The Sun.
London, England, 1842-08-27 00:00:00

UN WARRANTABLE PROCEED-

INGS OF THE OLDHAM AUTHORITIES.
TO THE EDITOR OF THE SUN.

Sia,-1 happened to be this day at Oldham about
my own business, when it struck me that, as there
had been so much said about the l3iriningham people
having ceased to work, I would see what The Sun
newspaper said on the affair. I, accordingly, went
into Mr. l3urrell's public-house for that purpose.
At my entrance a man was reading the -proceedings
in question, and when he came to that part of it
which related to Mr. Sturge's address, I happened to
say that it was fortunate enough that the said address
was in my possession, and that, if the gentlemen in
the room were willing that it should be read, I would
(10 .it after the man then reading had finished ; that
being done, it was at once consented to, without any
further remarks being made (though it was afterwards
said by one of the policemen that I had commented on
the contents of the said newspaper, which was certainly
not true). However, not many minutes had elapsed
after my having read the address, and the men then
in the room had left it, before two policemen came
into the room, and began to examine the papers in my
hat, which was they upon a form, I having pulled it
off to read a little in your paper. While they were
doing this I only questioned them as to their authority
for looking so minutely in my hat, when one of them
ordered me to stand up and pull everything out of my
pockets which I might have in ; this I did, thinking it
would be the best, for I then discovered them to be
official. After I had pulled all out, one of the .said
officials not being satisfied, even put his hand into all
my pockets, to feel whether anything of a seditious
nature, I suppose, was left in some corner thereof;
that being done, I was then asked if- I would be
willing to go to the Town-hall, to explain the papers
that were found in my hat. One of them said it
would he as well, and I thought it perhaps would be
better to go quietly than to be knocked on the head,
and go roughly ; so I consented to accompany them
to the Town-hall, where I was taken into one of the
rooms, and ordered to remain a short time, until
called on. After a few minutes had passed away,
Wild, the chief man, came in, and looked at my
papers ; that being done, I must then go before the
Magistrates, to be examined, and explain the papers;
this I did readily and frankly. I told them that I
was a member of the Complete Suffrage Union, of the
Council of which Joseph Sturge was Presid4nt, and,
because I was an advocate for complete suffrage, that
the Secretary of the Council (William Morgan)
thought proper to send me an account of this pro-
ceeding. One of the Magistrates was very curious in
asking me questions : he asked me about my going to
France, and who supplied me with funds during the
time; whether I went to Paris, or- anywhere else, and
a good deal of irrelevant stuff, which knew I had no
right to answer ; but I thought it best to speak to the
officious gentleman, knowinv, that he might be
peevish. After all this, they said now you are at
liberty to' take your papers and go ; but I took care
not to thank them.
Now, Sir, to conclude these remarks, I will just say,
that it is of the utmost consequence to the real Re-
formers of this country to be on their guard, for it
strikes me that there are a great many spies abroad.
If you think the above remarks worthy of insertion
in your excellent paper, you will oblige,
Yours respectfully,
MOSES CHAPMAN.
UPper'-mill, Aug. 25, 1842.

-MELANCHOLY SUICIDE OF A ;
GENTLEMAN AT CANTERBURY.
FRIDAY EVENING.—An inquest was held this .
morning, at the King's Head public-house, on the body
of a gentleman unknown, who was found under a tree
on the Dane John, on the previous evening. His dress
from his hat to his gloves, was of the best kind, and
his age from '25 to 30 years of age, but nothing on
his person could lead to any information as to his
name or connections. His great appearance of respect-
ability brought numbers of persons from the inns and
hotels in the neighbourhood, with the waiters and
drivers of hackney coaches, to see the body with a
view to its identity, but without effect.
The whole of the evidence consisted of- the deceased
person having been seen by two persons, Emma
Goldsmith and Anne Haveley, lying upon the Dane
John at half-past three on Thursday afternoon, and
their subsequent discovery that he was dead, when
they called the aid of the surgeon, D. B. Major, Esq.,
who gave his evidence as to the finding an empty
bottle of prussic acid on his person, and affirming,
frOin a post nzortem examination, that his death had
been caused by this means.
This being7the whole of the evidence, the Jury de-
cided upon posponing their inquiry till seven o'clock
on Mondity eyening.
Since the above was written the clerks at the post-
office have informed us that they believe the body to
be that of a person who applied at the office for a
money-order for 10s., on Friday evening. It being
past time, they informed him he could not obtain one
before the morning, when he exclaimed, in an almost
frantic manner, " Good God ! could my poor wife get '
the money to-morrow, it would save her from having
her things taken from her," The manner in which he
expressed himself, and the respectable way in which he
was dressed, caused them to speak to him, when he
told them that he was a chemist, had obtained money
from the club, and had but one penny left after send-
ing the money to his wife. They told him if he came
at nine o'clock on the following morning he could
send it by the day mail. Accordingly, at the ap-
pointed time he again presented himself at the Post-
a-lee window, when he gave his name Joseph Bridges,
and his wife, Elizabeth Bridges, who, it is supposed is
residing in the neighbourhood of Shoreditch.