CHARGE OF BEGGING.

Star (Christchurch), Volume LXVI, Issue 20454, 6 November 1934, Page 5

CHARGE OF BEGGING.

Crippled Clergyman Appears in Court. CHALLENGED BY A VICAR. (Special to the ** Star.”) LONDON, September 22. A crippled clergyman, Archibald Davies, aged fifty-six, stood in the dock at Northampton, charged with begging. He has been wandering about the country selling lavender, and astonished and amused the Court by delivering, in conventional clerical tones, a disquisition on the art of salesmanship. The Rev Donald Forrester, vicar of Holy Trinity, Northampton, said that Davies called at the vicarage, pleading that he could not exercise his holy office because of his infirmity.

He went on to tell him of cathedrals and churches where he had officiated, and the vicar, remembering that Davies had called upon him, with similar tales, three j 7 ears ago at Towcester, challenged him with it.

Davies denied this, and in consequence Mr Forrester called in the police. Cross-examined by Davies, the vicar admitted that the man was not importunate, nor did he press for help. Davies, addressing the Bench, said he had been compelled “by force of disagreeable circumstances ” to study the psychology of salesmanship, and to get common points of contact with potential customers from door to door. One ot the first essentials was to get the prospective customer in a good humour.

Before he could succeed in doing this with the vicar, he had called in a constable and Davies found himself on the way to the police station.

The chief constable said that Davies was actually a clerk in holy orders, and had made himself a nuisance by going about the country exploiting his education and imposing upon other clergymen.

He had used the names of various well-known clergymen, including ‘‘Woodbine Willie.” He had been convicted twice for drunkenness and five times for false pretences, and had served two

months’ imprisonment. The vicar, in reply to the Mayor of Northampton, said he did not know of any institution or home connected -vvith the Church to which Davies could be sent. The magistates said they were anxious to help the man, and adjourned the case for fourteen days, conditional Tipon his entering a poor law hospital, to see whether someone would come to his assistance. Davies accepted the offer with gratitude.