The Sun.
London, England, 1868-04-13 00:00:00

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mR. OLADSTONE AND HIS .RELIG.OUS

OPINIONS.

" THE ASSAILANTS OF THE IR:SII CHURCH.—To the,
Editor.—Sir, having, as you know, been connected with
the Ultramontanc body for several years, and being
acquainted with many of its secrets, I feel it my duty, now
that Mr. Gladstone is about to make an attack upon the
Protestant Church of England, to let his followers know
that when he went to Rome he made arrangements
with his Holiness the Pope to destroy the Irish Church,
and ultimately to make the Catholic Church the
State Church for Ireland. Other arrangements were
also made for a Catholic university, and further favours
for the Catholics in England. The question is, why
has Mr. Gladstone done this ? It is easily answered,
for he is himself a Catholic at heart ; all his near and
dearest friends are of the same persuasion, and even
some of his own family, as can easily be proved by reading
the advertisements of lotteries in the Catholic journals,
where the name will appear among the patronesses. The
IVeckly Pcgioter, I believe, was the first paper that said
the Catholic Church was abotst to receive a distinguished
convert. That paper, having much influence with the
clergy, ought to know, I have no doubt, if the editor
were allowed to speak, he would say the same as I do who
it is. I ask Mr. Gladstone, can he deny but what I have
stated is the truth ? Let the question be put to him on
Monday night, so that all Protestants may know the
truth.—l am, sir, " ONE WHO OUGHT TO KNOW."
Mr. Gladstone replied as follows :

" Hawarden, April 7, MS.—Sir, I beg to thank you
for your communication inclosing a scandalous letter which
purports to be extracted from the London Standard. I
am truly sorry if any journal has been found ready to dis-
honour itself by becoming responsible for the publication
of such a letter. So far as it concerns me, there is not one
word of truth in it from the beginning to the end. If you
think it has caused uneasiness in Lancashire, perhaps you
will be good enough to send to any of the local journals
this contradiction. —I remain, sir, your faithful servant,
" W. E. GLADSTONE.

" To Mr. H. Sharrock."

LAW AND POLICE.

ROBBERIES WITH VIOLENCE.—SeveraI of these robberies
which have been committed of late came before the Cen-
tral Criminal Court for trial. James Barratt and Samuel
Jacobs, both 19, were charged with robbery, accom-
panied with violence. The prosecutor, Mr. James
Beckett, an old gentleman 73 years of age, was passing
through Five-bell-court, Limehouse, about 8.40 p.m. on
the 15th March, when lie saw a man whom he did not know
standing against the wall, and soon after a second- man
seized him by the throat and nearly choked him. He
did not know the prisoners, and could not
remember having seen them till brought up at the police-
court on this charge. A boy named Leader said that he
heard cries of " murder," and went into the court and saw
the prisoner Jacobs with his hand over the prosecutor's
face, whilst Barratt was committing the robl-ery. At
first the last-named prisoner could not get the watch-
chain over the prosecutor's head, but at length,
by using great violence, he broke it in two parts.
The defence for both prisoners was an alibi, but
the jury found the accused guilty. Barratt, who has been
once previously convicted, was sentenced to five years'
penal servitude ; and Jacobs, who has been five times pre-
viously convicted, was sentenced to seven years' penal
servitude, and with orders to be flogged with the " cat."
William Cochrane and William Smith, both 19, were
indicted for committing a similar robbery. The prose-
cutor, Mr. J. G. Ulrich, is a watchmaker residing at
Stepney. About one o'clock on the morning of Thurs-
day week the prosecutor was returning from his
daughter's house. When near St. Saviour's Church the
prisoners attacked Cochrane, seized him from behind, and
threw him down with considerable violence, and Smith
rifled his pockets. A womn named Powell saw the
robbery committed and gave the alarm, whilst a cabman,
named Thornton, followed the prisoners and gave them
into custody. The prisoners, having been found guilty,
were each ordered to receive twenty-five strokes with the
" cat," and to be kept in penal servitude for ten years.
Thornton was ordered to receiN e £2 for his praiseworthy
conduct.

STABBING A WOMAN.-At the same court Jane Chap-
man, 21, was indicted for wounding Eliza Nugent, with
intent to do her grievous bodily harm. The prosecutrix,
who is a married woman, was returning home with her
husband on the night of the 23rd of March, when, on reach-
ing Bath-street, Islington, they got into a crowd, and the
husband was knocked down, and the prisoner rushed at
the prosecutrix and charged her with stealing a shawl,
and immediately after, with some sharp instrument, in-
flicted no fewer than nine wounds on the face, neck, fore-
head, and other parts of the body. The accused was sent
to penal servitude for five years.

CURIOUS CASE or BIGAMY.— Before Mr. Commissioner
Kerr, Elizabeth, otherwise Rebecca, Fox was indicted for
bigamy. The prisoner was first married to Mark Fox, a
butcher, at Colchester, on the 21st June, 1855, her maiden
name being Mallett. In February 1862 she was again
married to Joseph Andrew Moore, a sergeant in the
Royal Artillery, at St. Peter's Roman Catholic Chapel,
Woolwich. In September 1863, about eighteen months
after the second marriage, she went to Colchester to see if
her first husband, who was alleged to have ill treated her
very much, was living, and, finding he was, she returned
and told her second husband that he was. After that
Moore and she lived together "as brother and sister," accord-
ing to his account, for about three years, and he left her
altogether in May 1866. The second husband was sub-
ject to a severe cross-examination, with a view to show
that the proceedings were only instituted for him to get
married again. He said that he might get married if the
defendant were convicted, and bad told her so—in fact,
made her confidante in a little love affair. For the
defence h was contended that the prisoner believed that
her first husband was dead. The commissioner left it to
the jury to say whether they believed this version of the
case. The accused was acquitted.

STABBING A WITNESS.-At Marlborough-street Police-
court, Joseph Simmonds was charged with stabbing an
errand lad, named Thomas Welch. The prosecutor was
walking along Berwick-street when the prisoner rushed
up to him with a clasp-knife and stabbed him in the back,
though fortunately not seriously. It seems that the pro-
secutor was the principal witness against a friend of the
prisoner's, named " Fatty," who was sentenced to seven
years' penal servitude. On being apprehended the pri-
soner said that he did not stab the prosecutor purposely.
He was committed for trial.

STRANGE CASE OF ATTEMPTED SUICIDE. -At the
Clerkenwell Police-court, George Croft, a goldsmith, was
charged with attempting to commit suicide by cutting his
throat. It seems that the defendant had been in great
trouble since his wife destroyed herself and children, at
Acton-street, Gray's-inn-road, some seven years ago. The
accused was remanded for a week.

THE ASSAULT QN A DIRECTOR.-At the Guildhall, Mr.
John Hill and Mr. Thomas Allport were charged on
remand, with committing a violent assault on Mr. Yelland.
Mr. Alderman Hale said that he had made up his mind to
commit the prisoners for trial ; but the prosecutor did not
appear, and as he (the alderman) understood that the
prosecutor was bringing au action against Hill in the Lord
Mayor's Court, he should discharge the accused.

BOAT ACCIDENT ON GOOD FRIDAY, —Two brothers
were drowned at Brighton on Good Friday by the acci•
dental upsetting of a pleasure-boat at about 100 yards
from the Chain Pier. The brothers were 11r. William
Seaton, teacher in a school, arid Mr. Richard Seaton,
commercial traveller, who, with a friend, Mr. W. H. sme,
having dined together, went to row without a waterman,
in a licensed boat. When a little way beyond the end of
the Chain Pier, the brothers attempted to change places,
but both as they stood up stepped heedlessly on the same
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£441141 §Ws_. §AYed*

Mr. H. Sharrock, of Ormskirk, an elector of Southi
Lancashire, has published the following correspondence
with Mr. W. E. Gladstone, M.P. :

" Orrnskirk, April 6, 1868.—Sir, I trust you will pardon
the liberty I take in asking a moment's attention to the
contents of the enclosed slip cut from a local paper. I
have no difficulty myself in seeing through so malignant a,
transparency, but unfortunately there are too many ready
to take up the weapons suggested by the Premier's recent
letter, and under the instigation of Orange bigotry and
political animosity to use them in the most reckless
manner. The ideas insinuated by this anonymous corre-
spondent of the London Standard are being seized and (Es,
sesninated amongot your constituents, with a view to
creating a prejudice that may operate with disadvantage
to your future claims on their suffrages. If these charges
be not too gross to merit your notice, I should be glad, in
the interest of your future supporters, and as an ardent
admirer of your great talents and eminent services, to see
them at once dissipated by one stroke of your peu.—l have
the honour to be, sir, your most obedient servant, limn;
SHAIIROCK. To the Right Hon. W. E. Gladstone."
The following is from the Standard :