The British Press; or, Morning Literary Advertiser.
London, England, 1824-09-24 00:00:00

AN HEROIC 131710L4R.

CIRCUIT COURT O! JUSTICIARY.

(From the Danyiier Corrkr.)
After some faded of minor importance,
Our old friend Parick Fo was the panel pia
Dock., accused, as the reader will neglect. of breaking ae.
shop of Mr. James 51 broker. Friars' 'Fennel on
April last, and stealing therefrom Moe pale of Llankets, at
ns
coat and vest, two pair of tonsure, end a es.ir of worsted stoeiin-.."
His appearance excited considerable interest, and all nee
simultaneously directed to the duck, to obtain a glimpec des
who had been named par escrlience " the heroic burglar," ac 4.4-""
from
title. the idiot ing account of his exploits, really appe4ri 10 n net
et
the
On the night of Wednesday last, a tall raw-boned athletic Irish-
man, of the name of Patrick Fox, who was lately employed C,
mason's labourer, broke into the ship of Deacon M'hilf,
Friars' Vennel. and plundered it 01 a web of blanketing, Witi,-"
number of articles of wearing appayt With this booty E 4---
eicar off, and although the
.police was everywhere to the seat
and had even stationed sentinels cc the different toll.t,eve;;:
trace of the burglar could he Punt, until the Friday f:low 1, ex—
when he very coolly proceeded to the same street, and oferte,-„'
sell a pair of blankets to a shopkeeper, who is almost tett...44
neighbour to the person he had robbed. Mrs. flume, to
ao,-0,4
he applied, declined the purchase, and feeling a pleattd4.„.
that all was not right, she lost no time is giving the ak.,:".‘,4;
Deacon 1111• Kill himself happened to be out, but he posted
two staunch repres.en,ativet in his wife and son, w ro, Nth_
ing to the street, challenged their man, and laid hold ef ha
bundle just as he was issuing from at other house. But Pet had
no idea of yielding to boys and women, and relinquishing 4.0
bundle, that he might be the better able to box or rue, he lens
step-son a hearty '• loundet," and then bolted down the
Friars' Vennel at a pace that anon distanced eve 7
e,tralier. This
occurred about nine o'clock, and the night was so ark and storey,
that had he made direct for the Whits Sands, the probability is be
never would have been heard or. But it is wisely ordered that crtre.
aciousneas of guilt is srldoin arc-wan :A by presence of mitc;
ard in place of essaying the most rhvious means of escape be
foolishly haled at the edge of the caul, cowering aura a btu, cc
small mound of earth, s.tghtly hnllowed by the action of the tram
And here he lay snug for a brief apace, in of the
cove
that had by this time collected; butt length a little girl, it.
dipping her pitcher, espied the figure-VI a man, and soon rd
the mob on the right scent, who now bounded forward itke a,
many joyless about to unearth a four-fooled felon. Thus et.
vironeet, our human fox had nothing for it but to dash along the
and at all hazards—a feat which he performed with thermos*
agility, tnaugre the slippery uneven stores, and the pp ei!' of a
broad and rapid river, which was then roaring from lank to hat
Near the centre' however, the current lecame so etrang thn he
was fairly lifted off his feet, and soused over head and ears in the
pool below. The crowd heard the plunge, and, re:ire:tin there:.
ertions, gave the man up for lost ; but what was their surprisetehri
they saw him emerge from the agitated pool, shake the spray emei
his drizzly locks, and with all the skill or a practised swim oar ss.
tempt to gain the oprosite bank. This. ns they guessed, tail-need
his strength, but there was no saving what such a fellow week tie,
and while numbers lined the sands on the Dumfries side, whets tan
across the old bridge, with the view of intercepting hint at tee
Mill-green. This precaution was unnecessary; the 'unwell cede
current bellied every exertion of the swimmer, and non brought
him dose to rite upper extremity of the parapet wall, where lie of
come found it quite impossible to lam!. He then Wade foe the
steps . • but here, too, the pass was strictly guarded, and being less
afraid of water-kelpies than the stem vigilance of his own ape.
des, he again dived or dashel away, and, favoured as he was
by the darkness of the night, was soon hid from the observation of
his pursuers. Public curiosity say row at its height ; pity, feet,
and disappointment ruled the crowd by turns ; some said the rasa
would intallibly be lost • others that he " would neither hang not
drown ;" while all agreed that he had given them the top is
excellent stale. Considering the hour, the place, the 'romans
of the nighi, and the state of the river, the scene became irate.
resting and picturesque in the extreme. The caul soughed-11u
rain drinled—the wind rayed—while the numerous honors
that were brought to the spot, and which here and there shed a tiny
glare athwart the stream, might hove i9opressed a stronger with tbs
erroneous notion that our soberest citizens had become midnight
poachers, or in place cf a common stop-thief typeditios, way ea.
gaged in the rare amusement of an otter-hunt. And where, &Meg
all this delay, was the object of their solicitude ?—wilese bet clings
ing to the long grass which dangles from the crevices of the parses
will, with only his hied and chin shove water ? And here a tell.
tale lantern discovered his hiding-place, when it was, of course. en.
petted he would surrender at discretion. But no—Pat ass sea
comparatively fresh ; another dive, and another swim, lad hews
more socccasfully cli ded his persevering pursuers, and chuck%
perhaps, at his own al deity, as he glided silend dorm the dm
fee several bundeedyards, and at last got a among seri
fleet of coasters tins icy assured at the stank. The astonished aced
were again at fault • Liu, determined not to be baffled, they spwl
themselves along the embankment, projecting their lanterns at
eery point ; boarded the vends, and qbestioned thesailint Edd
no trace of the culprit could be found, and they were spinet the
very point of having him to his fate, when two or three of flit
number thought it would not be anajse le sag to awnall leay
and examine more minutely the aides of tbo sem*. They as 4
and succeeded ; the light of another officious lantern /Manned a
man's hands resting on the edge of a boat, with his body Ulla
water, and his head all but hid beneath the bend. Exile washes
impossible; such lengthened immetsion had cooled Pat s blood Id
well as his courage, and he had nenttiag for it but to to his kaki-
quarters in the town gaol.
Young, athletic, and growing, Pat is as good at eating as be is
at swimming, and could et any time discuss a middle-sized leg of
lamb, in addition to the ordinary allowance of the jail. At first be
plaided not guilty, but afterwards retracted this p on being-re-
minded by his Agent that the charge, which inferred a capital
punishment, could scarcely fail to be fully substantiated. Her,
however, he evinced the obstinacy of his nature, and muttered is
an under-tone, which did not reach the ear of the Judge, "let
it's no right either to plead guilt to a thing that lam no guilt
of."—The libel was thus restricted an arbitrary punishment, an!
hfiors:tiesartr.t
melWeollaanliy:llo:AniZ
imprisoned, he begged to recommend him to the favourable cum
deration of the Court
e-fehliaMPC°urtshirieniel°ll.Ygsitahhteed'oßitdthnetgihtinneeehlapliFlirndiheadt w;ada‘benthisbp

Lord 111zanownsarn laid, it was impossible to pronoun= s
milder sentence than tramportatios for fourteen years. The mine
was a very serious one, and but for the leniency of the pepult-
Advocate, he should have felt bound to inflict the last punishment
of the law. In the distant country to which Fox vas going, his
good or bad fortune would depend entirely upon his good er hsd
behaviour.
The (leak then read the sentence of the Court, on whlril dis
panel looked fiercely at the Judge, and clenching Lis nat. Ind
striking the dock, exclaimed, " W eel, if I had just five minute°,
you—l would gle five pounds for five minutes o you."
Where the five pounds would have come from we have yet
learn ; but in other respects, there can be no doubt as to Pats
ability to have carried his threat into ezenstitie. As it we, Li
bravado only excited a burst of merriment, and cooled, lon!offe
the feeling of sympathy which had previously been excited in an
favour.

The house of a poor widow, (Sarah Whiting,) at Petit-
wood, near Ashbornc, Derbyshire, was entered by soma
ruthless persona, a few days since, and her little treunre,
consisting of five one-pound notes, four sovereigns, and
twenty shillings in silver, (nLich she had deposited in a
box,) was stolen. The poor wumau had been engaged in
household work at a neighbouring farm-house, through the
week, and had left her cottage in fancied vccurity, having
fastened the windows and doors ; but, upon leer return to it,
on Saturday. she discovered to r ro;sr.'""""
W.f. a pates.' gigs' tAts of J. wt.,'
• hso4l whit+ the •,;asantat ass
eateance ethyl, 1.
The Sax 'as nil been taken iu .
Stalbriags, Dorset. The crop 4 pc .•
• •
sad tho tomtit; Cue ; the stem is .•,erf '-% • •

.11IRT'SS.
Oa tat) '<VW th, lady of !tabor' Robe*►
po'aAttart, at a 101,..
•O[ Weetyert the Maihoaso

MA RRIED.
y ty,t4sy. et Itrightwell. in 41 fortNhi-r• •T -
, Littman'', an, to Ws .1 . •
Esq. L.P. tot tont cou.ny.
At Edinburgh, on tho 16th curresit, Major-Gm. Harnikon.
•
Mary A uguata, youngest daughter of the Lite .tlessader Rosa
Esq. of Kincaldrurn.
On the 13th inst. at Enstnon, James Wation,inn•
of hull, to Elisabeth, dau ter of Robert 11'b.siou 3lyddkti4',
Esq. of Grinkle Park, near 'uisbrough.

I)1
On Wednesday, at her ditughter's. at Dulwich, Ann, thew-,
of Mr. Joseph Cole, of Lonion's Pond, Southwark, spot 72
On the lath instant' Itiellartl Biker, Esq. cf narli I7cits.
On the 3lst oh. at Ostend, on her way to Ghent, Berl. Meer!.
relict of the late E. Moore, Esq. of Dublin.
Suddenly. at !Sundt-wan, shire she went tiff the heretic of to'
bathing. Mrs, Bell, wife of George Bell, Esq. of Bellevue. rot
Enniskillen. She was apparently in good health tout spirits ir.:4-
turday sennight, when she surldorly tell down, and explo d.
On Thursday lest. at Eingtun, Ilerefordshire, sgtd t 3 VW'.
Iknjamin Thomas. Esq. M.!).
On the 18th instant, in his Illth year. Wolter Powell,
1-:
Clerk of the peace, and one of the Treasurers of the County
Brecon.

--- -
HIGH WATER THIS DAY AT LONDON 131111 XIS
Morninag 66 win. after t Afternoon 13 min. els 3.

Printed at THE BRITISH PRESS Office, by J. W. C•k'O
WI, Strand, and published by H. Cuts us. NM lOW'

G

4011

and
tul
be
of
any

at t
. but

...1),V;

bee
Prie
T
Cou
cant

tar,

Fa.

tal
Pub!
T 1
Nine

F
Into

-
and

ewe
chaa

Coui
i . D

Y. I

IV

T
and

TI
Wall
',hat
lio sr
L.
ciao
auto

Spas
140. I

uw

yV
Lir

TI
hut

wail
ea
with

The
Sup
CAW
bits
fine
Peet
Arou
And

)kin,
I)i%
Pati
they

CIN
imp

wino
f :he

LStr.
aid
Pen
A
1441
Clan