“In every act of straying, God will correct me with his own hand; but will resent every other hand sooner or later.”
So that he admits that for his offences, or his “acts of straying,” as he is pleased to call them, God will punish him with his own hand; but that no other hand will punish him. The letter concludes—
“This you will live to see. Adieu, dear friend: accept the starting tear, and the best wishes of an heart sincere.
“Your’s, truly,
“Till we shall meet above.”
Gentlemen, this is his letter. If it had been a full and explicit denial of the whole charge, it would have been more favourable to him. One is sorry to see the name of the Divine Being mixed up with so indecent and abominable a story.
Mr. Patrick goes on to state that he denied having had hold of the boy, but he admitted that he was in the room; upon his saying to the Defendant that as to the two points in question, the boy was positive, and that he had no reason to doubt any thing that the boy said, the defendant replied that he was sorry for it, because it confirmed ancient reports. The witness said, “it did so;” and he told him that he should now believe all that he had heard heretofore, and he wished him a good morning. He says, “I never saw him afterwards to speak to him. This is an exact copy of the letter dated 6th October, 1816, addressed to Mrs. Hunter. I took an exact copy of it myself. I did not read the copy of the letter to the Defendant, for I had not the copy with me at that time. With respect to the letter I told him that I wished to know what the three things were that he could deny. I do not recollect the third point; it is not material, he admitted being in the room, but denied the laying hold.”
He is asked in what terms the Defendant admitted that he was in the room, and he said the Defendant said, “I was in the room, but I did not lay hold of the boy.” He did not say why he was in the room. “I returned the letter of the 6th of October to Mrs. Hunter, from whom I received it.”
On his cross-examination he says:—“I mean to say that the Defendant said distinctly that he was in the room. I never said to any person after I had seen Mr. Church that I thought he was not implicated at all in the charge. I gave a person named Thomas an account of the conversation I had with the Defendant, but I never accompanied that account with the observation “he is not implicated”—nor to any person. Mr. Thomas went with me to Mr. Church’s house, but he did not go in. Mr. Thomas is not a friend of mine. Mr. Thomas walked with me to the door. It was his wife’s wish and my wife’s that I should make the application to the Defendant. Mr. Thomas walked with me as far as the door of the Defendant, but he did not go in. After I came out from Mr. Church’s I had some conversation with Mr. Thomas, and I told him partly what had transpired. It was very short what did transpire. I think I told Mr. Thomas that the Defendant admitted his having been in the boy’s room, but I am not very positive as to that point. I know I told him that Mr. Church said he did not lay hold of him. I never made any such answer to Mr. Thomas as that I thought Mr. Church was not at all implicated”—nor any thing conveying that meaning. I never told him directly or indirectly that there was nothing to implicate Mr. Church. I never told Mr. Thomas or any other person that I would prosecute Mr. Church for this crime, because he had said disrespectful things of my wife: but I think I told Mr. I would prosecute the Defendant for the defamation of my wife’s character. But this was a considerable time after the transaction in question. I think I did inform Mr. Thomas that I would prosecute the Defendant for the defamation of my wife’s character.
The next witness called is Mrs. Hunter, and she says—“I am one of the congregation and a hearer of Mr. Church. I received a letter, dated the 6th of October, but it had no name subscribed to it. I cannot tell from whom it came. It had no place of abode or signature, except the day of the month. I put that letter into the hands of Mr. Patrick, at least I gave it to Mr. Patrick’s daughter, who gave it to her father. That letter was returned to me, but I took no further notice of it. After the letter was returned to me, I put it into a drawer, and I do not know what is become of it. I looked for it on the Thursday morning before I came here, but I was unable to find it. I searched diligently for it, but I could find no trace of it.”
Under such circumstances, Gentlemen, the original letter having been searched for, and not being to be found, that, in point of law, lets in the copy of it, which could not be admitted as evidence as it existed. She is then asked whether the letter received was in the hand writing of Mr. Church? and she says, “I have seen his writing. I have seen him write in different hands. He does not write always the same. I don’t mean to say exactly that he wrote in different hands; but there was such a difference in the same hand-writing that one would hardly think it was the same. I rather think that letter was in Mr. Church’s hand-writing, but I could not be positive as there was no name to it. I cannot say positively whether it was or was not his hand-writing. I believed then it was his hand-writing, and I still believe the same. I did not communicate the letter to any body but Mr. Patrick, and I told him that I had received a letter from Mr. Church. The search I made for the letter was last Thursday. I know nothing of it, and I have no reason to believe that it is now in existence. I did not leave a drawer or a place unsearched.”
Mr. Patrick is again called, and says that he knew the hand writing of the Defendant in October last. “I copied this letter from the letter I had from Mrs. Hunter. I believe that the letter from which I made this copy was in Mr. Church’s hand writing.”