The West Briton (Friday, 08 Aug 1856) reported a serious crime committed against a handicapped young woman from Ludgvan named Alice JOHNS: > AGGRAVATED ASSAULT - A labourer of Penzance, called WILLIAM MITCHELL, > was convicted, on Saturday last, before Mr. CARNE and Mr. T. S. > BOLITHO, magistrates, of having committed an indecent and aggravated > assault on ALICE JOHNS, a tailoress, of Ludgvan, who generally works at > Penzance, and returns to Ludgvan in the evenings. The young woman is > dumb, and far from sane. The assault was proved by the surgeon, Mr. > Congdon, of Marazion, who had attended complainant, that the capital > offence had not been committed. The prisoner was committed to the > county gaol for four months, under the Aggravated Assaults Act. The victim of this crime was quite probably Alice Glasson JOHNS (1832-1890), daughter of miner John JOHNS and his wife Mary MARTINS, who lived at Vellanoweth in Ludgvan. Alice appears to have spent a significant portion of her life at the Union Workhouse at Madron. She was there as an "inmate" at the 1871 Census (District 15, Schedule 0P4)., and she was again there when she died more than 19 years later. Alice was listed as "dumb" at the 1851 Census, so she apparently endured a significant handicap during her life. The specific identity of William MITCHELL is unknown. The attending physician was William Gould CONGDON (ca.1810-1876), who spent most of his adult life at Marazion, where he served the community not only as a general practitioner and surgeon but also as Mayor for at least three terms during the 1850s. Bill Curnow Ludgvan OPC Port Charlotte, FL, USA