The National Register.
London, England, 1822-12-29 00:00:00

THE NATIONAL REGISTER 4

Merchant he was "very much elevated." Riding on
horseback being somewhat of, rarity to him, he mounted,
intending only to indulge himself by going a few paces
and back again, but he believed the rattling of his band-
box frightened the animal, for lie hail no sooner bestrode
hint and fixed his feet in the stirrups, than off lie went with
lie rapidity uflighining, in spite of his endeavours to stop
him. lie could not tell whither he weld, or at what rate
lie travelled, but he knew lie had rather a lung, and lie
believed a roundabout ride, and foiled himself at last iu
Sloane-sqoare, Chelsea, the horse in a profuse perspira-
tion and paining for breath, his umbrella gone, and his
hand box almost entirely demolished by, its lie 811111113Sed,
knocking against the animal's side. 'the only damage,
however, done to the contents of the box was the breaking
Of one of the feathers, and having found a shop, he vv..'
cured another box, and rode home to Clapham. The ad•
•enture, lie ass,, red the magistrate, Was quite accidental,
and lie was willing to make any apology or re ttttt neratiou.
Mr. ll:Ms.—Why did you not ride down the road again,
in search of the owner, when you found yourself in Sloane
square?
Prisoner.—Why, sir, I thought it was then too late, and
AO I rode home, and hail die horse ',novelly taken care of
in a stable, and started early this morning to inquire for
the owner. 1 was on my way to Kensingion when that
gentleman stopped inc.—He banded in a written
lion of the horse, with his own address, which he said he
intended fur insertion in a newspaper, had lie been un-
successful in his personal inquiries.
Mr. Merchant said, the pi isoner had lull !din the same
story, and font his matinee, and all the circiimstanct 5, he
believed it was at the am st a Christmas fralie ; but he
hoped it would operate as a warning to hint in future.
The prisoner was ilisrlial led With an ittlinollititon.
Mr. Halls said, he if ought the adventure might be ad-
vantageous to Mr. Marcliant, for it nni.t considerably
rob:nice the valise of gis horse. Stich a steeple racer tonal
be invaluable.

LX EC LT N.
On Monday last the sentence of the kw was carried into effect
at Pennenden Heath, near Maidstone, upon John Smith, con-
victed in the last sessions for mender.
We have now to record one of the most remarkable instances
of mental abstraction that, perhaps, has ever been manifested
under the awful circumstances of deliberate murder. About a
fortnight ago, the prisoner sent for a gentleman of ftlaidstone,
who, attending the summons, rea7ived from the prisoner a vehe-
ment injunction to make public what he called a history of his
life. The surprise of the gentleman may be cnceived, when, on
examining the paper, he discovered it to be.a concise narrative of
the place of the prisoner's birth, his propensities, and, finally, his
motives for committing the muri'er, described in doggrel verse.
Although the production of an illiterate man, it is truly astonish-
ing that the maid of a man nearly fourscore years could, by any
possibility, um:er circumstances so pecutiarly awful, fie a moment
be so abstracted from his situation as to admit of so extraordinary
a production. The levity of the concluding lines is not the least
tatikin part of this extraordinary effusion.
The original, which is in the hands of Mr. Agar, has been
followed verbatim el Merriam:—
LINES

BOXING•

-

Dictated by John Swish, rigjil ;3 years, who was executed on
Pennentlen Ileath, on Monday, ilec. Y 3, tti22, for the wilful
Murder of Catherine Smith, at Greenwich, on the 4th of
October
In the County of Wicklow I was born'd
But nliv in Maidstone die in scorn
I once was counted a roving blade
but to my milortune had no trade
women was always my downfall
but still l liked and loved them all
a hundred I have had in my time
when I was young anti in my prime
women was always my deiight
but when I got old they did me slight
a woman from London to me came
she said with you I would rain remain
if you will be com taut I'll be true
I never want no Alan but You—
and on her own Bible a Oath did take
that she never would Me forsake
and during the time that 1 had Life
she would always prove a loving Wife
and by that means we did agree
to live together she and Me—
but soon her vows and Oath raid break
and to another Alan did take
NV hich she fettled home with her to lay
and that proved her own destiny
So as Jack Smith lay on his bed
this notion strongly run in his Head
thou he got up with that intent
to hind her out was fully bent
swearing if he found out her Oath she'd broke
he suck u knife into her throat
then to the Cricketers he did go
to see if he could find it out or no
not long been there beiine she came in
with this same fellow to fetch some Gin
then with A Knife himself broui,ht
immediately stali'd ha under the Chin
and in live minutes site was no more
but there laid in het purple gore
Now to conclude and end my song
they are both dead dead and gone
they are both gone I do declare
gone they are but Gud knows where--
The body was taken away to Greenwich to lie for public view
for one day, and afterwants to be dissected and anotom,zed in
Greenwien Hospital. lie received the sacrament just before he
1,11 the poi, and appeared very lanitent and resigned at the
place of execution. lie spoke fur a short time to the people,
•• that women° were the cause of his downritll." lee
prayed aloud and very fervent until the drop fell, 4aying,
`' Lord have mercy upon me ! Christ have mercy upon me !"
The drop fell about twelve o'clock. Ile slept but very little on
Sanday night.
• According to Irish logic, because he cuts a woman's threat,
a %WWI is the cause of Ms ruin.

30311. HUDSON AND WELLS TIIE BATH MAN.
It had been whispered about in the sporting cit.. •
cles that a plant from Bath had arrived in London
to take the shine out of some of the fistic heroes of
the London ring.—Josh. and the new Candidate
for fighting fume fell in with each other on Tuesday
night at a jovial party, when, after plenty of chaf-
flag, Josh. became jealous of a rival, and off he
dogged his toggery, and gave the Bath man a punoh
in the head, which he was too good to take quietly.
The parties retired to a chosen spot, peeled and
turned to. Harry Holt seconded Josh and Mason
the Bath man.
A merry battle of 35 minutes followed, although neither of
the men were in right condition. Josh, in his usual hull.doic
form, went up to his adversary's held, and dealt out punish-
ment but lie found in Wells a man not easy to be shook eft.—
Josh was parried and returned upon, and both want down.
2. Josh. led in this sound, but be was thrown a heavy cross
buttock.
The next four rounds produced something like equal light,
both proviag high cooraged ones. The claret bustled about
freely, and t• e men got tired. Josh was thrown heavily again'
at the end of the 6th round, and lamed in the knee.
7. Josh, want limping to the scratch, and hit away under
.
grea disadvantages, lint he was too good to funk. Ile placed
• rattling facer un his adversary, who threw him, and that
seemed at this stage of the light to be his aim.
In the 10th round tha gallant Josh. managed to reduce vic-
tory to a tolerable certainty. He rattled sway, and did smart
execu'ion. It was Newgate to a scout ken.
11 and 12. Josh. had his work to do, and rte was thrown
heavily in the last of these rounds.
The 12th eettled the business. Josh hit his adversary on the
mark, where the remains of two pounds of solid bad been de-
posited, and he gave in.
The light was for pure love and glory ; and Hudson won it -
under great disadvantages.

DEEP PLAT.—The late General Ogle had sn
unconverable attachment to play. A few weeks
bethre he was to sail for India, he constantly at.
tended Pain's, in Charles-street, St Jamss's-square,
where he alternately won and lost large sums. Otte
evening there were before him two wooden bowls
of gold, which held fifteen hundred guineas
each ; and also four thousand guineas in rouleaus
which he had won. taken the box came to him, he
shuck the dice, and with great coolness and play
santry said—" Come, I'll either win or lose seven
thousand upon this hand ; will any gentleman set
n'e tha whole ? Seven thousand is the maim"—
Then rattling the dice once more, cast the box front
him, and quited it. the dice remaining covered.—
Though the General did not consider this too large
a sum for one man to risk at a single throat the rest
of the gentlemen did, and for some time he remained •
unset. He then said—" Well, gentlemen, will you
make it up amongst you ?" One set him 5001.
another 5001.—" Come," says he, " whilst you are
making up this money-7,0001.-I'll tell you a
story." Here he began to relate a story that was
pertinent to the moment ; but perceiving that he
was completely set, stopped short—laid his hand
upon the box aaying, " I believe I am set, gentls- -
men ?"—" Yes, Sir : seveu is the main." He
threw out ! Then with a aonishing coolness took
up his snuff-box, and smiling, exclaimed, " Now,
gentlemen, I'll finish my story, if you please."
About 1750, a merchant of Cleves, named Jo- •
rissen, who had become almost totally deaf, sitting
one day near a harpsicord while some one was play-
ing, and having a tobacco-pipe in his mouth, the
bowl of which rested accidentally against the body
of the instrument, he was agreeably and unexpect.
edly surprised to hear all the notes in the most dis-
tinct manner. By a little reflection and practice he
again obtained the use of this valuable sense, which
as Bonnet says, connects us with the moral world ;
fin- he soon learned, by means of a piece of hard
wood, one end of whick he placed against his teeth, •
to keep up a conversation, and to be able to under-
stand the least whisper. His son afterwards made
this beneficial discovery the subject of an inaugural
dissertation, published ut Ilalle, in 1751. Perulle
has ,riven some excellent (disci vations on the capa-
bility of hard bushes to conduct sound, in the Me.
moles of the Academy of Turin, for 1790 and 1791.
The effect is the same it' the person who speaks rests
the stick against his throat or his breast ; or when
one rests the stick which he holds in his teeth
against some vessel into which the other speaks.
There is at present living ut The,slosia, in the
Crimea, an Armenian, whose age is 120 years. Ile
was born in Persia, and preserves a perfect recol-
lection of the celebrated Thomas Kali Khan, whont
he frequently saw. His health is gond, and he is
surroanded by his descendants. His youngest
daughter is now 35 years old.
Toltec:co.—The American Farmer tells us, that
some tobacco made by Judge Dorsey, of Maryland,
last year, sold in k urtye for fitly-two dollars per
hundred, and some which grew in Montgomery
County, and sold in Baltimore tier thirty •seven
brought in Holland the enormous sum of up-
wards of sixty dollars per hundred.
SINGULAK hare, %%itiell was opened a fI:W
dais nano at the hotsae of a 31r. !WIWI Wotilicii. a bask, r,
near Saetlicid &wrack 4, was found to have Iwo /owls.—
they as:rejoined together by a thin int.nibi.inc.

u HOER AND RODOSNY,--A---tirrairul minder
was perpetuted in the v Wage of Llatibeder, in Noah
Wales. on Monday night. Jane Williams. an aged
widow, mill )ears a respectable shopkeeper in the sit-
late, and who was generally thought to have amassed
a little wealth, was found unordered oeinnil her counter on
Monday mornitig. A little granthia tight( r, said she heard
her grandmother, iu the night, cry " Murder "400 or
three times, but was too much Irighttned to stir. Three
persons are supposcd to have het it concerned—they had
dragged their unfortunate victim from her bed ; the shop
d awes, &c. wet.o broken op: n, and sect rah articles
stolen, as well as what nsonry she might base bad in
them. We have not heard 01 any clue being )et arturd-
de by which to trace the wretches.