The Liverpool Standard and General Commercial Advertiser.
Liverpool, Merseyside, England, 1838-07-31 00:00:00

POLICE IN rELLIGENCE.

AN OLD STORY.—Sarah Sefton and another young woman
(two rather well-dressed girls of the town) were, on Friday,
charged with having robbed a gentleman on the preceding
night. The complainant, as almost invariably happens in
these cases, was a stranger; but whether this circumstance
is to be explained by the supposition that Dicky Sams are
too knowing to be so taken in, ortoo shame-faced to complain
when they happen to be caught, is somewhat doubtful. Cer-
tain it is, that robberies of this description (for the prevention
of which, a police force is, of course, almost inefficacious)
take place to an extent that is little calculated upon, and the
great majority of the victims are undoubtedly persons from
the country. In this instance the complaining party was a
merchant from Newcastle-upon-Tyne. He stated that he
came to Liverpool on Thursday morning, and was lodging at
the Adelphi. In the evening he had been to the theatre, and
he was on his way to the hotel, about twelve o'clock, when he
was met by Sefton, who engaged him in conversation. After
a few minutes, she called upon another woman, who came up,
and be saw Sefton transfer something to her. This excited
his suspigion ; he felt in his pocket, and found that his purse,
containing 12 or 13 sovereigns and some silver, had been
stolen. He then gave Sefton into the custody of a police-
officer. The other prisoner, who was afterwards apprehend-
ed, he could not swear to. She was dismissed by the magis-
trate, and Sefton was put back to take her trial at the sessions.
Another case of a similar nature was also heard, in which a
man named Samuel Thorpe, living at Mr. Parry's, Seacombe
hotel, was robbed of his watch and ss. in a house in Harrison-
street. The culprit, whose name was Margaret Hannery,
was remanded for trial.

SKINNING A YANK&E.—Yesterday, at the police-office. a
thorough-bred Yankee, named George Fitzgerald, such a one,
as in his own conceit, " warn't to be done no how," appeared
at the police-office, to prefer a complaint against a well-
dressed memberof the thimble-rig club, named Edward Oaks
(Hoax) for having " reg'larly skinned" him of £3O in paper
money, and 191 sovs. in gold. The complainant guessed he'd
lost his money; but he calculated he must be all sorts of a
chap as had gone round him. He was sitting in a public-
house, after having bin at the Zoological Gardens on Sunday,
and feeling tarnation hungry he called for a beef stake and a
pint of wine to keep it company, when the prisoner at the bar
came in, and soon after another young man, who began to
show his money as if racoon skins had bin uncommon plenty
lately; so he in quite a friendly way told the prisoner that
that are was a very foolish young man to show his money slick
in such a fashion. The prisoner said he was, but hinted that
it was queer; they'd, better take care of their money, as the
other was rayther too flush of tin to have come by it honestly.
He then carefully stowed away his pocket book in his fob
pocket, and advised him io do the same. He (complainant)
thought there could beta° harm in that, so be pulled out his
pocket book, but it wouldn't go into his fob, so he (prisoner)
offered to help him, and thrust it slantindickler down, and told
him to be very careful of it. The prisoner then went away; and
when he'd to pay—for his sherry—and beef stake—and pulled
out his pocket book—and found. nothing in it—he said—" I'm
done."—(Laughter.) The prisoner was afterwards taken into
custody, and 13 sovs. found upon him. The complainant said
he was a freeholder of the United States; that he was a me-
chanic, a farmer, a merchant, and all sorts of a man. The
informations were ordered to be taken against the prisoner,
and it was arranged that he should take his trial at the ensu-
ing Liverpool Assizes.
-

A LIQUORISH TooTH.—Yesterdav, a child about six years
old was brought up at the Police-office, charged by Mr. Tay-
lor, chemist and druggist, near Hanover-street, with having
most perseveringly paid his addresses to his liquorice. Mr.
Taylor's young man stated that about two o'clock on Satur-
day, on going into the cellar under the shop, he found the
prisoner eating away at a bundle of liquorice. He turned
him out of the cellar, and sent him away. On going down
about an hour after, he found the same child gnawing away
at the bundle of liquorice, and this time, in addition to send-
ing him away, he liquorished his back and gave him a sound
thrashing. About four o'clock he went again into the cellar,
and there found the little urchin again tugging away at the
bundle of liquorice. At this juncture, Mr..tlayror. happening
to come in, ordered the child to be given in charge of a po-
liceman. Mr. Hall thought Mr. Taylor had acted very
foolishly. He was afraid the mother was more to blame than
the child. On the mother promising to take care of the child,
and keep him out of mischief, he was discharged.

WAISTCOAT STEALlNG.—Yesterday, at the Police-office,
a young man, well dressed, but a noted thief, was laced at
the bar, charged by a respectable shopkeeper of Scotland-
road, with having stolen a waistcoat. The complainant sta-
ted, that on Friday afternoon last, a boy and a girl came into
his shop on a pretence of looking at some handkerchiefs, and
on their going out he missed a blue silk waistcoat. On Sa-
turday he was walking down Scotland-road, when he met
the prisoner with the waistcoat on, and gave him into custo-
dy. The waistcoat was of a peculiar pattern, and also pecu-
liarly made, and was worth about 16s. The prisoner said he
had bought it of a woman for 45., and that she wanted ss. for
it. The prisoner called a young man and a female, his mother,
who both swore they saw h►m in a public-house on Satur-
day, when a woman came in with braces and waistcoats to
sell, and amongst the waistcoats was the one in question,
which she wanted Bs. 6d. for, and for which, after some bar-
gaining, he gave her 3s. 6d. Mr. Hall remarked on the dis-
crepancy of this story with the prisoner's own account of it;
but there being no proof that he had stolen it, and he con-
senting to give the waistcoat up, he was discharged.

A HUNGRY THIEF.—At the Warrington petty-sessions,
on Wednesday, James Nelson, a splendid "lump of lazi-
ness," was brought before the magistrates, charged with
stealing nine Eccles cakes from the shop of Miss Higginson,
confectioner, Sankey-street. At an early hour on Tuesday
morning, the prisoner went into the shop of the prosecutrix,
and, under the pretence of buying a pennyworth of lozenges,
contrived to put into his pocket the cakes in question. He
was observed by Mary Bruce, the servant, who gave infor-
mation to the police and bad him apprehended. The ma-
gistrates committed him for trial.

MARSHAL SoULT.—The Sun of Wednesday states, that
Marshal Soult and suite left Birmingham on Tuesday morn-
ing, at five o'clock. The party proceeded to Kenilworth
and Warwick. The illustrious stranger then visited Beecham
Chapel, and Kenilworth and Warwick Castles, and all the
objects of, interest in the neighbourhood. The marshal was
exceedingly pleased, and much struck with the fine old baro-
nial residences, it being the first of the kind he had Seen,
since his arrival in England. The beauty of the surround.'
ing scenery was also much admired by his excellency and
suite. At Stony Stratford the party was met by Mr. Bagster
and .Mr. Home, to whose excellent arrangements along the
line, much credit was given. At this place, one of the
wheels of the marshal's carriage broke, which, considering
the tremendous pace at which the party went, was by no
means surprising. A short delay, till matters were set
straight, was the only inconvenience occasioned by the acci
dent, and the carriages reached the railway in gallant style
about four o'clock, and thence to London at half-past five
o'clock in the afternoon. It is singular, that, when the route
of the distinguished strangers was marked out in London,
Mr. Manhy undertook to have the whole ground gone over,'
every object of interest examined, and the party back to
London at Tour o'clock on Tuesday afternoon, a task which
he would have literally accomplished to the minute had i
not been for the accident at Stony Stratford. We 'hel'' t
the excursion is unparalleled for speed in the annals of e%e
tra-
velling in any country, and the astonishment of the distin-
guished strangers was frequently expressed to those about
them. Along the line at Warwick, Daveutry, Stony Stratford,
Denbigh Hall, and the various railway stations, the crowds
collected were immense. At every town and district visited
by the marshal in his route, all parties who had the honour
of being presented, were unanimous in their praise of the
marked condescension and kindness with which they were
received by the Marshal, the Marquis Dalmatia, the Marquis
de Mornev, and the other members of the party. The ele-
gance and politeness of the veille cour, were combined with
so much of the warmth and cordiality of the English nation,
in his greetings, that it was said by one gentleman at Liver-
pool, "The marshal had achieved a greater triumph over the
prejudices of the English people by his personal intercourse
with them, than he could have effected at the head of 100,000
men." We cannot close this account without adding, that
the marshal expressed himself deeply indebted for the atten-
tion he had received from the Directors of the London and
Birmingham Railway Company, who had acted with a libe-
rality which might be in vain looked for from any other pri-
vate Company in the world. We are happy to add, that,
beyond a little temporary fatigue, his excellency has not sus-
tained the slightest inconvenience or injury to his health
from his trip to the manufacturing districts.

ESCAPE OF THREE PRISONERS FROM THE TOWER.-011
Friday morning there was much excitement in the Tower of
London, in consequence of a report that three of the Rifle
Brigade, a serjeaut, a corporal, and a private, had made their
escape from:confinement. Two prisoners, the pay-serjeant
and the corporal, deserted from the regiment a few weeks
ago, taking with them £l5O, with which they had been en-
trusted to pay the men. A strict search was made after them,
and, on Saturday week, they were apprehended on board an
outward bound American packet-ship, at Liverpool, and con-
veyed to London. They were confined in the usual place,
the guard-house or prison, commonly known as the Spur-
guard, near the outer barrier, on the city side of the Tower.
There were in all five persons in confinement on Thursday
evening, two of them for slight breaches of military discipline.
There is a small aperture in the back of the apartment, where
the men were imprisoned, for the admission of light and air,
which was secured by strong iron bars. About fourteen feet
below this hole is the Tower moat or ditch, and escane from
this place was deemed impossible. At eleven o'clock on
Thursday night, the prisoners were visited by the serjeant on
duty, and locked up. At day-light on Friday morning, when
the guard went to look after them, to see if all was safe, it
was discovered that three of them were missing; the others
were on their straw pallets, apparently fast asleep, and, on
being aroused, they expressed their ignorance of the flight of
'their companions, declaring they were not privy to their escape
On inspecting the place, it was discovered, that the iron
gratings had been removed from the aperture, which is only
Just large enough for the body of a man to pass through.
There was sufficient evidence, by the marks on the wall, that
the three riflemen had escaped this way ; but how they had
kept from falling into the moat beneath appears- most ex-
traordinary. There is a ledge, not more than seven inches
in width, running the whole length of the wall, about six
feet from the water's edge, but exceedingly difficult for any
person to retain footing upon it, and, it is supposed, the
three men continued their course along it until they reached. •
the wall enclosing the ditch, which they could'ascend with-
out much difficulty, and reach the glacis or ornamented
sloping bank enclosed by iron railing. By climbing over
these railings they were enabled to reach Tower-hill and get
clear off. The prisoners were to haye been tried on Friday,
at noon, by a general court-martial, which would, no doubt,
have terminated in all of them being found guilty, and two
(the serjeant and corporal) being transported for life, as
their offences were of a most serious description. Parties of
the Rifle corps were sent off in all directions after the fugi-
tives when their flight was discovered. An investigation is
to take place into the conduct of the serjeant of the guard in
charge of fhe prisoners, whose duty it was to visit the cell
where they were confined every two hours.
ELOPEMKNT.—An unusual bustle was created, in Ealing,
on Wednesday afternoon. A post-chaise and lour drove into
the-town at a rapid rate, and stopped at the White Hart Inn
to change horses. A gentleman and lady alighted, who
evinced much anxiety to proceed immediately ' • but, before
fresh horses could be procured, the sound of wheels was
heard, and the lady, appearently much terrified, darted into
the Oxford Arms Public-house, about thirty yards from the
White Hart, and directly ran up stairs. The gentlman fol-
lowed her into the house. The lady, having ascertained that
the noise she had heard proceeded from the Oxford coach, be-
came more composed, and they left the house together. They
had, however, proceeded only a few paces, when another gen-
tleman, who had alighted from the Oxford coach, collared the
lady's companion, and knocked him down without ceremony.
A scene of altercation and confusion ensued, and the parties
seemed so hostile and violent that a peace officer interfered,
each of the gentlemen giving charge of the other, and they
all went into a room in the White Hart Inn. In about half
an hour another post-chaise and four arrived, containing the
lady's mother and uncle, who immediately asserted the autho-
rity arising from their relationship to the care of the young
lady's person, and dismissed the constable with a hand-
some present. It appeared, that the young lady, who is ap-
parently about nineteen years of age, and said to .be an
heiress entitled to £45,000, on coming of age, had eloped
with her companion, an officer in the army, from Cheltenhain,
on the preceding night, and was on her way to the Temple of
Hymen, at Gretna Green, when this untoward interruption
took place. We understand the gentleman who exercised
his prowess by knocking the gallant down was a friend of the
lady's mother, who, having tired his horse in pursuit of the
the town, time to
return
fair fugitive. had mounted the Oxford coach only a few miles
and
lh
waste g lady lefthuysoeunnabledtoar to
arrive
in m to
hfreormf n Ealing,rthe
r flight.
home with her mother, about seven o'clock
the same evening,
and the disappointed son of Mars wentto
London, early the
next morning, by one of the coaches.—Morning paper.'