Badly directed to Mr. Oliver, or (Holloway) No. 6, Richmond’s
buildings, Dean Street, Soho.
The next document it a letter dated March 7, 1810, from a person at
Banbury named Hall, of which the following is a copy:
HONOURED SIR—In reply to your letter concerning Mr. C. I can only
inform you, there was a report against him of a very scandalous
nature; but how far his culpability extends, it is quite out of my
power to determine. He was absent from hence when the rumour first
spread. The Managers of our Chapel took great pains to enquire into
the origin of such reports, and the result was, they sent Mr. C.
positive orders, never, on any account, to return to Banbury again;
which advice he has hitherto wisely observed. Now, Sir, after giving
you the above information, I beg leave to conclude the subject, by
referring you to your own comment hereon.
(Signed) S. HALL.
_Banbury_, _March_ 7, 1810.
Then follows a letter from Wm. Clarke of Ipswich, a young man between 19
and 20 years of age, which contains an account of attempts too horrid to
be published. The written confession (frightful indeed it is) of this
poor simple young man, whose mind was bewildered by the canting
exhortations of Church; and the whole of his statements corroborated by
the oral testimony of Mr. Wire, who resides at Colchester, and knows
Clarke very well. The circumstances related by Clarke would have
furnished ample grounds for a criminal prosecution had he made his
complaint _immediately_ after the _assault_ was committed:—but suffering
under the influence of ignorance and fear, he kept it a secret too long,
and afterwards accepted of a pound note from Church. A case was laid
before two eminent barristers, to have their opinion whether such a
prosecution could be carried on with any prospect of conviction. Their
opinion, in writing, is, that after the long concealment of a Charge, a
Jury would pay no attention to his evidence, unless he was confirmed in
his story by other evidence.
_Extract from the Confession of Wm. Clark_, _of Ipswich_.
Having been called by Providence to Colchester, I went to hear John
Church preach in a barn, was invited to Mr. Abbott’s; was prevailed
upon to sleep with John Church; I did sleep with him three nights;
after being enticed to many imprudencies, I was under the necessity
to resist certain attempts, which, if I had complied with, I am
fearful must have ruined both soul and body; the crime is too horrid
to relate.