Northern Times.
Liverpool, Merseyside, England, 1859-05-25 00:00:00

LIVERPOOt POLidt 1-.T'ttlitIGE:CCE.—tEsTtbAT

BEFORE mA244,aritap,

CHARGE or KEEPING A BAD HOGrst.—:Tint Pritchard,
alias Goff, was brought up by detective office iledman, on
a charge of keeping an improper house in t arbock-street,
and also for having attempted to procure Om seduction of a
girl named Ellen 'Wilcox. Mr. Cobb appeared for the
prisoner. It appeared that, on the to'th of April, the
prisoner lived in Tarbock-street, and'fhat on that night she
had tried to destroy the girl. The cross-examination of
Mr. Cobb, although very strong, did not alter the case, and
the prisoner was sent for trial.

BEFORE MR. JOHN eTEWAR.T.
CHARGE OF EMBErZLEMENT.—ohn Picurell, a
was charged with having embezklik3d certain sums
belonging to his employer, Thomas Simpson. Mr. Adel
was for the prosecutor, and Mr. Cobb for the defence. Vhi
case lasted a long time. The facts were these. Mr

Thomas Simpson was the manager of Mr. Briscoe

establishment, and had all the 'cars, &c., in his 'name.
The defendant was a driver in the complainant's
employment. The ladies of the convent 'of the
Sisters of Mercy were in the habit of emPloying the
prisoner to drive them, and he used to receive payment at
'stated periods for this. It was alleged that he had received
payment that he did not return to his emplOyer, and that
latterly he had set up a car for himself, and 'tl.ds was the
charge against him. It was proved by one df 'the Sisters of
Mercy that, certain sums had been paid to 'the prisoner by
the Sisters of Mercy, and the owner of the ear proved that
such sums had not been received by him. Mr. Cobb, on
the part of the prisoner, showed that his &kilt had engaged
other carmen to drive the ladies and hail 'paid them, and
that when he was absent he paid tbeTarrnan, and subse-
quently received the money himself after`payn% his owner.
Some witnesses were produced to /neve this, and the
prisoner was discharged.
• .•

SMASHING.— Mary Fagan was charged with passing base
coin at Satton's public-house, Renshaw-street. She went
into the public-house on Saturday, anasucceeded in palming
off a bad shilling on the barmaid. This morning she
attempted a like offence, but was apprehended. She was
put down.
STEALING COTTON.—Two women were charged with

were known, they were discharged

Another WOMA7I 'l'

sent to gaol for one month for an ,cifenee

CHARGE AGAINST

1,141,11
Roberts was charged with receiving a quantity of •gtolen
property, consisting of a peculiardescription of iron. Mr.
Mansfield said that there was no' evidence to show that,tbe
prisoner had any knowledge of 'the property being stolen,
and she was discharged.

•

" INTENDED " VOLUNTEER RIFLE
CORPS IN LIVERPOOL.
TO THE EDITOR OF TIFE NORTHERN =ES.
Sir,—l was " exceedingly " amused, if not "con-
siderably" instructed, in reading your report•Of the
speeches delivered at the meeting, on Friday—a
meeting for the purpose of forming a Volunteer
Rifle Corps in Liverpool. lam quite conscious that
my intellect is not as sharp and decisive as they crack
of a Kentuckyan rifle; and probably this is the-reason
I could not discover, in the speeches delivered on
that occasion, anything about the formation of a
rifle corps at all. There was some talk about
"loyalty," and more about invasion—but not- to the
purpose, as Hamlet saith. Indeed the "'hero of
Kars" was so far out of the vein, that he was led to
believe he was at a quiet dinner party, and wound up
admirably by " proposing the health of the Mayor !"
Had he had a glass of 'Champagne in his honoured
sword-hand, it would have been an excellent
wind-up to the meeting, which was about the
most ludicrous gathering that has been wit-
nessed, time out of mind, in the " good
old town." No doubt " rifles " and corps "
were mentioned two or three times, and had the
,speakers added a final " E" to "corps,' It would
have been the most appropriate thing that could
have happened. I was at the meeting, and it
afforded me great satisfaction to see so much of the
young blood of England, with fiercely down-turned
collars and unwhiskered faces, present;-and how
they gloried with military—" firey "—enthusiasm
when they heard the " young soger boy" tell them
how he had " worked his way up,"—l quote your
own report of his speech,—although he is, as he says
himself, only a "cotton broker !" By the way, this
young hero, however, appeared to know something
about those uncommonly stubborn things, called
figures, for he showed that any of the generals, in
embryo,— shirt-collars and all, —might become a
rifle-man for £7 is 6d. Only think of it'! Seven
pounds one shilling and sixpence - cheap as dust—to
become a soldier, for the defence of the 'Queen and
country !" And then just contemplate the value
for the outlay-=the " right about face," the
" left shoulder forward," the grace of " stand-
ing at ease," the " quick march," and a hundred
other equivalents--who would not become a
rifle-man after this ? But how many
" young blood," who heard Mr. Bousfield enumerate
the prices of the " knapsack," &c., could afford to
pay -the odd shilling and sixpence, instead of the
£7? Was the gentleman in earnest when 'he used
the following Words ?—" A fine artillery corps might
be made out of the shipwrights and others about
the docks." If the final "E " had been added to the
" corps " in this sentence, it would have been com-
plete. Did any of the speakers offer to do what
would raise a real and efficient body—the " sinews
of war ?" No, not a shilling was offered. Sir, it is
easy to talk of rifle corps, and patriotism, and
defence of the " Queen and country." All -looks
well, sounds well, and all is very quickly accom-
plished on—PAPER ! It is a mockery to 'hold such
empty, "gassy" gatherings as that of Friday. It may
have made the unthinking shout; but the judicious
must grieve at the folly o such proceedings. Talk
is a cheap article; but had a shilling a head'been
charged for entrance to that meeting, how many per-
sons would have been present ? I should be sorry to
predict the failure of the project ; but, as the promoters
of the corps are trying to get the thick end of,the
wedge in first, they will soon find that, instead of a
" corps," they will be in reality a "corpse" before
-.long. If there is to be a Volunteer Rifle Corps in
'Liverpool, let the "prince merchants," the wealthy
shopkeepers and traders, at once subscribe sufficient
sums to purchase clothing and arms, and let those 'be
given to strong men, like the " shipwrights and
others about the docks"—men who could and would,
in case of need, be ready 'to shed their blood in
defence of their Queen and country— and a real Rifle
--Corps may be found in the "good old town." But if
;such elements as composed the meeting on Friday be
the peg on which dependence for the formation of
such a body rests, -Liverpool will become the
laughing-stock of the kingdom. , Mr. Torr spoke of
America and Switzerland; but.are the corps of these
countries composed of such persons as are counted
anynight by the police in the midnight revels in the sup-
per-rooms of Lime-street? By inserting these hastily-
thrown-together suggestions, you, Mr. Editor, may be
the means of enlightening the public, and provoking- a
discussion that may lead to some practical results,
instead' of windy suspirations of forced breath
which, as a well-known friend says, is all "gammon."
—I am, sir, yours, &c., " A KNOWING SHOT."
Liverpool, 23rd May, 1859.

of the