The Liverpool Standard and General Commercial Advertiser.
Liverpool, Merseyside, England, 1845-10-21 00:00:00

THE LIVERPOOL STANDAitfi.

CHARGE AGAINST THE GOVERNOR OF THE

WORKHOUSE

On Saturday last Mr. J. W. Evans, the go-
vernor of the Workhouse, was summoned before Mr.
ushton, at the Police-court, to answer the complaint of
Mary Ann M'Clelland, who charged him with having
committed an assault upon her. The complainant, a
young woman decently attired, stated that about half-
past eleven o'clock on Friday, she went to the workhouse
with another female, Smith, in a cab, who was in a wretched
state, by order of a Mr. Richardson, her emp'oyer, when,
according to her evidence, she was violently threatened
by the Governor, who pulled her within the gate, locked
the door, and, in the presence of the porter and others,
called her "a drunken faggot" and other unseemly
names. Her master, Mr. Richard-ore having deposed to
the fact of his sending two women from his estebloihment,
which he described as a kind of private penitentiary,
stated that his servant was quite sober at the time.
Mr. James Graham, assistant house-surgeon and su-
perintendent of the Lock Hospital, was then sworn, and
deposed as follows :—Yesterday, about one o'clock, the
Rev. Mr. Chorner, who is our chaplain, and chaplain to
the Infirmary aad Lunatic Asylum, called upon me with
the complainant, who was crying. Mr. Chorner said she
appeared to have been very ill-used at the Workhouse,
where she had taken Smith, the Infirmary being too full
of patients to admit her. She then told precisely the
same story as she has told to-day, and we directed
her to make her complaint known at the Police-court.
She was quite sober at the time. Our porter went and
brought up Smith to our establishment, of which she is
now an inmate. She was decidedly in a very bad state, and
scarcely able to put one leg before the other. lam here
to-day partly by accident ; but as I was previously aware
that cases of this kind had occurred at the Workhouse, I
thought it my duty to coma forward in the present one.
When I was assistant-surgeon at the Workhouse for fif-
teen months, I have known persons to come there under
similar circumstances to these; that is, I have known
persons to come in coaches at night.
Mr. Rushton here remarked upon the necessity that
such cases ought to be reported at the time to the paro-
chial authorities, when Mr. Graham stated that he had
done so, and added, " I have saved Mr. Evans, the
governor, from a great deal of disgrace, and have proba-
bly saved some lives." Mr. Rushton then wished to
have the evidence of the cab-driver and Mr. Chorner,
who were ordered to be summoned. In the mean time
he allowed Mr. Evans to make his own statement, which
gave sorn,what a different version of the affair. He said
that the complainant, when she brought the woman, had
" a sort of jaunty tossing air," and was very much ex-
cited, which led him to the impression that she was tin-
der the influence of liquor; that be sent the patient in-
troduced immediately to the Assistant Surgeon to be
examined; and only then mentioned the disease which
she had, upon which complainant burst into tears, and
manifested great vexation that she should be induced to
accompany her. He solemnly denied that he had used to
her the language attributed to him. Mr. Rushton then
adjourned the case until two o'clock yesterday, to pro-
cure the evidence of Mr. Chorner and the cab-driver,
and to hear witnesses for the defence; and on Mr. Evans
stating his opinion that his own witnesses would so
clearly demonstrate the truth of his statement as to ren-
der it unnecessary to proceed further, in imated that it
was too serious a case to be disposed of without a full
enquiry.
The further investigation of the case was resumed yes-
terday afternoon, at a quarter to four o'clock, before NIT..
Rushton, Mr. Ilardmao Earle, and Mr Wm. Rathbone.
The magistrate who before sat with Mr. Rushton (in the
place of another) not being present, the evidence given
on Saturday was all read over, and Mr. Snowball, who
appeared for the governor; cross-examined the witnesses.
It appeared that the only part of the case which the Ins-
gistrates could deal with, was merely the alleged assault
on the complaining female, M'Clelland. The cross-
examination left the case in much the s rme position, but
an attempt was made to e icit from the complainant that
she had herself before been in bridewell, or before a ma-
gistrate. 'I his, however, utterly tailed, and she received
a good character from Mr. Richardson, and Mr. Graham,
assistant house surgeon at the Lock Hospital. An at-
tempt was also made to cast some stigma upon Mr Gra-
ham, with reference to some forreer disputes between him
and the governor; but this was also met by the witness,
and further recriminations were suppressed as irrelevant
to the case. The car-driver who drove the two females,
first to the Infirmary, and thence to the Workhouse, was
also called, and corroborated th'ir statement so far, he
having left them both at the latter place, w,thout having
heard or seen all that pas-ed. The woman Smith bore
testimony to the main facts. Mr. Snowball then called.
four witnesses, belonging to the wore house establishment,
who said they were present, some of them during the
whole affair, and others during part of it ; and they all
said they did not see the Governor conduct himself as
stated, arid that he neither laid hands upon the complainant,
nor used, towards her, the opprobrious language stated,
otherwise they must have seen the one and heard the
other. One of them, (the task-waster,) was himself at
first of opinion that the complainant (who is stated to be
a teetotaller) was drunk. from her being so agitated and
indirect in her replies ; but before she left he expressed
himself to the effect that he had been mistaken. These
witnesses generally, said that they had never heard the
Governor use such language as that imputed, and did not
believe him capable of doing so; also, that when he saw
the complainant crying bitterly, he endeavoured, in the
lodge, to console her. Mr. RUSHTON, at the close of a
long investigation, (ot' two hours.) said that he and his
brother magistrates were of opinion that the charge of
assault was not proved, but he was sorry that the humane
intention of the parties who had sent the diseased poor
woman to the house, had been defeated by a some-
what precipitous rejection. He thought some proper
arrangements should be made to meet such cases of
emergency, and that the officers of the workhouse should
not s and upon the strict letter of the law. It was clear
that the woman was ill and in pain, and it would have been
an easy matter to give her a note to the Lock Hospital,
where she would have been immediately taken in without
scruple—in place of being left friendless in the street.
It was probable that as the word " prostitute" had been
used, the complainant had taken it up as applied to herself,
and hence her agitated manner. There was, he thought,
no imputation upon her character ; and he acquitted. Mr.
Evans of the assault, and also of the foul language imputed.
He should have been surprised, indeed, had the result of
the enquiry led him to a different result. The parties then
quitted the court.

THE CASE OF DROWNING NEAR SUNDER-
LAND.

The fol'orving additional particulars relating to the
dreadful calamity, mentioned in another column, which
occurred at Hendon, near Sunderland, on Wednesday
last, will be read with melancholy interest:—
It aepeare that the younger Baird when he lost his
footing was not tar from another boy named Scott, and
Lennie was beside another named King. Scott was an
excellent swimmer, and he heroically exerted himself to
save Baird, who, it appears, was either not a swimmer
or swam very indifferently. He was unsuccessful, how-
ever. owing to the strength of the waves, and the des-
perate energy with which he was held by his youthful
companion. It was oily by diving and swimming for the
shore that his own lite was saved, and even teen be
would probably have been lost, but for the circumstance
of the tutor ( Downes) grasping him as he was sinking,
quite exhausted, near the shore. On his coming to
land he was unable to stand, and had to lie down some
time extended on the earth before he fully recovered. The
boy Lennie, after every effort to save him by King, seems
from trepidation to have lost his hold of his gallant com-
panion, who t en, greatly exhausted, was drawn ashore by
Downes. Lennie, a moment or two after,was seen floating
with his back partly above the water. Iu tbisextremity Mr.
Baird, who, though he is an excellent swimmer, had not,
on account of his health, entered the water for some years,
nobly hazarded his life and plunged in. After some swim-
ming, he at length reached the buy, whom he laid hold of
and pushed towards the shore ; but, before he came with-
in feeling of ground, his strength failed him, and he left
hold of his little charge, and was sinking himself, when
Mr. Wilson, one theorhertutors,observing his extremity,
pushed towards him a scaffolding stake several yards in
length, which. reaching Baird, he with one hand caught
hold of it, and with the other grasped the boy. Wilson,
who before pushing the stake had been swimming strenu-
ously in the same direction, speedily got hold of the other
end and assisted Baird, with the untortunfee boy, ashore.
The boy, however, who had not been more than 10 mi-
nutes in the water, could not be recovered, though taken
immediately to the bath-house, and every exertion made
by Dr. Brown, Mr. Dixon, and Mr. Ward, three medical
gentlemen, who were shortly in attendance. Little is
known of the tutor Speciall and the elder Baird. Mr.
Speciall was seen exerting himself to reach Scott and the
younger Baird, and, as the elder Baird was also seen near
him, it is supposed he perished in attempting to save his
brother, as there is no doubt that the tutor Speciall was
lost in that way. All the bodies were found, on the re-
ceding of the tide, near to where they were drowned, in
a part called Hendon Smooth. Speciall, who belonged to
Sunderland, where his brother, who is also a schoolmas-
ter, resides, was a very amiable and intelligent young
man, of considerable attainments and very great promise.
The family at the Grange have been thrown into the
deepest distress by the melancholy occurrence, which has
produced a strong degree of sensation throughout the
district. It is considered that at so advanced a period of
the season. and after the cold unfavourable weather ex-
perienced for some time past, the bathing might have been
dispensed with ; but, on the other band, it may be stated
that the day was extremely mild, and the pupils were re-
markably fond of the healthful recreation, to which they
have been long accustomed, and that many of them were
excellent swimmers. In consequence of the great decli-
vity of tae shore, caused by the silting up on each side of
the breakwater, the backwater, or reflux after the wave
has spent itself, which forms an under-current next the
ground, was very strong, which made the difficulty of
regaining a footing after having once lost it extremely
great. In any other part of the beach no danger from
this cause existed, and the shore between Hendon and
Sunderland is generally considered safe for bathers at all
times of the tide, and it is frequently resorted to by the
inhabitants of the town and district. An extensive bath-
ing establishment exists at Mendon.

St. SIMON'S DISTRICT.—On Sunday morning last.
after a sermon by the Rev. Hugh M'Keile, the sum of
£74 was collected at St. Jude's Church, in aid of the fund
now raising for the erection of a church in St. Sim?r!, 3
district. We congratulate our readers on the probability
there is of this desirable object being now speedily accom-
plished, and no doubt the promoters of it will be grateful
for this seasonable addition to their funds.

The Globe of last night calls her Majesty's
trip to
Liverpool, aboutswhich so much affected knowledge has
been manifested by a ,local contemporary, •‘ A far off
visit,"