The Sun.
London, England, 1860-08-16 00:00:00

THAMES.

A PAINFUL CASE.—Edward Short, aged 50, a care-
worn looking man, who was described as a pigeon dealer,
of No. 22, Slater-street, Bethnal-green, was brought before
Mr. Yardley charged with stealing two planks of wood,
each about 14 feet in length.

The prisoner conducted himself in a strange way in the
dock, and on being asked his name he replied, very sul-
lenly, " Why, Short, to be sure." On being asked his
second name he said, " What do You want to know it for ?"
and after the question had been repeated several times by
Inspector Beare, of the K livision, he said "Edward, if
you must know."
A policeman, named Jolut Squire, No. 447 K, said that
er
he met the prisoner in Cottage-row, Mile End-road, at
seven
carrying two new deal
planks o'clockaerss his
this
shoulders,
he obtained them, to Which
he replied that he
gave 4d. for:one of the pinks and Bd. for the other. They
on 'a:ng
He asked the prisoner where
were both of the same size and quality, and worth 6s. or
7s. They were scaffold boards, and of a superior quality.
Mr. Yardley asked the prisoner if he would ask any
questions of the witness, o which he replied—No. What
questions have I to ask about it P

John Maxwell, employed on the middle level sewer, near
Victoria-park, said the p'anks belonged to Mr. Rowe, the
contractor, and were missing front the bottom of the
Victoria-road at half-past 3 o'clock this morning. They
were stolen while he was t,anving.
Mr.Yardley—What have You got to say to this, prisoner ?
The Prisoner (sullenly)_Got to say to it ?
Mr. Yardley—Yes ; you are charged with stealing two
planks of wood.
The Prisoner—l have nothing to say about it.
The wife of prisoner here got into the witness-box, and
said that her husband's mind was affected in consequence
of reverses and his having lost a large sum of money.
Mr. Yardley—Why do you allow him to go at large ?
Mrs. Short said that she studied her family who wished
her husband to be at home. He had nearly destroyed
everything in his dwelling and was hopelessly insane. Her
own life and the lives of her children were in danger. She
had a large family to provide for, and her business, once a
large one, now amounted to nothing at all. For the last
few nights his conduct had been strange, and he talked
about burying his family:

Mr. Yardley remanded the prisoner till Monday, and re-
commended th© wife to • consult the parish officers of
Bethnal-green, and obtain her husband's admission to a
lunatic asylum, if considered necessary for his safety.

Advices from Alexandria announce that the
Egyptian Government, which has for some time past been
in pecuniary straits, has just obtained a loan of £BOO,OOO
from Paris, to be advanced through the house of Lafitte.
The rate of interest is to be 6 per cent., and the fact that
the loan is given without any security whatever has
strengthened an opinion which arose the moment the nego-
tiation commenced that the supply is obtained from the
Emperor Napoleon, who will thus, to a certain extent,
increase a power over the Viceroy which had already become
considerable, owing to the indiscreet commitments of his
Highness to the Suez Canal.

SINGULAR JUDICIAL PENALTIES.—In some parts
of Switzerland singular judicial penalties are still in force.
A few days ago, one Hug, of Stanz, was convicted by the
Tribunal of Unterwald, for having, g- when in a state of
intoxication in a public-house, Employed offensive language
respecting the Pope, tuld. he vas condemned to 20 blows
with a stick to be adrainTtertd private a fortnight's
imprisonment the hospital, a week's retirement to be
passed in religious exercises in the monastery of the
Capuchins, to occupy a separate place at church for the
space of two years, and during that time to attend morning
and evening service and the ?lass of catechism, to be deprived
for an indefinite period of his civil rights, and finally to pay
all the costs.

THE DANGEn s OF FLIRTATION.—An incident oc-
curred on Wednesday. evening, not a hundred miles from
Shaw's-brow, wlneh produced hearty amusement to every-
body but the principal person concerned. This was a young
gentleman, who has of late been flirting with two ladies,
one of whom having been told of him that his attachment
to her was only. a little nonsense, resolved to give him a
little nonsense m return. 11p. notion of nonsense was pecu-
liar, for she took a stout riding-whi_
p and soundly beat the
faithless swain about the head and face. He was so stung
by the pain that he raised, his fiat with the intention of strik-
ing his fair assailant. This wts perceived by a bystander,
who to prevent anything of that kind, knocked him down.
A sympathising young lady, seeing the blood flowing from
the young man's nose, and learning the cause of the distur-
bance, kindly procured a handful of flour and another of
soot, and by the time these were thrown in his face his
appearance was, to say the lead, a little singular. Indeed,
he looked like a sweep in a .snow-storm. Having suffi•
cienrly triumphed over her faithless admirer, the Liverpool
Lola Mentes took her departure. in good spirits from the
scene of conflict. _Liverpool .oatly .148 t.

The only additional feature in the case was that elicited
from his father, who stated that his wife's mother had died
a lunatic, and that his brother had also been confined in a
lunatic asylum for a long time.