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Source: Bell's Weekly Messenger, No.1831, Sunday, May 1, 1831.

Atrocious Case of Violation

Three young men, none of whom appeared more than twenty, named Gurteen, Ward, and Ledbeater, were charged with a capital assault upon Hannah Hale, a very interesting looking girl, not yet eighteen, under circumstances of peculiar atrocity.

The complainant was supported into the office, and stated that on Sunday morning she had leave from her father to take a walk; before she had gone far, she met Gurteen and Ledbeater in company with another young woman, and being acquanted with them, she joined their company. They proposed to have something to drink, and she was prevailed on to take nearly a glass of gin and mixtures. They proceeded on, and met Ward, who also joined them, and they had some more of the gin and its deleterious compounds. She found her head getting giddy, lost all consciousness (but thought they made her take some rum), until she found herself in a room in an infamous house in Johnson's-place, along with Gurteen, who then committed the capital assault. He called the other two ruffians into the room, where they barricaded the door with every thing in the room, and they also assaulted her. Her screams alarmed the neighbourhood, where complaints have been for some time past made respecting this house; but several ineffectual attempts were made to force the door; at length it was forced open, when the three prisoners were found inside, and the unfortunate young creature was stretched upon the floor insensible, her head resting upon the leg of a table which had been upset in her struggling with her ruffainly assailants. As soon as it became known who she was, her father, who lives in Grafton-court, was apprised of the state she was in, and he conveyed her home on his back. She was above an hour without giving any signs of life, having, in addition to the more serious violence, being nearly chocked by one of them in his endeavours to prevent her from screaming; and it was not until between five and six o'clock in the evening that she recovered her senses.

The prisoners did not deny the charge and were remanded in order that the parish officers may attend the next examination, for the purpose of instituting proceedings against the keeper of the house in which this atrocious scene took place.