The Sun.
London, England, 1826-07-10 00:00:00

SUMMER ASSIZES.

BEDFORD, SATURDAY, JULY B.
rx ICING V. SIR G. 0. P. TURNER, /FART.)

IN THE MATTER. OF THE TRAVERSE OF AN INQUISITION Or

LUNACY.

The defendant in this case was found, upon an inquisition of
lunacy, tried at the Gray's Inn Coffee-house, in December, 1828,
to be then, and to have been ever in the Ist of July in that
year, of unsound mind, so as to be unable to manage himself or
his property.' Sir Gregory 'caving traversed this inquisition, the
traverse came on for trial here yesterday, in pursuance of an order
of the Lord Chancellor, before Lord "Chief Justice BEST and the
following speeW jury -LSir R. H. logic, Bart. ; S. C. Whit-
bread, Esq., M.P. ; J. Foster, merchant ; J. Higgins, Esq. ; J.
Mackay: Eaq.; T. C. Higgins, Esq.; W. Bartholoinew Higgins,
Esq. ; George Musgrave, Esq. ; Henry Brandreth, Esq. ; I.
Simpson, Esq. ; Francis Pyru, Esq. ; and Wm. Humble, Esq.
The case on behalf of the Comm;ttee, in support of the inqui-
sition, teas conducted by Messrs. Storks, Robinson, and Dover
and that of the traverser by Mr. 3. Williams (who came special),
and Messrs. Hawkins anti Payne.
As soon as the jury were sworn,
Mr. Sergeant FIRTH addressed the Court, and stated that he
an Mr. Gunning were counsel for the heir-at-law, Capt. Turner,
aigri.he contended that it was his right, in such capacity, to take
an active part in the conduct of the cause.
The Loan CHIEF JUSTICE desired the order of the Lord
Chancellor to be read ; by which order it seemed permission
was given to the heir-at-law to "appear" at the trial of the tra-
verse; and

The COURT thereupon decided that the counsel of the heir-at-
law having a right to appear, and that permiasion being of no effect
unless they could take an active part in the trial, it was their
right to put petitions to the witnesses after their examination by
the counsel for the Crown.

Mr. STORKS then opened the case. He told the jury that the
simple issue which they had to try was, whether Sir Gregory
Osborne P. Turner was of unsound mind on the 19th December,
1829, the time of the finding the inquisition of lunacy, which
pronounced the defendant to be incapable of self-government, and
incompetent to manage his property and affairs. lie dwelt at
considerable length, and argued with much force, on the nature
tad character of the malady which afflicted this unfortunate
gentleman, who, inheriting, as ha did, a fortune of 17,000/. a.
year, bad reduced himself from affluence and splendour to com-
parative poverty ; and instead of cultivating that society in which
his station and fortune entitled him to mix, had degraded himself
by the lowest connexions, and afforded, in his person and habits, a
melancholy spectacle of wretchedness and debasement. He then
detailed the facts of the defendant's lunacy which were to he given
in evidence.

Rebecca Marshall, the first witness, deposed, that she lived at
Battlesden-house (Sir (3. P. Turner's residence), as house-keeper,
since 1821. He generally resided in the house for two years
while witness was there; his sheets, neekkerchiefs, shirts, and
towels, were constantly cut into holes, as if done with scissors ;
always considered his orders inconsistent; he would order dinner
fur a particular time, and when told it was ready, walk out;
often did not dine till nine or ten o'clock ; often kept the victuals
that came from his table, before he would let them go into the
hall, until they were mouldy; when he did not consider joints
of meat high enough, he would order them to he hung in the
tire-corner, to make them higher; would order fires often in the
hottest weather. Generally wore old clothes full of holes, and
was never willing to part with them. Prior to 1823, witness did
not consider his mind sound. His bed was often not made
fer three weeks together. After witness had lived with him
a considerable time he turned her out one night at eleven o'clock,
sent for her back, and asked her to drink wine : there had been
no. quarrel. He once struck at witness through a window,
and cut his hand. .He asked her to tie up his hand, and
atter she had done so, struck her again. He once ordered a
hint to be boiled, and when it was half-dressed, caused it to
be taken up and kept till mouldy, when he sent it back to the
butcher.

Mary Budge, a servant at Battleaden, said, that she looked
after 'Sir G. P. TUrner's body linen. It was constantly cut
in small hales. [Witness produced a number of shirts and sheets
that, were so, t.) Sir Gregory must have cut the holes him-
sSlf. He would not alloW his linen to be mended, He once hit
witness a violent blow, which confined her to her bed three days.
Some time after he lamed her along a paiisage.o And looked very
moth derangeq.
Sarah TtObins, a servant at l3attlesden7house, corroborated the
former witnesses, and stated, that she saw Sir,Gregory's bed-room
broken open by the sheriff's officers in 1823 ; it wanted cleaning
very much. There were several pieces of filthy paper about the
room. She last made the bed about three weeks before Sir Gre-
gory went away. She sat up with him one night, 'at his desire.
He walked about the room, and looked wild. He was wrong in
his head. Lady Turner had !ken there for three months to-
gether. She never saw Sir Gregory with her.
d. Spivey, gardener at Battlesden, said that Sir Gregory would
make him full up the flowers and destroy the shrubs. Redressed
very shabbily. His beard was very long, and he was dirty. He
wits:quite insane.

Mary Welch, chambermaid at
,the Percy Coffee,house, Rath-
bone-place, deposed, that Sir 0. P. Turner, and two persons
named Ryan and Tomkins, slept at the coffee-house in 1823.
From the appearance of the sheets, she thought Sir Gregory
slept in his boots. The room was very dirty in an improper way.
• Sir Gregory's heard was very long. He caught hold of wit-
ness one night and tried to bite her nose. He did not bite it off,
but made it very tender.
Thomas Paxton deposed, that he had been servant to Sir Gre-
pry 15 years, and went with him to the -King's Bench prison
in July, 1820. He was then completely insane. He was only
once shaved the whole time, and refused to have clean linen.
(Witness described indelicate conduct on the part of Sir Gregory
in the presence of a person named Weir and witness.) From the
King's Bench they went to Balser-street; Lady Turner was there.
Sir Gregory slept on a sofa for a fortnight, and attempted to
jump out at the window. Sir George Tuthill was sent for, and
they were obliged to put on a strait waistcoat, and to cup him.
They went down afterwards to his seat in the country. On their
return, in a gig, be jumped out and ran away with a portmne-
team Coming from Rattletalen in a gig together some time after,
Sir Gregory would not suffer the horse to he baited, but came
the 40 miles through.- On the road, at Hockley, he behaved in-
decently before some females. When they came to. Tottenham-
court-road, he wanted to go back with the same horse ; they
went to Baker-street, where witness was desired to leave the
room, and shortly after heard a scream from Lady Turner. Ile
went into the room with the latly't maid ; and in their presence
he persisted in endeavouring by force to treat Lady Turner in a
way too gross and disgusting to be mentioned. Sir Gregory
would not go to bed during the night, but took a blanket off the
bed, and walked about the room. He afterwards escaped from
witness, and was found at a small pot-house in Tottenham-
court-road. He gave two men there a ten pound note to
pay for some porter, and then ran away. They thought
it was a forged note, and followed him. The note was a
good one. In 1823, witness being at Battleaden, received
le letter from Mr. Alaberley, that Sir Gregory's son was
dead, with directions to break it to him as gently as he
etrtdd. Sir Gregory said, the doctors had killed the child, and
lie would have an inquest on it; and sent witness for restorative
medieines,to put into the child's mouth. The child's head had been
opened by the surgeoes, and although informed of that circum-
stance, Sir Gregory was slispleased with witness for not having
procured the restorative medicines for it. lie then directed, that
when the child was buried, a grating should be left open in the
nu% in order that if the child should come to life again, its
voice might be heard When it cried out. In October, NM he
insisted on witness purchasing a common coin from a travelling
tinker for 101., because the tinker said it was " the tribute
penny," although witness told his master it was an imposition.
He bought many other useless things, such as stones, shields, and
spears, of his tenants, and gave them receipts for their rent for
them. When be was leaving his house in Baker-street, his room
was very oNensive. There were floury valuable articles mixed
with others worth nothing. As the watches dropped out, he
would -say, "hem's another—here's another, Torn." He had
about 80 watches and 40 clucks. The curiosity-people he called
his white-sheep, and went great lengths to pay them, Ha .added
his tradespeople his black-sheep. He had shout 40 newspapers a
many were not opened. He had many caw of
week ; a great
opened from London which ware never open , one was filled
smalllll tiles from ruins :'the ivii,dshad since been mended' ith
wlrthda--
wex7rstiptilme: of flints the house, brought from the
them. There
who got paid for them.
roads by various
servant at the King's Bench cores-house in
Mary Springs,to roved that Sir G. P. Turner wall there for 32
November, 1132
never went into bed, nor changed his lineup
days, during which
nor washed himself.
Thad an artist, stated that he had been em-
George to take designs for him, and hail spent
,loped
Sir
16trtelgesd"ryen-house,
:t few
Inv during which time Sir Gregory
yat 41. lie, ou one occasion, assaulted him violently
deekitleyed.l'altilamnother time he
with a .firrced open witnemes bed-room
door, and p'ulling back the curtains, stood before him like
.a stitt-
tue,take of the surround_
without saying a word. He insis on witness mounting o
the roof of the house by a ladder, to a vit
ing country, ou a day that was so foggy as to render it impossible