Year: 1865

chapter in the Bible the prisoner called
out, OTIS q lie; you had better leave of;
that will do " Those expressions could
be heard by the minister Mr. Spurgeon),
who called on the officers to turn him out,
and he (witness) assisted in doing so,-
The prisoner hallooed out at the top Of
his voice that he was Church Of Eng
land minister, and demanded an expla ma .
ton from Mr.. Spnrgeon, and made
great disturbance He damned Mr.. Spur
geon several times


Police constable Thomas Shannon, l4j
l., said at half past ten O'Clock the night
before the prisoner was locked up in a
cell by himself, and the moment be was
put in, he commenced knocking and kick
Ing at the door So violently that he broke
the lock He kept calling ont at the top
OF his voice, LET me see Spnrgeon,
want to see Spurgeon, p for length Of
time, aud much excited


Inspector Heath, of the L division,
here declared that the prisoner was the
most desperate man he had to deal with
in all his experience OF police matters.--


In fact he was more like an untamed
savage than rational being, and it re


Quired the united exertons of four pow.
erful men to remove him from the charge
room to the cell. The damage he had
done to the cell amounted to los, and
there could be no doubt that he was mad
drunk


Mr. John Addington, member OF Mr.


Surgeons congregation, said he knew


the prisoner well as general attendant


at the tabernacle, and had always obser.


we'd that he behaved exceedingly welluntil


the evening before He had also known


him to be u minister Of the Church of


England.


The prisoner, who complained of his


suffering in both body and mind, said


that much OF what had been stated ap-


peared to him like dream, as he had no


recollection whatever OF it. 1t was true,


he said, that he had been in the habit of
going to tho chapel of Mr. Spurgeon but
SO far from differing from that gentleman
he was ready to acknowledge that he had
not only agreed with, but admired much
, Of what he said and therefore he was at
perfect loss to account for his conduct


He would admit, however, that he had
been drinking before he went to the
chapel


MIR. Yardly here inquired if there were
I any of the friends of the prisoner present.
/! Us he should wish to know something of
: +, his recent character.


A young woman, who gave the name
/ of Caroline Wakefield, here got into the


witness box and said the prisoner, his
} wife, and two children lodged at the
= house of her father, Is Union street,
! Lambeth In reply to question from
i the magistrate, the witness reluctantly
admitted she had seen Mr. Gurney the


worse for liquor, but added that she be-
lieved he strove earnestly to do better
Mr.. Yardly observed that the cause fol
e tue prisoners extraordinary and disrepu-


table conduct was quite apparent. anc
. the fact of his being clergyman, 80 far
i from being an extenuation, was consid
d erable aggravation of his offence Had
], poor, illiterate, and ignorant man been
. guilty of similar misconduct, there would
! be no hesitation in Furnishing him and
why, he would ask, should there be any
l.. hesitation in furnishing the prisoner, who


from his position in life and sacred callins
,, as minister Of religion, should not only
! have known better but have set bette
y example 7 Under all the circumstances
i he felt bound to commit him to sever
y days Imprisonment


The prisoner appealed to the msgis
+, tratc to he more lenient saying he had
:, wife and two children dependent on bin
$ for support, and ifsent to prison must los,
I his appointment.


, Mr.. Gardly refused to remit the sen
! teuce remarking that ifthe question wa
/ put 10 him, he would say that he was no
e a fit person to hold the position of


clergyman