The Sun.
London, England, 1839-10-23 00:00:00

DARING ROBBERY ON SALIS

BURY PLAIN.

GALLANT CAPTURE OP ilk *6iltiß- AND SUDDEN

DEXTH OF ONE OF
A.bant :is o'clock on the evening of the 2241 itiStat4,
ads Mr. Death a respectable farmer, of Imber, was re-
turning from neviZes green Fair, after he had passed
through West Lavington, and just as he had entered
Salisbury Hain, he was attacked by four men, who vio-
lently pulled him off his horse, put their hands upon his
mouth, and rifled his pockets, from which they took
OK, and then decamped. In a few minutes after Mr.
Morgan, of Chitteen, came up, and hearing of what
had taken place, turned his horse, and boldly pursued
the robbers, with whom he soon came up.
In consequence of the rascals threatening him, he
was obliged to keep at a distance, but at the same time
giving the alarm and retaining sight of them, until Mr.
Hooper, of Gore Farm, came with some men, and a
double barrelled gun, to his assistance. After three
boars' hot pursuit, and considerable resistance from the
robbers, three out of the four were captured. No
sooner had the fellows been seized, than one of them
suddenly fell down and expired. It was thought at first
that he feigned death, but after more minute inspection
it was found that he was really dead. On the following
morning the route which the robbers had taken was ex•
amined, when all the money taken on the previous eve-
ning was found.

There is no doubt but these men are connected with
a strong gang of the most daring robbers, who have
been infest►ng the Plain for the last twelve months.
Not a single week for the last three months has passed
without one or two robberies having been committed on
some part of the Plain.
S. Whitchurch, Esq.. Mayor of Devizes, has been
occupied the whole of this day (Tuesday) in examining
witnesses, &e., in consequence of pocket picking and
robbing yesterday and last night, and the result of
which has been, the committal of from twelve to four-
teen prisoners, to take their trial at the next borough
sessions.

We have received the following paragraph from
a gentleman who signs himself " a Manufacturer of Lan-
zashire :—" The step taken by the Bank of England, hos-
tile both to the Country Banks and to the country ge-
nerally, seems now to resolve itself into a defensive and
offensive war of extermination, and we hope and trust
the country will ride triumphant over monopoly. I ad-
vise the Country Banks to make all mu:tents they can
in bills of three months, and not in cash ; to is:•ue their
notes where cash is absolutely necessary, as in cases of
the payment of wages. To pay balances on exchange
of each other's notes in bills of three months' date,
adjusting balance of interest between each other. To
send all Bank of England notes up to London and the
Branches, and get gold for them and to make no compro-
mise in any shape with the old lady in Threadneedle-
street, and we shall soon see who will first repent the
obnoxious resolution taken. Let the country only be
true to itself; and the game will soon be up."—Preston
Observer.

AN INDIAN THIEF.—One evening at dusk, a I
certain Syce (groom) who had charge of a horse,
picketed at some distance from his master's tent, was
abruptly addressed by a stranger, who said to him,
" I advise you, my friend, to take care of your nag,
for this right I intend to steal it." Having thus
spoken, he retired about twenty paces, and there
squatted himself on the ground with the greatest in-
difference, facing the groom, who astonished at his
cool impudence, stood transfixed with his eyes intent
upon him. On reflection, however, it struck him that
he appeared the stronger man of the two, and as his
assailant had no weapon but a short bamboo cane, he
felt himself equal to the contest in case of necessity ;
perhaps he felt ashamed to call for assistance without
with further assurance of the man's evil intentions ; as
it seemed very improbable that he would have pro-
claimed them had he been in earnest. Meantime, the
shades of night gradually deepened into darkness ; yet,
still these two parties remained apparently in slain quo
i. e. the groom keeping steadfast watch on the immove-
able stranger. Suddenly he was startled by the sound
of a horse's hoof behind him, within six paces. He
turned round, and behold his charge was gone, and
already lost in the darkness. In an agony of terror he
rushed on the still, quiet, mysterious visitor, that he
might retain his body as a security and called aloud
for aid. His surprise may be better imagined than
described, when he found nothing but the bamboo stuck
in the ground, and a turban placed upon it, and the
white garments of the stranger transferred from his own
shoulders, and artfully disposed around it. When it
had become dark enough for his purpose, the thief had
gradually divested himself of his clothing, and arranged
it so like himself to all appearance as to deceive the
poor Syce, and then silently withdrawing himself in
snakelike fashion on his belly, had succeede in getting
round and finally effecting the theft, by cutting the
head and heel ropes of the horse, mounting, and away !
His original warning to the Syce was an artifice to
draw the man's attention from his charge, by attracting
it to himself.—Memoirs of a Cadet.
NERVES AND BRAINS.—There are thousands
of women in " this earth of ours" who never think that
they can be sufficiently interesting but when they are
complaining of some derangement of their nervous
systems, and who, through a silly vanity of this kind,
contrive to torment, with their simulated or imaginary
ailments, their fathers and mothers, brothers and sisters,
uncles and aunts,, lovers, husbands, friends, relations,
and neighbours; and each and every animal, rational
and irrational, that has the ill luck to come with n the
reach of their influence. To these we would humbly
submit the following passage for serious and atten-
tive consideration ; and if the inference plainly de-
ducible from it be not that if they had more brain
they would have less nerve, or that the proportion
o f brain and nerve in any animal is always in an
inverse ratio, we shall positively recommend nervous
hypochondraism as the most agreeable mode of enjoying
existence :—" Soemmering has observed that man has
the largest brain, in proportion to the nerves given off
from it, and that this proportional magnitude tray, in
every instance, be referred to as the best criterion of
the degrees of intelligence. Now it appears to me not
at all difficult to account for this fact (the general truth
of which may be granted), by comparing it with an-
other not less important—viz., that in the inferior classes
of animals the nervous system becomes, as we descend,
more and more widely diffused." This proportion of
nerves and brains graduates through creation till we
come to the lowest animals, which are all nerve and no
brain.—Discoveries iu the Nervous System.
A Novel, entitled " Preferment," has just been
completed by the practised hand of Mrs. Gore, and is
likely to appear in the course of the present month.
Report announces this new work of one of the most po-
pular writers of the day to contain an exposure of the
abuses of the Church patronage system now prevailing
in England.
HOWELL, ROBERTS, AND JONES.—We have
received a long article, entitled an Address to the
friends of humanity in behalf of Messrs. Howell, Ro-
berts, and Jones, who were sentenced at the Warwick
Assizes to death, for having taken part in the riots at
Birmingham. Their sentence was subsequently com-
muted, but what is to be their ultimate fate, we are'uot
aware. They are we believe still in prison, and almost
forgotten. We cannot publish the address, beeause it
is too long, and somewhat, we regret to say, too vitu-
perative. We must content ourselves with stating that
the writer calls on all Unions, Benefit and Trade So-
cieties, and indeed every friend to the oppressed, to
exert themselves and form a Committee, whose sole
object shall be to procure the return of these men, whose
only crime is Chartism, into the bosoms of their dis-
tracted families. We believe and trust that the object
proposed by the writer Will be more likely to be ob-
tained by this brief notice of his address, than by pub-
lishing it. He will find it in the office of our publisher,
addressed to a " Middle-Class Chartist," if he wish to
reclaim it.

MILITARY MEN OF FIFE.—The following re•
markable anecdote was told by General Durham at the
ordinary of the late meeting of the Caledonian Hunt in
Cupar, in returning thanks for the army :—" I have
nn former occasions," said the gallant veteran, now in
his seventieth year of service, "mentioned in public that
at one period of the late war there were no fewer than
seventeen general officers in the army belonging to the
county of Fife, and that to this no county in Scotland
could produce a parallel. As the correctness of this
statement has been doubted, I shall now give you their
names ; they were—the Earl of Hopetoun, the Earl of
Balcarres, the Earl of Egin, Sir John Oswald, Sir
Ronald Ferguson, General the Hon. John Leslie, Gene-
ral the Hon. David Leslie, Sir William Erskine, Sir
David Erskine, General Wemyss, General Ramsay,
General Durham, General Moncrieffe, General An-
struther, General Grahame Stirling, General Nisbet
Balfour, and General Clephane—(Great applaus6)—
and having named these, I think I am safe in saying that
no county in Scotland but Fife could boast of the like."
A HOUSE OF ONE'S 0 wN.--To those of
the middle walks of life we would say, " Beware of the
indulgence of a house of one's own." It is often one
of great cxpense,and not (as is erroneously believed) of
economy. True, it may not be in the outset a very
heavy purchase, scarcely amounting to its former rent,
but when " the house is our own," we fondly think,
" Oh, it wants this room papering, and the other paint-
ing, and a tr ellice run up here will make it quite de-
lightful ; and as it is our own, we may as well at once
have these small alterations made, and then we can
enjoy them. So long as we continued to rent the
house, I never should have thought of spending money
on another's property; but really these additions will
e shneelir sh, a'e
perhaps, tlie com-
fortlo
themaosfk teiz lelh,rcusz
whether, while e o w
yet they rented the
same house, it neer ted papering, painting, or a trellice
to enhance its com.- .arts ; but indulging in the common
error adds one expel ,:se upon another, in the disguise
of comforts, till each aevolving year they find that their
"improvements"
u
hay t! run up accounts which still re-
quire gas rent to pay them. Few of the
innocent
am a s large
indulgences as
of a work a-day life are such ex-;
Pcn."'G' toys as is " a. 'house of our own."—Metropolitan.