The Express.
London, England, 1860-10-06 00:00:00

THE LATE SINGULAR CHARGE OF CHILD.

STEALING.

The following is a narrative of facts that have
transpired relating to the charge made a short time back
• woman named Elliott, and a man named Johnnie,
of having stolen a child named Clara Tilson Smith, five
years of age, under very singular circumstances. It seems
that a short time back, a young woman, meanly dressed.
but who had the appearance of having been brought up as
• gentlewoman, and whose manners were lady-like and
plessing,called at the residence of Sir It. W. (`amenn,, at eight
o'clock in the morning, and requested yae4etfatly to be
allowed to have an interview with thealderman.
He had only just come down to breakfast wbcrthle consented
to see the applicant, who was accordingly admitted. She
then, in a very earnest and pathetic manner, related •
pitiable story. She was the daughter of Captain
of Soetbampton, an old and meritorious officer,
married without his consent, and, cut off from her friends
and having no IMIKOUTIXO, her husband being away from her,
she was reduced to a stateof the utmost distress and misery.
Sir Robert kindly put some questions to her, and asked
what her intentions were and what she wished him to do in
her behalf. She replied that she was most anxious to
return to her father at Southampton, who, she believed,
would forgive and receive her, but that all her clothes were
in gawu and she bad an infant, and had no money to pay
for her fare to Southampton or to redeem her clothes. Sir
Robert put several questions to her, and the answers she
gave, and her manners and appearance, bad such
an effect that the worthy alderman, whose experience
renders him • very unlikely subject to be deceived, was
completely impressed with the belief of the tale that was
told him. He therefore very kindly gave the applicant •
couple of sovereigns, and told her immediately to redeem
the articles of clothing that were necessary for herself and
child and proceed at once to Southampton ; and he at the
same time requested that she would write to him when she
arrived and inform him of the result of her interview. The
applicant gave Sir Robert the address of her father, and
promised to do as he requested, dud, after thanking hint
earnestly for his kindness, she left. Time rolled on and no
answer was received, and at length the worthy alderman
began to imagine that he had been deceived and imposed
upon. About this time the woman Elliott and her
reloaded husband were under examination upon the
charge of stealing the child above referred to, but of
coarse no idea was entertained that the woman had any
to do with the imposture that had been prartisedupon
the worthy alderman, and the fact was discovered in • very
Amp way. The woman Elliott had been admitted to bra
to appear and take her trial at the Central Criminal Court
with Johnson, and just before the session Sir Robert Oar•
den, who is one of the visiting justices of Newgate, hap.
paned to be at Newgate in the course of his official duty
when Mr. Jonas, the governor, banded him a letter, ad.
dressed to Johnson, and signed Sarah Elliott, in whisk she
announced her intention to commit suicide, and said that
before the letter would be received she should be dead.
The letter was dated terrace, Southampton, and Sir
Robert at once recognised the address as the same given by
the woman to whom Le bad rendered assistance under the
circumstances above stated, and also the handwriting,
and there was no doubt that she was the same person.
Prom further inquiries that have since been made respecting
her, it turns out that she really is well-connected, and that
her father was formerly an officer in the navy ; but it seems
that, in .nnsequence of her misconduct, she has long been
discarded by her family, and Ler career has been one of a
very extmordinery
.nature.
Of course, inquiries were instituted, as the woman did
not appear at the trial, to ascertain whether there were any
grounds for supposing that she had really committed suicide,
but nothing whatever was ascertained that in any manner
confirmed her statement, and the belief is that it was merely
a trick resorted to by her to account for her nun-appearance
to take her trial, and to throw the officers off the scent.

LIFEBOAT SERVICES. ST. ANDREW'S, N. 8.,
Ocr. 3.—During the fearful hurricane that prevailed this
morning from the north-west, five fishing boats were
obeerved riding at anchor in St. Andrew's Bay, apparently
in imminent jeopardy. The new lifeboat stationed at St.
Andrew's, belonging to the Royal National Lifeboat heti-
tutioo, was promptly launched to their assistance, in which
operation Mr. Wemysa, IL P., Capt. N. Doogal, R.N., Mr. J.
Purvia, and others, gave meet effectual assistanoe. The
boats were so far off and so much scattered, and the gale
was so furred*, that the lifeboat could not pull to them ;
but observing a steam tag, with steam up, in the bay, to
which she had run for shelter, and where she had just parted
her cables, the lifeboat communicated with her, and induced
the master to bear down to the assistance of the fishing
boats, and tow them into St. Andrew's Harbour, a
service which the lifeboat was incapable of ren-
dering and which the steamer only did with con-
siderable difficulty. The coxswain of the lifeboat
accompanied the steamer, and Captain Donwil remaiued
in charge of the lifeboat. The boats proved to be from
Buckliaven, having been driven out of the Frith of Forth
by the fury of the pale; some of them had hat their
anchors., and were holding on to their trawle, and drifting
helplessly to sea, and shipping much water. Had it not been
for the lifeboat many lives might bave been lost, as it would
have been impossible to get any other boat off the shore that
could have lived in the short and dangerous swell that was
running. The coxswain and crew express, the fullest eon-
fuleneo in the capabilities of the lifebnat, and of her ad-
inhalile pulling and sea-going qualities.—Yarmouth, Thurs-
day.—The brigantine William did Ann, for Shoreham, with
coals, was wrecked yesterday morning, during n heavy gale
of wind, on the Balser Sand, when her crew of seven men
bad a most narrow escape. On observing her dangerous
position the Scruthy lifeboat was immediately mewled by
the bcavhmen from the neighbouring villages, and after-
wards proceeded to the wreck, from which her crew were
saved, and ...rely landed. The Yarmouth lifeboat had also
put off ou the occasion, but the brigantine's clew bad just
been rescued when she had got there.