Star.
London, England, 1826-10-14 00:00:00

•

THE GIG SWINDLER.

A livery stable keeper, as we expected, on perceiving
our report two days back of a trick played off on Mr.
Smith, silversmith, of the Borough, applied at the
Town Hall yesterday to claim the horse and chaise,
which had been hired from him on the same day the
fraud was committed. It was surrendered to him.—
The knave succeeded in a similar manner in defrauding
Mr. Massay, of Leadeuhall-street, of plate to the amount
of about 171. He also called-with a similar equipage, at
the shoy of Messrs., Spink and &a, in Gracechurch-
street, and ordered 18 table-spoons, for the use of the
Steam Navigation Company.; the Company, be said,
had a dinner a few days previous, and some of their
guests, in the exuberance of their jollity, broke the ban.
dle off the spoons, and walked off with the bowls. He
requested Mr. Spink, jun. to send a boy whom he saw
in the shop, to receive the money fur the spoons; but
on Mr. Spink's calling the shopman to accompany him,
he said he would not trouble him, but would return in a
short time with the money. It is needless to say he
never returned. The same day he called at the shop of
Mr. Banfield, in Cheapside, looked out 12 silver spoons
and 12 forks, value 271. but perceiving Mr. Bpfield
wks particularly on his guard, he did not ask for a per-
son to accompany him in his gig, but ordered the plate
to be sent to the Steam Navigation Company's Office;
and wrote on the back of the invoice,

" Pay bearer hereof the surapn the other side.

" J. BROCICLIXAM
" To Mr. Jones." " Steam Navigation Company's Mee."
Mr. B. went himself with the plate; and so well had
he imitated the writing of Captain Brocklebank, that the
Secretary, Mr. Jones, had. actually drawn a check on
the bankers for the amount, before he discovered it was
a. forgery—this document is in Mr. Banfield's possession.
He called on horseback at the shop of Mr. Davis, is
Holborn, and obtained a watch and seals, value Si.
leaving the horse in charge of the boy who was sent
with him. Mr. D. was more successful in his arrange-
ments with the stable keeper, as be secured a reward of
51. advertised for the recovery of the horse. He also
honoured Mr. Peckett, of Oxford-street, with a call, but
did not succeed. He is about 25 years of age, of rather
sallow complexion, about five feet six inches—was
dressed in a suit of mourning, his manners gentlemanly,
and well calculated to impose on the unwary.

OLDHAM.
-,.w,--

Saturday, as Messrs. John and Robert Lees, of the
firm of John Lees and Sons, were conducting a nob-
stick spinner to their mill, they were surrounded by a
number of the " turn-out." Whether there really was
danger has not been sufficiently verified ; but it ap-
peals that the Lees apprehended some ♦iolence, for
Robert took out of his pocket a constable's staff, which
he threatened to use upon those about him; and his
brother John drew forth a loaded pistol, and presented
it to several individuals, saying, " T will shoot you r
At length he actually pulled the trigger, but fortunately
it only flashed in the pan. This action caused ;great
confusion, and the crowd grew quite tumultuous.--
During this state of things the nob-stick made his
escape from his conductors, and sought refuge by mix-
ing with the crowd, where he remained unnoticed and
unmolested... Sunday, one of the persons charged with

being concerned in the disturbance was arrested, and
another of the parties was apprehended on Monday.
The prisoners were brought befote the Rev. Magistrate,
and at the same time the other three sdrrendered them.
selves. The result of the examination was, that one
was acquitted, and four were bound over to ;he Quar-
ter Sessions.

On the evening of Saturday a number of windows in
the factory of Messrs. Collinge and Lancashire were
broken, and some were also broken at the house of Mr.
John Lees, of Mount Pleasant. -In consequence of
which a party of the military (52d Regiment) were on
Sunday night stationed at the places where the out.
rages had keen committed. No person has hitherto
been apprehended for these proceedings, nor has any
violence subsequently been offered; but the guard is
still continued upon the premises at both places.

On thii day of the month in 1293, BALIOL, King of
Scotland, appeared to a summons, and pleaded his cause
in Westminster Hall.

The funeral of Mr. C. CONNOR, late of Covent Gar-
den, whose premature and sudden death we announced
a few days ago, took place yesterday. It was attended
ID Chelsea Church by Messrs. BARTLEY, JOHN REEVE,
EGERTON, DEMO/MET, CHAPMAN, and a numerous corps
of his theatrical friends and colleagues. Lady CHAR-
LOTTE DENTS, from whom Mi. CONNOR rented a house
for a term of years, at Chelsea, on learning the embar•
rassed circumstances under which Mr. CONNOR met his'
untimely death, very generously released the surviving
members of his family from the obligatiort of the lease,
and further, waived her claim to the rent that was due
for the premises for the last quarter.
POSTERITY OF MILTON IN INDlA.—There is reiliOD
to believe that the representative of the family of Milton
might be found in British India. Deborah, the third
and favourite daughter of our great poet, was the only
one of his children who had a family that lived. She
married Abraham Clarke, a weaver in Spitalfields, and
died in August, 1727, aged 76. She had seven sons,
one of whom, Caleb Clarke, went to Madras, and be-
came parish clerk there.. His children were the latest
descendants of Milton.

A correspondent informs us, that on looking over a
file of the Leicester Journal for 1750, about which time
the paper was established, so great was the dearth of
news-matter at that period, that the editor was compelled
to have recourse to the Bible to " help him out," and'
actually extracted the first chapter of Genesis, and so
continued the extracts in the succeeding numbers as far
as the 10th chapter of Exodus! 'Me journal above
alluded to was then printed in London, and sent down
to Leicester for publication !