The Bennington evening banner. (Bennington, Vt.) 19??-1961, 1913-06-28
CLERGYMAN AND CRIMINAL
A Curious Character of the Eigh-
teenth Century.

cuted at Tyburn, England, for hav- |
ing forged a bond on his old pupil, |
Lord Chesterfield. Dodd's life seems
to have been full of incongruities
and inconsistencies. The average
man, with half Dodds training
would have turned out better. Birth
and environment seem to have made
their exception in this particular
case. Try as he could, he could not
keep straight. His whole life was
a continual contradiction. Dodd was
the son of a Lincolnshire vicar and
was educated at Cambridge. He
possessed talents far bewond many
men who have become famous.
His person was handsome, his man
ner witty and agreeable. He had
fine start in life and gave promise
of being good and great man.
But he lacked the balance-wheel
| OF common sense and uprightness.
| At the age of twenty-five he was in
London, without a profession and
| without an income, yet living in an
extravagant manner. He married
society butterfly as penniless as
himself and then began to take holy
orders. The church in those days
was looked upon simply as a profess
sion and even his father approved of
the step. From worldly point of
| view Dodd was a success as a minis
ter. He possessed a snowy oratori-
cal power which took well with
some people and brought him con
siderable fame in his own communi-
ty.
After cultivating most carefully
the art OF elocution, Dodd became
brilliant and popular preacher and
attracted multitudes of admirers.
| Meanwhile he and his gay wife lived
! in most extravagant style and were
| continually in pecuniary straits.
They set up coach and took a
country place and lived like nabobs
! Dodd wrote for the booksellers in
order to increase his income, but
was found guilty of plagiarism. He
took pupils of the wealthy at exorbi.
tant rates and then neglected them.
| He played the lotteries and once
drew ticket which entitled him to
5000 but this only served to lead
him into more reckless extrava
| gance.
In IVA Dodd was foolish enough
TO address an anonymous letter to
the wife of the Lord Chancellor. Of
offering three thousand guineas if, by
her assistance, DR.. Dodd should be
appointed to ST. Georges, then va
cant. The letter was easily traced
to Dodd, complaint was made to the
King, and Dodd was dismissed with
disgrace from his office as chaplain
to his majesty. The transaction was
produced as a farce at the Hay
market theatre In his shame he
retired for a time to the Continent
and on his return resumed preach
ing in London and bid fair for a
time to recover some of his old
time popularity, but importuned by
creditors, he forged the bond re-
ferred to at the commencement of
this article, was arrested, tried and
sentenced to death.
Soon after his conviction, Dodd
happened to bring abouSthe capture
of bandit who had held up his
coach and shot at Dodd, bringing
about the hanging of the highway
man, which fact so ingratiated him
in the hearts and estimation of some
OF the people as to cause petitions
for his pardon to be freely circulat
ed, pending the result OF which
Dodd began TO preach on "The Ere
quency of Capital Punishment incon
sistent with Justice, Sound POLICY
and Religion"
Petitions with twenty Thousand
| signatures were thereupon addressed
| to the King A cry was raised fol
his respite, for the sake of tn,
clergy, but 1t was answered that
IF the honor of the clergy is tarn
ished, It is by Dodd's crime. not b,
his punishmentr Dodd then ap
pealed to his friend, DR.. Samue
Johnson, who worked in his behal
with all the energy of his being. bu
in vain.
Johnson drew up petition of DR.
Dodd TO the King and of Mrs. DodC
to the Queen; wrote The Convict.
Address to his Unhappy Brethren.
a sermon which Dodd delivered il
the chapel of New gate; also DIR
Dodd's Last Solemn Declaration.
and various other documents and let
tiers to people in power, but all witt
out effect. The law was therefore
allowed TO take its course and Dodt
was conveyed in an open cart from
New gate to Tyburn and Their,
hanged in the presence of an i'm
menSe crowd
AS soon as his body was cut
down, it was hurried to an under
takers where It was placed in a hot
bath and every exertion made to re
store life. but in vain Thus ended
the singular life of a man of the
pulpit, extraordinary bright, talent
ed beyond the average person. witty
agreeable. yet lacking the one es
senual, common-sense. Tempted tC
make money dishonesty because Of
his great desire to live in a more
extravagant manner than an homes
living would allow and plunginl
from one disgraceful act into anoth
er in order to extricate himself
temporarily from his embarrass
I ment. At best. Dodd's life is a stud,
and well worth the consideration O
the psychologist.
Birth and environment seem no
to have played high figure in thi
case. Some will say that Dodd'
inclinations came from a more re
: mote ancestor, and that the power O
= his environment was not as stroni
as his natural tendencies. At al
events. the story OF his life point