Glasgow Courier. — 1855-12-04 (Glasgow, Strathclyde, Scotland)

EXTRAORDINARY DELUSION.  On Wednesday, at the Central Criminal Court, London, Joseph Berridge, aa elderly man, of very respectable appearance, surrendered to take his trial upon an indictment which charged him with feloniously sending • letter to one William Brown threatening to murder him, The prisoner pleaded guilty to having sent the letter, whereupon Mr. Ballantine, the counsel for the prosecution, then stated to the court the extraordinary circumstances under which the ',resent charge had been preferred. The prosecutor was a gentleman ef high position and great respectability, who at present filled the office of rector of the parish of Leatheringset, in Norfolk. Nearly 20 years ago he resided at Cheam, and at that time the prisoner lived in the same neighbourhood, and he was extremely intimate with the prosecutor and his family. About this time the prisoner got married, but the prosecutor went into Norfolk, and all intimacy between them ceased. It appeared that the prisoner had several children by his wife; and It would seem that the extraordinary delusion had entered his head that he was not the father of these children, but that the prosecutor, the Rev. Mr. Brown, who had never hardly seen his wife, was in i.e.dity the father of them. Under this supposition the prisoner had at various times written threatening letters to the prosecutor. But at length he was satisfied that the prosecutor was not the father of his children; but an equally extraordinary delusion appeared to have entered into his head, which was, that if he were not actually the father of the children himself, he knew who was, and he insisted upon his telling him. Linder this impression the prisoner wrote several threatening letters to the prosecutor; and in May and July he received some from hint in which he threatened to kill him if he did not give him the information he required. The prosecutor bore with these proceedings for a long time patiently, treating the letters of the prisoner as the ravings of a lunatic, but at length an occurrence took place which rendered it absolutely necessary that some other proceedings should be taken. In the letter which was the subject a inquiry the prisoner had threatened to kill the prosecutor in the pulpit, and in September last, when the prosecutor was about to officiate in his church, the prisoner was observed to enter the building, and he was stopped and searched, and some balls and percussion saps were found upon hint. He had also a bag in his hand, which there was no doubt he had brought by mistake from the inn where he was staying, for when he was taken back his own bag wan found, and in it, among other articles, was a Minle pistol, ready loaded, with all the materials necessary to carry out the threat he had made. Under these circumstances the prosecutor felt that he had no alternative, in order to protect himself, but to institute these proceedings. The learned counsel said he need hardly state that there was not the slightest vindictive feeling on the p.rt of the prosecutor against the gentleman at the bar—he knew that be was labouring tinder a delusion—a genuine delusion, which he believed nothingeould alter; at the same time he was extremely anxious that he should net lose his own life in consequence of that delusion. Mr. Clarkson, counsel for the prisoner' having I stated that there was not the slightest ground for the suspicions his client had entertained, that the prosecutor was entirely purged from the accusation, and that the prisoner now felt sorry for what he had done, it was proposed and agreed that he should enter Into sureties to appear •nd receive judgment if he should be called upon to do no. Mr. Justice Erie entreated the prisoner to use his best endeavour to free his mind from the miserable infliction under which he was suffering, and after the required sureties had been entered into he was discharged.