Outrageous Proceedings Against A Minister.
The Rev. Mr Jackson, Primitive Methodist minister, Darlington, has been the object of proceedings of the most malicious and reprehensible character by some person or persons yet unknown. During the evening of Wednesday, from about seven o’clock till early on Thursday morning, large stones, half bricks, and coals were thrown into the kitchen and staircase windows, fortunately without doing any other damage than breaking the panes.
From whence the missives came is very mysterious, inasmuch as on Thursday about half-past twelve at noon, and again about half-past one, two stones were thrown through the windows whilst several parties were standing in the gardens. Altogether fifteen stones and other projectiles have been cast into the house, and ten panes of glass broken. As yet no clue has been obtained as to the perpetrators of these diabolical acts.
The Scotsman, 25th October 1862.
Outrageous Proceedings at Darlington.
[as above, then:] The Northern Express of yesterday says: –
In our impression of Saturday was a paragraph giving some account of a mysterious case of stone-throwing, which commencing on Tuesday week, continued up to Saturday last at noon, and was declared by all who took any part in trying to discover the perpetrator as an utterly insolvable mystery. During the time above mentioned nearly every pane of glass in the windows, at the back of the house, in Kendrew Street, occupied by the Primitive Methodist minister, have been one by one smashed out, and it was reported by those who watched the house by day and night that the missiles – sometimes half bricks and at other times large heavy stones – came flying at such a speed that it was impossible to see from whence they came, although they were heard whizzing past the heads of the careful men who were watching, and struck the windows and walls of the house almost with the force of cannon-balls.
The town has been in a perfect ferment of excitement about the matter, and on Friday the Society for the Prosecution of Felons put out bills offering a reward of £5 to any person who could discover the vile miscreant. On the evenings of Thursday and Friday, so great had the excitement relating to this strange business become that in the neighbourhood of the devoted house hundreds of curious people were standing in noisy groups, awaiting any further revelations, and discussing the mysterious affair. There were many speculations; some thought that the offender must be a member of the Primitive body, and at variance with the minister; others that some supernatural agent must be at work.
During much of the time in which this queer business has been going on, no fewer than half-a-dozen brave “blues” have been watching the place; some in uniform, and others well disguised, besides numbers of other men who went to sympathise with and protect their minister, and all believed in the stones being thrown, and were puzzled alike as to whence they came and who could send them. “Tis strange, ’tis passing strange, and yet, ’tis true.”
Also the minister, Mr Jackson, himself, was so much distressed at what he thought evinced such strong spite against himself by some unknown individual that he was quite unable to fulfil his minsterial duties on Sunday. At the suggestion of some friends the servant, a little girl about 12 years of age, was removed from the house, as it was thought just possible that, all other scents having failed, the offender must be in the house, and from the time of her removal the breaking of windows ceased. This aroused suspicions of the parties concerned, and the girl was taxed with the crime, who, after a deal of intimidation and cross-questioning, confessed that she was the sole perpetrator, and that she commenced it in a spirit of frolic, and when she saw the perplexity it created she “could not give it up, it was such good fun.”
The affair is at an end but we think it reflects a great disgrace on the common sense and ordinary ‘cuteness which at least one ought to find in a number of sage policemen, and also on those who voluntarily came forward to unravel the mystery. It is scarcely necessary to add that now, since the girl has confessed, every one says they had their suspicions of her.
Teesdale Mercury, 29th October, 1862.
Mysterious and dangerous frolic of a servant girl.
Great excitement prevailed in this town during the latter part of last week, in consequence of nearly all the squares of glass in the kitchen window of a house in Kendrew-street, occupied by Mr Jackson, Primitive Methodist minister, being broken. On Tuesday night, the 21st inst., Mr Jackson and his family were disturbed by some one rattling the shutters, and also chalking them and the back door. On Wednesday, halfbricks, pieces of coal, and stones of large sizes, were commenced to be thrown, and at night information was given to the police, when Sergeant Lynn, accompanied by other three officers, went to watch the premises, and remained all night, but left next morning, unable to discern from whence the missiles came, although they saw several distinctly strike against the window, with such velocity as to lead them to suppose that a machine was used in projecting them.
On the Thursday, the game again commenced about twelve o’clock at noon, and although four policemen were present, their efforts to discover the perpetrators were fruitless. At eight o’clock, five officers, in disguise, with a sergeant, stationed themselves on the tops of the houses adjoining, and remained there until two o’clock next morning, during which time the stones continued to play, smashing the windows, and cuasing fearful havoc to the haunted house, but went away again without being at all enlightened on the then mysterious occurrence. At a quarter to nine that morning (Friday), Mr Jackson went out to open the shutters, and when about half open a large stone came with great violence, and broke another square of glass. This was thought to be aimed at him, but fortunately he escaped unhurt.
Handbills, offering a reward of £5 for the discovery of the offender, were then issued, and about dusk that night the police again stationed themselves on the spot, and seeing two men no doubt on the same errand as themselves, upon the houses in an adjoining street, off they went in hot pursuit, but were baffled in their object; and half a dozen remained about the place all night.
Upwards of twenty squares of glass were broken, but no personal injury was sustained beyond a blow on the forehead of the servant girl, which was done by herself, in order to maintain her deception, and the game continued till twelve o’clock last Saturday morning. Every attempt to discover the miscreant having been made without effect, suspicion fell on the servant, a girl about fourteen years of age, who was that afternoon removed to the house of Mr Robson, timekeeper to the North-Eastern Railway Company, and after being taxed with the offence, she admitted her guilt, stating she could not give any reason for the strange lark she had had at the expense of others, and that when she threw the first, it caused such fun, that she could not give over.
The girl is supposed to be in an unsound state of mind, and has been forgiven; to have prosecuted her would hardly, we think, have been a fair recompense for her labour and invention. The excitement caused by her “enjoyment” is inconceivable, and how she managed to keep it up so long is a matter of no little surprise. The place was visited by large numbers of persons anxious to see for themselves each night. The girl was taken home by her parents, who, we believe, reside near South Church, last Tuesday.
Durham Chronicle, 31st October 1862.
Mysterious Proceedings at Darlington.
Much excitement prevailed here during the greater part of last week, owing to a systematic and continued annoyance occasioned to the Rev. Mr Jackson, Primitive Methodist minister, by the windows at the back part of his residence being broken by stone throwing. Half bricks, pieces of coal, and stones of various sizes were, at short intervals from Wednesday morning to Saturday afternoon, thrown against the windows, breaking in the whole eighteen panes of glass.
The house is situate in Kendrew-street, and has four back windows facing a garden, and contiguous are other dwelling-houses. Shortly after the annoyance commenced, the police authorities were communicated with, and several officers were at once stationed in and about the house to endeavour to detect the perpetrator. In addition to the officers, several personal friends of Mr Jackson volunteered their services, and remained on the premises day and night up to Saturday afternoon, but all attempts at detection were perfectly useless, and the police were baffled at every point.
On the previous Tuesday night, the family were disturbed by the rattling of the shutters of the kitchen window, and in the morning they discovered the shutters and door chalked in all directions. On Wednesday morning the stone throwing commenced, and missiles were hurled against the windows with singularly correct aim, and when night set in no cessation of the nuisance took place, but, on the contrary, was continued as vigorously until two o’clock the following morning.
On Thursday and Friday, the police were reinforced, and as the excitement in the town had now become intense, crowds of people flocked about the house; nevertheless, the windows continued to be broken. Every place, likely and unlikely, was searched to discover the hiding place of the scoundrel. All the neighbouring houses were searched; sage policemen looked up the chimneys, whilst others, stationed on the house tops, looked down the same chimneys to prevent the perpetrator flying out, but to no avail.
Several highly respectable “watchers” declared that they saw the stones come direct across the garden to the windows with the velocity of a cannon ball, and that they could not have been hurled by human effort alone. The attics of the opposite houses were examined, in the full expectation of discovering “infernal machines” out of number. The ancient cross bow was suggested by some wise-acres as the means of warfare, but one and all seemed to think that appearances led to supernatural agency.
On Friday morning, it is said, Mr Jackson was opening the shutters of the kitchen window, and when the shutter was half open, a large stone came with violence through the window, but without hitting him. Other parties in various parts of the house saw stones come through the windows, whilst, strangely enough, numbers of people were on all sides of the house. On that day a hand-bill, offering a reward of £5 for the detection of the miscreant, was extensively issued, but had not the slightest effect in stopping the game during the whole night.
Nothing has occurred for many a long year in Darlington creating anything like the excitement as this most mysterious and inexplicable affair. The rev. gentleman is highly respected by his flock, and persons of every grade have sympathised with him under his affliction. No reason could be assigned for the commission of the outrage beyond a pure love of mischief. And now this at one time incomprehensible mystery has received its solution, like many others of a similar nature. The “faithful guardians of the peace,” Mr Jackson himself, his crowds of attentive friends, the believers in witchcraft, and the whole population of the town have been victimised by Mr Jackson’s own servant girl, a mere child of about 13 years of age. We are almost ashamed to record so ignominious a solution of so great a mystery, nevertheless such is the fact.
On Saturday afternoon the police came to the conclusion that the cause of offence was in the house, and had the servant girl removed, since which time non stones have been thrown. The girl who has displayed so much cunning and ingenuity, which might have been turned to some account in a better cause, has confessed the whole matter, and so, like a bubble, the affair has burst.
After considerable interrogation, the girl admitted that she was the sole perpetrator, that she had not the slightest ill-feeling towards her employer, and that she commenced it for a frolic, and when she saw the perplexity and excitement occasioned she “could not give it up; it was such good fun.”
York Herald, 1st November 1862.