THE YORK MINSTER INCENDIARY.--JOnathatl. Martin was arraigned OD Monday, at
the York Assizes, for the burning of the Cathedral. When Mr. Baron Hullock called upon him to plead to the indictment, Martin answered, " Not me, my Lord, but my God is guilty. It is common for him to punish unto the third and fourth generations, but he can also show mercy unto thou- sands who fear him and keep his commandments." A plea of " not guilty," was recorded ; and Martin was then called upon to plead to the charge of having stolen the silk velvet, gold fringe, and gold tassel, belonging to the pulpit. The prisoner answered, "My God gave them to me for my him'. lie gave me the silk to make a robe of, like that of David the King. He gave me the velvet to make a cap of, and the tassels to hang down over the right and left ear" A plea of " not guilty" was recorded. Time trial commenced on Tuesday morning, before a very crowded court. Mr. Strickland opened the indictment thus : " Time prisoner at the bar, Jona- than Martin, is charged with having unlawfully, :nal iciously- [The prisoner, " Not maliciously, my Lord "]-and feloniously set fire to the Cathedral Church at York. To this indictment he has pleaded Not guilty." Mr. Alderson, in opening the indictment to the Jury, stated the circumstances connected with the destruction of the Minster, in nearly the same terms as they have been already laid before our readers. As to the state of the prisoner's mind, he laid it down as law, that though the prisoner might have occasionally be- fore been insane, he was nevertheiess answerable, if it could be shown tint when he committed the crime charged, he knew he was doing wrong. This was the case with Lel Ferrets, who, though occasionally insane, was hanged tor a deliberate murder ; and it was time same in the case of Belling,hain, who shot Mr. Perceval in the lobby of the House of Commons. The circumstan- ces connected with the destruction of the Minster and the subsequent ap- prehension of Martin were then given in evidence at great length ; and on the cross-examination of the witnesses, the previous insanity of the, prisoner was attempted to be established.
Martin being then called upon for his defence, entered into a long and very incoherent story. He had two dreams, which first inspired him with the thought of setting fire to the Minster. He had first wiitten five letters to the clergy, in the hope of obtaining an answer, but no answer had been returned. He had thereupon petitioned the Lord what to du ; and lie had had a dream that a cloud hung over the Minster, and then came and settled over his lodg- ings. He then thought that he was destined to destroy all things ; but he
went down on his knees and prayed to God to direct him. Suddenly he heard a voice which told him it was his destiny to destroy the Cathedral on account of the misconduct of the clergy. After this he had no rest, night or day, until he prepared to accomplish the design. When he had got every thing ready, he told his wife, and she was greatly troubled, and asked what would become of her and her child. When his child was mentioned, he at first repented, and began to waver ; buthe heard a voice saying, " What thou doest, do well ; go forward and complete thy work." He then left his wife, came to York, and set fire to the Minster.
Witnesses were then called to establish the prisoner's insanity. Margaret Dorton—" I keep a lunatic asylum at Catesby. I went there in 1819. I found the prisoner there. He remained until 1820. On the 17th of June in that year, he made his escape. He was brought back in three days by order of the Magistrates. He then remained until 1821, when he again escaped; and although my husband went after him, he was never brought back. I have been in attendance upon lunatics for twenty-six years. From what I saw of the prisoner, I thought him an insane person. He used to sit on the floor with two sticks crossed, and emFloyed himself either in whistling or singing hymns. He used to play with the sticks sometimes as if he svms fiddling, and then he said it was in imitation of David's harp. It was necessary to confine him before he would be shaved. I have known him fast for four days, and say it was God's order. Frequently he would fast two days, and say that Christ fasted on the Mount for forty days. He was some- times put under restraint, and would. then endeavour to be master of the keeper. He used to talk of dreams and prophecy. He said he could do what- ever he dreamt." Paul Benton, a medical man who attended the Newcastle Lunatic Asylum for two years and a half, while Martin was confined in it, considered hint to be of unsound mind during the whole of that period; but only on subjects of religion and the clergy. George Middleton—"I am a tanner. The prisoner worked for me in 1824. He was a very religious man. In 1825 he procured a dress to be made for him of skins, and boots of the same. Thus dressed he mounted an ass, and said it was in imitation ofJesus Christ when he rode on an ass. He endeavoured to preach a sermon in that dress at Arlington-cross. Whatever he dreamed, he believed would come to pass at one time or another. He had a son.. I recollect the son being put out to a Jew. He was to go to the Jew and help him to sell his wares, but was to read his Bible every day. Prisoner said his son would be the means of converting the Jew."
Mr. Kilby, the keeper of York goal, and his wife, spoke to the insanity of the prisoner. while under their care. He became highly exasperated when he learnt the line of defence his counsel meant to set up. He said the Lord was his defence, and would support him and be his counsellor, and he would not trust in an arm of flesh.
Rev. George Copeland—Is 'chaplain of the gaol ; has attended the pri_ souer frequently ; and, has no doubt but that he is of unsound mind. He con- Eiders himself to be a prophet inspired of God, and believes the Almighty communicates his will to him by dreams, and sometimes by yokes. During the first four or five weeks witness saw him usually four times a week, an hour or an hour and a half at a time: witness thought he was insane at first, and afterwards was, and now is confident of it.
Mr. Caleb Williams—Is a surgeon at York, and one of the attendants a tthe Retreat for lunatics, near York. Witness has been conversant with the treat- ment of lunatics five or six years. He first saw Martin on the 21st of this month, and daily ever since, except two days. Considers him a mono- maniac,—that is, one whose insanity is confined to one idea, or to one train of ideas, as opposed to delirium or confusion generally. " I believe the ap- pearances of his insanity are bond fide and real. I have discoursed with him on his dreams. I believe they have more influence over him than they would have over a person of sound mind. They chiefly relate to religion. There are symptoms connected with his bodily state, which confirm my opinion as to the state of his mind. His eye was red,—the eye is observed as a test. His pulse was full, hard, strong, and quicker than natural. Such a pulse is common in cases of monomanism, during the period of excitement. I do not think it safe that he should go abroad. I think hint insane. I see every week many persons under the same influence, sound in all other points. Cross-examined—" Such persons cannot judge between right and wrong on the subject of their delusion though on other subjects they frequently do. They frequently seek to avoid danger consequent upon their actions, will fre- quently run away, and are very cunning in escaping punishment or in avoid- ing the effects of their own act. I do not think that that shows they know they are doing wrong. It is possible for a monomaniac to commit an offence which he knows will be followed with punishment. When the delusion is strong they are not deterred by fear, nor will previous fear prevent the delu- sion from coming on."
Dr. Baldwin Wake—Is a physician in York ; has had much experience in lunatic patients, and has been physician to a lunatic asylum thirty years. Has seen Martin since the 21st of this month, and often three or four weeks ago, without his knowing it. Has paid great attention to his case, and has investigated it as carefully as possible during the time, almost always once a day, and sometimes twice. He is undoubtedly insane. He labours under rnonomanism. That species of insanity is prevalent. " I observed over the frontal bone of his head a mark, as if there had been a wound or accident. My attention was called to it by seeing hint, while I was conversing with him about the Minster, suddenly strike his head. I asked him why he did it ? He said when he talked much a great pain darted through his head, where he had a wound. I examined it. Pressure with the finger did not much affect it. He had a most voracious appetite. I went to see him eat his dinner. Be devoured a beefsteak-pie enough for three or four men, very shortly. That is a symptom of general insanity. I observed his eye : it was par- ticularly glassy. It would have struck any one acquainted with insanity. Those bodily symptoms I firmly believe could not possibly be put on. The pulse was uncommonly hard, but not particularly frequent. I then examined the heart ; there was nothing in its action to account for he hard pulse. These are all symptoms of insanity. He often walked in a very hurried manner, at the rate of five or six miles an hour. I have not the least doubt of his insanity. I do not believe he can distinguish right from wrong on the subject of his delusion. Such persons generally do distinguish them on other subjects, and may even be relied on. They are generally subject to fear. They generally attempt to escape from confinement, and may afterwards have a sense of their danger on account of any action of their own." Cross-examined—" I think a collapse may take place immediately after any great excitement, when the parties may become aware of danger arising from their previous act. Maniacs are wonderfully ingenious in effect-
ing their purposes." Re-examined—" Where there is a single delusion, it is frequently on the subject of religion. The belief, by the maniac, that he is the Deity, or a being next to him, is very frequent. I have heard the ac- counts given by the witnesses to-day: supposing them to have happened, they confirm my opinion of his being under monomanism. There are no criminal lunatics in the asylum here. I asked him how the impulses of the Deity were communicated to hint : he said, sometimes by a whisper, at others like thunder ascending from his entrails to the brain. I have observed this symptom in others before. It is also mentioned by most authors on lunacy, and lately by Dr. Burroughs in London." The Jury, without hesitation found Martin "Not guilty," on the ground of insanity ; and he was ordered to be confined during his Majesty's pleasure Fiates.—A fire broke out on Sunday morning, in the Hoop and Grapes public-house, Cross-street, Hatton-garden, which in a very short time de- stroyed the premises. An elderly man, a lodger, perished in the flames. At a very early hour on Friday morning, the houses from No. 1. to 6, Thomas-street, Stamford-street, were discovered to be on fire; and as water for a short time was scarce, the property destroyed before the flames could be subdued was considerable. The street was filled with naked men, women, and children. One man carried his five children out of the house in blankets.
On the 17th February, forty houses were burnt down at Savannah. Forty negroes perished in the flames ; and the loss of property is estimated at eighty thousand dollars. An attempt was last week made to burn the Stirling Theatre ; but luckily the fire was discovered and subdued before much mischief was done.
A house at Cambus-barron, Scotland, was last week destroyed by a fire. A poor woman was burnt to death, who is said to have been tipsy when the calamity overtook her. An old lady, residing in the Canongate of Edinburgh, set her bed curtains on fire on Thursday night : she was so much scorched that she died next morning.
A meeting of cotton-spinners was appointed to take place on Wednesday evening at the house of Mr. May, the Norfolk Alms Inn, Hyde, for the purpose of opposing a resolution which the master-spinners had come to, for compelling each journeyman in employment to sign a document that he would not give the least assistance either directly or indirectly to any spinner who might turn out in consequence of an intended reduction of wages. About eight o'elock, the meeting began to assemble, and by ten the room was crowded to suffocation, there being at least six hundred persons in it. At this period a delegate from Stockport had just delivered a speech, which brought forth a general burst of approbation from the crowd ; when suddenly one of the principal beams which supported the floor was perceived to give way. The windows were immediately thrown up, through which many per- sons leaped, and were dreadfully hurt ; but in the short space of a minute, the extensive floor gave way with a frightful crash, and the walls falling at the same time, buried beneath their ruins the immense mass of people as- sembled. It was a considerable period before the destructive pile could be removed, although an alarm was instantly given. At first people would not leave their houses, thinking the report to be a hoax, it being the rst of April; but the sequel proved it to be too well founded. Twenty-seven persons of both sexes were taken from beneath the ruins, deprived of life, and between thirty and forty severely wounded, many of thent with but faint hopes of recovery; the rest, including the family in the house, pro. videntially escaped unhurt. The building was a new one, and is spoken of as having been very slightly built. The meeting was composed of delegates from Mauchester, Stockport, Bolton, Oldham, Bury, &e.—Manchester Paper. Mr. Walter Tonkin, a respectable farmer in Devonshire, was removing a calf from one of his cows on Saturday last : the cow ran furiously after him, and gored him with one of its horns, which entered his cheek and came out at the top of the head, causing instant death.
• Earthquakes have been very rare in the Netherlands ; not above a dozen at most are upon record. It is therefore rather remarkable that no fewer than three occurred in that country in the course of last year.
Previous page
