre), while the passenger intercourse with England
tends to concentrate and increase more and more. There
were 45,830 passengers in the first six months of the pre-
sent year, showing an increase of 11,602 over the corre-
sponding six months of 1860. There has just been a census
taken of the population of Boulogne. It amounts to 36,265,
of which 3,096 were English residents. Casual visitors or
visitors for the season are not included. The season is
beginning with unusual brilliancy this year. An
excellent band plays on the port three evenings
a week, and the bathing establishment has just
opened, and has been as well arranged for the
comfort and convenience of visitors as is possible, pending
the completion of the elegant new building now in progress.
Several English yachts are already hero in anticipation of
the regatta, which is to take place on the 21st and 22d. The
races are to be on the 25th, and a grand musical fete on the
29th of this month ; and excursions are being organised by
the French Northern and South-Eastern Railway Corn-
, parties. The weather is fine, sad the town is in the moat
satisfactory sanitary condition, as is abundantly manifested
by the fact that in the last week (ending July 3) there were
only eight deaths against twenty-four births. There is to
be a concert of the Philharmonic Society on the 10th (Wed-
nesday), at which Madame Miolan Carvalho is to sing. In
fact, Boulogne is just now very gay, and becoming more
and more a sort of intermediate rallying place and centre
of relations between London and Faris,