The Sun.
London, England, 1864-05-31 00:00:00

WESTMINSTER.

A DILI:NE-EN CABMAN.--J ohn Shephard, a cabman, was
charged before Mr Self e with being drunk and incapable of
driving his horse and hansom.
Police constable 388 V said that about three o'clock that
morning ho was in the Fulham road, when he saw the pri-
soner in the act of going on the stand. Witness thought
by his manner of driving that he was not sober. After he
got on the stand, he left his seat and went inside his cab to
sleep.

Mr Selfe asked the constable for his licence.
The constable said that the prisoner's master had pro-
mised to come with it, but he had not done so.
Mr Selfe observed that he had before stated that he would
not hoar a charge against a cabman in the absence of the
licence.

The constable stated that the prisoner's master lived as
far as Praed-street, Paddington. He (witness) had seen
the license, which was a " clean" one.
Mr Selfe—That may be, for he may only have had it
about a week.

Constable—That is so, your Worship.
Mr Selfe (to priscuer)—What have you to say to the
charge ?

Prisoner—l haie been in the hospital, and the doctor
told me I was not to drink anything but stout, and I had
two pints of stout, that made me sleepy. I have been a
licensed driver ten years, and was never fined before.
The prisoner was fined 55, and he was ordered to send
for his license in order to have it signed.

THE KILKENNY CATS. —I have often wondered
who arc natives
why none of your correspondents
of Notes and Queries, but
of or residents in Kilkenny
given you the real version
of the tale of the Kilkenny eat:
frequently noticed in the columns I have seen the subject
cats.
received and I have never seen the following accurate version of the
aefproverh ....,, as quarrel-
occurrence, which led to the
erro-
neous story of the Kilkenny That story has been so
long current that it has becomtwe:
longtweatnaiisslo fTuhritoutsly that
some as the Kilkenny cats"—
s
thde cats in which city
are asserted to have fought so
but
mani-
festlys
an Irish exaggerationand
; when your readers .-have learned the true anecdote connected
withthe
et shall
two cats
they will understand why only two tails o were found, the
naught was found of them
unfortunate owners having ft a
--e-- in terror from the scene
their mutilation. lam happy ia
being able to statethait.
neither Ireland not Kilkenny is at all disgraced by the
occurrence, t e
which did take Place in
occurrence, Kilkenny, but which
might have occurred in ay oter place in te known world.
During the rebellion which occurred in Ireland in 1798 (or
may be in 1803) Kilkenny was garrisoned by a regiment of
Hessian soldiers, whose custom it was to tie together in one
of their barrack rooms two cats by their tails, and then to
throw them face to face across a line generally used for dry-
ing clothes. The cats naturally got infuriated and scratched
each other in the abdomen until death ensued to one or
both of them, and terminated their sufferings. The officers
of the corps were ultimately made acquainted with these
barbarous acts of cruelty, and they resolved to put an end
to them and to punish the offenders. In order to effect this
purpose an officer was ordered to inspect each barrack-room
daily, and to report to the commanding Officer in what state
he found the room. The cruel soldiers, determined not to
lose the daily torture of the wretched cats, generally em-
ployed one of their comrades to watch the approach of the
officer, in order that the cats might be liberated and take
iefuge in flight before the visit of the officer to the scene of
their torture. On one occasion the " 100k-out man" neg-
lected his duty, and the ocer of the day was heard ascent-
ing the barrack stairs while the cats were undergoing their
customary torture. 0110 of the troopers immediately seized
a sword from the arm•rack, and with a single blow divided
the tails of the two cats. The cats, of Course, escaped
through the open
windows of the room, which was entered
almost immediately afterwards by the officer, who inquired
what was the cause of the two bleeding cats' tails being
suspended on the clothes line, and was told in reply that
" two cats had been fighting in the room ; that it was found
impossible to separate them; and that they fought so despe-
rately that they bad devoured ea
hich ch other up, with the
exception of their two tails ;" w may have satisfied
Captain Schemmelkettel, but would not have deluded any
person but a beery l'russian,—Sstes and Queries,
THE OLD MORGUE AND THE NEW.—Among
recent demolitions iu Paris is that of the old well-
known Morgue. Not that this gusee des Alerts has ceased
to exist as an institution, for a much larger
Morgue has
been erected on the island immediately behind Notre Dame.
In this new building every arrangement calculated to carry
into effect the objects of the establishment has been adopted.
In one apartment, lighted in the most effective manner, are
12 slabs of black marble, on which the unfortunate dead are
laid ; and in another apartment are 14 similar slabs, destined
for bodies that have become so decomposed that recognition
is no longer possible. Bath-rooms are abundantly supplied
with water, which falls continuously ion the bodies, The
clothes appertaining to the latter are suspended in a room,
in a very conspicuous manner, and, unless identified, remain
exposed for a year.