Brighouse & Rastrick Gazette. — 1888-01-07 (Brighouse, West Yorkshire, England)

ALLEGED ILL-TREATMENT IN PRISON. In the course of an inquiry into the death of John Frost, a coffee•house keeper, who had been sentenced to a year and eight mrsiths' imprisonment for burglary, serious al/egatioids were made respecting his treatment in Clerkenwell Prison. According to the widow's evidence her husband, who had long been suffering from chronic bronchitis and heart disease, was in November admitted into Pentonville Prison. She received a letter, some days later, saying that the prison surgeon was "quite aware of her husband's delicate health, and had him under his special observation." On her going to see him, however, at the prison one month after his admission, he told her he had only that day been removed to the hospital from his cell, and that Ile was so bad that he had to be carried. He complained of being murdered, and alleged .that the doctor had called him an "old fraud"; that he had been given gruel to drink which he could not take, and set to pick oakum and clean his cell when lie was helplessly ill. He also said he fainted whilst in chapel, and had to be removed, and added that the surgeon was kind to him in the hospital, but his kindness came too late. .He enjoined her to make no complaint to the prison authorities lest he should fare worse in consequence, and explained that a letter he wrote to her which complained of the doctor and his assistant had not been forwarded; but another, written by a prison official, was substitoted for it. Witness, before leaving, asked to see the governor, but was told he was away.—The daughter of the deceased gave corroborative evidence. A doctor who had attended the deceased previous to his imprisonment said that in view of his condition, he should have gone direct from the Old Bailey to the prison hospital. —The deputy-governor of the prison denied that the deceased was admitted to the hospital as late as was stated. The letter referred to was re-written at the prisoner's dictatiomand his treatment was based upon the recommendations of the prison doctors. He had no personal knowledge of the man's treatment, and based his evidence upon official reports furnished him. —The inquiry was adjourned.  The expedition organised by the Dutch Geographical Society for the exploration of the Kei Islands, near New Guinea, will set out shortly. On the termination of this exploration another expedition will be sent to the Sunda Islands in the Malay Archipelago, All Saints' Church,Sudbury,was the scene of a very d isgracefuldisturbance during the watch-night service. When the most solemn part of the service was reached, three half-drunken men entered, bringing with them a quart bottle of liquor, from which they imbibed freely before the whole congregation. An audible conversation was carried on, and while the vicar was preaching they frequently interrupted him with irreverent remarks. It is said the men acted as they did for a wager. Mary Anderson, aged 62, who has been committed for trial on several charges of shop-lifting, was found by a detective, in Chelsea, with two bags, for the possession of which she could not give a satisfactory account. She told him she was Lady Gordon, thab she owned considerable landed property in the north of Scotland, but that by the failure of the Glasgow Bank she had lost £16,000. At the police-court she pleaded guilty.