Originally published in The Leader (Joseph Clatton, junr.) vol.1 #34 (16 Nov 1850).
The Reverend Robert Abercrombie Johnstone, rector of West Horndon, who was charged a few weeks since; on the information of Mary Anne Doe, a young girl living under his roof in the capacity of a domestic servant, with having committed a criminal assault upon her on the morning of the 8th ultimo, and who has been remanded from time to time by the bench of magistrates at this place, in consequence of the absence of the complainant, surrendered on Thursday, for the purpose of meeting the charge. The proceedings excited considerable interest, and a very full bench attended. In consequence of undue influence having been exerted to keep the parties out of the way, the case was again remanded till next Thursday, but at a later hour a telegraphic message arrived, stating that the girl and her parents had been found, the Magistrates proceeded with the case. The parties who had brought the complaint and afterwards absconded, were apprehended in the neighbourhood of Islington. As soon as Mrs. Doe saw her daughter in custody, she ran towards her, and, grasping her hand, said, "Now mind, my child, you tell the gentlemen that it was all wrong what you told them before; and, if they ask you how you came to tell such a tale, say you wasn't in your right mind, and you didn't know what you said." Before the examination began, all the witnesses having been ordered out of court, the mother of the girl, who had been sitting beside her, rose to leave the room. As she was doing so, it was observed that she held up her finger in a threatening manner to her daughter. The result was, the girl flatly denied all her former statement. When pressed upon any point in her previous deposition, she invariably sheltered herself by remarking that she did not know what she said when she laid the complaint, and that she was sorry for having done so. After some discussion, in the course of which Mr. Lewis, a magistrate, mentioned that the mother of the girl had complained to him, in his private capacity, of the treatment her daughter had suffered from Mr. Johnstone, and entreated his interference. The Chairman said they had two affidavits made by the complainant now before them. One of them, which had been sworn in his absence, seriously affected the character of the defendant. That which had been sworn in his presence entirely rebutted the other. How the complainant had been induced thus to vary her statement did not appear; but, as the facts stood, there were certainly no grounds for detaining the defendant in custody. The case was therefore dismissed. Mr. Johnstone then retired, and the court was presently cleared. After the proceedings had terminated, the bench gave instructions to Mr. Lewis to prefer a bill of indictment for perjury against Mary Anne Doe.