The Press. — London, England, 1858-10-23 00:00:00

THE PRESS, OCTOBER 23, 1858. 1026 ensued is thus described by the journalist thus sud denly interrupted : Sitting in my own house in Ravenaworth'terrace, Gates head, and engaged writing, I heard a knock at the door a few minutes past two. The servant opened it, and, with out waiting to be announced, a person apparently twenty five or twenty-six years of age, dashed in with a bound, saluting me interrogatively, " Monsieur le Reclacteur du Northern Chronicle ?" I corrected him, and said "Express," on which he broke out in a torrent of French, articulating so vehemently and fast that I did not catch a single word he said, and could only suppose that my visitor was a lunatic from the neighbouring asylum at Benshani. At last I caught the word " Maricourt," and asked, " Are you from the Count de Maricourt?" He answered in the affirmative. By this time I had risen, and he again com menced a vehement volley of French, of which the only words I caught were too few to enable me to conjecture his meaning. He observed that I did not understand him, and said—enunciating slowly, as if feeling for his words —" I speak English. You insult Count de Maricourt—l kill you "—pulling out of his pocket a small pistol, cocking it at the same moment, and bringing it round with his finger on the trigger to within a few inches of my own head. He exclaimed, "Don't scream. Don't make a noise. You're a dead man." I replied, " I am not going to scream. Put down your pistol, and tell me what you want." " I want to kill you," he said. " Now, do be calm, and tell me why you have come here." " I am calm—l am calm"—he repeated, as fast as he possibly could, his lips and the muscles of his cheeks quivering convulsively, " I am calm, calm, calm, calm, calm. I kill you in sangfroid." And forthwith he burst into another torrent of rapid and unintelligible French, of which I only caught the word " ecraser," Bud the frequent exclamation, " le tuerai." All this time he stood leaning with his left hand on a massive walking-stick, with the pistol in its original posi tion, a few inches from my right eye. I saw that if he did fire I should never know what hurt me, and the agitation of his countenance and voice was so great that I began to fear he might draw the trigger involuntarily. I said, " Count Maricourt cannot have sent you here in this state. I shall be at the office at seven o'clock, when you or he may see me there with any friend you may bring, Mr. Dann himself, if you like." He replied that he had been at the office, that I had slighted his carte (card), and that lie had no confidence in me. He was somewhat calmer, and went on in French to explain that be had invited toe to meet him at the smoking•room of the Exchange-hotel. My answer was that I had never heard of his card, nor received any such invitation. I requested to know if Count Maricourt sent him here, and what the count really wanted. He said he would not be interrogated. I then repeated that I would be in Newcastle in the evening, when he ought to come to the office, leaving me in the meantime to my work. He said the count would not come, and he had come in his name. " Then," said I, " if the count does wish to see me, I shall call upon him." lie teplied, " Come, see the count just now. My brother is here with a cab." This was the first intimation I had that there were two of them. I said, " I shall not leave this till I finish my article." H: answered, " I don't take this pistol from your head till you accompany me; but if yon are busy, you may have the cab back." " Then," said I, "if I must go with you, I shall, on your undertaking to drive at once to the French Consulate." He replied, " I give you my word "—lowering his arm, uncorking the pistol, and returning it to his pocket. I said he must allow me to dress. " With plea sure, monsieur, I wait you." On leaving the room I first saw his brother, who stood in the door with a stout walk ing-stick in his hand. Escorted by the two brothers in a cab, "in such fear as be never was in his life before," to the office of the Consulate, the editor met the Count de Maricourt, who stated that he had never interfered with, though he admired, our institutions, and that be defied the man to say be ever asked his vote. The editor agreed to publish next morning the words the count had uttered. The count having stated that his son was an officer of cavalry in the French army, and could not do otherwise than be had done, conducted the editor down stairs, where, after expressing his satisfaction at the result of the inter view, the count offered his hand, which was accepted, and the parties separated. The matter did not, however end here, for the editor received another missive from the bellicose dragoon, requiring him " as the only reparation " to insert an article without observation in his paper of the following day, which, however, was not acceded to. On Tuesday the case came before the Gateshead police -court as a charge of assault of Manson v. De Maricourt, when the facts which we have detailed were fully proved. The defense may be summed up in one sentence of the professional adviser of the defendant :—" His father had been deeply insulted—and he himself was a soldier bred up in all the notions of a French soldier, and without the coolness which could calmly look on tee offence which had been committed." The bench considered the assault proved, and fined the defendant 51. and costs. On the young viscount coming out of court he was greeted with cheers, which were not atilled until he bad reached the High Level Bridge. He acknowledged these congratula tions by moving his hat. A THIEF'S CAREER was exemplified in a case which CAM before the Clerkenwell police•ooui t, on Tuesday, when George Bishop,aged fourteen,a dirty-looking boy, whose head scarcely reached to the top of the felon's dock, was placed at the bar before Mr. Corrie, charged with stealing a skittle ball.—From the evidence, it appeared that the prisoner was seen by two constables carrying something bulky under his arm. When he found he was watched he went into a doorway and deposited the skittle-ball in question, and then ran away. After a smart chase he was captured as he VMS entering the thieves' kitchen in Fox-court.—Mr. Corrie inquired if anything was known of the pris oner?—The constables stated that the prisoner only came out of prison on Saturday. He had been in custody more than a dozen times for felony, had been twice or thrice convicted under the Summary Juris diction Act, the last time for three calendar months, and was such a bad boy that his parents could do nothing with him.—The prisoner, when asked what he had to say in answer to the charge, said " It was all right."—Mr. Corrie said it was no use dealing lightly with such an incorrigible boy, and fully com mitted the prisoner to the sessions for trial, where he would no doubt receive a lengthened term of impri sonment, and be sent to school.—The prisoner was removed laughing from the dock. THE BANKERS, Messrs. Strahan and Paul, having completed three years of the fourteen years' penal servitude to which they were sentenced, a memorial is about to be presented to the Government, " through some of the first houses in London," praying for their release. One of the grounds is that, under an act passed last year, any person committing an offence such as that for which they are now suffering, will be liable, at the maximum, to only three years' im. prisonment. Mr. Bates, one of the partners of the bank, and certainly the least culpable, convicted at the same time, has just been released. A BANKRUPT JEWELLER, of Oxford-street, named Lewis Zucker, whose examination was adjourned sine die, was charged before Alderman Phillips, at Guildhall on Tuesday, with falsifying his trade account-book to defraud his creditors. The evidence showed that the book referred to contained a record of transactions dated a considerable time anterior to the period at which the paper composing the book was manufactured. This was proved by the fact of the paper being machine-made, whereas no paper of that description was sold by the stationer whose mark it bore until some years later than the dates of several entries in the book. The prisoner was com mitted to Newgate for trial, and it was stated that he will probably be also indicted for perjury. . _ . - AN EXTRAORDINARY CASE came before the Court of Bankruptcy on Saturday, " in re Benjamin F. H. Carew," a stepson of Colonel Waugh, an officer in a dragoon regiment, but nominally described as a cab proprietor. The amount due to unsecured creditort. was 1,273/. only, but the liabilities were stated at the extraordinary amount of 58,6401. These liabilities consist of acceptances given to Colonel Waugh to that amount, of which 15,0001. aro held by the Oriental Bank Corporation, and the remainder by the London and Eastern Banking Corporation. lu the record, the bankrupt stated that he had unlimited confidence in Colonel Waugh, and freely put his name to various papers at the colonel's request and for his accommodation. Colonel Waugh allowed him 2,0001. a year. The bankruptcy was opposed on the ground that the cab proprietorship was a mere pretence, to enable the bankrupt to come before the court as a trader, and enable him to escape his liabilities. On the other hand, the bankrupt was represented as the victim of Colonel Waugh, who, after usipg him for his own purposes, had left him destitute by mortgaging his property. The case was adjourned. THE FORTUNE TELLER, Ann Williams, was found guilty at the Middlesex sessions, on Wednesday, upon two indictments charging her with obtaining property from two servant girls by pretending to teli their fortunes, and was sentenced to twelve months' hard labour. At the request of the jury the silly victims of the swarthy Pythoness were reprimanded for admitting such persons to their masters' houses. SIX FEMALE LUNATICS, who appeared at one time to have moved in a respectable sphere of society, were brought, on Wednesday, before Alderman Finnis at Guildhall by Mr. Jopp, relieving officer, to procure an order for their consignment to a lunatic asylum. It was stated that the unfortunate creatures had been resident in Paris, but being British subjects, the English Ambassador at that city had sent them to London, with instructions for their reception. The present application was made under directions of the Secretary of State. Medical certifi cates being required, they were removed temporarily to the City of London Union. Every arrangement was, however, made, by the express directions of Alderman Finnis, in order that they might be treated, not as common paupers, but as persons entitled by their position and infirmities to more than ordinary care and attention. They will, therefore, be kept separate from the other inmates of the union until they can be formally removed to the proper asylum. THE CORONER'S INQUIRY into the circumstances attending the death, by burning, of Mr. Roper's two children at Greenwich, on t h e 12th of September has been brought to a con c l us i on, the jury, afters consultation of nearly three hours, having returned a verdi:l to the effect that the origin of the fire had not been proved—that they entertained grave suspicions that it was not accidental, and that the policeman and parish fireman had not satisfactorily discharged their duty on the occasion. Mr. Roper was also er amined before Mr. Trail! at the police-court, on charge of arson, and was again remanded. A NIGHT IN A SEWER was agreeably passed by a number of " navvies," although to tour of them the consequences have not been quite so pleasant, inas much as they were on Wednesday indicted at the Middlesex Sessions for having stolen one hundred and thirty-two bottles of wine, the property of Charles Taunton. The prisoners were on the 15th of Octo. ber engaged with others in repairing a sewer which was open in Hatton•garden. The prosecutor keeps a public-house dt the corner of Charles-street, and it was necessary to make an opening into his cellar to do some work in connection with the sewer. A short time afterwards numbers of bottles without necks were lying about. Not only was bottle after bottle drank in the cellar, but it was more than suspected that not a few had been emptied into a large can for the general benefit of the other men. The four prisoners were found lying insensibly drunk. In quiries were made, which resulted in the discovery that the prosecutor's wine-bins had been plundered. No less than one hundred and thirty-two bottles had been taken. The prisoners ( who had been employed to do that part of the work leading front the sewer to the cellar) were removed to the station-house on stretchers, helplessly intoxicated, and on the follow ing day were charged with the felony. When called upon to plead they admitted having drank the wine, but repudiated having intended to steal. They were found " Guilty," and sentenced to six weeks' hard labour. A CRIMEAN HERO, named Thomas Spencer, a pri vate ir. the Coldstream Guards, decorated with the medal, was sent to prison for fourteen days by Mr. Bingham, at Marlborough street Police-court, on Thursday, fur begging money from various persons on the street in the middle of the night, and in a tone and manner calculated to insure compliance with his request. It was urged in extenuation that he was drunk at the time. A REMARKABLE CASE was tried at the Middlesex Sessions on Thursday. The material facts will be found in the following narrative. Two men, named Phillips and Wraxall, were charged with having stolen tho purse of a lady, who stood up in a door way, in the Haymarket, during a shower of rain, the prisoners placing themselves one on each sido of her. They sought to engage her in conversation, and after having invited her to take supper with them, she alleged that she detected Wraxall's band in her pocket, and immediately afterwards she missed her purse. She seized both of the prisoners and held them until they were taken into custody by a policeman. When searched at the station half a sovereign was found upon Phillips, but nothing on Wraxall, who had kept a tobacconist shop in Jermyn street, for which he paid 1301., and had been clerk in a solicitor's firm in the City. About ten weeks ago he sold his business, and was living, when he was taken on this charge, in IValcot-square, out of business. Phillips was a convicted thief. Both were found guilty : but, before the judge passed sentence, Wraxall made a solemn denial of the truth of the accusation preferred against him, and appealed to Phillips to speak the truth. Phillips replied that Wraxall's denial was quite true, and Mr. Sleigh proposed to put him in the witness-box, but the judge would not permit this proeeeding, on the ground of its irregularity. Wraxall was then sentenced to eight months' hard labour, and the other prisoner to seven years' penal servitude. The latter subsequently stated that he bad entrapped Wraxall into a conversation with him, so that being in the company of a respectable looking man ho might the more successfully practise his dishonest trade. The whole case will probably be reviewed by the Home Secretary. lctilloits 'ant &trouts. AN ATTEMPT TO MURDER a police constable named Coleman, was made on Sunday last , at Dagenham, within a few yards of the spot on wh ich the pollee. man Clark was murdered in 1846. The poor fellow was attacked by three ruffians, who , after brutally 'Busing him, threw him into a pond hole. He lies at present in a sad condition, and his recovery is not certain. Nobody has been arrested for this outrage, but suspicion points out one person as implicated. AN APPALLING ACCIDENT, by which the whole family of a working man, named Charles Webb, have beeu suffocated, has occurred at l'illgwenlly , Monmouthshire. The family, which consis outed ger of Webb, his wife, a daughter , a nd two y n children, occupied the lowest p art of a swell tole raePt. Latterly fife streets hive keen a good deal er, a lot ns an ed DU a he ►s. he ed es to. eh PS it to Ht ;ks tle ed for sur [n. ery ed. lad red to on Iw- led De, ere and Pri - the on ons 1 II Dee hat sex be ied ing or- iido ion, rith and