The Liverpool Standard and General Commercial Advertiser.
Liverpool, Merseyside, England, 1840-05-29 00:00:00

SINGULAR DETECTION . OF A SWINDLER.

A rather singular and unpremeditated disclosure took place
at the public office on Tuesday last, by which one of the
most notorious of an incorrigable race of more or less respect-
able swindlers who infest this part of the country has been,
for the present at least, safely lodged in the Forbury Gaol.
It appears that on the above day a fellow calling himself
George White, but who has gone by as many other names as
occasion and convenience have suggested during his "black"
career, preferred a charge of felony against Elizabeth Towns-
hend, a very decent-looking woman, of about4o years of age,
who took up her abode in this town about a month since.
He produced a copy of the Police Gazette of the Bth inst. in
which he had inserted a paragraph descriptive of certain
money and goods stolen from him, and of the dress and ap-
pearance of the woman who had absconded from him with
such of his property about a month ago, at Colchester, and
for whose apprehension he offered a reward of 2 guineas,
giving for his address, Post-office, Bristol. He then stated
thet he had now traced her to this town, the prisoner being.
the individual in question, and having applied for and pro-
cured a search-warrant, he proceeded to the woman's lodg-
ings for the purpose of investigating her goods,,and meanwhile
she made the subjoined statements :—That she, though not
his wife, had lived with him for the last three or four years,
during which time they had visited about 20 places, setting
up in each town as corn and flour dealers, or otherwise, ob-
taining goods on credit, selling them under their stipulated(!)
cost, and finally, when the faith reposed in them by their
good-natured neighbours began to diminish, decamping sans
cerimonie, or previous indication of payment for value
received; that previous to embarking in this lucrative occu-
pation, she lived in Cheltenham, where she has a sister
now living in respectable circumstances, who is the bona
fide wife of the now-styled George White, but who was
perfectly agreeable to the transfer of that worthy member of
society ; that in the course of their travels her partner had
assumed the respective names of " John White, Thomas
Shaw, William Langdon, George Martin," &c, and had
visited the following towns :—Thame, where they took a shop
for the sale of corn, &c, and remained one month; New-
bury, where they purchased some oats, took a shop, and
stayed one week only ; Salisbury, where they took a shop,
obtained corn and flour, and remained three weeks ; thence
they proceeded to Southampton, St. Alban's, St. Neot's,
Newport, Abergavenny, Yeovil, Chard, Exeter, Taunton,
Colchester, &c., their stay in each place averaging about a
month. It was at Colchester she separated from him, having
first packed up some of her own goods, which she took away
with her, together with some money that was due to her, it
being the amount of cash borrowed by him of her, with the
allowance for the loan thereof. The woman further admitted,
that they had both been convicted, in the name of Martin,
of obtaining goods under false pretences, at Grantham, in
Lincolnshire, for which they were senterced each to seven
years' transportation; but before they had hardly reached
their destination they were, by the interference of some kind
friends, and the ingenuity of counsel (who detected a flaw in
the indictment), again brought back, and once more set at
liberty. She likewise stated that she had now £3 belonging
to her, independent of £5 in the savings' bank, and that she
at present lodged with a woman in Thorn-street. There is
no doubt that every word of the woman's statement is sub-
stantially correct, and will shortly be corroborated elsewhere,
the magistrates being determined, if possible, to bring so in-
corrible a rogue to justice . she appears to regret that she had
ever formed so discreditable a connexion, and we believe it
was her intention to open a little shop for the sale of small
articles of provisions, &c., as soon as an opportunity pre-
sented itself. It has already transpired that White is the
same man who visited this town about twelve months ago,
and took the Lamb beer-house, in Alfred-street, at which
time he was furnished with a cart, agreeably to order, by Mr.
Freak, of Friar-streot, who, however, experienced rather an
unpleasant freak on that occasion, Mr. White (we beg par-
don, he was then iu the enjoyment of an earlier alias--Wil-
liam Loader being at that time his chosen cognomen) having
made off with the cart, after a sojourn in Reading of about
two weeks. We understand that Mr. Freak intends, if praii-
ticable, to appear against him on this score. The man hav-
ing recovered from the disagreeable surprise which this
unexpected disclosure occasioned, was, with the female pri-
soner, committed for further examination till Wednesday
next. —.Reading Mercury.

Amongst the trees marked for the hatchet this year in a
forest near Chimay, is an oak 15 in girth, and 40 feet in
height, without the branches ; eight hundred francs have been
offered for it.

Among the contents of the leathern bag which found its
way to the Post-office at Bishop's Stortford, by the north
mail, on the 19th inst., was a deal box and its contents, ad-
dressed to a gentleman in the neighbourhood, measuring 13
inches long, 7 wide, and 1 deep, the postage of which, of
course, had been duly " prepaid."—Essex Herald.

- -
MORE ARMED PARTIES—ATTEMPT AT MURDER.—On
Tuesday night last, about the hour of eleven o'clock, an
armed party, consisting of six persons, went to the house of
a man named 'John Hodgeus, residing in the vicinity of
Cloghjordan, and attempted to force the door oft' the hinges.
Hodgens, on hearing the noise, was about to proceed to the
door, for the purpose of fastening it more securely, when
one of the party, who was looking through a crevice in the
window.shutter, seeing him, fired, but fortunately missed
him. He had, however, a hair-breadth escape, as tlie ball
passed through the sleeve of his coat. The reason assigned
for the outrage was, that Hodgens swore informations against
some persons for the burning of sonic property belonging to
Sir F. Waller, a short time ago.—Tipperary Constitutional.
OLD WIVES LEESJE.—" I have, in manuscript that in
the year 1638 Sir Dudley Diggs,- of Sheldwich, Kent, gave
by his will £26 to be paid yearly from an estate called Sel_
grave Manor' to two young men and two young women, on
the 29th of May for ever, to be run a lye at Old Wives
Leese, in Chilham, and prevail.' In pursuance of this
bequest, the young men and maids run at Old Wives Leese
yearly on the Ist of May ; and the same number run at
Sheldwich Leese on the Monday following by way of trial;
and the two of each place of either sex that ' prevail' run
for the £lO at Old Wives Leese, as above mentioned."--
Mockett's Journal. We understand a contest is likely to
take place this year, several young men and women from
Wingham, Margate, and St. Peter's intending to try their
speed, the sum being so inviting. Many gentlemen from
each place will back their neighbours.—Kentish Observer.
MUSIC AND TIIEATRICALS--The lessee and principal
actor of a large theatre, not far from the city of Glasgow,
unites in his own person the following. departments :—First
tragedian, light comedian, heavy business, low comedian,
tenor and bass singer, the Irishman and the Seotchinan,
stage manager and prompter, makes the thunder, lightning,
and rain, beats the big druna and the supernumeraries.

LIVERPOOL INFIRMARY REPORT.

May 23, 18-10

ADMITTED.

DISCHARGED
In-patients cured 36 / In-patients ',5
Relieved and at own request
Made Out-patients 0 Casuals during the last wee lc 7
Irregular o Remain in the house . 916
Dead 2

Consulting Surgeons, Mr. Forshaw and Mr. Dawson.
Chaplain
House Visitors . . . . . Mr. R. Houghton and Mr. Martin,
Apothecary, Mr. W. Burgess.
House Surgeon Mr. Brandreth. .

Admitted

LOCK HOSPITAL.
7 J Discharged . . .
Remain in the house

. . 12