The Sun.
London, England, 1803-03-07 00:00:00

UNION_ ALL.

SATURDAY a man named Savud Best, but who is
better known by the nick-name:cf" Poor Help, was
brought before the Sitting Magistrate on a charge of
being a fortune-teller... A. complaint had been
made previously to the Magistrate, by Robert
Gray, the agent employed by the Society for the
Suppression of Vice and Immorality, against the
Prisoner, in, which he stated that the Prisoner had
been for several years past employed in the praetice
of telling fortunes, and' pretending to be a Wizard,
by which- he had realized a considerable sum of
money, and in carrying on his nefarious and deCeit.,
ful profession, had induced many personi to believe
he was.really able to fortei their future Fortunes,
or Destiny, by the assistance of the Angel Gabriel,
with' whom he frequently conversed ; and, by a
knowledge of the
.1-Lily Scriptures, 'for which put.
prise. -he always made it a pralice to quote many
different passages-from the Bible to those who came
to him, and by those means 6Q worked upon the
minds of several weak persons; as not only to occa.
sion them great anxiety and distress; but had dis.
tufbed the peace of several families. That he
(Gray) had been with, him at different
for the •purrist. of, inquiring of him differrit
circumstances ~that might attend his future for-
tune and welfare, at which times he had charged
him different, sums. of money, according to the
information required. The last time he charged
him half-a-crown; and at the different times Gray
attended him, he found several other persons there,
some in the room With the PriSoner, and with whom
he was pradising his pretended science; While
others were waiting for their turn to be•admitted ;
and among such persons he described, that there
were several of both sexes, who, from their ap.
pearance, would not be stispefted of such folly and
weakness, as many of them appeared to be above
the middling class.
Upon Gray making an informatiormpon oath' be.
fore the MagiStrate of these circumstances, a . war.
rant was granted to apprehend the Prisoner ; and ,
to confirm what Gray stted; he told dr Magistrate
he would introduce one of the Officers to the Pri.
inner to have his fortune tokL

John May, one of the' Officers, was sent. with
Gray to execute the. warrant, and when they ar-
rived at the Prisoner's house, they found 'him en.
gaged in the exercise of his profession, with a very
'decent dressed woman, .of a` very respeetable- ap-
pearance, and. writing down passages froM Scrip-
ture. They waited till ,the Prisoner answered her
,such questions as she wished- to be resOlved, and
then May desired to have his fortune told. The
prisoner took hold' of his right hand, and, after ex.
attuning the ioside, and quoting. several passages
front the kiblei. foretold him several-cireunistatees
that, would occur to him, and made hint and Gray
a present °fa curious straw ring of various col ors.
-May then inquired, of him his charge, when he told
him he never took the money, but the woman below
did, whom he called up, and May paid her a shil.
ling in the Prisoner's presence.
May, then infirmed the Prisoner. of the other oh.
jet} of his visit, and in return predined to the Pri.
soner what was likely tU haPPen'to him, and ;took
hint kW) Cltstody! The
.PrisonAr, who was very
!stritng,.reiisted.the Officer, who, with the assistance
of Gray, bath much trouble getting hini out of the

lodic ; and when in tile street, he made mat resist_
;ince as to occasion a vast crowd of personiv.to
assemble, who attempted to rescue the l'risoner, and
it was with great.difficulty that, May, with the,help
of other Meer's, gut him into a coach and brought
him to the -office. .

When he appeared before the Magistrate, his
dress appeared a disguised garb, to give him the ap-
peassnce of an old sorcerer, the better 'to carry on
his praElice, , and work upon the minds of his cus-
tomers : he had a large wrapping-gown, trimmed
With fur ; •a cap,• and a large pair of list_shoes tied
round his legs. He pretended: to beinsane, and
would not give any consistent answers to the ques-
tions put by the Magistrate, but talked in a niost
incoherent manner of the Angel Gabriel, who,' he
said, had given him 'the name of Poor -Hdp ; men-
tioned the names.of several Nobility; .and,continued
quotingpa-siages of Scripture.
• •
The Magistrate thinking he was as much like a
rogue and vagabond as a fortune-teller, •cnmmitted
him to.the House of CorreCtion, under the Vagrant
Atli until the next, Quarter Sessions, when the So-
ciety mean to continue the prosecution.

. L
. The number of daring robberies which of late
have been committed in the neighbohrhood of
, Chelmsford, have much alarmed' the inhabitants.
Last Friday six persons, loostly.latiouring- hands,
agreed to meet at the Running Mare, adjoining the
RaCe Giound, at Galleywood Common, for the Very
heroic'porpose bf trying their strengh with these
villains that have,connitted so many robberies in
that quarter, and for the purpose. of apprehending
them. The hour appointed hiving arrived, James.
Lungley, who' has been a Sailor; and was once
stopped near the spot, and Joseph- Wilkinson, a
wheelwright, were .the. only persons faithful to
their 'engagements ; who, however, as a proof of
their courage, agreed to walk to ChelmSfold. On
their way thither they were-attacked in the narrow
part of the road by three persons dressed- in soldiers'
grey great, coats,, one of whom, Without time least
notice, jumped Upon the back of Lungley, and by
nipping his` throat, so disabled hitn, that in a short
time he was unable to-make any resistance, but fell;
.at the same time receiving a violent blow upon the
temple from the large end of a bayonet, he bled much;
net. withstanding all this, Lungley retained his senses,
arid preferred losing his life rather than surrender-
ing his money. His companion,
,who was mare
upon his guard at the time when the attack first be-
gan, had been all this time-successfully engaged with
the two other robbers, from one of whom he wrested a
bayonet, and so much beat the other with the spoke of
a wheel, which he had taken.for his defence, that 1
the confliet ended in his ftivoitr, and he .nrik
sought 'his -companion, whom' he'found with ,two
men, ineffelnally :attempting to rob him. The
light of the evening, being eight o'clock, was
but just sufficient to distinguish heads,. when Wil;
kithioo, 'lifting' his deadly *upon, he applied it
with such died to the skull of one of the sup-
posed soldiers, that he fell like a log; but, in re—.
turn, Wilkinson received a thrust. in
.his side from
a bayonet, which he fdritinately parried 'With' his
weapon, and it entered- Kilt a little way-. Yietory
had certainly now been in favour of our two heroesi
and they had brought off some. prisoners, but for
'the' irthiiediate..atrival of a reserve of three others
in similar great coats, brought to the- spot. by a
-loud whistle; they released their companions, whose
situation had by this time become dangerous ; and
the whole of them, on a signal by a second whistle,
made their retreat, leaving, the heroes of the piece
masters of, the field bf battle, and in possession of
the bayonet, which they brought away asi well-
earned trophy. , Notwithstanding the blows which
these villains muss have received, and the possession
of the bayonet, which afterwards proved 'to be an •
old-one, they have hitherto escaped detection.

In the Influenza which is so prevalent at this
•time, the real
,)miss's POWDER is found to be par-
ticularly efficacious, as it was in the year. 1782.-7
Eight or ten grains Should be given on the first at-
tack of the Fever, and four or five grains every six
hours for the first day'or two, if it does not subside
sooner..lii the mean rime, the irritating Cough,
when very troublesome,
.should be allayed by a tea-
spoonftil of Syrup, of Poppies, or. by 'ten or fifteen
drops of Laudanum, as occasion may. require.