The Express.
London, England, 1860-09-14 00:00:00

SPIPSCTS OP SPIRIT-RAPPING.

At the Hall Police Court, on Tueraday morning,
• woman named Mary E. Summers was charged with
bag a quantity of wearing apparel, the property of ILn.
Herobige, of whom she had rented • room, at a houseis
Queens-square, Scott's-square.
The primmer pleaded guilty to the charge, which was of
common felony, end limed Mr. Travis to be merciful to
her because of ber child.

Mr. Travis—What caused you to commit the offence?
Prisoner—l did it under the influence of spirit-rapping,
and scarcely knew what I was doing.
Mr. Travis—What do you mean by spirit-rapping?
Prisoner—Table-turning.
Mr. Travis—What do you mean by table-tarning?
The prisoner them explained that • number of women
were in the habit of meeting at her holm, and they placed
their hands upon the edge of a table, and in a very short
time it moved by either God or the devil (most probably
the latter), but on me octagon it moved to soak a dopes
that she was terribly frightened and ran away.
' The presecutrix was then recalled, and asked by Mr.
Travis about the spirit-tapping that was going on at the
house. She said elm knew nothing about it, although from
what she could learn elle understood that the prisoner had
had dealings with the devil.
Mr. Travis-Dealings with what?
Prosecutrix—Deilanp with the devil. She had seen balls
of fire on a night.
Prisoner-1 don't know who I have been dealing with ; all
I know is that you laddreseing prosecutrix) first showed me
bow to go on with table.turniog
Pi-osecutrix —No, it was not ; you can make the table
turn any way ; you do it all yourself.
The prisoner then explained the system of table-turning,
and question-answering by rapping. A number of persona
placed their heads upon the edge of the table,
upon Much were placed the whole of the letters
of the alphabet, and after a abort time the
table began to move, after which the persons had
full power over it, certain questions were put to it, and an-
swered in the following manner :—A question having beset
asked, one of the persons successively touched the letters
of the alphabet epos the table, and at the letter forming the
first letter of the word representing the answer to the
question, the table rapped, and so on until the question was
spelt out.
Considerable mirth was created in the court during the
time the prisoner was making the above statement.
Mr. Travis nitimately committed her for six weeks, and
arid he hoped that at the eel of that time she would have
given up the foolish notions which seemed to have taken
possession of her.—Eastern ColinfieeHerafil.

FIRE AT A COTTON MILL IN MANCHESTER.
---
About seven o'clock on Wednesday morning a
fire broke oat in ens of the mixing rooms at Mem Birley
and Co.'s Old Mill, in Cambridge-street, Manchester. The
room yres on the ant story of a three-story building used
for mixing ; thedsl Boor being occupied by several large
boilers. The b • wee surrounded by the main portions
of the mill, and by sears. Binyon and Fryer's sugar mill.
It was connected only with the other parts of the mill by
iron fire-proof doors leading to the blowing.rooms. There
was no machinery in the room, and when the flames broke
out there were no paresis working then. Several men and
gals who were employed in the room above discovered the
are, and had great difficulty snaking their escape. An
alai-re wee of course instantly given, mid information was
conveyed to the sugar mill of Mears. Mayon and Fryer,
and to the police yard. In less than five minutes,
hundred men from the sugar mill were playing three
jets of water upon the flames, which had by that time
burnt through the upper storeys and gained the roof.
In less than an hour the fire was under control, and at tut
o'clock the firemen* were withdrawn, except one or two who
were left to play upon the ootton whilst it was hen turned
over. The precaution had fortunately been taken af
' securing all the iron doors leading to the other parts of the
mill, thus affording a check to the progress of the Eames le
that direction ; and the bunting of a steam pipe during the
fall of some timbers contributed, by the consequent supply
of steam, to put out the fire. At one time the Items had
caught thilizof of the main mill, but they were speedily
=;I: portion of the building is gutted • the floors
of the remaining part stol Mend, though flinch charred.
The building contained 200 bales of mixed cotton ; some of
which, however, has bees mood by the workpeople, who
carried it to an edjoining yard. Tine damage is estimated
at 3,Cakv., which will he reversal by the luau:awes on the
stock sod building in the Yorkshire, the Liverpool sod
London. and the Globe insurance aims. The origin of the
fire u nut known,

MALTA, San. 'T.—The Orwell steamer, which
was ciptured co the MA August, at Messina, has bow
brought bent by MIL& Osesi. MIA bee se bawd tam NM
of abi. orisina mew eal end el tbs Italian presagers
wisp seabariod et Gana