The Northern Daily Times.
Liverpool, Merseyside, England, 1853-12-22 00:00:00

EXTRAORDINARY IMPOSITION AND CREDULITY IN THE

19TH CENTURY.
William. Mills, who has for some time carried on a most
lucrative business, at No. 2, Conway-street, was charged by
detective-officer Murphy with obtaining money under false
pretences.
The prisoner, who is lame, and who had not the slightest
pretension, by his appearance, to any superior knowledge,
was placed before the magistrates, when,
Detective-officer Murphy said, last night these two gentle-
men came to me and informed me that the prisoner had ob-
tained a shilling from the one, and sixpence from the other,
by falsely pretending that he would tell their fortunes. In
consequence of that information I went to No. 2, Conway-
street, where I asked if the prisoner was at home. I was
told that he was, but at first I was refused admittance.
However, I went upstairs. In the parlour I observed eight
females, apparently the wives of respectable tradesmen, wait-
ing to see him. In the room upstairs I found the prisoner,
with two females. He was sitting on the table, and they
were by his side.
Mr Holme : Was there a bed in the room ?

Witness : There was. It was the bedroom they were in.
This pack of cards was on the table, this glass, and this
book, all of which I took. (The witness produced the
articles, the glass being of a globular form, but almost
opaque, into which we understand the poor dupes were told
to look for their future partners as the case might be). One
of the women told me her name was Mary Jones, of 8,
Chester-street, Birkenhead, and the other was her sister.
I asked her what the prisoner had told her. She reeled?
he said " she would have plenty of children." I asked her

if she was married. At first she said no, but she afterwards
said yes—she had been married fifteen months, and had had
no children.
Mr. Holme : What did she pay him ?
Witness : She did not say.
Mr. Holme : Let me look at the book. After perusing it
he said—lt is "Astrology Improved, or a compendium of the
whole art of that most important science, in five parts, by
Robert Bele, assistant astrologer," and the book was printed
by A. Ballen, at the sign of the Red Lion, Paternoster-row,
-in the year 1723, and is a most disgusting publication ; it
contains sad things that are not fit to be thought of, much
less spoken.
Mr. Hughes, chemist, 269, Scotland-road : I yesterday
went to the prisoner's house to have my fortune told. I
waited in the parlour for about two hours and a-half. There
were ten or twelve females there. I waited until it came to
my turn before I went up stairs. Each person was
with the prisoner about a quarter of an hour. I saw the
prisoner sitting in a chair. He took the pack of cards and
cut them about, and then said " Who is this dark girl ?" tak-
ing out a card. I said " White." He said "No, dark com-
plexion." After having some talk I asked him what he
charged. He did not answer, but I put down a shilling and
he took it up.
Mr. Holme : You were perfectly satisfied with your for-
tune, and he with the shilling ?
Witness : I was perfectly satisfied.
Mr. Holme : You can ask the witness any questions you
please.
The Prisoner : Now, pray be careful ; I am always very
careful myself. Did I ask you for any money ?
Witness : No, but you took it up.
Prisoner : You say you gave me a shilling ; surely if any
person threw down a shilling, I could take it up. But you
did not give me Is. ; you gave me Is. 6d. Did I ask you
for it ?
Witness : I asked you if that was your chair, and you
said "That will do."
Mr. Holme : Did he take up the money ?
Witness : Yes he did, and put it in his pocket.
Prisoner : So would you if money had been given to you.
I did not ask for it.

Mr. Henry Carroll, baker, Scotland-road. I went to the
house of the prisoner yesterday:: I waited in the parlour
until it came to my turn. . .

Mr. Holme : Did you go with the last witness ?
Witness : No, we did not go together, the last witness
was in the house first, and I went in after him. When I
went in the parlour there were ten or twelve women there.
They were very respectable persons ; some of them might
be 50 years of age. I waited my turn, and then I went
upstairs. I saw the prisoner sitting in the cornerat a table.
He asked me if I had come to "have my fortune told ?" I
did not speak, but sat down. He then gave me a pack of
earth to cut. I did so ; he then laid them down on a table
in a systematic way, one overlaying the other to the extent
of a quarter of an inch, until they spread over the surface
of the whole table, and each singular card he touched with
the top of his finger and looked in my face without saying
a word. Then he picked one out at the latter end, and he
says, "do you know that ?" I said "no." He then said,
"do you know who this dark man is ?" I asked him did he
mean a black man, and he said "no, I mean a man with
dark hair and black eyes." I said I did not know, but added
"never mind, tell me something that has to take place, I
know all that has past," and I gave him something to work
on, "shall I soon be married ?" The answer was, "that you
can do any minute you like." "But," said I, "can. I get
one with money—that is what I mean by getting married?"
He then shuffled the cards, and pointing out the same sort
of, card, he said, "do you see this ?" "What is that ?"
"That's the lady, she is a widow," and plucking
out another card he says, "do you see that ?" "Yes, what
it that ?" " She has plenty of money." Plucking out
another, be says, "do you see that ?" "Yes." " There is
more coming to you." I said, "do you think I may be
soon married to her ?" and he said, " you will be certainly
married to her against May next." "Do you think I may
be married sooner ?" "Do you see that dark haired man ?
There will be a disturbance between you." " May Ibe
married to her sooner ?" He says, " You have only to
say that." I then asked, "is she a virtuous woman ?" and
he said, " she is a virgin," after he had told me she was a
widow. (Laughter.) He said, she was never even touched.
At the same time I am a married man with a family. I
then asked him was he done ? he said " no, I want to go
over the cards again." He did so, and I said to him, " well,
are you done, what'is your charge ?" He said, " give me a
shilling." I said I understood his charge was only 6d. from
the women down stairs.. He said, "it was only 6d. to
ladies, but I charge men is."
Mr. Wybergh : Did you give him is ?
Witness : I told him I only brought 6d. I gave him the
6d. and a farthing, but I subsequently put the farthing in
my pocket.
Mr. Holme : You went as detective police-officer ?
Witness : No, sir. •
Mr. Holme : Did you believe in him ?
Witness : To a certain extent.
Mr. Holme : Which side of the Irish Channel were you
born on ?
Witness : On the English side of the Irish Channel.
(Laughter.) I was born in Barnsley, in Yorkshire.
Mr. Holme : I am surprised you let him come Yorkshire
over you.
Witness : He did not do so.
Cross-examined by prisoner : You shuffled the cards three
times. You told me I should loose money by a party. I
asked you which was the lady. You told me I should go a
long journey. I did not acknowledge I had an idea to do
any such thing.
Some altercation having taken place between the witness
and the prisoner,
Mr. Holme : Answer his questions ; and in doing so bear
in mind you are speaking to a necromancer.
• Cross-examination continued : did not admit the second
time you told me that I had lost money by a fair man. You
never said you thought the female who lived in the house
with me was my wife.
The prisoner here declined to ask any further questions.
Mr. Holme : 'What have you to say ?
The Prisoner : The way I took this up was, I was left
with three children, without father or mother, and I was un-
healthy myself. I was lame, and broke my leg, and con-
tinued this close on to two years.
Mr. Trolmo What have to say to professing snd pre-
tending to tell fortunes ?
Prisoner : Well, sir, I have told a good deal which has
proved true. The world was not made in a day.
Mr. Wybergh remarked that under the act he was liable
to be treated as a rogue and vagabond, and was liable to be
committed for three months.
Mr. Holme, (addressing Mr. Hughes :) Did you believe
in him ?
Mr. Hughes : I went merely to ascertain the truth if such
foolishness was acted in the country ; I could scarcely think
people would be so much duped in a place like Liverpool.
Mr. Holme : It appears to me a very extraordinary cir-
cumstance that in the middle of the nineteenth century, in
these days of education and intelligence, that a man like
this should have his apartments crowded with people who
believed he had the power of looking into futurity, and
telling them their fortunes. Any man may have his fortune
told without going to a necromancer, or a man like this. If
a man pursues an industrious and honest calling, as he
ought to do, his fortune may be easily iold : he will elevate
himself to respectability, and ultimately to prosperity. But
men who go to a person like this, it is not very difficult to
tell what their fortune will be, if they really believe what
they are told. It is only another proof that where there are
great knaves in the world, there are a great number of fools
who are ready to lend themselves to them. And it is sur-
prising to me that one of the witnesses, who appears to
possess a great admixture of shrewdness and folly,
should have lent himself to such a necromancer as this.
However, the case is clearly proved against this man,
and for the purpose of putting a stop to such an
abominable system as this, of having women, whom
I am told are respectable married women, coming to
a man like this, and going into a bed-room, with a bed in
the room, for the purpose of having their fortunes told—
there is something disgusting in the very thought—and
when I opened this boo which this man had in his posses-
sion, I find it full of beastliness and nastiness of the most
disgraceful and disreputable nature. I should not be doing
my duty to the pubhc at- large, whom I represent here, if I
did not put into effect the full power which the act of par-
liament gives me ; and therefore, for the purpose of en-
deavouring to put an end to such an abominable system as
this, and' for the purpose of justly punishing you for the
course you have thought fit to adopt, you must be Committed
for three months, and were it not for the appearance of lame-
ness, I would give you hard labour also. The stars are not

propitious to you to-day. I have told you your fortune for
the next three months at all events.

REFUSING TO PROCEED TO SEA. Henry Dixon, a seaman,
who had signed articles to sail in the schooner Science, for
Barcelona, but who had subsequently refused to join the
vessel, on the plea of illness, after he had received £2 10s.,
his month's advance, was sent to gaol fur 21 days.
PICKING POCKETS.—John Sorton, who was brought up
in the custody of detective officer Sullivan, was charged with
picking the pocket of Mr. Henry Johnson. The prosecutor
was passing down Dale-street on the previous evening, and
when passing Fontenoy-street felt a tug at his pocket.
Immediately after he saw the prisoner, who was the only
person near him, drop a pocket handkerchief, which he bad
missed from his pocket. The prisoner was committed for
trial at the sessions.

COMMITTALS. —Ann Ward was committed for 21 days on
a charge of stealing a pair of shoes from the house of James
Melbourne, Clarence-street. :Thomas Doyle was sent to
gaol for two months for stealing a telescope from the shop of
Mr. Laurence Gobbi, 76, Stanhope-street. The property
was in this case stopped by the assistant of Mr. Murdoch.
pawnbroker, Marybone, end Mr. Mansfield wished all pawn-
brokers would behave as well.
SEALING METAL PIPING.—Simon Glynn was charged
with being concerned in stealing a quantity of metal piping,:
the property of Messrs. A. and G. Holme, from the Custom
House, Canning-place. The only evidence which affected'
the prisoner was, that he was amongst a number of men who
told officer 593, that they had been sent by a Mr. Humphries,
to remove some metal. He was subsequently seen in the'
company of a person who was offering the piping for sale at
Mr. M'Cormack's iron foundry. Remanded.
ALLEGED ASSAULT UPON A POLICE OFFICER.--THE:'
TABLES TURNED.—DanieI and Mary M'Connell, husband
and wife, were charged with assaulting officer 107, (Kennedy),
whilst in the execution of his duty. On Friday evening,
Kennedy received directions to attend in plain clothes at
St. Martin's school, to watch some boys who were in th.
habit of breaking the windows of the school by throwing
stones. About two o'clock he bud, cwo boys into custody,.
for throwing stones, and ....moved them to bridewell. About
four o'clock, he apprehended a third boy for the same'
offonco, and when he did so, the prisoner and his wife came
up, the boy was rescued, and the officer was assaulted.
According to his own statement,-his hat was taken off in
order that his head might be bare to receive the blows, and
his staff was taken from him. M'Connell, the male priso—
ner, admitted to the officer that what the boy was doing was'
very wrong, and that he himself had repeatedly complained
of it. M'Connell denied this statement. He had taken no
part in the rescue, but the officer had the boy down and was
kneeling on his chest, and when the boy got away, the officer
came to him and struck him with a short stick, and broke
his hat. His wife then asked him why he struck her hus-
band, and he seized her and threw her down. He asked him
to give the boy into the custody of an officer.
Kennedy : I was struck with stones, and there is no
truth in the statement that I had the boy down.
• Mr. Booth : Did you tell them you were an officer ?
Kennedy : I did ; I said remember you are getting your-
self into a serious hobble.

Mr. Wybergh ; Did he tell you to give the boy up to
a policeman ?
Kennedy : After the row was over, not before.
M'Connell said he had got up an application to his land-
lord, to try and do away with this very nuisance.
A woman named Brown was then called as a witness for
the prisoner. She stated that shortly after four o'clock she
was passing St. Martin's schools, and she saw a great crowd.
She went over, and she saw a man who had a boy by the
collar of his jacket, on the ground, and his two feet on his
chest. The prisoner and his wife were coming across, and
they asked what the boy had done. The officer said, he
has been breaking my windows, and I, will take him
to bridewell. With that M'Connell said, do not mur-
der the boy ; give him into the hands of a policeman. With
that a woman came and knocked off his hat, pulled him
down and scratched his face. I held his hat in my hand,
and I would not give it to a person who wanted to take it.
Another person had the officer's stick, and when he got it he
ran and struck M'Connell and knocked off his hat. It was
another woman who released the prisoner. The officer had
his feet on the boy's chest.
Kennedy : I deny that.
Mr. Clough : Do you know the prisoners ?,
Witness : No.
Mr. Clough : Did you see the officer with a staff ?
Witness : P saw him pull it out.
Mr. Clough : Was it a regular constable's staff ?
Witness : I don't know. He then got hold of the lady,
and threw her down on the broad of her back.
Mr. Wybergh : Did you see either of the prisoners attempt
to strike the officar ?—Witness : No.
Kennedy : Did you see Mrs. M'Connell scratch my face ?
Witness : No.
Kennedy : Did you see that woman hold my staff ?
Witness : No.
Kennedy : You were not there at the time it occurred ?
Witness : I was there at the beginning. I thought my
own boy might be there, and I was uneasy.
Kennedy. There was no one there at the commencement
but the prisoners. The boy got away the first time, and I
took him a second time.
Witness : I beg your pardon, you only had him- once, and
he was taken away by the old woman who knocked your hat
off.

Mr. Mansfield : Discharge the prisoners:
A CRUEL STEPMOTHER. —Ann Bramwell, a .repulsive
looking woman, was charged with inflicting a severe wound
with a knife on her stepdaughter, a young girl about four-
teen years of age. It appeared from the girl's statement
that she was at service, and came home the previous even-
ing about-eight o'clock. When she came in her stepmother
asked her for a bedgown which her mistress had given her,
which she refused to hand over. Upon this the stepmother
seized a knife and nearly severed one of the girl's fingers.
She was taken to the Southern hospital, where the wound
was dressed, and a certificate was produced from the house-
surgeon that the wound was a dangerous one. The prisoner
denied that she had wounded the girl designedly ; she was
cooking her husband's supper, and had the knife in her hand,
and she was trying to prevent e prosecutor from again
leaving the house that night, when she caught the knife in
her hand and cut herself. Mrs. Jane Aversham, of front
Portland-street, with whom the prosecutria was in service,
stated that a better girl never came into her house ; but she
was so neglected that she did not know AB C. She had
hardly an article of clothing. The prisoner was remanded
for seven days.
UNPROVOKED ASSAULT.— Thomas Alexander, a man dres-
sed in the garb of a seaman, was charged with an unpro-
voked assault upon a lady named Margaret King, under the
following circumstances :—On the previous day, Mrs. King
was standing at her own door, at the corner of Fulton-
street, when the prisoner walked up and said something to
her; she did not know what. She turned her head round,
and she had no sooner done so than he struck her a blow
with his hand on the side of the head, and knocked her
down. He was not very 'drunk. The prisoner said he was
drunk, and knew nothing
.about it. Mr. Mansfield : You
must pay £5, or be imprisoned for two months with hard
labour.

SHARP PRACTICE.—Mrs. Ellen Bowler, of Cheapside,
summoned Mr. Sorton, pawnbroker, Dale-street, to show
cause why he should not deliver up to her six yards of flan-
nel, value 10s., which she had pledged with him for 3s. It
appeared the flannel was pledged with Mr. Sorton on the
13th of December, 1852, and on the evening of the 13th of
December, 1853, she went to have the flannel released. It
was a few miuutes after 7 o'clock, and was a little too late.
Next morning she sent ss. Id., the full amount of principal
and interest, but the flannel would not be delivered up.
Mr. Mansfield : Is the flannel sold ?
Mr. Sorten : I could not say.
Mr. Mansfield : I can't help you ; you allowed the time
to expire.
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',Lore dealer, Lower ilarrineon, charging him with being in
possession of 104 lbs. of foreign tobacco, unmanufactured.
From information received, an officer of customs searched the
premises, and found 171 lbs. of tobacco concealed in the ash-
pit. During the proceedings, it was found that other parties
than Campbell had access to the ash-pit. 20 lbs. of tobacco
were also found in the cellar, but as there was no evidence to
show Campbell was cognizant of its being there, the ca se
was dismissed.
SANITARY PsironmyrioNs.—Mr. M‘Gowan, the legal ad-
viser to the health committee, appeared to support a vast
number of summons.d carved on parties under the 123 d sec-
tion of the 127th cap., 9, and lu, Vio., f.r not keeping in a
proper state of cleanliness, their houses, cellars, &c. As the
present moment, when an epidemic was impending, it was
essentially necessary, he observed, that the act should be
carried out in its full force. Accordingly no less than 3,500
notices had been served, but he was glad to say that in the
great majority of them the parties had complied, and that
the cases which would be brought before the court were re-
duced to sixty or seventy. The object of the health com-
mittee was not to carry out the act so as to render it op-
pressive to the public, but they wished to preserve the health
of the parties residing in those houses, and also to prevent
the spread of disease and epidemic among the community at
large
Dr. Duncan, the medical officer, and Mr. Fresh, the in-
spector of nuisances, were also in attendance.
Richard Hollow was summoned for four houses in Lord
Nelson-street.
Mr. Bremmer appeared for the defendant. He said he
was sure that Mr. M'Gowan would do them the credit in
admitting that they would not,_on any account, throw ob-
stacles in the way of the health committee in carrying out
the provisions of an act which it was for the benefit of all
should be strictly enforced. He therefore regretted that his
client should be among the seventy delinquents, but the
reason was, that he wished to do more than comply with the
requisition of the committee. When. the summons had
been served on him to cleanse the houses, he immediately set
about making extensive alterations in them, which would
still more improve their sanitary condition. The whole
work would be completed in a day or so, and he therefore
trusted that, under those circumstances, the court would not
inflict a fine.
The case was accordingly adjourned for a week, a fine to
be inflicted if the houses be not finished within that time.
R ,bert Bridson was summoned for houses in Cros bie-
street.

Mr. Snowball who appeared for the defendant, said that
the houses were let to a number of Irish tenants, and that
the landlord could not. get them out; and he therefore
thought that the summons should not have been taken out
against him, but against the occupiers. However, in this
particular case the informations could not be sustained, inas-
much as the notice was not drawn up. in the legal phraseology
of the act.

Mr. M'Gowan here made some observation as to the
nature of the objection. It was inaudible except to those in
his immediate vicinity; but it called fbrth from
Mr. Snowball: You are a very impertinent kind of fellow.
I don't know who you are, hilt you • are a very impudent
fellow.

Mr. M'Gowan : No; you are the very impudent fellow—l
only give it you back in your own coin.
The magistrates held the objection to be invalid.
Mr. Snowball said there was another objection. The
notice set forth that if the cleansing was not done within
twenty-four hours from its receipt,the officer would have the
work done, and charge the parties with the expense. That
was not done, and it was therefore rather hard to summon
the defendant.

Mr. M'Gowan replied that the notices were filled up in
the manner directed by the • act, which inflicted in case of
non-fulfilment acumulative penalty-- namely, I Os. for every
day the work remained undone after the expiration of the
period in the notice. lie regretted that geqtlemen should
oppose what was for the good of all by absurd and grown-
less quibbles, instead of meeting the case in its merits.
The defendant here stated that he would cleanse the
house, but that he could not do so in cons•eqnence of the
habits of the tenants.

The Magistrate said that cleanliness in such hone could
only be insured by making the landlord responsible for the
tenants ; for if they did .r.-4 nenave properly, and live
something like a PluisEtan and decent life, he should get rid
of th... 2.
The defendant was fined 20s. and costs.

The following parties, owners of the houses, were also
fined

I. M. Treefall, for two houses in a-court off Crosbie-
street, ss. and 4s. ed. costs, in each case.
Bryan Renshaw, for a house in a court off Blundell-street,
20s. and 4s. 6d. costs.

Frederick Elliott, for a house in a court off Blundell-street,
2s. 6d. and 2s. 6d. costs.

Bichard Long, for houses in Vaughan's-buildings, in ono
case 2s. 6d., and in the other 10s. and 4s. 6d. costs.

Edward :Jones, for a house in Back Bridport-street, 2s. 6d.
and 4s. 6d. costs.

R. S. two bouses in Bath-lane, 10s. and 4s. Gd.
costs in each case.

James Blackburne, for two houses in Lancelot's-hey, 10s.
and 4s. 6d. costs in.each case.

David Hughes, houses in Brook-street, in: each case 20s.
and 4s. 6d. costs.

Thomas Dutton, Lee-hall, Queen-street, 2s. 6d. and costs.
Tames Revey; Johnson-street, ls. and ls. costs.
Thomas Carney, Johnson-street, 10s. and 4s. 6d. costs.

Alexander Ryan, was summoned for a number of houses
in Grosvenor-street.

The agent of Mr. Ryan stated that he paid a party £22 a-
year for keeping those houses clean and whitewashed. In
some of the houses 40 persons were living; the street was
not paved—an open sewer ran through the middle of it—so
that it was impossible, under present circumstances, to keep
the houses clean.

Dr, Duncan, the medical-officer said, that the street had
been reported to the health committee, and that it would
be immediately attended to. The cholera was always very
bad in those houses, and therefore, nothing should be left
undone.

The party who contracted, to keep the houses clean, was
fined in each case.

John Bennett, for four houses on Primrose-hill, 2s. 6d.,
and costs, in each case.
William Williams; for a house in a court off Bridport-
street, 2s. 6d7 and costs. _

William Anderson, for a house in a court, Norris-place,
20s. and costs,

Thomas Bird, Truemount-street, 108., and 4s. 6d. costs.
Bd. Williams, ditto, ls., and ls. costs.
William Bunnell, ditto, 2s. 6d., and 4s. 6d. costs.
Robert Hughes, four houses in Grovesnor-street, in each
case, 55., and 4s. 6d. costs.
Catherine Walsh, ditto, ls., and ls. costs.
William Lancaster, Chaucer-qieet, 2s. 6d., and 2s. 6d.
costs.

.D ivid Evans, ditto, 205., and 4s. 6d. costs.
.rifory Geoghegan, ditto, 2s. 6d., and 2s. sa. costs.
Mr. S. liolme foicibly impressed on the parties the
necessity of keeping their ho-uses dean, particularly at the
present moment, and trusted, that the infliction of those
fines would henceforth insure a ready compliance with the
provisions of the act.