The Sun.
London, England, 1844-03-09 00:00:00

ASSIZE INTELLIGENCE.
,MIPLAND OlRCUlT:—Northampton, March 6.
.. (Before Chief Justice TIND/L.) •
• • EXTRAORDINARY CASE.

Natltalie •Miard, aged twenty.seven, was 'charged with having, in
April list, at Barnack; 'in this cdOnty, feloUlUnsli delivered to the
Bev. Herbert Charles: Marsh certain letters, demanding 10,000
francs, being of the value of 4001. in English money.

We gave yesterday a. sligLt sketch and the result •of this case,
and now.subjoin the.evidence. • • • • • • •
Mr. Hill,-Q.C.,,Mr.• Whitehurst, and Mr; 'McAuley Were for the
prosecution ;* Mr. Hurafrey and Mt. W. H. Adams for the defence.
The prisoner was an interesting looking.vroman, of a lady-like
appearance,: itnd_ a gooil deal of vivacity about her... It was stated
she knew• hardly a. word of English. The Bev. Mr. Marsh, the
prosecutor, is a gentlemanly-looking man, about thirty-six years of
age, and son. to the late Bishop of Peterborough. He •is an un.:
married man, and a few years ago became acquainted with the pri-
soner at a" house of 11l repute in ',Condon. Thii ied:teher annoying
him, and hence the present prosedution.
The prisoner being told that she might have.a jury composed of
half foreigners and half English, exclaimed, •Je ne sua pea coupabk.
" She should have justice from those gentlemen."
The prisoner was indicted under the statute of 7 and 8 Geo. IV.,
c. 29. s. e, which makes it an offence to send letters with threats
or menaces, without any reasonable or probable cause, with intent
to extort money,-&c. •'

The Rev. Herbert Charles Marsh atated himself to be the rector
of 'Barnack, iha village near Starafotd, and bad been rector about
twelve years.., Officiates generally With a curate. Ras known the
prisoner since about the July or Alignat -of 1839. Became ac-
quainted with .her first in•Lendon at Madame Lodon's, a house of
ill fame. She was one of the girls' in the house. Conversed with
her. She told me she was very much disgusted with the life she
was leadingt'ancl that if I would give her ten or twelve pounds
to pay her debts and. go back to Paris, I shOuld do her a very great
kindness. I gave her the money. I went home. Believes she
went to Paris. I went to Paris in' August, and. Saw her' there.
Stayed at the Hotel Mirabeau. She visited me there, perhaps half a
dozen times during my stay of twenty-four days. Had connection
with her there. Previous to my leaving, she told me she was-
pregnant in consequence. Did not meet her at Stamford. I said,
if she would go to London I would see her. I sent her 101. to
go up. Found her at the Hotel de Commerce in Lcicester.street,
Leicester-square. -She demanded 120/., and I gave her 1001. -
down. Told her it was inconvenient to give her the remaining
20/. for a feW months. Agreed to allow her 32/. a.year
during the lifetime of the child. Was in town three days,
and left her at the Hotel de Commerce. She' wrote me an
abusive letter from Paris, and I sent her the 201. In 1840 she
ordered me to come up to London, which I did, and insisted on
having more money, because her accouchement had been expen-
sive. 'Gave her 1201. She told me the child was living, and she
was not satisfied with the 32/., and must have 501. a year. She
wanted a collateral security, and I gave her a promissory note for
500/, _payable six• months after demand, not to be used, and which
I afterstarda !sought up. • This was in October, 1840. Between
then and. Christmas I had several applications, and sent money
each time, about 502-__ Received a letter in February, 1841, from
London, asking for 1201. Told her it was impossible. • Mr: then
asked for -101. to go to Paris, and -I
sent it her. She afterwards•
wrote, saying the child was dead, and she had no further cause for
observingany: delicacy towards me, and I must come up to London,
or she would find means to make me. In come pience of this I
went up, • She told me point blank that she had got the note of
hand, and I must buy it. back ofter. • I told her I was afraid I
could net give her the full value of it, but I gave her 2501. down,-
and promised.her also a bond for 300Lpayable at my mother's death:
She told me there was no hurry about that ; she was
going to. return to Paris, but should be back again in London
in a few mouths, and would trust to my honour. I went
back home. In June, 1841, she wrote for the bond, and I sent it'
by a friend.. She wrote again. ' I sent an answer thatit was very
inconvenient, and I could nat. I had a reply, stating, if I did not,
she would find means to make me. I then went up, and she told'
me she was sorry to have hurried me up, but she had lent all the
money I had given her to a friend, who had embarked it in some
speculation and failed. This was in July. She asked for 2201.
I gave her 1001., telling her I could not get more. Saw her more
than once,' for I had some difficulty in getting. the money. Had
connection with her at that time, but never since. Shortly after-
wards she wrote to say she was in the family way, and in about a
month afterwards wrote for the'6o/., which would, 'with the last
160/., make the 220/., and it would, she said, pay all her debts.
Between this and the Christmas following I sent'about 50/. in all.
She wrote again in November, saying she had fallen down stairs, and.
had a miscarriage,. and was in great distress.- *At- the end Of De-
eember she wrote for 1201. more, saying that should- be the Tait
time she would trouble me, for everything would then be set at an
end between us. I sent her the 1201. Saw her about April, 1842.
I received 'another letter from her, from London, telling me I must
come up to _London directly,, as she had an account to settle v4tb
me. Wept up to town directly, and saw her at Dubourg's Hotel, in
the Haymarket. She then showed me the bond, and told me she
had shown it to herlawyer, who said it was saleable in the market,
and hinted, tope. I had better buy it up. On this, I gave her the
full value, 3001., and tore.'it to pieces. • I asked her for my letters.
She gate me up several, and declared they were merely scraps and
bits of paper, that she .had of mine. Returned home. Received a
letter from her in September, 1842, which was read. I had de-
stroyed all beforethis, as I received them. Took no notice of this
letter at all. In ten days afterwards, received another letter. It
was without date. Received one also on the 29th of October.
They,stre in the hand-writing of the prisoner. In the month of
April, 1843,1 was at Barnack. Received this letter. The letters,
from her were. all its French. The interpreter-here read a literal
translation of this letter, the first in the indictment :
" The bearer 'of this.note is ignorant of all ; it is for your interest
not to inform him. lam in Stamford, and as you have neither
answered my prayers nor my threats, I have considered it as better
to come here, for you would not answer ma, without doubt, at Lon.
don. I have eight letters to restore to you,-which are very com-
promising, for there are Some .of them old ones. I see the bottom
of your heart. Well, in spite of that, if I had not really need
of money to continue that which I have commenced, which is above
troy means,i would notask you anything today, but it is for me a
~,question of life or death. I-must have 10,000 f. See that which
,you have to do. When I haVe told you I loved you, it was true
and sincere. Well, in. spite of the hatred which I experience,
,it causes me pain to demand them of you. , I return entirely the
pronaiseslbuliieetnade me about your uncle, and wish not for
the future to hear speak more of you;_ for, with all the sacrifices
that you hae. made for me, the heart within being for nothing,
that cannot make me forget that you have made me suffer. There
is my address Hotel of the Port, Stamford,'

"N. WARD.

" P.S.—Recall these words. With me peace is better than war.
"Thursday, April 16, 1843."
I had made her a conditional promise that if she would not write
to me' or torment mein any way, I had an uncle, and I would re-
member her at his death, or in fact at any time when I got any.
thing. Phis promise was made in April, 1842, when I bought
back the•bond. lied exhausted all the means I had, and wished
to get rid of further torment for a little while. When I read the
letter which has' just been read, I desired that no more such 'should
be taken in. ,Two days -atter; on coming home, I found the second
letter on my. table. I was staying at LOrd Lindsey's, in the neigh-
bourhood of Uppington, and merely went to • Barnack to see what
was going on, and came back again.
'lke second letter in the indictment was read as translated, as

" The person who carries this note to you was ignorant of all
yesterday; and as I have not had an answer, the person knows all
to-day. You may, therefore, answer him verbally, without tear
of compromising yourself further. AS I am not false, I ought
not to let you be ignorant of that which I have the intention of
doing, in case Ton should not Satisfy my demand. This is the
- '

CieoLt.