The Sun.
London, England, 1855-12-19 00:00:00

.ANOTRER FEMAhE IMPOSTOR.

A rival to Alice Gray, and one to whom some of the
discredit of that young lady's reputed performances
should probably be attached, has turned up at Canter-
bury. She has appeared under various nanras—AarY
Eliza Smith, Matilda Tremaine, or Mary Eliza Chippen-
dale. She is short in stature, slight in figure, with grey
eyes, having a cast in the left one, light brown hair, fair
complexion, with an occasional flush, projecting nude
lip, and a hesitating manner in her speech. She appears
to he about 30 years of age. She is well versed in the
arts of deception, possessing perfect command of her
counte, ance, and rarely betraying the slightest emotion.
Her plan is to obtain, by some tale of distress, a footing
in a family for a time, where she secures food and lodging
during her stay, and decamps on being detected, but sel-
dom without carrying off some article of easy conveyance.
In this way it is believed she has been living for the last
two or three years in different parts of England. At
one time she represents herself as coming from Liverpool,
and being the daughter or niece of a large navy agent
there ; that although not quite convinced, she is leaving
the Protestant religion, but is detiroue of resolving her
remaining doubts. At another time she stated that her
father was a medical man residing in the vicinity of
Dover, a member of the Baptist chapel there ; that he
wanted her to join that denomination, to which she was
opposed, as she rather wished to turn Roman Catholic,
and was then in search of a convent, having succeeded in
getting out of her father's house at night, but that unfor-
tunately in doing so she fell into the water-butt. In the
early part of last year she obtained access to a cottage
at Upper Ilarbledown, about three miles from Canter-
' bury, and remained there some time, her first introduc-
tion being an appeal to the cottagers for shelter and pro-
tection, as a man had rudely assaulted her. She also
visited the Catholic priest of the district, from whom
she likewise obtained aid, and a note for Dr. Grant,
of London. Her last statement, and the one upon which
the superintendent apprehended her, is of an entirely
different character. She is now an heiress in search of
her grandinamnaa. In this character she called on a small
shopkeeper, named Epps, residing at Ospringe, near
Faversham, on Friday last, and after a little conversa-
tion stated that she lett her father's house in consequence
of having had some words with him ; that the coachman
took her to Maidstone, but on reaching that town she
found that her friends had gone to Brighton ; ske was
therefore under the necessity of walking to within three
miles of Deal, where her grandmamma, whose name was
Lane, resided at Belmont-hall. She also added, that in
January next she would become entitled to three farms,
which would yield her 8,0001. a year, and that if Epps
liked she would place him in one of them. Her manner
and statement completely effected their purpose ; for the
man and bis wife instantly made her welcome to the best
of their food and accommodation. The next morning the
would-be " heiress," with a thoroughbred liver-coloured
setter, which she had with her, were conveyed by omni-
bus to Canterbury, at the expense of Mrs. Epps, who
accompanied them, by invitation, to see the " grand-
mamma." Fortunately the keen eye of Superintendent
Walker detected his customer, and she was speedily in
charge of the police. The magistrates remanded ber for
a week. On being conveyed to the gaol, she admitted
that she was the person who obtained access to the house
of a gentleman near Leeds, and remained there for three
months, under the pretence that she was the niece of
Dr. Hook.

A❑ ingenious hatter of Paris has constructed a house
of felt, made out of 24,000 old hats. This house con-
tains parlours, dining and bedrooms, and a kitchen. It
is erected upon a platform upon the plain of St. Denis,
and can be transported from place to place.