The Express.
London, England, 1852-10-07 00:00:00

THE NORWICH IMPOSTOR,

or.itdh,e
facing
girl
The girl Who recently visited Norwich tinder the
name of Matilda Eliza Lyle, niece Chippendale, repeassg
her trick of imposition ere she left the county. Our readers
will no doubt remember that she fell down from pretended
exhaustion in the early part of September, oponeite the home
of our reporter, Mr. E. D. ltegers, who resides hi Denham.
road-terrace, in this city, and who received her iota his
house until she profected to have recovered, when she told
him that she was the daughte rof a clergy Mills at Cambridee
at the expiratyieithi
eu9f
thw,haine!di
gni that she lialerwralhnoivia:wrhseysetfedroarneem:::orsh:iscoonreneilitoa:iwnimtbs(dcri.i.rneitvgai.ehisiestii,:uhuittLawx:
twov.ifehweo
roe fst htfiar e ent
statement,
tie
satisfied himself that he r tale was false, he heee,„ e
y %all"
to the magistrates, who ordered her
"d
day sheion.
aniihveisdliaat'l9iuveT.hihi4i
the residence of Mr. Wiseman, a small farmer, who lives at
what is known us " the ball-way house" between riseue4
and Diekleburgh. Ilere she asked to be allowed to rest,
and was so kindly treated by Mrs. Wiseman that elie made
that lady her netfidante, telling her story for the meet pan
the same as she had toll at Norwich ;
of education and Isely.ike manners, Mrs. Wiseman telt
greatly interested in her, wive full credence to her reinaatin
history, and pitied her distressed condition. Whelk "
tilde" was at Norwich, as will lie remembered from our re-
port of theca.e, she was subjected by one of the In iaistrates
to a lengthened interrogation. During this searching in-
quiry into her motives for leaving home, and into her ids
cutustancee while journeying on loot to Norwich, she wept
bitterly, and the kind-hearted magistrate heeded to her a
beautiful handkerchief with whirls to remove her fait fall.
ing tears. This handkerchief she kept, and it affirded
her a convenient opportune), of " proving " the reelects.
bility of her family connexions, for she informed Mrs.
Wiseman that she belonged to the family of the e, re:ernaa
who had thus befriended her—indeed be was her 'leek,
and showed her the handkerchief on which his surname
was written iu full, as evidence of the truth of her state-
ment. Havieg eaten and drunk at the expense of it,
hostess, she told that lady that the clothes in which she was
attired were lent her by her " papa's " cook for the purpose
of a disguise, and she expressed great concern lest she should
be found with the cook's dross upon her, as suck an , sect
would bring down upon the cook, who had been very lead
Ito her, the censure of her "papa." She should be mareed,
she said, immediately on her arrival at line ich, near wash
town her lover, who was a gentlemau of property, resit:, 4,
and how nice it would tee if Met. Wiseman could lead las
a suit of apparel until that tinie ; she weuhl, without
when her bliss was consummated, return the clothe, with
many thanks—indeed, they should certainly lie with Mn,
Wiseman on the following Wednesday. Kind hearted Mrs.
Wiseman readily yielded to the euggesoon, and "Miss
Matilda" quickly doffed the cook's attire, which site left
with Mrs. W. as un earnest of her honourable u1t.:11604N
and in a few minutes was decked out in her new frieras
best, which :consisted of a black wonted shawl with a en
border of red and green ; a gown having a lavender robed,
with blue and white pattern of sprigs, a brown and plum shot
silk drawn bonnet, and a blue net fall. She also exchanged
umbrellas with Mrs. W., leaving an old article by no luau
waterproof, and receiving in exchange what Mrs. Wiseman
describes as a "new green one with a white kiiuh." Beieg
entirely without funds, Mrs. Wiseman supplied her with
2s. yid. with which to meet current exneuses ; and as
" Matilda" was evidently very anxious to be in her lover's
arms as speedily us possible, Mr. Wiseman kindly uader-
teak to expedite the matter, and with this purpose is slew
drove her the same afterneon to the Bunton Railway
station, and paid her fare thence by train to Ipswich, Mrs.
Wiseman having first, at " hlatada's" suggestion, furnished
her with a large two-handled basket, in which to carry her
little black dug, so as to save a second railway fare, and
lined the bottom of the basket with a small woollen shawl
for the dog's comfort. On the following Wednielay,
Mrs. Wiseman looked out for the expect, d arrival, but
no clothes came on that day. " Well, perhaps they alight
on the next." No! nor did they on the nexe—tor
even on the day after that. Mrs. Wiseman, how-
ever, waited patiently for, eame days, fur her liaihnid
being one of those unwise niece who does net Lae
a newspaper, she was in Whale' ignorance of the character
of her adopted frieud, and she could not easily make up
her mind to divulge the secret wide which" Matilda" had
entrusted her. At length, however, she "just mentioned"
the affair to a neighbour, who astounded her by a narative
of what had appeared respecting " Miss Lyle" in the pub-
lic journals. What to do Mrs.W. knew not, but after reveler-
ing these things over in her mind, the idea of losing her
suit of best so haunted her, that she resolved at let tegive
information to the police and those gentlemen are now di.
ligently searching out " Mee Lyle'," whereabouts. What
Buena may attend their efforts time will show. It is
highly desirable, hoe ever, that " Matilda'," roving pro.
penalties should be checked, and that a permanent situation
somewhere or other should be provided for her. To assist
in her Identification we may state that she is of rather 'host
stature, has light brown hair, and a cut in ens of her eyes,
which are of a greyish colour.
Since "Matilda" was in Norwich, Mr. Rogers bus re-
eeiverl several communications from different parts of the
country, from which he has learned somewhat of her
parentage and history. She has been pursuing her pr at
courseof life, with but brief intervals, tor these eight years
past; and in souls instances bas induced the kindly (linseed
to give her a home for many weeks together, be guiliug ticse
the while with the marvellous and romantic stories of leer
(pretended) experience. The only ascertained truth ii the
complicated story which she ultimately told at Norwich
relates to her parentage. She is certainly the illegitimate
daughter of a gentlemen of high position in society, vino,
fur some reason or other, has diecarded her.
Since we wrote the above we have learned that on Sa-
turday last " Matilda " was found in a street in Bedford,
"in a state of exhaustion," and that she is now in the
hands of the police of that town on a charge of obtaining
money under Glee pretences. She at first gave her name
u Hook, and said that she was the illegitimate daughter
of a gentleman, near Oakham, Itutland, whose name we
suppress: that she had run away from home to Ipswich to
meet her lover, a young man named Charles Snit:afield, but
that he had deceived her by not keeping his appointment;
that she had sincesubinted upon what little money she had
with her, and what she had earned by teaching; and that
she was then on her way home again. She afterwards
gave her name as liellaway. Information of her apprehen-
sion at Bedford has been forwarded to Mrs. Wiseman, of
Tivets-hall ; but that lady, having laid her case before
Thomas Haven, Esq., of '1 helves, one of the county magi-
strates, has declined to prosecute, on account of the expense
which she would necessarily have to incur in going over to
Bedford to identify the girl.
That " Matilda," has had abundant opportunities of ob-
taining an honest support for herself will bas seen from the
following extract from a letter, addressed by a lady who
resides in Oxfordshire to one of the magistrates iu this
city :—" Four years since the woman lately before you was
found, apparently in a fit, on time step of the door of a lease
of a friend of mine, residing near Belgrave-square, Lon,:on,
in which neighbourhood I was then living. Her pitiable
story having excited the compassion of several ladies, we
agreed to place her for a time in respectable lodgings, pay
all expenses, watch her closely, and we agreed, if her conduct
and acquirements justified any further patronage, to morere
her employment. She then gave her name MatildaKellanah
said her mother was burnt to death when abe was young, cod
that she had been taken and educated in Yorkshire by Mr.
Pease, late M.P. for Darlington. She remained six weeks
with an old servant of my family ; and, on recovering her
health, we placed her as junior teacher in a school. She aid
not stay long, and represented the treatment as so bad that
we removed her—her employers saying they had no fault to
find, but that she was too nervous for a large a:hool. We
then placed her aa nursery governess in a private Uraily.
Hero her natural propensity showed itself; she ran away
after robbing her employers. I heard no more till cheat
a year afterwards, when, to my surprise, I found her in a
respectable ladies' school as daily pupil ; and, on inquiry, I
traced her to four schools, from all of which she had stolen
books, and when I found her she had a good musical and
agnendereral ferliebneraesryt.3.Shmeeecnotenfred
edetrhaetese, schools Isinby
alfoirgaedt
heleht3den,
different name. None of these parties would prosecute her,
and she was again turned adrift, with the information that
the polio* would strictly watch her, audit found in Lemke,
she would be taken into custodCg.
This morning (Friday) Mr. ere has received from the
governor of the borough gaol at Liverpool, further informa-
tion respecting this girl. In September, 1848, she In.( e-
victed at the Liverpool borough sessions, under the nanwef
Matilda Tremaine, and sentenced to nine months' item:eat-
aunt with bard labour, fur obtaining hooks under tsbe
pretences. Her statement, as given by the then governor
of the gaol, is as follows:
Previous to her tenting into this gaol she lived with her
mother at No. 18, Baker-street, Portman-square. Mrs. Tee-
seine was accidentally burnt there, and died on the Ilst
April, 1838. Mr. C— lived with Mrs. Tremaine, and she
believes herself to be their daughter. Mr. C—, however,
disavows her as his daughter. lie plated her at a school
(hire. Shaw's) in Yorkshire, immediately after her oar he
death ; from this school she ran away, and was found on the
road crying, near 0 reta- bridge, by a Cspt. O'Brien, who wilt
her back to Mr. C—. She was thee placed at a .chew! is
Holloway, kept by Miss Egg, at the recommendation of a
Mrs. Terrywest, where she has been the last seven or o,bt
year*. She procured a woman at a fruit shop near to write
a letter to her as from Mr. C—, desiring her to re turn
home. She did not, however, go home, but went to No 7,
St. Leonard-street, Pimlico. Miss Elrington, a teacher at
Miss Egg's, gave her a letter to the people of this house., to
whose children she taught French. She the.. went to Mrs.
Underwood, at Lewes, where she taught Miss White, Mrs.
oe h
Whitmore, a n m
nuetcr. N
etfct
Lyne (Staffordshire). Captain Voting, after a month. sea.
her to Liverpool, to find out Mr. C—, who she suppote6
wUennatetrowraM . niece
Young, Far;
lived there."
said, committed an offence for which she was sent to elm,
After her arrival at Liverpool, " Matilda," as we h,r°,
and the governor states that while there, she gave. rr,tsti
trouble to the officers by feigning to be in fits.—.‘. "
News.
we' tle•thui'aSthrei

CHEAPNESS IN THE COURT OP CHANCERY.
Hitherto large sums have been charged for enitrossiiw 'fid
copying bills filed in Chancery, iu lieu of which punted
bills are to be delivered; and by one of the new ruh. a
considerable reduction is effected. It is ordered that " the
payment to be made ,by the defendant to the plaintiff fig
panted copies of the bill or claim shall be at the rate et ear
half-penny per folio."
BErruco LISTS.—A sporting paper states that the
Homo Secretary, last week, gave his approval to the lir4t ,
of a bill, aiming at the suppression of hettiewhouses.
remarked that the measure, as approved, is calculated
give an impetus to betting, and 'o create a new
offices for its conduct on a larger scale.