Public ledger. [volume] (Memphis, Tenn.) 1865-1893, 1877-07-18
TremrndOua RaseaIi,y.


London Daily Times.l
Richard Marsh Watson, aged 81,
a tall, gentIemanly man, who was
described as. an ecclesiastical agent,
who plead guilty at the last session
to a Charge of sending a threaten
ing letter to a lady in Bath, de-
handing GsOO of her with menaces,
was up for Judgment at the Central
Criminal Court, before Mr.. Justice
Lush. The prisoner was formerly
a clerk in holy orders. He became
acquainted with the family Of a
gentleman in Bath, who was also a
Clergyman Of the Church Of Eng
land, and rector OF a parish near
Bath, and the prisoner ultimately
married one of this gentleman's
daughters. He subsequently went
to dwell in Blackeath, and his wife's
sister, the prosccutrix, went to re-
side with them. The prisoner, in
1864, seduced his wife's sister. The
prosecutriA had some money, and
shortly after the birth of her child
the prisoner began to threaten that
he would expose her to the world,
and thus drew large sums of money
from her. This continued dowl to
1875, by which time the prisoner
had nearly all her money. Then he
desisted from his proceedings, and
there was a lull until March last.
At that time the prosecutrix, by the
death of her mother. came into pos
session of a small sum of money,
and the prisoner wrote her, threat
ening that unless she gave him
92O0, he would expose the relations
that had existed between them.
The prosecuting lawyer said hat
there were good grounds for beliey-
ing that the prison had been carry
ing on a moss diabolical system Of
seduction with reference to other
young women, and it appeared from
a letter in his handwriting that wa
found at the Office where he had
lately been carrying on the business
of an ecclesiastical agent, that he
was urging one young lady to live
with him as her husband. Another
document was also found in the
prisoners Office, which tended still
more to show his disgracelul con-
duct, and Mr.. Seymour could not
help expressing his surprise and
horror that a married man, holding
the sacred Office of the prisoner,
should have been guilty of such con-
duct. The document is as follows:
"SEPT. 20, 1876.-I, Emily -
take you, Richard Marsh Watson,
from this day forth to be my we'd
ded husband, and | now swear to
love you faithfully during our we'd
ded life, aud that | will lawfully
marry you as soon as You are free,
and that | shall in the meantime
love you as your lawful wife, and |
swear this in the name Of the
Father, Son and Holy Ghost.
g "EMILY -"
Mr.. Straight, on behalf of the
prisoner, said that he should not en-
deayor to apologize for the conduct
Of the prisoner, or enter into any
matters which the prisoner might
have considered some justification
for his demand for money, and he
would only say on his behalf chat
he had suffered seriously from scrof-
ula, and that he had been compelled
TO have one Of his legs amputated
He also said that from the time
when the charge was first preferred
the prisoner had not instructed bis
solicitor to put a single question t
the pro.ecutrix that could have
given her the slightest pain, ant
; that he had pleaded guilty, aud nov
t expressed his deep repentance 70.
: what he had done.
e Justice Lush imposed a sentsnc
of pencil seryitude for twelve yeas
e The ferries in Boston are all owne
by the city, and q proposition to abolis
ieres is being seriously considered b