The Press.
London, England, 1857-11-21 00:00:00

THE PRESS, NOVEMBER 21, 1857.

about 1,000 weavers attacked Mr. Malcolm's mill,
which was defended by an armed body of police.
Several persons were severely wounded, and the riot
became serious. The mob were at length driven elf
and the ringleaders secured.
SoME DISGRACEFUL AlunnEns are reported as
occurring in Tyrone.
THE RUN UPON THE BANKS continues very gene-
rally throughout the country, but these establish-
ments appear to weather the storm with stability.
FATHERS CONWAY AND RYAN, involved in the recent
Mayo election, are to be honoured with a State pro-
secution. Both reverend gentlemen have appeared
at the Four Courts.
GREAT SENSATION was caused in Dublin on Tues-
day by an announcement that Mr. Stafford, one ot
the members for Northamptonshire, died suddenly on
Monday morning at Morrison's Hotel. An inquest
was held on the body of the lamented gentleman on
Wednesday, and a verdict returned ot "Died from
natural causes." Mr. Stafford had but recently
arrived in Dublin, after paying a visit to his estates
in the county of Clare.

2. The extension of the county franchise in England and
Wales to all ten•pound occupiers at least ; and the nssimila•
lion, as far as possible, of the franchise in Scotland and
Ireland to those of England and Wales.
3. Protection to the Voter by the Ballot, on a plan
similar to that adopted in the Australian colonies.
4. A re-appointment of seats, that shall make such an
approach to an equalisation of constituencies as shall give
in the United Kingdom a majority of members to a
majority of electors.

5. kbolition of property qualification for members.
6. The calling of a new Parliament every three years.

Yeab3 anb Volta.

AN INSTRUCTIVE LESSON is always to be learned
from a career of enterprise. Such an opportunity
occurred on Monday at the Insolvent Debtor's Court,
when one Montcfiore, alias Levy, of thirty years of
age, and with debts of 6,9061. 4s. 2d., against assets
of 1501., came up to pass his examination. The
insolvent had been born and brought up in England,
which country he left for the first time in 1846 for
Sydney. He "speculated " in horses there—always
a good trade—and started to Calcutta with thirty.
These he sold, realised a handsonie profit, traded, came
home to England in '49, and, having "seen life" in
London, went over to do a little business in the
United States. There he dealt in "Yankee curiosi-
ties," such as " wooden nutmegs," and " wooden
hams," which he persuaded the 'cute people up
country was good spice and sound pork. 'then he
turned his attention to railways, made a 1,0001., and
went off to California; here he did a little in land
and mining shares, and from thence went to Manilla
and Calcutta, Hong Kong, Ceylon, and Egypt. In
all these places be " did business ;" sometimes he
drew bills on Sir Moses Montefiore, at other times on
Messrs. Baring Brothers. Finally, he found himself
in Florence, where ho lived en prince, made the ac-
quaintance of a Mr. Brown, a banker, who pressed
1,0001. on him, but Levy would take 500/. He then
came to England, bought a schooner at Bristol,
came up to London, lived at the Clarendon, kept a
carriage-and-pair and a tiger, got into debt, and at
last into prison. His discharge was opposed, and
the petition ordered to stand over.
ROBERT DAVIS, convicted last session of the
murder of his wife, was banged at eight a.m. on
Monday in front of Newgate.
THE PRISONER CARPENTER, charged with the
murder at Stevenage of the policeman, John Stark-
ings, has been fully committed for trial on that
charge. Some additional evidence of importance has
been brought to light. Pieces of an old smock-
frock spotted with blood have been found, and
a gaiter button fitting the place of one missing on
the prisoner's left gaiter has been picked up near the
spot in the field where the marks of a struggle were
evident. The prisoner's knife has also been found,
and the cuts in deceased's clothes fit exactly to the
blade.

A FARMER OF ASHOYER, DERBY, MR. SIMPSON, was
found in the road near his farm last Friday week
shot through the head. It is supposed that ho was
murdered by mistake for Mr. Fletcher, of Altone
colliery, who on that evening comes over from Ches-
terfield to pay his men.
A VERY CURIOUS CASE OF BIGAMY AND SUSPECTED
INCEST was brought before the notice of Mr. Elliot at
Lambeth Police Court on Saturilay. In the summer of
1850 Mr. John Blair Wills, medical student, met in an
omnibus a young lady, at whose appearance he be-
came so charmed that ho followed her to her
residence, discovered that her friends resided at
Bath, and ultimately made her an offer of marriage.
His position formed no bar whatever to the accom-
plishment of his desires, but the age of the young
lady, not being then quite thirteen, was successfully
urged as an insuperable objection to her marriage,
and here the matter at that time ended. In 1853
the parties met again, by accident, in the Surrey-
gardens, and the lady being then seventeen, and her
beauty having increased by her years, Mr. Wills
determined on winning her for his wife, and having
at this time secured the consent of her mother, the
two were married at Kennington Church on the 24th
of March, 1855, and the young couple appeared to
live happily together, until shortly after the confine-
ment of Mrs. Wills, when she had a violent attack of
milk fever, which so affected her mind that it was
found necessary to place her in Bethlehem. At this
institution she remained twelve months, but when
discharged according to the rules of that institution,
she was taken out, not by her husband, but by his
brother, to the residence of his mother, 15, Osman-
terrace, Clapham road. Here she remained several
(lays without being able to hear a word about her
husband or child, and having naturally evinced great
anxiety en the'subject her mother-in law handed her
a letter, received from her husband, requesting
that she would call on him at a certain time and
place in the City. She accordingly went to the
place indicated, and on seeing her husband
she reproached him with unkindness and want
of attention. His cool reply was that she

1137

must not give herself any trouble about him; that
in fact, she was no wife of his, for that he had been
married to another when he had wedded her, and
that therefore she had no legal claim whatever on
him. He added—" The only and best thing you can
do is to marry my brother Fenton ; he loves you,
will marry you, and make you a good husband."
This proposal would appear to have been prearranged,
for Mr. James Fenton Wills in a few days made
professions of love and attachment to the wife of his
brother, and also an offer of marriage. The poor
creature, under the impression that she was not
legally the wife of John Blair Wills, and having
received marks of kindness at the hands of James
Fenton Wills, consented to her marriage with the
latter, and on the 21st of August last the ceremony
of marriage took place at the Registrar of Marriages'
office adjoining Lambeth Workhouse. All this took
place unknown to the friends of the young lady ; but
when wade acquainted with the facts, her mother at
once came to town, and made an application on the
subject. An inquiry was in consequence set on foot,
which lee to the discovery that, instead of John
Blair Wills having been, as he represented, married in
1851, his second marriage with a Miss Ann Good did
not take place until April last, and therefore he had
been clearly guilty of an act of bigamy. A warrant
was in consequence issued for !his apprehension,
but by some means or other he has up to the pre-
sent eluded the vigilance of the officer in whose
hands the warrant for his apprehension has been
placed. In the meantime James Fenton Wills de-
serted the poor woman, and Mrs. Wills, being far
from well, was placed in the infirmary of Lambeth,
where every care and attention was paid her, and
thus she of course became a burden to the rate-
payers of the parish. The parish officers becoming
acquainted with the fact that she had been married
in their parish to Mr. James Fenton Wills, and be-
lieving that he was legally liable for her maintenance,
applied for and obtained a summons, calling on him
to show cause why an order to that effect should not
be made against him, and Saturday last was
appointed for its hearing. The inquiry resulted
simply in eliciting these facts, and Mr. Wills was
bound over to appear again last Wednesday. On
that day, however, no Mr. Wills appeared, so the
recognisances were estreated, and a warrant for his
apprehension issued.
MAGISTERIAL DELINQUENCIES are happily very rare
in this country, but a case involving scandalous mis-
conduct came before the Court of Queen's Bench on
Thursday. Mr. Bellaney, a person of considerable
property, and a Justice of the Peace for the county
of Durban., had two men brought before him recently,
charged with killing a rabbit on his own property.
Instead of at once declining to act in the matter, Mr.
Bellaney convicted the defendants in a severe
penalty, ordered them in default of immediate pay-
ment to be handcuffed and sent to prison, and
finally compromised the matter by liberating them
on payment of H. each, which, instead of handing
over to the county fund, he put into his own pocket.
For this misconduct the Attorney. General very
properly caused a criminal information to be filed
against Mr. Bellaney, charging him with extortion
and corruption in the exercise of his magisterial
functions. The case was tried at the last assizes for
the county of Durham, the evidence was perfectly
conclusive, and the jury found that the defendant was
guilty of taking money corruptly under colour of his
office. Nothing was—nothing, indeed, could be—
urged in mitigation; and Mr. Justice Coleridge on
Thursday, after setting forth with grave severity the
singular enormity of the offence, and justly dwelling
upon the fact that the case was entirely divested of
anything that could by possibility be relied upon as
an extenuating circumstance, sentenced the offender
to a fine of 20(4., and to a year's imprisonment in
the Queen's Prison. _ _

COLONEL WAUGH'S adjourned bankruptcy examina-
tion carne before the court on Thursday, and on the
plea of the bankrupt's continued ill health at Manza.
nares, in Spain—he requires " mental repose "—the
case was again adjourned until the 19th January
next.

THE RULE OBTAINED By THE DIRECTORS OF THE
Tim int BANK for particulars in respect of certain
counts in their indictments, is fixed for argument
this day in the Court of Queen's Bench.

THE SOVEREIGNS OF EITROPE.—The Ahnanach de
Gotha, of 1858, which has just appeared, contains
the naives of forty seven emperors, kings, princes,
grand dukes, and dukes reigning in Europe, as well
as the Emperor of the Brazils. The oldest of the
sovereigns is the Grand Duke of Mecklenburg
Strelitz, who was born on the 12th of August, 177!) ;
and next to him the King of Wurtemburg, born on
the 27th of September, 1784. The prince who has
had the longest reign is the Prince of Schaum bourg-
Lippe, the date of his accession, when quite a child,
being the 15th of February, 1788. Tho youngest
princes are the King of Portugal, born the 16th of
September, 1837, and the Duke of I'arma (repre-
sented by his mother as regent), on the 9th of July,
1840.