"On 14 Dec 1895 Charles submitted a Divorce Petition alleging adultery by his third 'wife' with George Roberts "during the months of July, August and October at 199 Church Street Stoke Newington (etc) and claiming damages of £1,000. The papers show that there was no decree nisi or final decree ever issued. It seems that Charles did not proceed. He did not, though, forget the allegation. Although it appears that the best way for him to stay out of further trouble with the Reverend was to move down to Southampton, he could not keep out of trouble." On Saturday 03 July 1897...
On Saturday 03 July 1897 the Hampshire Telegraph (amongst others) reports that he is.”indicted for feloniously sending and causing to be received by George Roberts a letter demanding with menaces, end without reasonable or probable cause. a valuable security, at Southampton”.
It is reported that he “had been an executive officer in the Army, and was a pensioner from the Camberwell Vestry.
Mr, Bullen, who Prosecuted, said that the only explanation of the prisoners conduct must be that he was out of his mind.
Prisoner had been an executive officer in the Army, and was a pensioner from the Camberwell Vestry. Prosecutor was a widower, with grown-up daughters, two of them older than prisoner’s wife, and prisoner had also written libellous letters to them about their father. In December (1896) prisoner Instituted divorce proceedings against his wife, and made the prosecutor co-respondent.
He afterwards withdrew all proceedings, and wrote to Mrs. Taylor, his wife’s Mother, saying that all the allegations were false”.
Unfortunately this was not the end of the matter. Charles now made fresh allegations against George and his Mother in Law.
Although proven as false, his comments that the latter was running a brothel (she ran a lodging house) no doubt helped to ensure that she had no guests. Not only was her financial state affected, the court heard that “the prisoner’s wife, from whom he was separated. was quite penniless”.
On the 8th of May (1897) he sent the following postcard to the prosecutor :—“George Roberts, care of Mrs. E. K. Taylor, the Brothel, HoIkar House, West Park-road, West End, Southampton. . . , Unless I receive a cheque from you within a reasonable time. I am going to wing you for seducing my wife. My children are quite ruined by you.—C H. Snell.”
A similar postcard was sent to George Roberts at his private address.—The court then heard that the “Prisoner’s letters and defence were very incoherent, and his manner in the dock was very strange.—His Lordship said that the prisoner was evidently insane”..
Prisoner was convicted, and his Lordship postponed sentence until the next Assizes, in order that the authorities might have an opportunity to observe the prisoner’s conduct and .judge as to his sanity.
In November the Hampshire papers wrote that “his demeanour, at his trial at the June Assizes, was such that Mr. Justice Day directed the second indictment against him of libelling his mother-in-law to be held over until the present Assizes and postponed sentence on the charge of which he had been convicted”.
The court met again in November for sentencing. While in prison the man’s mental state was carefully examined, and the Medical Officer had come to the conclusion that the prisoner was suffering from senile decay. He would get worse instead of better. He had delusions, and it would not be quite safe to allow him to be at large.
Dr Richards, Medical Officer of the Prison, supported the learned counsels statement and added that he did not consider Snell was altogether of sound mind.
He had delusions. His normal condition was despondent.
If thwarted he became very excited. Witness was of opinion that the man had. a suicidal tendency.
The prisoner was asked if he had anything to say and he entered into a long statement containing charges against his wife and mother in law, concluding by bursting into tears.
The Judge said it was a question as to whether the man should not rather be in a lunatic asylum.
He did not like to pass a sentence upon him which would be passed upon a man in the full possession of his senses.
After further consideration his Lordship postponed sentence until the last day of Assizes, and suggested that the Home Office should be consulted upon the matter.
I cannot find him in the 1901 census but it seems that he is the Charles Snell whose death is registered in q1 1903 (Age at Death:70 Fareham Vol: 2b Page: 371).
Of his children, Alice Mary married Lewis William Murrayton Murray (a farmer) in 1882.
The witnesses are Charles Henry Snell (father) and sister Catherine Veri Vlieland Snell.
She is also shown elsewhere on the blog as she married Thomas Edward Candler. Thomas notes in a letter in 1900 that he "had travelled a good deal, and recently returned to England from South Africa ...(after) 19 years residence In India. China, and Afrlca." He returns to England alone and it is likely she has died abroad. The other child of Sarah, Charles James Blomfield Vlieland Coxeter dies, age19 (q1 Camberwell vol 1d P 526).
The child of his second marriage Maria Devere, at the time of the 1911 census, age 35 is a night porter (Domestic servant) at the Pulteney Hotel, Bath. Her death is recorded in q1 1963 (Age at Death: 87 Lewes Volume: 5h Page 802).
No comments:
Post a Comment