THE CHARGE AGAINST LORD ST. LEONARDS.

Te Aroha News, Volume II, Issue 59, 19 July 1884, Page 3

THE CHARGE AGAINST LORD ST. LEONARDS.

At tho Central Criminal Court, London, on 23rd May, the Right Hon. Edward Burten* shaw Sugden, Lord St. Leonards, was placod upon his trial before the Recorder for an indecent assault upon a young woman named Emma Cole, The defendant has been in custody since his oommittal, and was brought up as an ordinary criminal, Mr C. Matthews, Mr Keith Frith, and Mr Black well appeared for the prosecution, and Mr Eiward Clarke, Q.C., and Mr Grain were counsel for the defendant, The defendant, who was stated in the calendar to be 36 years of age, pleaded nofc guilty. MrC. Matthews briefly opened the case to the jury, andsaidthat thedefendant, who was commonly called Lord St. Leonards, was charged with violently assaulting a young woman named Emma Cole, and but for the rank of the prisoner the case was one of a very ordinary description, and the facts lay in a very narrow compasg. The prosecutrix would tell her own story, and which would be corroborated in several important particulars, Emma Cole said that she lived at No. 12, Victoria Road, Twickenham, and was domestic servant to a gentleman named Crawford. She had only seen the defendant once before the Gth of May, when the assault was committed, and she had never spoken to him before thatday. On theevening of the Gth May she was at home, and a man named Dettmar was at work in the garden. Her master and mistress had gone out, and she was alone in the house, when there was a knock and ring at the door, and on opening it she saw Lord St. Leonards, who inquired if her master and mistress were at homo, and she told him they were not. He appeared to be intoxicated, and she tried to shut the door, but he prevented hor by placing his foot inside, and he succeeded in getting into the house. He then asked for a pieco of string to tie up a dog, which he said he had just bought for half-a* crown. She was about to get a piece of string for him when he caught hold of her by tho left breast and acted indecently to hor. Sho tried all she could to get away from the defendant, and after a short struggle she succeeded in getting away from him, and the man Dettmar made his appearance. What she had described took place in the private parlour, and after sho got away from the defendant sho went downstairs, and at the same moment s>he heard Dettmar say that they did not keep string there for dogs. The defendant then loft the house and returned in about five minutes, and asked for his pipe, and a clay pipe which he had left in the parlour was given to him. When her mistress returned homo she made a complaint to her, and on the following day she was examined by a doctor, and she siiowed bruises! on her left breast. Cross-examined : She had been in Mrs Crawfurd's service a fortnight when this happened. Before that she had been in a situation at Stoke Newington, but she did not believe that Mr Crawfurd made any inquhies there about her. At one time she used to work for a Mrs Giles, and she used to walk about with a girl named Alice Long, but she was not aware that this girl used to walk the streets. She had walked out with different men in an evening. While sho was in her place at Stoko Newington a complaint was made of her stopping out all night, but this was in consequence of her having lost the train. She did not tell her mistress that she had been taken to a bad house. She stayed out all night on two occasions. They were two nights following, and she did not like to go home a/ter the first night. Sho left the situation at Stoke Newington to get manied, and she introduced a man to her mistress as her intended husband. Shu did not know what had become of this man. Sho knew a man named Wiggins, but she had never been on intimate terms with him. A man named Wiggins was here brought into Court, and tho witness said he wasjhe man referred to. Cross-examination continued : Witness had not been a virtuous woman, and she had boon intimate with a man, but it was a lung time ago when this occurred. She would swear that she had never been on intimate term* with a great many other men. She had hoard Mrs Crawfurd called Mrs Knowles. When she saw Lord St. Leonards on the Sunday before the occurrence it was late at night — half-pa*t ten o'clock at night. Mi\s Knowles was in her diessing-gown, and there was some question about his being admitted. He remained in the parlour with Mr and Mrs Crawfurd until twelve o'clock at night. The man Dettmar was in the garden all the time the struggle was going on between her and the defendant. She did not scream because she was struggling to get away. Samuel Crawfurd said that the prosecutrix, Emma Cole, was in his employ. All ho knew of the defendant was by meeting him on Sunday at Eel Pie Island, when the defendant came to his house with him. Witness invited Captain Scott, Mr Wootton and some others to come to his house, as it was only ten o'clock, butthe others declined, He wished the prisoner u Good night ;" but the latter said, " You asked me to have a drink," and witness then said, " Come on." The correct name of Mrs Crawfurd was Mrs Knowles. Lord St. Leonards stayed at the house until about two o'clock. Both Mrs Knowles and the servant tayed up. Have you ever had rooms in Clifford's Inn ? No ; and know no one theie. Mr Lay is a personal friend of mine. He is not conducting this prosecution. I took it out of his hands yesterday, and instructed Mr St. John Wontner. Have you hoard of any suggestion to " settle "or "square " this matter ? — I have heard of such a thing. Did you hear that Mr Lay had suggested it?— No; I heard it was the other way about, and that Captain Scott had offered Mr Lay a sum to keep the matter out of Court. Re-examined by Mr Matthews : The girl had conducted herself properly while in his service. Other witnesses were examined for tho prosecution, but none were called for the defence. Despite the damaging facts elicited re-gai-ding the girl's character, and the eloquent defence of Mr Clark, Q.C., tho Bench convicted the accused, and ordered him to be brought up for sentence in June. By cable we have since learned that the accused was sentenced to six weeks' imprisonment, but as he had already been in custody for that period' he was released on the rising of the Court.

The Gilchrist Educational Trust offer biennally a scholarship of the value of LlOO per annum and tenable for three years, for the benefit of youths resident in JN'ew Zealand, who shall be desirous of pursuing a further course of academical study in Great Britain, Candidates must be either natives ' of New Zealand or have resided here five years immediately preceding examination. The examination commenced here yesterday, and will be continued throughout this week.