Abuse Of Magisterial Auth...
The Times, 1824-12-09T00:00:00

The following statement has been communicated to us, upo01 the authority of those on the spot who had the best opportunity of knowving the facts as they occurred. On Thursday last, the Rev. JoIN BOND, Doctor of Divinity, one of the justices of the peace for the county of Miiddlesex, and proprietor of a seminary for the education of young gentlemen, at Hanwell, near Uxbridge, sent for LEVTCX, the constable of the hamlet, and lelivered into his custody SARAH CULL, one of his female servants, whom he verbally charged wit}1 felony, and ordered that she should be locked up in the Cage until the constable received further orders from him respecting her removal to town, for the purpose of being brought before the Magistrates at Marylebotie- office. The constable, in pursuance of the verbal orders whicb he had thus received, locked the woman up on Thursday evening in the Cage at Hanwell. These cages in country villages are in general pretty well known ; this at Hanwell is ten feet in length, and four feet in width ; the walls are of the bare brick; the furniture one stool, on the ground a truss of straw, without a particle of bedding or bed-clothing, fire, or candlelight. As small a portion of ex- ternal light isadmitted into this cell through a very narrow iron grating, as cannot be intercepted by the outer wall, of the building. Ia this cell did this wretched woman lie during the whole of Thursday night. Friday came, but no intimation of her removal ; and on the evening of that day she was visited by the constable, who suppliedi her vitth sonme warm beer. She tlheni complained to him of her sufferings from the inclemency of the weather, and the ab- sence of all accommodation, and entreated he would send for some of her fellow-servants. Two of the females im. nediately came to her, and brought a cloak or a blanket for her use; and at half past ten o'clock on Friday night, the constable, who had, up to this time, heard netlhing further from Dr. BOND, except that he had gone to London, locked up his prisoner for the night. Upoti- opening the door of her cage at nine o'clock on Satur- day morning to furnish her with some breakfast, he saw her extended upon the straw apparently life- less; her hand felt cold, aid fell as he endeavoured to raise it. Alarned at this appearance, heran instantly to Mr. EVANS, the medical attendant of the neighbourhood, and informed him of Ihis fears that the woman had perish- ed. The doctor quickly repaired to the spot, and on as- sisting to remove the wretched prisoner from her position in the cell, discovered some signs of animation, which, by the aid of restoratives, and being brought into the open air, were quickened into activity, and the woman recovered so far as to state, that she had spent the greater part of the nigbt in hysterics; that her limbs were benumbed, anid she had lost the use of them. Be3ing unable to walk, she was placed in a chair between two men, and removed to the Coach and Horses public-house iu the village, at 10 o'clock on Saturday morning, Nwhere she was pexmit.ted to remain until towards evening. She still continued in a-st4te of greatdebility, although every necessary restorative which the humanity of the place afforded was adrniistered to her by the doctor, the landlord, and the officers. Up to five.o'clock on Saturday evening, there being no order for the further disposal of the woman by the Rev. Dr. BOND, since his verbal commitment on the preceding Thursday, the landlord refused to permit her longer stay at his house. The constablewas terrified at the further peril of his charge under such circumstances, and Mr. BERiLY, the overseer of the poor of the parish, was called upon to take her under his care. He humanely complied, and the poor woman was broug,ht by three men in an arm chair from the Coach and Horses public-house, where she had been since morn- ing, to Mr, BaRRY's, whose wife immediately put her to bed, and attended her with the most humane attention. On Sunday the first intimation reached Hanwell that the Rev. Dr. BOND had reoollected he had left a prisoner in the Cage, avid this appears- to have occurred to him in conse- quence of a letter from Hanwel. Uponi the discovery of the perilous situation of --the woman on Saturday morning, a letter was transmitted specially to the Rev. Doctor in Lop don, apprizing iinr of her situation, ;esent on Sturda night.for'jhe fatherbf the poor woman, lio-i t. the parishzof-lgarylebone 'the, mother imniediately-taiteW upoUt hiim, audlhe infor-ned lbie", that he had received-ali.. ter (as she understood) from a medical gentlemiri at' Han- well, stating that her daughtc.r was ill, ad must-be sent for immediatelv. He did,-not state that he had left her in the Cage of the town from the previous Thursday, hut gave the woman a written paper, statinfg that it would bring her up.. The following is a copy of that paper, the original of which remaitjsin the handsof LEvrex,the constable of Hanwell:- 'i 10, Upper Berkeley-strect, Portnian-square. '4 Having takeni surety fior Sairah Cult'5sappearance at MtarylcTboncw office, I hereby authorize you to'relcase ler. "JOHN BOND, D. D. .To the Constable "Justice of the Peace for Middlesex. "t otheConstable of llanwell, Middlesex." On Sunday moriing the father (by desire) waited upon the Rev. Dr. BOND at his house, wlhen he told him that his daughter had robbed him of some things at the school at Hanwell, and that he had left her in custody there; but he repeated, that the paper which he had given the mother on the previous night would release her, on being presented by the father .to the constable at Hanwell. He, however, called upon the father to sign a paper which he held in bis hand, and whicb he' explained to hir was a bond or surety in the sum of 201., that he (the fatner) would produce the ,gi4 at the ?4arylebone police-offlce wheniever he called up- or him so to do. The poor nan signed the paper, and .went down on -Sunday to Hanwell, where the constable re- leased the daughter, upon having the note from the Rov. Dr. BOND delivered to him. The wvoman being unable to travel on the Sunday, fromn extreme debility, her father'was obliged to return to town withortt her, She was, however, removed at one o'eclock on Monday, in a chair between two men, from Mr. BEnty's house to the Coach and IHorses, where she was put ulpon one of the stage-coaches which left for town at that hour, and set down at as house in 9r6vi-strect, Paddington. Her mother described her yesterday'as being in a very debilitate ed state of health, and thatahe happeared to have lest the H'se of one side of her body. She walked with the consta- ble at the time of her arrest as if in perfect health, and made no coraplaint to hlim of bodily disease. She becaree much agitated, and was in a state of great distraction, from the time she was looked into the cell of the Cage which we have describel. WVitb respect to the nature of the charge of felony made against this woman, it was not particularized to the con- stable to whose custody she was consigned, nor did he, as he says, from the Thursday until the Sunday following, when the note from tlre Reverend Magistrate was brought, receive any further intimation from himn respecting his pri- soner; but the woman herself confessed that she had, taken some odd gloves which belonged to the school-boys, and most of which had been given to her, and some trap-balls and.knives and( forks; but she denied having taken or ap- propriated to her own use any of the boys' stockings, as had been imputed to her. The above is the narrative voluntarily given by the par- tics who had the best means of knowing the facts; any de- scription of the feelings with which some of the poor people related the parts which came to their knowledge, is care- tiklly supp'ressed. Without saying one word as to the moral character of this proceeding, we shallmerely remark, that provided the narrative be true, (and we have nodoubt of it), the iMfagis- trate appears to have committed three illegalities, which we shall state in the most general terms:- 1st. A Magistrate has no right to commit a person ver- bally, and without specifying the offence. 2d. The Cage is not a legal place of confincmnent one mi- nute longer than is necessary for the safe detention of a prisoner till such prisoner is exaniincd on a regular charge. 3d. A Magistrate has no power to release a prisoner, except after a regular examination: and in case of felony, he has no power to-accept bail. ABUSE OF AIAGISTERIAI, AUTHORITY.