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