The Sun.
London, England, 1845-11-18 00:00:00

AN OLD OFFENDER.

An offender is now in the hands of justice, whose his-
tory presents a series of acts of address in wrong-doing
which have been rarely paralleled. This delinquent, by,
name Rioustel, was barn of respectable parents, and received
a good education. He was placed as a clerk in a mer-
chant's house, in the Rue St. Denis, and was conducting
himself with perfect satisfaction to his employer, when
he was drawn for a soldier, and being unable to
purchase a substitute, was sent to join the 29th regi-
ment. Disgusted with the hardships and restraint of
a soldier's life, he deserted. Not daring to assume
his old station in society, and becoming, destitute, he com-
mitted a forgery, and being detected, was condemned to im-
prisonment for five'years, at Melun. Discharged in the year
1832, he was at the end of that year recognised by the police
as a deserter, tried by a.court-martial, and sentenced to hard
labour in the island of Oleron for seven years. After remain-
ing there two years, he effected his escape, and remained at
liberty till 1842, when he was once more arrested for a rob-
bery, which he was driven to commit from not being able to
find any honest mode of earning a livelihood. He was once
more condemned to five years' incarceration, which, how-
ever, he endured only two months, when he again
escaped. A second unfortunate chance placed him be-
fore the military authorities, who sent him to the prison
of the Abbaye, in Paris. Here, after a little time, he feigned
illness with such effect that he was removed to the hospital
of the Val de Grace. On entering this establishment his
first and only thought was how to get away from it. His
malady seemed to increase, until he took to his bed, and pre-
tended that he was assured he should never leave the house
alive. By his mild and apparently resigned manners and
conduct he gained the favour and confidence of the person in
charge of the infirmary, who used to sit up with
him. On the 22d of November, 1843, he accomplished
another evasion in the following way :—Having, by
means hitherto undiscovered, procured and concealed
in his bed a bottle of brandy, he seduced his friend the
keeper to drink so much of it that he became dead
drunk. In this state Rioustel took off the man's upper
garments, and clothed himself with them, laying their owner
in his own place in bed. Then assuming the gait and ap-
pearance of the deluded keeper, he walked unmolested out of
the hospital, and was HO more heard of until Friday last,
when he was arrested on coming out of a jeweller's shop in
the Rue de Clery, on a charge of having stolen a bank-note
for I,ooof. from M. Thor& director of the Government
Granary at La Villette. Since he has this last time been
in custody, whether from conviction that his case had
become hopeless, or from bravado, he has been very com-
municative, and given the details of his whole career. In
1 addition to the above, he has avowed himself to be the
person who, in March last, enticed the young actress of the
Theatre des Varietes from her residence in the Cite Trevise,
and having seated her in a coffee-house, left her under a
feigned pretence, hurried back to her lodgings, sent her femme
de chambre to seek her mistress at another place, where she
was sure not to find her, and having thus got both out of the
way, robbed the apartments of all the deceived actress's
jewels and other valuables. He it was also who, towards
the close of the last winter, at a ball, made an acquaintance
with a young man, who, after they had supped together, in-
vited Rioustel to his own apartment, to finish the night over
a goblet of the fine old rum sent him as a present from Ja-
maica, of which the unsuspicious host took so much himself
that be fell fast asl-ep, and Ns guest took French leave of him,
carrying away a valuable diamond pin, a gold watch and
chain, and 200 f. in money. Rioustel, in making this con-
fession, took some credit to himself for forbearance, saying
there were 400 f. in the drawer from which he took the 200 f.,
but he had left half, remembering that the quarter-day was
near at hand, and he could not distress the young man so far
as to leave him without the means of paying his rent. He
has narrated other instances of his audacity and address, but
they are so similar in character and circumstances that we
will not weary our readers by repeating them.—Galignani.

Some apprehensions were felt of heavy derange-
ments upon the Hull Stock Exchange in the early part of
the week, but we are happy to ascertain, from well-informed
quarters, that they are likely to prove groundless. Rumour,
with her hundred tongues, did some mischief; and the terrors
of small speculators had a tendency at one time to create a
local panic. But gradually more temperate councils began
to prevail ; and at present there is a prospect of a very
general re-action in favour of the holders of local stock.—
Hull Advertiser.

ENTERTAINMENT AT SI.TDELEY CASTLE.—On Mon-
day, the whole of the aged peor in the borough of Winch-
comb not receiving parochial relief, were invited by Messrs.
Dent, the lords of the manor, to a substantial entertainment
at the Castle. The fare consisted of a plentiful supply of
roast beef and plum pudding, to which the old people did am-
ple justice, and cheered by the beauty of the scenery of the
old castle, and the hospitality and affability of their kind en-
tertainers, the day was spent with a degree of enjoyment to
which many of them had long been strangers. That their
bounty might be equally dispensed, the Messrs Dent caused
an abundant meal and et ceteras to be sent to the homes of
such as were unable from age and infirmities to walk to the
Castle.— Gloucestershire Chronicle.

WELLS.—MENDIP ACCESSIBLE FOR RAILWAY
PunPosEs.—Mr. Samuda, the celebrated engineer, attended
a public meeting in this town on Friday last, to report on the
practicability of traversing the Mendip range with railway
carriages. Ile stated that having personally inspected the
ground, and examined the sections and levels, he saw nothing
whatever to prevent the construction of a line, without
cutting or tunnelling, on the atmospheric principle, across
the Mendip-bill, at a cost not exceeding the average, that
such line would be perfectly safe and convenient both for pas-
sengers and goods, and a speed of seventy miles an hour
might be attained.— Sherborne Journal.
KINGSWINFORD. COLLIERY EXPLOSION. Last
week some men went into the shaft of one of the pits be-
longing to the Oak Farm Company, for the purpose of re-
pairing the same. In consequence of foul air having ga-
thered in the shaft, the men, as we are informed, found it
necessary to retreat, and immediately after they were safely
landed the fire damp exploded. The mouth of the shaft was
covered over as soon as possible, to prevent the air descending,
in order to allay the progress of the flames. On Monday
last several men assembled on the pit bank for the purpose of
opening the mouth of the shaft, and having done so, a tre-
mendous explosion took place, which blew the pulley out of
the pit frame, and injured several of the bystanders and those
employed, but not seriously.— Worcestershire Chronicle.
THE Manor or EXETER. The magnanimous
Bishop of Exeter has, it is said, refused to countersign the
testimonials of the Rev. G. C. Davies, the late respected
vicar of Charles, because one of the three beneficed clergy-
men by whom they were previously signed is the Rev. John
Hatchard,with whom our Right Reverend Diocesan has had a
personal quarrel ! As the Bishop has nothing to say against
Mr. Davies, that gentleman has only to get his testimonials
signed by some divine less obnoxious to his Lordship than
Mr. Hatchard, and he will then be able to pass muster. The
amiability of Bishop Phillpotts has been much canvassed, in
consequence of this last charitable act.—Plyinouth Journal.
THE DOWAGER LADY HOLLAND.—Lady Holland
at a late hour on Saturday night, remained in a very pre-
carious state, being happily, however, free from pain, and
somewhat composed. Her complaint, it appears, is the result
of a cold caught by her Ladyship about six weeks since,
when on a visit at the Marquis of Lansdowne's, Bowood Park,
Wiltshire.

QUALIFICATION MOVEMENT.—A GOOD EXAMPLE.
—The free-traders of Barnsley held a meeting on Wednesday
evening, and resolved to continue the qualification movement
of last winter. In furtherance of this resolution they have
divided the Barnsley polling district into five sections, and
appointed canvassers to visit the same, who will report the
result on the Wednesday evening of each week, until the
canvass is completed. Proportionably to its population, the
Barnsley district equalled any other of the Riding in
-the number of persons qualified last year; and from the zeal,
energy, and business talent, now brought to bear on this
object by its committee, there is every prospect that it will
take no second place this year. We heartily wish the com-
mittee great success.—Leeds Mercury.
UNIVERSITY MEN AT STONYHURST...-..1t has been
remarked that several Tractarian;members of Oxford are non
inventi in the University, We have been asked whether they
are at Leeds or at Stonyhurst? No doubt the " rising
alumnus" of the Jesuit College, whom the University Review
now repudiates, could enlighten us. For our own parts, we
have very little doubt of the missing men being found lurking
in Lancashire. Our reason for saying so lies in the fact that a
plrty who vested Stonyhurst recently heard, from the autho-
rities, that, besides Mr. Tickell, there were several University
men there, whose names " were a secret !"

TITHES IN FISH—We learn from the Suffolk News
that at the Petty Sessions held at Lowestoft on the 12th inst.,
before Edward Leathes, Esq., and the Rev. E. M. Love, a
fish-merchant of the name of John Roberts was summoned
by the Rev. F. Cunningham, the vicar, for having refused or
neglected to pay tithe for his fish. The information set forth
that he had subtracted certain tithe of fish, payable in respect
of his fishing-boat, and had neglected to pay the offerings
and oblations to the vicar, according to the custom of the
place. The legal adviser of the defendant took a technical
objection, which was held fatal, so that the information fell
to the ground ; and if the vicar wishes to persevere in his
claim, he must exhibit fresh informations.
Is A HINT rou Da. PUSEY.—The Tablet, speaking
of Mr. Oakeley's conversion, praises him for having taken the
step at so much cast to himself. It also inserts a letter of
" Cornubrensis," asserting that eleven of one family have just
left the Anglican communion. And tutors, and fellows, and
office
easaotrrzftahed awiutdhocrsambof tehil mischief—still remain in