Northern Times.
Liverpool, Merseyside, England, 1857-06-15 00:00:00

THE SWELL MOB.

At the Worship-street Police-carat, London, on Wedhesday. John
Edwards, alias Martin a noted pugilist and "flash" pick .ocket,
and Richard Shaw, who falsely represented himself as an omnibus
conduotor, were b.:ought up for final examination before Mr.
D'Eyncouit, charged with the commission of various robberies
at the Shoredutch terminus of the Eastern Counties Railway. The
prisoners had been remanded last week to enable the police to discover .
the owners of a purse and money, a banker's cheque, and other
aet'cles, which were found in the possession of Shaw on the occasion
of h's apprehension, and Edwards,-upon a charge of 'teeling a gold
watch, of the value of .4'60, from Mr. James Lonergan, a ,merch.mt
in Austiniriars. The following addition-,1 ev:dence is now proceeded
with :—Mr. William Verry, a builder, in Great Tower-street, stated
that on-the afternoon of Tuesday se'nnight, he was at the booking-
house of the railway, and having paid for his ticket to Loughton, he
carefully replaced his purse in his trousers pocket, which contained
a cheque for Si. odd on Glyn, Mills; and Co., two sovereigns, and
some silver, besides various important private papers. Such a dense
crowd of persons was assembled at the time that he elosely watched
his pocketuntil he had seated himself in one of the carriages, when
he discovered that in spite of his vigilance, the whole of its contents
had disappeared. The loose money now produced by the police
exactly tallied with the money he had lost, and he also identified
the purse, stamps, and cheque, the latter of which had been partly
eaten away. Mr. Bent, the railway superintendent, said that after
the capture of Shaw uponanother charge, the gold and silver money
in question was taken from his hand, the empty purse and papers from
his pockets, and that the cheque which he assured them was tobacco,
was forced out of his month while he was attempting to swallow it.
At the close of the evidence, Mr. Verry informed the magistrates
that he had engagements which would render it ratter Inconvenient
for him to prosecute the case at the next Middlesex sessions, and in
the coarse of the conversation which ensued upon the subject, the
prisoner Edwards foolishly joined in with the observation, "I should
be very sorry to pat the gentleman at all pit of hie way, and as his
tine seems so very precious, your worship hal better settle it here,
and sena us to the Bailey' instead of the other place." Sergeant
Turpin, Al 6, here entered the witness-box, and accounted for the
accommodating complsisance of the prisoner by stating that he was
" present at the other place" in the month of Febrnsry, 1856, when
Edwards was tried for felony, and sentenced to t elve months'
imprisonment. The prisoner became completely chopfallen at this
announcement. but made no reply to it. Tire depodtions were then
completed by Mr. Sifters, the second clerk, and the prisoners were
fully committed for trial. •

INHUMAN ASSAULT UPON A MOTHER BY A
SOF.

At the Southwark Police-conrt, on Thursday, John Donovan-, a tall
powerful young fellow, 22 years of a;e, was brought before Mr.
Combe, charged with committing a violent and inhuman assault on
Catharine Donovan, his mother, who was confined to her bed in her
acct.-ache:lent. He was also charged with assaulting his father. The
latter, a hard-working old man, said thathe gained his livelihood by
working at the wharves, and brought up a large faintly, who chiefly
supported themselves, except the prisoner, wire lived at home. On
the previous afternoon, his wife was confined with a fine baby, and
everything went on well until about two o'clock that morning, when
the prisoner came horde, rather the worse for liquor, and roused them
all up. lie then entered the room is which his mother and the baby
were lying, and, making use of an oath, he struck her several times,
and told her to get up. She called out for assistance, and when wit-
ne.s went up, his son had palled hex out of bed, and was threatening
to throw her out of the window. He immediately seized hold of him
to prevent him, and had not a constable come in at the time, he
believed murder would have been committed. Mr. Combe asked
him whether his wife had received any injury which was likely to be
serious? Witness replied that she was much frightened by the
violence of her son, but he did not think any particular injury
was inflicted. Police-constable 202 M said he was on duty in Ewer-
street, Gravel-lane, at two o'clock that morning, when he heard cries
of murder proceed from one of the two houses. He accordingly
entered and saw the prisoner struggling with his father in the
bed-room where his mother was lying with an infant. .Witness
seized hold of him to prevent any further violence, and took him into
custody. The prisoner said no was drunk when he went home, but
he was sure he never assaulted his mother. lie might have struck the
old man because he aggravated him. The father denied having done
so. Ho was sorry to inform his worship that the prisoner was a lazy
fellow, and would do nothin,T to keep himself. Mr. Combs told the
prisoner thet his whole conduct was that of a lazy, cowardly, brutal
fellow, and he never heard of such an inhuman fellow as to assault
his own mether, while in her confinement. He should not be doing
Ms duty -.,nle7s he punis'ied him with the utmae,t severity of the law.
He ..,corlinely sentenced him to six months' hard labour in the
House of Correction.

FAILURE IN Tan GRAIN TRADE.—A deafer in gnin and meal in the
Handy distr'ct, who carried on a rather extenAvo badness, disappeared
Turin,; the last week. It is understood. the habilties amount to
bstween .412,000 was .e 13,000. The losses will fe'l partly on the
b.1711:3 an:? partly 'n indiaidnan wiJi whom ha hal dealings In trade.

—Barjthire Journal.
Geaseow.—DßUNKENNESS.—eiaturday evening presented a similar
disgutting scene to that recorded this day fortnight. Up till four
o'clock ou Sunday morning persons in all stages of intoxication con-
tinued to ha brought into the C ntral Police-office, and no fewer than
forty cases of, die rderly conduct were bo)lted for Mondee's court.
ese, of course, are exclusive of the incipables dismissed after
obtaining a. nigh;.'3 snoortein the cells.—Glasgow Herald.
ATTEMPTED MURDAR AT PECKHAM.— At an early hour on Thursday
morning theinhebitants of Coal Harbour-lase, Peckham, were thrown
into a state of excitement in consequence of an attempt made by a
man named James iieedy, an excavator, egad 40 years, to murder a
fellow workman named James Purcer, aged 33. the two me, were
quarrelling, when Reedy pulled out a knife., and plunged the pointed
weapon into Parcer's heal, dividing- the eye. the sufferer is in Gay's
Hospital, and the culprit has for the time escaped.
TIDE LAST DESCENDANT *OF SHAESPEARE.—lnformation was re-
ceived on Saturday of the death of W. Hammond, Esq., of Camden
Road Vil as and Scott's Yard, London, who has expired at Hastings.
This gentleman was the last lineal descendant of the great poet
3ixalsopcw.m.b. AL.
dlesex, and culled oa basiness as a merchant for 40 years in the city
of Lenten. Tee friends of Mr. Hammond are desirous to place his
remains as near as possible to those of the great poet, at Stradfsrd-on-
Avon.
ANTI-PHOTOGRAPHIC BANK NOTES.—Some of the bills belonging to
banks in this city were copied so perfectly by the photograph process
that they could not be detected by the bank officers. This has led the
banks to issue bilis with yellew coloured groundwork, which cannot
be so copied. The yellew or luminous ray of light exerts no chemical
action on the prepared paper of the photographic artist, therefore
the yells) w-coloure I ground of a genuine bill will produce a black
ground in a photographic copy.—Sidentieic American.
DECEIVING SPIRITS.—A respected correspondent in Michigan sends
RS the first of a s& rtes of communications based on what is commonly
called Spiritualism. The purport is that the spirits with whom he
has ben dealing have confessed to him teat they are not the persons
that they have hitherto professed to be—era not the once mortal
friends and relatives of those who have interrogated them from this
side of the vall—are not of the human family at all, but a different
and darker race, outcast and abandoned, who derive a malicious
pleasure from deluding and misleading credulous human beings.
There is a poi drat more of this sort, lent this is the essence of the
revelations which our friend supposes has been made to him from
that undiscovered country."—New York Tribune.
It appears that the British Government (as well as the Canadian
Government) vow with favour General Eyre's representations, and
hare requested Canada, New Brun ewe k, and Nova Scot ia eacu to send
a delegate to s ngland the coming summer, to confer with the Bri ash
Government and military authorities upon the feasibility of the scheme
and the means of carrying it into effect without delay. Mr. Wilmot
publicly announc d this on the hustinee, in St. John, oar the day on
which the cand dates were nominated previous to the late election.
He also stated that for some time past the Government had been is
cemmunication with the Canadian Gerernment on the subject, and
that they were regetiatine with the St. Andrew's and Quebec Railway
Company to indu, e them t' approach Fredericton as near as possible,
so that a junetien may be formed with their road from Fredericton to
Woodstock.
A MAN TAISIIFG —SUDDEN DISAPPEARANCE —A young man named
Geoi-go Wells arrived in this city fro-e England on the let of Hay, and
took lodgings at the grocery store and boarding house of Mr. Bellamy,
in Ray-street, and remained there until Thursday last, when he sud-
denly disappeared. Wells is ebout tweety-five years of age. and has
teen enganed tor some years as a dry goods clerk in Leicester,
England. He eonsiht a imilar situation here, and being unsisecessful
tried Toronto with no better success. After returning from the latter
place, our ieformant, a fellow boarder, noticed that Wells was labour-
ing under great depression of spirits, and endeavoured to chest- him,
but without effecting any app :rent ehange for the better. On the 7th
May ho left the boarding house, where he has left a trunk,
portmentean, and overcoat, and has net since bean heard of.—
Hamilton Journal, May 17.
Stecueas CASE or Suicinx —On Sunday evening week, the village
o! W ile,by was thrown into a state of excitement is consequence of a
labourer having been found hung in an outhouse. He was about 21
years of age, and had been married seven months. It appears that
he and his wife had had some words on Sunday. He asked her to go
for a walk with him, but she being far advan,ed in pregnancy declined.
After the quarrel was over, the deceased kissed his wife, but she would
not speak to him. He said that he would teilt her three times, and if
she would not speak to him he would go and hang himself. The wife
sttll refused to steeds. and the deceased, under a stupid idea that he
was under an oetieation to fulfil his threat, took a clothes line and
want into an outhouse and hanged himself. It appears the wife did
not interfere.
The following extraordinary and very unreliable statement con-
cerning Mr. "Caine, the American conjuror, appears in the Courrier
de Parris :—" Mr. Hume cmtinues to see scarcely anybody. He
lives with a person who has offered him the hospitality of his house,
and the Duchess of Hamilton and the Marquis de C-- are almost
the only people admitted to see him. He often goes to the Tuilleries.
On the day of the return of the Court from Fontainebleau ha had the
honour of breakfasting with their Majesties, and role back to Paris
is the imperial berline with the Emperor and Empress, the King of
Bavaria, the Grand Duchess of Baden, and the Duchess of Hamilton."
TIIE BANDIT PERALD OF PEACE —The Gazrefta Populare of Cag-
hari gives an account of a solemn reconciliatima effected between the
vit!ages of Perfugas and Dertigadas (islaed of Sardinia), the inhabi-
tants of which had lived in perpetual feud (venditta) fo- upwards of a
century. The most singular circumstance connected with this event
is, that it has been brought about by a notorious bandit named Pietro
Marras, a native of Perfagas, who has teen the terror of the country
for the last 22 years. He obtained a safe-conduct from the govern-
ment, in order to be present at the ceremony of the reconciliation,
and it was intimated to him that if he would constitute himself a
prisoner, and submit to a trial, he would obtain a pardon in consi-
deration of the important service he had done to his country; but he
refu ed, and returned to the woods immediately after the banquet
which closed the proceedings, saying that "birds liked the forest
better than the cage."
Dxaxu FROM DRINKING.—An inquest was held at Lower Moor,
Warrington, on Saturday, on the bo ly of James Hilton, aged 63 years.
Toe deceased was well known in the town, from his excessively
drunken habits, and he boasted that for the last 26 years he had
never gone to bed sober ! On Viledneelay night he was found by a
podce-constable in a si ate of drunken insensibility, and he was
bleeding profusely from the nose. The constable raised him up, and
assisted 0 put him to bed. In the morning his sister, having to go
to work, locked him in tee house, and on her return at breast time
he had not got up, so she did not disturb him, and again locked him
in. At dinner time she found him still in bed, tut she thought there
was nothing further the. matter with him than the effects of drinki
At six o'clock in the evening, when she returned from her work, she
again went up stairs, being surprised that he had not rises, and on
tookiee, at him she found that he was de: d.—There wasno evidence to
show the cause of death, and the jury returned a verdict of " Found
dead in bed."
EXCITING SCENE BEFORE A MAGISTRATE.—A sailor who had been
stabbed in Cardiff. not being likely to recover, his dying depositions
were taken last week. When the suspected offender, an Italian, was
introduced for the pur ose of identification, the apparently dying
man (says the Star of Gwent) started from his recumbent position as
if electrified, and his whole countenance underwent a frightf al
change. His featnres in an instant 1 ecame contorted, and his mus-
cles worked convulsively from the intensity of his feelings. His
voice, which hitherto was low and broken, now became suddenly
loud, and he shouted forth, to the astonishment of all who witnessed
the extraordinary change—" Oh, you bloody seoundrel—you bloody
wretch ! yen have killed me ! I know you. He had white buttons
to his coat. That is the man." Ths wounded man then became
dreadfully convulsed. and as he glared upon the prisoner the perspi-
ration broke copiously out from his face. So dreadfully had he be-
come excited that it was feared he would at once expire. So affecting
was the above distressing scene, that a gentleman who was present in
an official capacity fainted away, and had to be carried out of the
ram.

ATTEMPTED MURDER AT WITHAM.

At the Witham petty sessions on Tuesday, the examina-
tion of Charles Finch, •the man who has been remanded
from time to time for the attempt on the life of Harriet
Freeborn, took place. Harriet Freeborn deposed : lam
a single woman, and on the 2z,th of May last, I was in the
service of Mr. Upton, farmer, of Rivenhall. I was going
to church in the afternoon. I went as far as the stile lead-
ing to the church path. Charles Finch' came behind me,
eangbt hold of me suddenly, and cut my throat with a ,
razor. I don't know whether he threw me down or 1
whether I fell. He turned a vay, and said " You black-
guard." While I was on the ground he came to me again,
and cut my throat, saying "You are a dead woman,
and I shall be hanged for you ' • if I don't I'm -."
John Rackstraw said : I live at the Rev. H. Dalton's, at
Kelvedon. I know the prisoner. On Saturday, the 23rd
May, he was working with me, and he spoke abo it the
young woman, and said, " I'll do for her some time or
o her." I saw him walking with her on the previous
Tuesday. On the Saturday he told ms he was jealous of a
young man in London, and that he had a razor in his
pocket on the Tuesday night. Mr. .T. M. Tomkin, surgeon,
Witham, said : On Saturday afternoon, the 27th May,
about half-past three o'clock, I was called in to attend the
young woman. I found her in a fainting state, with two
large gashes in her throat. They were such wounds as in
all probability would produce death. I have no
doubt they were inflicted with the intention of killing.
Police-constable Medley, stationed at Witham said: On
Sunday, the 24th of May, I apprehended the prisoner. I
have had charge of the prisoner since he has been at the
station. On the following day he confessed his guilt. The
prisoner, who, up to this period of the examination had
exhibited a perfect air of indifference, suddenly became
serious, leant his head on his hand, and seemed lost in
thought ; his eyes were filled with tears, and he was evi-.
dently suffering great mental anguish ; in a minute ~r two,
however, he recovered himself, and, after receiving the
usual caution, the chairman asked him whether he wished
to say anything in answer to the charge, and he replied,
"Nothing." He was then fully commited to the next.
assizes for trial, and the witnesses bound over to prosecute