The Liverpool Standard and General Commercial Advertiser.
Liverpool, Merseyside, England, 1842-08-12 00:00:00

SOUTH LANCASHIRE 'siiiiimtß AgBIZES,

CROWN COURte—TvisDAY.

MISS CRELLIN'S CASE.
The intense interest excited by this case was indicted by
the crowds who besieged the doors of the court at an early
hour this morning. Even at seven o'clock a few eager spirits
had made their appearance in Chapel-street. By eight
o'clock numbers of ladies were seen pressing towards the
scene of action, and the doors of the Sessions'-house were
besieged in all directions. The ladies showed intense eager-
ness to obtain admission, and many speculations were ha-
zarded as to whether their anxiety were most excited to hear
the testimony, see the lady who had been carried off, or catch
a view of the far-famed priest of Gretna, the world-renowned
hymeneal blacksmith. Be this as it may, the interest they
displayed was excessive, and as sundry excellent rules and
regulations had been made in regard to admission, they
evinced the most laudable perseverance in their endeavours,
by smiles and entreaties, to bend the inexorable officers to
their wishes. The arrangement made by the sheriffs were
very complete ; and though the court was completely filled
long before nine o'clock, it was not at any time excessively
crowded. Of course numbers of the fair creatures were
greatly disappointed.

The case fixed to come on first was the felony, or ab-
duction.

The Clerk of Arraigns directed that John Orr M' Gill, 30,
Richard Jones, 31, Margaret Jones, 28 (his wife), Jane
Clayton, 29, John Osborn Quick,3o, and Thomas Wormand
Rogerson, 36, should be placed at the bar. They were in-
dicted for having at Liverpool, from motives of lucre, taken
away and detained one Ann Crellin against her will, she
having an interest in certain personal property, with intent
to cause her to be married to the said John Orr M'Gill.
[George William Duval was included with the above prison-
ers in other indictments, or with other parties, viz., James
Donlevy and Samuel Marlin Copeland, 21, for other acts of
conspiracy to obtain the property of Miss Crellin ; but these
were not placed at the bar.]
The counsel for the prosecution were Mr. Baines, Q. C.
Mr. Crompton, Mr. Wilkins. and Mr. Atherton. For the
prisoners : Mr. Armstrong, Q. C., defended M`Gill ; Mr.
Sergeant Murphy appeared for Quick ; Dr. Brown for Jones
and his wife; Mr. Brandt for Rogerson and Duval. [Mr.
Fitzgerald was retained for Mr. Donlevy; and Mr. Roebuck
and Mr. Aspinall for Copeland, alias Martin, and Jane
Clayton.]

M`Gill and Quick were very fashionably dressed with great
care, the former wearing slate-coloured and the latter canary-
coloured kid gloves.
All the prisoners except Margaret Jones took frequent
notes during the evidence of Miss Crellin, especially Richard
Jones, Jane Clayton, who used the pencil almost incessantly,
and Quick.
Miss Crellin was dressed in black satin, black veil, and
black silk bonnet.
Attorneys for the prosecution, Mr. Shuttleworth, and Mr.
Snowball.

Attorney for M'Gill, Quick, Jones and Wife, Rogerson,
Duval, and Donlevy, Mr. Grocott.

Attorneys for Copeland and Clayton, Messrs. Henry and
Thompson.
Mr. BArsEs opened the case for the prosecution. He said
that he had the honour to appear there, in conjunction with
several learned friends, as counsel for the prosecution in
this case, and he begged to state, at the outset, that the in-
quiry into which they were about to enter was one of an
extremely serious character. Not only was the crime with
which the prisoners severally stood charged serious in itself,
but it would be found that it had been committed under
circumstances of most extraordinary fraud and cruelty. The
prosecutrix in the case was an elderly lady of the name of
Miss Ann Crellin, living in this town, and now, he believed,
somewhere between 40 and 50 years of age. She was
possessed:of considerable property, some £4OOO or £5OOO,
consisting partly of money lodged in Heywood's bank, in this
town, partly of money lent on mortgage, and partly of a lease-
hold estate which she held under the corporation of Liver-
pool. Miss Crellin, as would be found before the inquiry
Lad proceeded very far, was a woman of remarkable weakness
of judgment and character, of great credulity, unsteadiness
of purpose, and weakness of mind ; but these qualities, which
would have entitled and secured for her, from men of ordinary
humanity and honour, forbearance and protection, must form
the exact materials on which designing, unpricipled, and
mercenary persons liked to work. In introducing the facts
of this case it would be necessary to go back to a period
'earlier than that at which he said the felony was committed,
in order to give some explanation of the circumstances that
then took place, which, however, were strictly evi-
dence against the prisoners at the bar, for not only
were the circumstances known to them, but they formed
the very groundwork of the pretext under which the
person of the unfortunate lady was secured by them. In the
course of the autumn of last year, a person of the name of
Martin introduced himself to Miss Crellin, and after some
time she agreed to marry him. It turned out afterwards that
he could not enter into any such a contract, he being already
a married man; but she knowing nothing of that, broke off
the engagement on other grounds, and he thereupon extorted
from her £250. That was on the sth of February, in the
present year. About a fortnight after that, which would
bring the narrative to about the 25th or 27th of February,
the prisoner M`Gill, who, he was told, was a dealer in cigars.
or something of the kind, in this town, was introduced to
the acquaintance of Miss Crellin. An invitation was given
to her by him to dine at the house of his brother-in-law,
Rogerson. She accepted the invitation. That was on the
28th of February. She went according to the invitation on
the following day. The persons present were Rogerson,
Mrs. Jones, with whom Miss Crellin at that time lodged,
M`Gill, Mrs. Rogerson, and several other persons. Miss
Crellin dined there, and stayed there all night. On the fol-
lowing day, which was the Ist of March, an excursion to
Cheshire was proposed, and the party went thither. They
went to Bidston Lighthouse, came back at night to the Egre-
mont Hotel, and slept there on the night of the Ist of March.
They were not all in company together during the whole day,
for Rogerson managed to detach himself from the party,
came over to Liverpool, called on a respectable clergyman,
Mr. Stafford, the minister of St. Paul's, and told him that a
marriage was to be solemnised on the following day, between
M`Gill and Miss Crellin, and asked him to hold himself in
readiness to solemnise the ceremony. Of all this Miss Crellin
knew nothing. Having done this, Rogerson rejoined the
party, bringing with him a large bottle of brandy. The party,
as he had before said, slept, ou the night of the Ist of March,
at the Egremont Hotel. On the morning of the 2nd, they
breakfasted there, and it was proposed that brandy should be
taken at breakfast. This was done. Some champagne was
taken afterwards, and the party then set out to go to the
steeple-chase at Aintree; which took place that day. Having
crossed the river, and landed at the pier-head, Mrs. Jones
and Miss Crellin got into a coach. Rogerson said that he
would meet them by and by ; went into a shop in a great
hurry, purchased a wedding-ring, and met the remainder of
the party at Sixsmith's public-house, which was at no great
distance from the place where they bad landed.
A slight circumstance then took place to which it was ma-
terial that the attention of the jury should be called. The
coach, containing Mrs. Jones and Miss Crellin, stopped at
Sixsrnith's public-house. Rogerson was there. Rogerson
brought out a glass of wine, or what appeared to be wine,
which he handed into the coach where the females were.
They refused to take it, and handed it back to Rogerson.
The moment before Rogerson had told the coachman to go
into the house and get something for himself to drink, but
instead of handing the glass that had been returned to him,
he threw the contents into the channel. It would be for
the jury to say, by and by, whether, taking all the circum-
stances into consideration, that was wine or not. The coach
afterwards proceeded to St. Paul's Church, and Miss Crellin
on perceiving that, asked " what is the coach stopping here
for?" Oh," said one, " you are going to be married to
M`Gill." Miss Crellin, in surprise, exclaimed that she had
no intention of marrying him, and then added, " when I am
married to any one, I shall take care to have all my property
settled on myself." It was in vain to attempt to persuade
her, and that scheme therefore failed. After this she went
back to Mrs. Jones's, and remained there for two or three
days, during which time repeated inquiries were made for
her by M'Gill, but she positively refused to see him. At the
end of that time she determined to leave Jones's house, and
to go to that of a lady of the name of Mrs. Chamley, a re-
spectable person whom she had known for many years, and
who would be a most important witness in this case. When
she had established herself there, Mrs. Jones and the several
other persons mentioned went to the house of Mrs. Rolton,
who lived on the opposite side of the street, and said that
they wished to be permitted to stay there to watch a lady
with a good deal of money, who was living on the other side
of the way. They also stated that they wished to have op-
portunities of watching her when Mrs. Chamley was out of
the way. There they remained hour after hour watching.
The learned counsel then proceeded to detail the other
facts of the case, as they came out in evidence, and concluded
by pointing to the statute on which the indictment was
framed, the 9th Geo. IV., commonly called Lord Lans-
downe's act, and to the provisions bearing upon the case.
As to the motive which had actuated the prisoners, he
thought there could be no doubt. It was evidently one of
lucre. As to the taking and detaining by force, he ventured
to submit that if ever there was a period, even for a moment.
when the prisoners were taking away this woman with the
motive stated in the indictment, or during which they de-
tained her against her will, then whatever might have hap-
pened afterwards, the felony bad been committed, and that
felony could not be purged, as the lawyers would say, by
subsequent events. If, therefore, Miss Crellin had even
Consented afterwards, it could not at all alter the features of
the case against the prisoners ; and the learned counsel cited
several high authorities to show that it was of no consequence
whether, after the prosecutrix had been carried away by her
Own
consent and inclination, she was ultimately married or
defiled with her own knowledge or consent.
Mss i
rt! Ann Crellin was then called. On being sworn,
ARMSTRONG objected to her evidence being received,
as, according to the opening of Mr. Baines, she was married
to
M Mr.
BA
hut even is it were
could not be a witness.
said he had not opened that she was married,
The learned 30 she was a competent witness.
at all affected the said there was nothing opened which
Mr. Aamssitosoadul(tiessib"i" of her evidence.
at Gretna Green ? G Miss Crellin).—Were you married
Witness.—l was not
Mr. Anass-raose.4 nay senses when I was married.
—I was married they said, You married at Gretna Green ?
Mr. ARMSTRONG.—Did see afterwards live with him in
Liverpool objected to "
being with him. I told him I
wished to go to Mrs. Chanstey_los, but I was not allowed. I
was kept a prisoner at Mr. tt gersou's house. I was not
allowed to open a door.
The examination of the witness by Mr cRo
M PTON was
then proceeded with. She deposed as foil"
be-
ginning of this year I was possessed of :" :—At the
in Eleysvood's and also in e England'sp . I
had moneybank.roperty
first
I had
a house in Liverpool. A year ago this month
Martin ; I was then living in Seymour-street.
watae camet sa
of to
a suitor see me a mouth before I left Liverpool. H
mine. I was engaged to be married to him, and heobtained
£250 from me. I afterwards saw M`Gill at Mrs. Clyton's
During the time I was there, Mr. Martin wished to be mar:
ried, and I wished to put it off. I knew Mrs. Jones; she
was a charwoman. I was first introduced to M`Gill by Mr.
Duval, on the 20th February. I had seen him I think about
three weeks before that, twice whilst I was at Mrs. Clayton's.
Mr. Duval said he wished to see me at Mrs. Jones's, to in_
troduce me to The first night I saw M'Gill he
asked me several times to be married. I declined ; I told
him it was a serious question. I went the next morning to
Jones's house, and it was proposed by M`Gill and Rogerson
to go over the water. M'Gill and Jones's wife were with
us; Rogerson followed. We went to Dr. Donlevy's, and
lunched there. Whilst we were there, M'Gill and Rogerson
went out to purchase me a cap. When M'Gill returned, in
about an hour, he said there were none smart enough for me.
It was then proposed we should, go to look through the light-
house, at Bidston, where we dined. We returned to Egremont
in the evening, first calling at Dr. Donlevy's. I staved all
night at the Egremont Hotel. and slept with Rogerson 's wife.
fTrliean next
morning we breakfasted there, and I had some
brandy, which was put in the tea from a bottle Rogerson had
brought over the water with him. I had also a glass of
champagne.
It was •then proposed that we should go over
the water, and thence
Ntic!Gainsteeple.cbase.
water with Rogerson, I went over the
and Donlevy. We got into a
carriage, and we were putstdown at St. Paul's Church. I
then asked what we hapsaigpirehd there for, and Lr. Donlevy
said, to be married.
be married, it had never byeevntomentioned
intention
before, wahnadt whateverbefore
o
.cpbearst: settled on
I did so I should have m
then drove off to the steeple myself. We
the evening. I slept at Jones's. several days after that
iorand returned again in
Dr. Donlevy, M'Gill, and Rogersoncalled separately to see ,