Star.
London, England, 1825-05-28 00:00:00

FANATICISM.

There is at present. we understand, in the parish of
Staverton, in Devonshire, a worn in, the wife of a shoe-
maker, and, until the last two or three years, a pauper of
that parish,
d who has assumed the title of " Mary Joanna
the is here!" and, a ith the assistance of a storm-
ma-on, of that parish, who appears to be the chi, f actor
in the business, has contrived to procure many followers
and believers in her pretensions to divine cornmunica-
dons. By the success which has attended her gross de-
ceptions, from a pauper she is now become an Aluent
person ; she has only to say (so great is her• influence
among her followers) that "the LORD says she must have
a- cloak, a silk gown," or anything else which she fan-
cies, and it is forthwith sent to her. The following
anecdote may spew the practical extent to which the im-
posture is cartied:----Her husband was in debt to some
tradesman, either cf Totness, or Ashburton, for leather.
The tradesman had tried several times to get his money,
but without success. He was at last advised to go to
the house on the day when her followers are in the habit
of assembling, which is Saturday. He accordingly
west, and presented his bill to the woman, seated in the
midst of her conclave. She received the bill, and after
looking the man full in the face for some minutes, she
took a stick, which she calls her wand, and going ar•d
putting her ear close to the wall, she knocked with the
stick repeatedly. After remaining these for some time,
she returned to the pkce, and said, 4, the LORD told her
that the b:11 must be paid, and those who had ten shil-
lings, must pay down five—those who had eight, four,"
and so on down to the lowest shilling. The command,
adds our informant, was immediately executed, and thus
the bill was discharged.
Her disciples think themselves exemptei, through
her instruction, from keeling Sunday holy, making Sa-
turday their S .bbath. Two of these, day-labourers,
were found pursuing their respective occupations on
t' e same Sunday, in view of the congregations assem-
bled at two different Parish Churches. One of them,
on being reprimanded for his conduct, observed, that
" he was working by command of the LORD, and that
no person • should prevent him from working." •
farmer, also, who was once a man of some property,
but who since he has become a iictim to the artifices of
this pretender to inspiration has been completely re-
duced to poverty, sent his boys and horses into the
'field, and ploughed the whole Sunday. The two la-
bourertwere summoned before the Magistfates for their
misconduct. They began by reading from a written
paper what they termed the divine communications of
this woman, and said she had received a command
from the Lonn that they should work on Sundays.—
When they were told they must 'be punished, the hys-
teric laugh of joy which burst fn m the hard thin
countenance of one of them, an old man nearly seventy
years of age, because he should suff:ir for the Loatis
sake, quite shocked the spectators. Both said they
hoped the Gentlemen would punish them—that they
would rather be punished than set at liberty. Trey re-
ceived their proper punishment, and afterwards de-
sisted from the offence. The pretended prophetess,
seeing she had gone too far, told them, 44 the Loa
only wished to try their courage, and there was no
ne
cess;ty for their perseverance in it." Afterwards they
o. ly worked privately on Sundays.--Devizes Paper.

BOAKD OF OOVEitNun9 AT MIDDLESEX
HOSPITAL.
--..0.--

PassouraT—Lord Roam Sersteee.
A letter of which the I illowing is a copy, was sent to
J. Lawrence: Middlesex Hospital, 21st May, leek
Lawkascs—lt having appeared in several Papers that the
body of Fanny Lawrence had been ili-used after death in this Hos-
pital, the Gov/croon are very desirous of discovering the facts and
circumstances of the case, in order to punish the persons guilty of
syeh conduct ip their Hoepitai,ani to convince her friends and doe
Public of their abhorrence of such transactions, and their desire to
prevent its being repeated M More, is *ell as to do everything in
their power to satisfy the friends of the poor woman on the pre.
sent occaiion; the if yiau, or any of them, will take the trou-
ble to come to the Hospital on Tuesday morning, about twelve of
on:: o'clock, you will be able to see the Governors on' he subject;
tam youeohedient,
Al)111L/t V DER SHEDDEN, Secretary.
The above letter having been forwarded to Deptford.
where John Lawrence works as a Civil Engineer, he
came up to town and waited upon the Board accord.
ingly, accompanied by the sister of the deceased, the
cousin, the undertaker, and other evidence.
John Lawrence, on being called before the Noble
President and a full Board of between thirty and forty
Governors and Surgeons, stated that his regard for his
late cousin, had induced him to leave his work at
Deptford, and come up to town to her funeral, which
was chiefly at his expense; that he was shocked at the
sight of the body, and bad called at the Hospital to
make his complaint, but could not get any satisfaction,
being referred to the undertaker. The undertaker now
stepped forward, and declared that he never before saw
a corpse in such a mangled state (during this stage of
the examination John Lawrence wept bitterly), that he
put it into the shell in the exact state that he found it,
and took it-home, accompanied all the way by John
Lawrence.
Sister of deceased examined—On the arrival of the
undertaker at No. 10, Circus-street, Noe-road, accom-
panied by her cousin, J. Lawrence, she then had the
first opportunity of seeing the body of her late sister,
and found it in such a disfigured, state, that had it not
been for a mark on the knee, froM a scald. she should
not have supposed it the same. It had been laid open
in the back, the whole extent of the front, also the
front-teeth had been taken out, and the ha'r of the head
cut off—(Here again John Lawrence wept alciud) ;
that the sewing up of the body was Most rude, and dis-
gustful, as the distance of the stitches left large ridge's
of flesh between, and the body altogether presented a
shocking spectacle.
Mrs. Pike examined—said she was landlady of the
house where the deceased had lodged, and was at home
at the time of bringing home the body. This witness
corroborated the preceding statements.
Mr. Tewson, House-Surgeon, examined—Acknow-
ledged that the body had been opened, in order to as;
certain if there had been any stricture in the rectum,
but denied all knowledge of extracting the teeth.
Mt. • a • 40, Assistant to the Surgeon, examined—
The Noble President called upon him to tell all that he
knew about the complaint before them. He ackncrar
ledged that he drew out the teeth himself. The Nobly
esident asked him how he could be guilty of such ad
outrage? In reply, he ' said one of the Surgeons ha 4
asked him to get him. some teeth. The Noble Presi;
dent demanded his name; but in this he could not suc-
ceed, the Surgery Man, preserving an obstinate silence
to that question, although —.— Rawlinson, Esq. Go-
vernor and Treasurer, and W Maros, Esq. M.P.
Secretary and Treason% repeatedly urged his reply