The Liverpool Standard and General Commercial Advertiser.
Liverpool, Merseyside, England, 1842-12-06 00:00:00

THE VIRGINS OF THE TYROL, AND THE EARL

OF SHREWSBURY.

Protestant Association-office,
11, Exeter Hall, London, Dec. 2, 1842.
MR. EDITOR,—In your paper of to-day is a letter from
Lord Shrewsbury, attempting to cast discredit upon a state-
ment made by a correspondent of mine, residing at Cham-
bery, respecting one, if not both, of the unhappy women,
with whose shameful and indecent blasphemies* his lord-

ship's mistaken credulity has led him to associate his name.
1 will merely state, in reply to his lordship's letter, that I
have known my con•espondent for years, can fully rely upon
the accuracy of every communication made to me by that
individual, who could have no possible object in fabricating
a falsehood upon the subject ; and that, at present, I see no
reason whatever to doubt the truth of the statement in ques-

tion. I have, of course, written for the information promised
by my correspondent, and will give it to the public directly
it arrives. There is quite enough, however, in Lord Shrews-
bury's pamphlet itself, to convince any one of the wicked-
ness and fraud of the parties concerned in the fabrication of
these miracles. They are, in fact, nothing more than a
bungling repetition of " pious frauds and cheats" again and
again resorted to by the Romish Church, the transparent
trickery of which is easily detected, and which have been
consequently again and again exposed by Roman Catholic as
well as Protestant authorities. Every reader of ecclesiasti-
cal history, and especially every student of the Romish con-
troversy, must be familiar with such things.
Lord Shrewsbury says that he is " intimately convinced"
that the statement is not true; and a Roman Catholic cor-
respondent of an evening paper, dating his letter from the
Alfred Club, says :—" I have before me abundant evidence
to satisfy me that the information there given (in the letter
from Chambery) is wholly and entirely contrary to the fact.
Why then, let me ask, does not Lord Shrewsbury, whose
own name is so intimately connected with these virgins, give
the public the facts which have led to his lordship's being
" intimately convinced" of the fallacy of my correspondent's
statement? Why does not the heroic champion of these
virgins, who dates from the Alfred Club, at once and for
ever vindicate their questioned honour by giving to the pub-
lic eye the " abundant evidence" which he boasts of pos-
sessing ? Surely nothing can be easier, if they or either of
them possess such abundant evidence, than to give publicity
to it, and thus disabuse the public mind. I should, for one,
be rejoiced to see it, for it would convince me that I might
possibly be wrong in arriving at the very painful conviction
that these existed a British Peer weak and superstitious
enough to believe, on very improbable and totally insufficient
evidence, a most blasphemous and clumsy device as a true
miracle, which was, in fact, the offspring of it may be clever,
but still unscrupulous priests.
Let me, however, whisper one word in the ear of both

these champions of Rome. They appear to be " very easily
satisfied." They find no difficulty in believing that the God I.
of love, who, when on earth, went about doing good, healing
the sick, and dispensing blessings with an unsparing prodi-
gality, now manifests His Divine love by inflicting the most
excruciating tortures on an innocent female ; not by the way
of fatherly correction, for no earthly being can be more holy
than these women are represented to be, but making her
miserable as a special mark of Divine favour for strengthen-
ing the faith of others. The particulars of the sufferings of
the Addolorata, as given by Lord Shrewsbury, are so horri-
ble that the mind capable of attributing their parentage to
God's love to the suffering woman must be a credulous and
perverted mind indeed. These two Romish apologists find
no difficulty in believing that " blood flows upward ;" that
" the sheets upon which this child of sorrow lies, and upon
which so much blood flows every week from so many wounds.
ARE NOT STAINED WITH THE LEAST DROP OF BLOOD; and
though the sheets of her bed have never been changed for
five years (1839) they are still perfectly clean !! 7" that
" a person lived without food for twenty years in perfect
health and strength ;" and other equally ridiculous, and,
when clothed with the mask of religion, pre-eminently mis-
chievous and wicked fabrications. No wonder they are saga-
cious enough to bring before the public not one shred of the
" abundant evidence" which " intimately convinces" them.
The public are not so easily satisfied—at least, if they have
any remaining claim to be considered " discerning." • What
would satisfy Lord Shrewsbury's mind or the mind of the
writer from the Alfred Club would not satisfy the thinking
mind of an enlightened Protestant, and therefore they do
well and wisely to keep such " abundant and intimately con-
vincing evidence" locked safely up at Hornby Castle and the
Alfred Club still.
Lord Shrewsbury flatters himself too much, and conceals
from his own mind a fact of which it certainly ought to have
been " intimately convinced" long before this, when he says,
alluding to the promised statement of my correspondent,
" When this authentic statement comes, which of course Mr.
Dalton has requested, the public will then see where the im-
position lies." Begging his lordship's pardon, the public
have long ago seen and known where the imposition lies.
The publication of his lordship's pamphlet sufficiently
pointed the public eye to the scene of imposture, and the
public were far too enlightened not to see through the dis-
graceful fraud practised on the credulous population of others
countries, and far too generous, led me add, not to deplore
the unfortunate credulity which could lead a peer of such
high rank and connection to prostrate his mind before so
palpable an imposition.
It only remains for me to state that I have no connection,
and very sincerely hope that I never shall have any connec-
tion, with the Weekly Dispatch, which has given its readers
a naragraph upon the subject. The Dispatch must answer
for its own faults, and, certainly, if the editor of that paper
has fallen into a mistake, I fear it is not the first by many
thousands.
I have the honour to remain, Sir,
Your obedient servant,
EDWARD DALTON, Sec.

* This language may appear strong, but a reference to
Lord Shrewsbury's account of these women will at once
justify it. The account published for the Irish by the Rev.
F. C. Ilusenbeth is still more intolerably loathsome and
wicked. Probably Lord Shrewsbury thought that the Eng-
lish were more refined than the Irish.

Boz's NEW WORE.—Agreeably to the promise made by
Mr. Charles Dickens when he stopped " Humphery's Clock,"
he commences the publication of a new work in January
next. The title is to be " The Life and Adventures of Mar-
tin Chuzzlewit, his relatives, friends, and enemies, compris-
ing all his wills and his ways; with an historical record of
what he did, and what he didn't ; showing, moreover, who
inherited the family plate, who'came in for the silver spoons,
'and who for the wooden ladles. The whole forming a com-
plete key to the House of Chuzzlewit."
NUNS OP A NEW ORDER.—The Gazette de Mons states
that a few days ago four women, in the attire of nuns, pre-
sented themselves at the residence of M. Laurent, at Carni-
eres, and demanded permission to pass the night there. The
servant, not liking the appearance of the supplicants,
signi-
fled her disinclination to admit them to her master, and their
request was refused. Exceedingly disappointed, the holy
travellers were obliged to reascend the cart which had brought
them, and continued their journey. The gendarmerie, how-
ever, hadbeen informed of the visit that had been made, and
very unceremoniously instituted a search into the real cha-
racter of the travellers, when it was discovered that they
were men in disguise, and that the cart contained some fire-
arms and swords. The pretended nuns were in consequence
arrested. •
-- • •

EXTRAOROINARY INFATUATION. -- At the Worship-
street Police-office, London, on Wednesday, Harriet Sur-
grove, a young lady of very interesting appearance, aged 22,
was charged by her father, the Rev. John Surgrove, the rec-
tor of St. Mary, Somerset, Upper Thomas-street, with hav-
ing absconded from home, taking with her the whole of her
wardrobe, and also with having obtained goods in his name
from different tradesmen. The rev. gentleman, with much
emotion, stated that he was under the painful necessity of
charging the defendant, who was his youngest daughter, with
having absconded from home in company with his gardener,
a young man named William Godfrey, and with having, since
her departure, obtained a variety of articles from different
tradesmen on his account. On the morning of Sunday last
he left her in charge of his house in Dalston-terrace, during
his absence at church, and on returning home in the after-
noon he found that she had gone away, and had removed
the whole of her wearing apparel and everything belonging
to her. He remained ignorant of the circumstances con-
nected with her flight until the preceding day, when a per-
son called at his house, and informed him that she was seen
leaving the house on Sunday morning in company with the
gardener, who carried a large bundle, and that she had taken
refuge at a coffee house in Shoreditch. On receiving this
information witness called the gardener (who had come to
his work as usual, and acted as if nothing had happened,)
and after charging him with the abduction of his daughter,
he insisted upon being shown the way to the house in which
she was located. The young man consented to convey him
thither, and it was the intention of witness to give him into
custody on the road, but the latter, who apparently antici-
pated his design, gave him the slip, and effected his escape.
Witness then procured the assistance of Serjeant Dubois, of
the N division, with whom he repaired to the coffee-house in
Shoreditch, where be found his daughter in a wretched apart-
ment on the second floor, and he gave charge of her to the
officer. He said he knew of no motive to induce his daugh-
ter to act as she had done unless to contract a clandestine
marriage. She had always been treated kindly at home, and
had been expostulated with by her brother and sister. The
magistrate, after advising the young lady as to the folly of
her course, said he had no power to deal with the case.
SYSTEMATIC ROBBERIES.--A man of the name of Shantou
was last week brought before the magistrates at Clerkenwell, on
a charge of robbery. The disclosures made at the examination
disclosed a series of as gross and impudent impositions as
were ever yet exposed in a police-court, and the prisoner's
demeanour throughout was callous to the highest degree of
effrontery. In 1834 the prisoner lodged, under the name of
Stanton, at the house of a Mr. Collins, 31, Cadogan-street,
Chelsea. Whilst there he ordered a dress coat, value
£3 Bs., from Mr. Fairbank, tailor, ISt, Sloane-street, for
which he was to pay cash. 'When the coat was brought he
wrote an order, purporting to be upon Sir J. Scott Lillie, for
£4 35., desiring the messenger to see that the waistcoat to
match the coat should be immediately finished. The man
went back to Mr. Fairbank's know if the order would be
accepted, bu by the on returning, the direction of his employer,
to insist upon cash, Mr. Stanton had bolted, takingwith him
two silver spoons, value 205., the property of Mr. Collins,
his landlord. This was on the 13th or 14th of December,
1834. The next feat of ingenuity was exhibited at 13, West-
bourne-street, Pimlico, where he took lodgings with a poor
charwoman named Clifford, to whose daughter (for whom be
ultimately proposed and was accepted) he paid assiduous.
court. He stated himself to be possessed of property of
from £2OO to £3OO a-year,
mar-
riage took place his wife's mother should live with them in
and proposed that when the
the capacity of a servant. To this the poor woman joyfully
assented, and drew out a £lO note which she had in the
bank—her whole earthly possessions—to procure her daugh-
ter's marriage with so desirable a husband. The prisoner,.
however, instead of fulfilling the contract, stole the £lO note-
from the mantelpiece, and absconded with the spoil. This.
occurred on the IGth of January. 183. In January, 1838,,
the prisoner went to a tailor at Chelsea to order a pair of
dress trousers. This person proved to be
hthe same who took
him, the dress coat from Mr. Fairbank te year before, who,
immediately recognised the prisoner and requested him to
call again. He did so, and the attendance of Hughes,
the
then parish constable of ChelsFirsa.ee,cinuheinsvttionogcfubtsietloeendcypo, rnaosnctdaurbtel
eadi:
taken
niet
ttho,e‘ittriile_ast,lleep, rwishoenreer, watatshge
en ded. Whilst the prisoner was. under remand,
rusglLs'dainscovered that he had been lodging.. in the April of
1835, at the houGseaoinfsafolVrldr..sStrteaeffto.rdis,iwingatteohn,anwdhcehnrcoenioiemehtael
maker, No. 9,
stolen, on the 2Gth of that month, two silver watches and
chronometer, value £3O. In 1835. be lodged with a lade;
Elizabeth Tattet, No. 1, Prince's-square, Kennington.
One Sunday, when Mrs. Tattet, was about to go to church,.
the prisoner feigned illness, and said he would take care or
the house, requesting the lady to lend him her Bible, which.
she did. During her absence he broke open her drawers,
from which he took tie sovereigns, some plate, and other'
articles, to the amount of £l9, with which, together with the
Bible, he absconded, leaving the house open. For these
things sentence of death was recorded against the prisoner,
but this was commuted to transportation for life, and that
agairi,to a term of years in the Penitentiary. After the ex-
piration of this term, the prisoner continued to follow up the
same course of fraud. After the examination, a truly dis-
tressing scene was wit,Aessed. A poor woman, to whom the
prisoner was married in,1827, appeared with her child, about
12 years of age, a daughter of the nrisoner, and requested the
magistrate ta induce him 'to give up to her the pawn-ticket
of a bed, but the prisoner affected not to know her. The
females in court would have inflicted summary vengeance
upon the prisoner but for the protection of the police.