The Sun.
London, England, 1861-07-05 00:00:00

MIDDLESEX SESSIONS-July 4.

(Before the Assistant-Judge and a full Bench of
Magistrates.
Joseph M'Gregor, a middle-aged, gentleananip-look-
ing man, was indicted for having assaulted Sir Ray-
mond Jarvis, Kt., at the Union Club, Trafalgar-
square.

Mr. Sergeant Ballantine, specially retained, and
Mr. P. H. Lewis prosecuted. Mr. Sleigh was for
the defence.

The learned sergeant, in opening the case, said in
consequence of some proceedings in the Divorce
Court, out of which imputations were cast upon the
prosecutor, in reference to the wife of the defendant,
the latter went to the Union Club, and finding Sir
R. Jarvis there, assaulted him with a cane.

The prosecutor stated that he was a magistrate
and deputy-lieutenant of Hants, and a member of
the Union Club, having a residence at Ventnor. He
had lodgings at 12, Suffolk-street. Since 1858 he
been acquainted with Col. Pool, of the Artillery,
living at Southsea, and with a daughter of his who
was married to the defendant. He did not know
the defendant personally. He knew Mrs. M'Gre-
gor's brothers and sisters as well. On the 21st of
June he was at the Union Club, when one of the
waiters called him down, about nine at night. On
going down into the hall he saw the defendant,who
asked him if he was Sir Raymond Jarvis. Witness
said " Yes," upon which the defendant struck him
over the shoulder with the cane handle of a whip
six or seven times. One of-the blows knocked him
down. Defendant said, " You are a villain, you
have seduced my wife. lam M'Gregor." He re-
peatedly called him a villain and a scoundrel. Some
members of the club sent for a policeman, and the
defendant was given into custody. He had since
suffered considerably from the violence of the blows,
and had been under medical treatment.

The porter at the club corroborated the evidence
as to the assault.

The prosecutor was subjected to a long and
searching cross-examination by Mr. Sleigh. He
said he did not know the person who introduced
him to Mrs. M'Gregor. He was over 60 years og
age, and when Mrs. M'Gregor was married she
was about 18. The defendant went to Australia,
and during his absence he met her at Cheltenham
and they went to Teignmouth; from thence they
came to London to see her uncle, Dr. Birnie, of
Hounslow. They stayed at the Great 'Western
Hotel, but slept in separate rooms. They went to
Hounslow afterwards, where he took a lodging at
a farmhouse until Dr. Birnie could provide him
with a room in his own house. He subsequently
accompanied her back to Teignmouth, and it was
proposed that she should join her husband in Aus-
tralia. They then came back to London, where she
stayed at his lodgings in Suffolk-street a week, and
she smashed a :ot of furniture. Her aunt took her
away, and she had passed as his niece. She was
placed under his care by and with the full know-
ledge of her family, and he had made her presents.
One was a baby's silver cup, another was a gold
watch, bracelets, silk dresses, ikc., but no diamonds.
Never offered to make a settlement upon her. He
had consulted a legal friend to ascertain whether her
marriage with M'Gregor was legal through a mis-
nomer in the defendant's name. He gave her a
cheque on Courts's for £l5 to send to Teignmouth,
but he did not know for what, except it was for a
person to whom she owed that amount.
[There were a great many questions put upon this
point, the answers to which were rather evasive, the
object of the learned counsel being to elicit whether
it had not been sent to keep some person quiet who
had sent a letter respecting something that took
place at Teignmouthl He denied it. 'When at Dr.
Birnie's he paid money, not to him, but to Mrs.
Birnie, to pay for his lodgings at the farm, though
he had slept at Dr. Birnie's house. Nothing im-
proper ever took place between him and Mrs.
M'Gregor. She was under his care as a friend, with
the knowledge of her father and family.
By Sergeant Ballantine—There was not an atom
of ground for the imputation that there had been
anything improper between him and defendant's
wife. He was still friendly with Colonel Pool, and
received a letter from him two days ago. From the
time he was first acquainted with her to the present
moment there had been nothing wrong between
them of an improper or indecent character. The
quarrel they had took place in tile presence of Sir
E. Belcher. It was not true that he offered her a
settlement. It was because her husband had left
her that, knowing her and her family, he took an
interest in her.
Mr. Sleigh, in addressing the jury, said, if the
defendant had committed an assault, it was a case
of " Serve him right." The defendant, a very re-
spectable man, was called upon in the pursuit of his
duty to go to Australia, but his wife was then in a
condition in which it would not have been safe for
him to take her with him. She did go out after-
wards, and returned, and on Mr. M‘Gregpr
$i
tre-
turn, he sued for a divorce and h obtained t
o r though not against the defendant.
her
and con-
demnedher as an adulteress, and it cameTthheeneweener
out
what had been the relations existing
and Sir Raymond Jarvis, who firstf metheeertaetpClhaeeel-,
Chel-
tenham, then escorted her about from
m oveprla 60 years of
sleeping in the same lodgings, h
age, and she but 18, knowing at the time that she
husband
was married, and that her was in Australia.
He had robbed Mr. M'Gregor of all that he could
hold dear in this world, and on its coming to his
knowledge, he, in indignation, found out the per-
son who had so injured him, and used, not a blud-
geon or shillelagh, but a mere twig of a cane. The
defendant took her from Cheltenham to Teignmouth,
from Teignmouth to London, back again, lie slept at
the same hotel, he had her at his lodgings in Suf-
folk-street for a week, made her presents, sent
money to Teignmouth, and what was all that for ?
He had given his answers in cross-examination in a
shifting, evasive, and shuffling manner, had this
deputy-lieutenant, holding her Majesty's commis-
sion as a justice of the peace, Taking his own ac-
count of what had been the connexion between him
and Mrs. M`Gtegor, had his conduct been decent?
What were the terms, he would ask, upon which
they were living at his lodgings in Suffolk-street,
when she took upon herself to smash the furniture P
It was evident that Sir R. Jarvis had fixed upon
this young woman, knowing how she was situated,
and had used all the wiles, and arts, and lures he