A SALVATION ARMY CAPTAIN IN TROUBLE.

Ashburton Guardian, Volume IV, Issue 970, 15 June 1883, Page 4

A SALVATION ARMY CAPTAIN IN TROUBLE.

At lire Bath (Englaha]l Police" Court On April 2, William Joseph Powell, ** captain ” of the local Salvation Army, was charged with neglecting to contribute towards the support of the illegitimate child of one Melinda Elizabeth Harding. Complainant was a domestic servant, and was, few months ago, living in, " Sfcce then her Bath. Defendant was a, gentleman wnr BS^^Mcribed "Trim H f as an evangelist, and was the proprietor of a meeting-house in Newark street Bath. Complainant made the acquaintance of the defendant about December xSBo, and shortly after an intimacy commenced and a courtship took place, or, as the girl said, . they “ kept company ” together. In i February, 1881, Powell left Bristol and went to London for the purpose, as he Informed the girl, of preparing to take a command under “ penjeral " in the Salvatibri Array, and this intimacy existed for some time. So matters went on until the girl had lent him her

watch and also money. She wanted this watch and money back, and this

gave rise to a quarrel between them. The courtship for a little while was -discontinued. But the little quarrel brought a renewal of the love, and on May 8, 1882, complainant visited Bath for the purpose of adjusting with defendant some little differences that had arisen, and more especially as to something that he had been saying about her. She went to the “ barracks ”in Newark street, and there she was shown into a room which Powell called the vestry—a private room adjoining the meeting house. d At this time Powell was bolding week-day services, and on this Monday, after the service, about two o’clock, the girl saw him room, and after asking her why she’ came, and the .aid telline T him , her reason, be begarr'fo iry/to jierSlhad/ he/ to renew their courtship, and, upon.his promising to be faithful for the future, the cquissh>P was renewed. In February he left Bristol for London, and on the 4th March he wrote from Hackney, addressing her as |fs©ear Lizzie,” and ‘ regretting that he could not say goodbye before he left, but saying that he did so “ with heart.” The with “Pray for me as I do for you,” and “ I want you to write as soon as you get this, and if you can send a few stamps do, as you know how I am fixed.” She subsequently recovered her watch from a pawnbroker’s shop in Westgate street, Bath. Another letter from defendant, thankfully acknowledging the. stamps, contained the following; —•“ I have not the slightest idea where 1 am to be sent to, but it is apnatter/jf, indifference, as I am satisfied to go anywhere for Jesus. ... I want yoii ; to get.me the loan of a sovereign. . , . . Write by return of post, for God's sake. O 1 I wish 1 was alongside of you, I know I could coax you to do what I ask you.” Then followed a series of kisses, indicated by crosses. , A third letter acknowledged the receipt of the sovereign, informed her that where he was they were not supposed to keep company with any female until they were twelve in the wanted Her to " live, right until I am in a station, and tfaeoil will come and see you br send for you.” When he returned from' London he visited her, and she came to see him at Bath was ; bbnip' of which defendant was the father. Cross- ««!»«?$, - Fr?-*--a-post-card to her, saying, “ Deem hot to write Jp me, n£ npore,. yqu ): .wi|,ful- wanton.” !,f Defehdant cross-examined the co ,j)lainaqt.,in such an offensiye manner'tllit the Behch had to threaten to

committ him.. Ultimately they stopped . him, and hb'sat down saying, “ There’s y nothing the matter,, I sit; down.” Evidence in corroboration of complainant’s story was given by a number of witnesses. One George Lightfoot, a storekeeper of Chippenham, said that Powell did not deny ‘his intimacy with Harding, but said that since then he had beep converted “a second time.” Witness did not make love to defendant's present wife. He did notr-go? to*:her and say, “Miss Brown,rl Idesperately in love with jmu; 1 have Laop in the bank, and T will draw if’but and build you a chapel, if you will only marry . me.”— (Laughter.) He discharged from tne Army by defendant.: He never was a member ofdjt, had supported it. He jgjg spared, tp ipr/eit his life >if he .on,, bis . knees and admop^te^.^baji„ had tpld him sbi" and expressed fear of being’'JlrlfiiiiHutid 'Yor 1 libelling defen T , dan#** HeOnawt dii£ a thing.

He never “deformed” defendant’s charter,-,-i W.itoess,ftodfc *H6t a ’safe* 1 mons against defendant: tor having assaulted him, .op Old, Tptyn ibridge, by seeing him ijy the my character' I will’ ’ give you a thrash-ing-Wj|4pplause).The deferidant was denied tha t he had : had improper intercourse with the plaintiff at anv time,. 4 . He , had not the love for her ‘mat existed man and woman, when f tlieir natural affections were* tendered to each other.—(Laughter). He neyer pawned her yvatch, but -left it brother, and his wife pawned it. He loved her more than an ordinary female, because he believed she wtfS’ta' child of God. He kissed her every time he saw her, and when, he bade her good night. The COUrtshbjpasted, fyom, January, 10 to July," 1082 5 . 'He nqver, was in the vestry with her, but on the'Bth May he was at the barracks in the vestry getting 500 hymn-books to take to Chippenham, when upon going out he saw plaintiff there . charging a man named Carr with telling her to “ fry her face.”, (Laughter.) She l to' defendant : “ You knew, you hyppcrite, for you toldthem I was drunk.” Defendant said he would have/ no dlstdrbabce 'in the barracks, and forcibly put her outside the doorway. The Chairman of the Bench adjudged that any man ever left the Court with such a stain on his character as you .. have.” Theydec}gip n ' was received with cheering By the people in Court. Rowell gave .notice appeal. 1 h '

Some amusing, instances of the extreme, ignorance' of the candidates at ah examination are given in a report on the national system of education in Gape colony. Thus, one candidate describes London “ with a population estimating over a hundred million another gives it 30,000; a third gives 120,000,000 as the correct figure ; a fourth is under the impression that “ about 3,000" is correct; a fifth goes to “ about 300,000,000 a sixth supposes that Manchester has 200,000,000. One candidate describes the Kindergarten as follows; “I have merely a faint .recollection of- once hearing 'something aßoht the Kindergarten system”;, another states that “ Kindergarten was greatly defeated, and his army fled andHhe was killed." A third writes,

** I hare seen Kindergarten written above a door in some house in Cape Town, but unfortunately , that is all. ” The«e answers were written, not by boys and girls, but by young men and women, who, in their own opinion, were qualified to teach in government schools.