The Sun.
London, England, 1844-08-20 00:00:00

UNION-HALL.

Yesterday, William Postlahumite,a man of respect-
able appearance, holding a mercantile situation, was
brought before Mr. Traill, charged with attempting
to violate Mrs. Eliza Augusta ToWnsend on the pre-
ceding day.
~, The complainant stated that her husband is at
present in France, and that during his absence she
was staying at the residence of Mrs. Elizabeth Ward,
her mother, at No. 13, Walcot-square, Kennington.
The prisoner, who lodgedin the house, occupied the
back room on the second floor, and she (complainant)
slept in the front room on the same floor. That on
Sunday morning, between nine and ten o'clock, she
had occasion to go up stairs to the third floor, and
brought down a water jug, with which she entered
her own bedroom, but the moment she got inside the
door she was greatly agitated at seeing the prisoner
undressed there. She immediately drew back, and
was about to quit the room, when the prisoner ran
towards her, and seizing her round the waist pre-
vented her. She resisted his violence, but he being a
very strong man, succeeded in dragging her towards
the bed, on which he threw her down. She here de-
scribed the circumstances of the violence resorted to
by the prisoner towards her while in the above condi-
tion, and from which it appeared he had made the
most vigorous exertions to succeed in accomplishing
her violation.. She, however, screamed out "Murder,"
and at the same time resisted her assailant until she be-
came exhausted, and in the struggle he broke one of
her front teeth, and tore her clothes, and the bedstead,
the legs of which were placed on pieces of wood to
elevate it, was thrown off and pushed up nearly to the
window during the outrage. After continuing the
struggle for some time, she became at length insen-
sible, and had no recollection of what had passed.
When, however, she recovered in some measure from
the attack, she found that the prisoner was gone, and
that she was supported by Mr. Scriven, a gentleman
who occupied the first floor. The complainant, who
appeared to be in a very weak and nervous state while
giving her evidence, added that she had been exceed-
ingly ill ever since the transaction occurred, and that
she still continued very unwell.
In reply to Mr. Traill, the complainant said that
the prisoner never attempted to take the slightest
liberty with her before, and that his presence in her
bedroom, into which he had obtruded himself, was so
unexpected on her part that she had not the power of
calling out when she first saw him there ; that she
always made a point of locking her bedroom when she
was there, and was in the act of doing so on this oc-
casion the moment she entered, when she was asto-
nished on seeing the prisoner.
Mr. George Scriven stated that he was a clerk in
the London and Westminster Bank, and occupied the
first floor in the house, No. 13, Walcot-square. That
between nine, and ten o'clock on the preceding morn-
ing he was awakened by the violent screaming of a
female, as if in distress. He immediately jumped out
of bed, and having hastily put on his clothes, he ran
up stairs, and on entering the complainant's bedroom
saw her lying on the bed struggling with the prisoner,
who was entirely undressed, with the exception of his
shirt. The witness here described the situation of
the parties when he entered the room, which left no
doubt of the violent nature of the attack made by the
prisoner on the complainant, who at that period was
still struggling against her assailant. Witness at
once proceeded to assist the complainant, which he did
by dragging the prisoner off the bedstead, when the
latter immediately walked out and went into his own
room, while witness attended to the complainant,
whose hair and dress were dishevelled, and she was
apparently in a state of exhaustion, produced from her
struggles with so powerful and determined an assail-
ant. The witness added, that Mrs. Ward being from
home at the time he scarcely knew how to act on the
occasion, and that while he was supporting the com-
plainant, who was in a state of insensibility, the pri-
soner left the house. The prisoner, however,
custody.
Nathaniel Smith,
re-
turned the same night, when he was given into
a policeman, stated that when
the prisoner was giver., into his custody for attempting
to violate the complainant, his answer was that Mrs.
Townsend must be mistaken, and that she mistook
him for some other person who had assaulted her.
Mr. TRAILL, addressing the prisoner, said that
he had heard the nature of the charge preferred
against him, and asked him what he had to say in
answer to it ?
The prisoner, who spoke in a very low tone of voice,
said that he did not use any force on the occasion.
Mr. TRAILL—How do you account, then, for the
position in which you were found by the witness
when he entered the complainant's room on hearing
her scream violently ?
The prisoner declared that he was unconscious she
had made any noise.
The witness S,,,riven said that the complainant's
cries for help were so loud and frequent that he was
confident the neighbours must have heard them.

Mr. TRAILL said that the circumstance of one of
the complainant's teeth being broken in the struggle
with her assailant, showed, that it must have been of
a most violent description. As, however, the prisoner
had adopted such a line of defence, he should remand
him for further examination, which would give him
an opportunity of employing a solicitor to advise with.
The prisoner was accordingly remanded.
WORSHIP-STREET.

•A. gentleman, who stated that his name was
Walker, and that he resided in St. John-street,
Clerkenwell, stepped into the witness-box, and hand-
ing his card to the Magistrate, requested his advice
and assistance under the following circumstances :
The applicant stated that an aged and respectable
friend of his, of the name of White, who had been
for several years one- of the brethren of the Charter-
house, and' regarding whose perfect sanity there had
never been the least .suspicion among all who knew.
him intimately, had written him a communication,
about a month ago, couched in the most apprehen-
sive terms, and stating that he had been privately
informed that it was.the intention of some of the
superiors of that foundation to incarcerate him
forthwith in a madhouse, on the supposition that
he was -insane, and earnestly beseeching the ap-
plicant to immediately interpose on his behalf
and prevent so dreadful a calamity. Applicant im-
,mediately called upon Mr. White, with whom he had
a long conversation, and the result of it was that he
was never more convinced in his life of the perfect
sanity of any man than he was of that of Mr. White.
fle therefore lost no time in seeking the assistance of
two eminent medical practitioners, whom he took
with him to the Charter-house, that hii friend might
undergo a searching examination as to the state of
his mind by them ; and both those gentlemen, after
questioning Mr. White with extreme minuteness,
were unanimously of opinion that he was thoroughly'
in posles7,ion of his mental faculties, and each of them
unhesitatingly signed a certificate to that effect. The
the applicant immediately laid before Mr. Tucker, the
principal or house steward of the foundation, in the
hope that their preconceived notion as to the state of
Mr. White would be removed; but in a few days
after he was astounded at receiving a second letter
from his friend, beseeChing him to come and see him,
and ostatPlig that the threatened proceeding had been
put into execution, and that lie was pleb actually in a
lunatic asylum at Bethnal,. green. For the:first week
that Mr. White was confined there complainant was
allowed .unrestricted access _to bun, but on presenting
himself at the establishment ..at the beginning of the
second week; he was told by the proprietor that he
had.; received positive' directions froth the charter-
. house not to permit any one on any account to see
*him again without an express and ,written order to
that effect from them. .f.le• then called' upon •an
eminent' physician, who had been intimately ac-
quainted with Mr. White for years, and upon