Star.
London, England, 1809-12-23 00:00:00

A MONSTER.

PLYMOUTH-DOCK, DEC. 20.

A wretch, bearing the human form, has, during
the last six nights, been prowling about this town and ,
neighbourhood, committing the most unprovoked
and unnatural assaults on several unprotected, fe-
males whom chance threw in his way. To attempt
giving a descriptiN of this less than hnman being, in
the colours he has been painted by the affrighted fe-
males, would savour foo strong of the marvellous.—
Among the persons injured by this detestable brute,
are a NTrs. DAvms, of Canterbury-street, in this
town, whom he scratched and lacerated in so shock-
ing a manner, with something, supposed to be a
common comb, that she has been connned to herbed
since Thursday last : the wife of a respectable tal-
low-chandler, and the daughter of a worthy Quaker,
have also been victims of his unnatural ropcnsities ;
but we do not learn, with the exception of being
frightened, that the two latter sustained any serious
injury, as he merely treated them in the way nurses
do naughty children.—lle, like the Monster in the
vicinity of Croydon, is represented as a very power-
ful, athletic man, and very swift of foot, a quality
which has hitherto enabled him to elude his nume-
rous pursuers ; but, as we have a vigilant police, who
tan, when a suitable reward is lard, scent out offen-, '
ders, strong hopes are entertained that he will not
escape from this place without detection and .puniAy.
meat. He is supposed to be a Cori/mere/a/ ..Imbgisiador;
others imagine him (unjustly, 1 hope,) to be a Na-
val or -Miltno y Officer in disguise. :such is the ter-
ror inspired in the minds cf the females, that none
bat those bA,,riging to the Cyprian Corps, venture to
stir out after dal k.

-On Wednesday evening, about five o'clock, as a
cart was going along the top of the Old Bailey, some
thiest,:s "stole a trunk out cf it. addressed to a gentle-
-2n n at Portsmouth ; the carman being upon the
• • alert pursued them into Green Arbour-court ;—but
th y <scaped down Breakneck-stairs with the pro-
perty, of er knocking down the carman.
Yesterday morning early, the house of Mr. Butcher,
publican, in St. Martin's-le-Grand, was entered by
some thieves, who robbed the bar of R 5 in copper,
besides silver and bank notes. Out of the cellar they
stole several doiens of wine, besides spirits.
A robbery of the most daring nature was commit-
ted a few d..ys ago, at Mr. Turner's, the White Hart
Inn, Broad-street, Bristol. Between Tour and five
o'clock. the robber first entered the bed chamber of
a gendeinan and lady, who had for some time taken
up their residence at the above inn, and took from the
coat pocket of the gentleman his pocket bog*, con-
taining about four pounds, and some other articles ;
also, the pockets of the lady ; which, together with
the empty pocket book, were found at day-light at 1
the chamber d, or. The robber next proceeded to the;
chamber of Mr. Turner, the landlord, oho, with his
wife, were asl.vp. Having extinguished the rush-
light, he plundered the breeches pocket of Mr. Tur-
ner of upwards of seventy pounds in notes, and by
the noise he made, he awoke Mr. Turner, who ex-
claimed that somebody was in the room ; but it
being a siormy windy morning, and quite dark,
Mr. Turner e+:.i not discover (though he felt round
the lied), that there was any body in the soom ; and
from hence he also made his escape undiscovered,
changing at-, key of the room door from the inside to
the eat .side. Ft rim thence he proceeded to a closet
on the sthirs, used by the chambermaid for keeping
tla. linen of the house. Hoe he made a tolerable
booty ar:ong the shirts and wearing aprarel. A per-
son who lodged at the house for some days, and re-
present.xl himself as a traveller out of place, has been
taken into custody, charged with having consmited
the robbery.
A shocking accident happened at Aberdeen during
a violent swim. On the lath inst. between eight and
nine in the morning, the greater part of the rope work,
lately erected near the links, was blown down with a
tremendous crash, and levelled with the ground. Of
the numerous work people then employed within the
building, providentially the greater number were in
that part which withstood the fury of the storm, and
were thereby enabled to escape. Those who were in
the other part of the work were buried in the ruins ;
one boy was killed on, the spot, the foreman and ano-
ther boy were got out so severely bruised and mangled,
that they arc considered in danger • two other; were
much bruised, but are in a favourable way of recovery, +
a-.d some of the other workmen are also variously
i r; u red.
A letter fromLowestoff, dated December 111, says :
Our coast presents a most distressing scene. The
beach is strewed with wreck, and between this place
and Yarmouth many vessels are on shore. The gale
on Thursd.ty evening was tremendous. The extent of
damage it occasioned cannot at present be calcula-
ted. One vessel. the Catherine, of Sunderland, coal
laden, was upset nearly opposite Lowestoff. From the
position of the ship and the violence of the sea, it was
int possible for some time to ascertain whether any per-
sons were on the wreck. At length one man was dis-
envere,i, and the life-boat was as soon as possible.
When the boat reached the wreck, the only
survivor of the crew was almost perished with cold,
and great was the difficulty which still remained-to
g..t him into the brat. To drag him by a rope through
the water was thought too hazardous in his exhausted
state:. another mntk was therefore adopted, but which,
in set to ins the person, exposed him to be crushed be-
tween a piece ofahe wreck and the boat. Some of his
sibs were broken, and in that state he was conveyed
lo the shore, where every possible care and attention
have been :limn to him. The prospect of his restora-
tion is doubtful, yet too great praise cannot be given
to the exertions shewn by the sailors, and all who wit-
nessed the digress. On Saturday a, boat going from
the shore to some wreck, was upset in the attempt to
gr. off; all the men were under it, and, in all proba-
bility, some would have perished, bad not a wave
again raised the boat, and enabled those who were
beneath it to employ means to assist themselves, and
to receive help from others. One of the men would
inevitably hue been lost, had it not been for a New.
foundland dog, which saw him at a distance from all
human aid, swam to him, seized him by the hair, and
never left his hold till the man was safe, though befall
she dog and man were frequently buried under the
waves. This is the second inst.:nee in which the same
slog has preserved the life of a human being."