The Liverpool Standard and General Commercial Advertiser.
Liverpool, Merseyside, England, 1853-12-27 00:00:00

SUICIDR.—The daughter of a wslizbber". resifting at NECROMANCY AND THE POLICE..
Longwood, near Huddersfield, drowned, herself last week,
because her mother refused to fall in whither whim that
her cloak should be made of a particularshape.and fashion. LAST week appears to have been an unpropitious one for
FIRES.—On Thursday night, at a few minutes before 9 the necromantic and fortune-telling tribe of Liverpool;
o'clock, a fire broke out in the lofty premises occupied two of those gentry, through the adverse influence of their
conjointly by Mr. Baker, a sailmaker, and Mr. Hinchley, stars, no doubt, having found their way, as defendant*
granary-keeper, No. 25, Wapping, High-street, London. before the police magistrates, to answer charges of having-
The flames commenced in the top floor, used as the sail obtained money on false pretences. On Wednesday,.
factory. The firemen went to work, but they were unable William Mills, a fortune-teller, of forbidding aspect, was
to get the mastery over the fire until the whole of the introduced to the ex-mayor,
amuel Holme, Esq., on the
valuable stock of sails was destroyed, and considerable charge of obtaining money by false pretence of unfolding
damage done to the grain in the granary below by water.— ; the secrets of futurity, and manufacturing fortunes for
On Thursday afternoon a fire, which, it is feared, will be ' those of her Majesty's subjects whose faith was sufficiently
attended with fatal results, happened on the premises of strong to induce them to cross his palm for the perform—
Mr. Miller, Blackmore-street, Drury-lane. Between 1 ante of the cabalistic rite. Detective Murphy said that,
and 2 o'clock loud cries of fire were heard, and one of Mr. between six and seven o'clock on the previous evening,,
Miller's children was found encircled in flame.. By great two persons, named Henry Carroll and Ebenezer Hughes,
perseverance the fire was extinguished, but not until the called at the central police-office, and stated that they had
poor creature was burnt in a most frightful manner. been imposed upon by the prisoner, and accordingly officer
MURDER AT YORK.—On Tuesday, a shocking murder Cousins and himself were deputed to call upon the prisoner
was perpetrated in York. Mr. John Hall, of Swainton at his residence, No. 2, Conway-street, leading out of Great
New Inn, near Scarborough, a man occupying a respect- Homer-street. On going into the house and inquiring for
able position, was at the Great Christmas Horse Show, the prisoner, he found eight females and one gentleman
and in the evening, between five and six o'clock, being in l waiting their turn for consultation in the parlour. Not
liquor, he fell into the company of two girls, who induced i being anxious of waiting the pleasure of the diviner, they
him to accompany them on to the King's-staith, a dark iwent up stairs and entered his bedroom, were they saw
lonely place near the river Ouse. A little before six two respectably-attired females sitting by the side of the
o'clock, a man named Sargent saw Mr. Hall with these bed. Murphy asked the prisoner if his name was Mills,
two girls, who were pushing him about, with a view, it is ; and was answered in the affirmative. One of the females
supposed, of robbing him, he having about £.50 in his said her name was Jones, and she resided at No. 8.
possession. He endeavoured to beat the girls off, bat was : Chester-street, Birkenhead, having come in company with
so much intoxicated as to be unable to do so. Sargent • a friend to have her fortune told; and she seemed per-
shouted to the girls, "Let the poor man go," but they I fectly satisfied with what the necromancer said to her. She
laughed at him, and persisted in their attack upon Mr. had been married fifteen months, and was at the present
Hall until they forced him to the water's edge, when one time without any prospect of a family ; but her face became
of them gave him a push, and he fell backwards off the radiant with smiles on being informed by the prisoner that
staith into the water. Sargent immediately procured she was to be the mother of a large family. The officer
assistance, and an oar was held out to the drowning man ; then produced a book of astrology, which was handed to the
but he was unable to help himself, and was sucked under magistrate for examination. Mr. Holme, after perusing it,
a vessel lying close to the spot. The river was dragged said it was a book of " Astrology Improved ; or, a Comj?en-
for about two hours afterwards, when the body was drawn dium of the whole Art of that most important Science, in.
from the water and conveyed to a publie-house, when it five parts, by Rd. Ball, professor in astrology and physic ;
was found that if the girls intended robbing the deceased, printed by A. Butterworth, at the sign of the Red Lion,
' they had not accomplished their object, as there were in Paternoster-row, London, and bore the date of the year
taken from his pockets six £5 notes, 19 sovereigns, ss. 6d. 1723.—Ebenezer Hughes, chemist, residing at 269, Scot-
in silver, and some copper. The girls had ran off; and, land road, went to have his fortune told, and saw the
from a description given of them by Sargent, Isabella female mentioned by the officer on going up stairs to see
Campbell, of Berwick-upon-Tweed, and Caroline Nichol- the prisoner. When he went into the room he did not
son, of Middle-water-lane, York, both prostitutes, were speak, and the prisoner took up a pack of cards and
shortly afterwards apprehended. On Campbell was found spread them out across the table. Witness stood by the
a purse, but no money ; neither had Nicholson any money. table and said nothing, when the prisoner laid his fingers
The prisoners were brought up for examination, before the on the cards, touching every fourth card, until he came to
Lord Mayor and other magistrates, and remanded. the ace of clubs, which he held up and asked witness
Crataszares PLUM Pcnnixo.—lf there be one " What is the name of the dark-eyed girl you love ?"
stronger impulse than another in the English breast, it is and " Who is the young man you have as a companion ?"
the desire that the whole human race on Christmas-day IHe then told him he had a long journey to go, and charged.
should partake of plum-pudding. This savory compound, him ls.—The prisoner here questioned the witness
of "equal parts of Malaga raisins, currants, suet chopped • whether, when he went up stairs, he asked him for any
fine, sweetmeats, and bread crumbs," is the very founda- money, and was answered "No ;" he threw the money on
tion of Anglo-Saxon civilization. We shut a man and his the table. The prisoner : You threw down ls. 6d., and
wife up ina workhouse—carefullyseparatingthem for twelve not a shilling; of course, when the money was thrown
months,but on Christmas-daywe give to each ofthem alarge down, I took it up. Henry Carroll, a baker at the corner
wedge of plum-pudding as a set-off against the discomforts of Newsham-street, Scotland-road, saw the last witness
of the year. The country squire causes his servants hall at the house of the prisoner, waiting his turn. He
to be 'decorated with holly-sprigs, ruddy with their cheer- (Carroll) had to wait two hours for his turn, there being
ful fruit, and bunches of mistletoe more sparely inter- about ten parties before hin. Some of these were ladies,
mingled ; and the "establishment," after partaking of he should say of independent means. When he went up
plum-pudding, " threads the mazy dance"—we believe the stairs he saw the last witness standing looking through a
phrase is a correct one—the lady of the mansion leading glass (a solid mass about the size of a goose's egg). Wit-
the ball. The Sovereign of these broad realms is not ness said, "If you please, sir, I've come to get my
unconscious of the influence of the genial season, while the fortune told," and sat down. The prisoner then gave
poorest of her subjects may on Christmas-eve be seen him a pack of cards, and said, "Cut them." Witness did
standing outside a pawnbroker's shop with three flat irons, so, and the prisoner laid them down on the table in a sys-
an ancient engraving figurative of a harvest-home, and her tematic way, about half an inch apart, extending across
husband's Sunday waistcoat—all of which goods and chat- the small table. The prisoner then touched a card, and
tles she is prepared to make over to the usurer by way of asked witness if he saw that ; he said he did, and the
mortgage, that she may obtain the needful purchase money prisoner asked him, " Who is the black man you have
for the ingredients of her Christmas pudding. The sol- had to contend against, with dark hair and black eyes ?"
diers and sailors of Queen Victoria eat their Christmas Witness then said, " Tell me something that is to take
pudding to a map; it is the necessary condition of our place ; something for the future ;" at the same time
national safety. Crime even is pampered for the moment, giving the prisoner something to work upon, he asked.
'and indulged with gastronomic emotions. The wheel him, " " Shall I soon be married ?" The answer to this
stands still and the crank forgets to revolve; indeed, we was, You can, any minute you like." Witness asked,
know not what degree of moral turpitude would, to the " Can I get one with money ? that is the one I want."
apprehension of a true Englishman, justify the deprivation The prisoner then shuffled the cards, and the queen of
of a plum-pudding onarhristmas-day. This we take to be diamonds was turned up, whereupon he exclaimed, " Here
the absolute and simplb truth.— Times. she is, a woman." He immediately afterwards picked
DISASTROUS FLOODS IN DEVONSITIRE.—The heavy fall out another card, and said, " She has plenty of money ;"
of rain which commenced on Sunday, last week, and con- after another shuffle, he said, " There is more coming to
tinned without intermission until midnight on Monday, her." Witnes's asked, "Do you think I shall be soon
caused the waters of the Yeo and the Creedy, two tributary married to her ?" and he said, " Certainly ; before next
streams of the river Exe, to rise with frightful rapidity, May." The prisoner then picked out another card—the
and the Exeter and Crediton Railway, in many parts of the jack of clubs—and said, "That is a rival, and if you
line, and also the neighbouring turnpike roads, were coin- do not look sharp after her, you may lose her." On
pletely under water. The first indication of damage to the Witness asking if she was a virtuous woman, the pri.
line was ascertained on Monday night, when the 6.35 soner replied, Yes, a virgin." Witness here said, as
train, which left the Exeter station for Crediton, arrived he was a married man, he began to be suspicious that
at Newton-St. Cyres, a station about half-way along the this was all gammon, and felt somewhat disappointed,
line, and it was then discovered that the line beyond was after waiting two hours for his turn ;he then asked.
totally impassable. The driver of the train, in this ewer- the prisoner his charge, and he said ls. Witness
gency, attempted to return to Exeter, and in doing so, said lie thought it was only 6d., and put down 61d., saying
when near Newbridge, the rails sank with the weight of that was all he had. The prisoner said he only charged
the carriages, in consequence of the ballast having been 6d. to ladies, but his charge to gentlemen was ls.—Mr.
completely waslied away from beneath the sleepers for Holme (to witness) : Pray, on which side of the Irish
about half-a-mile ; added to this, the fire in the locomotive channel were you born ? —Witness : I was born on the
was extinguished by the water, and the engine thrown off English side, air, at Barnsley, in Yorkshire. (Laughter.)—
the line. It was quite impossible to move forward or go Mr. Holme : I should scarcely have thought you would
backward, and equally futile were the attempts to extri- have allowed this man to come Yorkshire over you. (Con-
cate the passengers from their perilous situation, the land tinued laughter.)—The prisoner asked witness if he did not
on either side of the line being submerged to the depth of tell him that he should go a long journey ; if he did not
several feet. Mr. Mears, the superintendent at the Exeter tell him that he should lose money by a fair woman ; that
station, and other officers of the company, were out the he thought there was another woman in his house, and
whole night with lights and vehicles, in the hope of being that she was his wife. This the witness partly acknow-
able to afford assistance, but; in spite of all their efforts, ledged to be true.—The prisoner, on being asked by the
they could not get within three fields' length of the dis- magistrate what he had to say, replied that he had been
abled train. At length, about four o'clock on Tuesday left a widower with three children, and being lame he
morning, after the passengers, fourteen in number, includ- had taken up this science as a means of livelihood, and
ing several ladies, had been in this most uncomfortable had followed it for a little less than two years. He
position for nine or ten hours, the waters gradually sub- had told a great number of fortunes which had proved to
sided, and, horses having been attached to the carriages, be true ; and if any had not turned out exactly perfect, it
they were drawn back to Newton-St. Cyres, a distance of was not his fault; he had given them as perfect as
half a mile, whence the passengers were sent on to their he could, and they all knew the world was not made in a
destination by other vehicles. The traffic of the line is day. Mr. Wybergh then read the law, which says that
entirely suspended, and the company are now carrying any person so imposing upon the public is liable to be im-
passengers in omnibuses drawn by four horses, over the prisoned for a term not exceeding three months, with hard
old turnpike road. The damage caused by the inundation labour. Mr. Holme said it appeared to him most extra-
is so extensive that the ordinary traffic on the Exeter and ordinary that in this the 19th century persons like the
Crediton Railway cannot be resumed for at least four or witnesses, and even respectable ladies, could be found to
five days, although the company set on a large body of men enter the bedroom of a man like the prisoner, with an
to repair the line as quickly as the occasional rise of the idea that he could look into futurity. It was only another
waters would enable them. Though the river Exe is very striking proof that wherever knaves were to be found
much swollen lower down, the adjacent portion of the there were always plenty of fools to patronise them. With
Bristol and Exeter line has not in any way been injured, regard to the book from which the prisoner derived his
A horse belonging to Mr. Carthew, a miller, was drowned information, the magistrate said, on perusing it, lie found
while drawing a waggon on the Crediton turnpike road. it full of nastiness and of the most disgusting description,
At Newton-Abbott the floods have been much more and he should not be doing his duty to the public if he
serious, having occasioned the destruction of property did not commit the prisoner to gaol for three months ; if
amounting to several thousand pounds ; and in other places it had not been for the representation of the prisoner's -
in South Devon the damage is very extensive, though no lameness, he should have given him hard labour. "Itis a
life has been lost. striking proof that the stars have not been propitious to
THE GREATEST ACHIEVEMENT IN THE HISTORY OF you to-day, and I have told you your fortune for the next
CHEAP LITERATURE.—CASSELL'S ILLUSTRATED FAMILY three months." It was stated that the science was of so
PAPER, for the week ending January y, will be ready at all profitable a nature that the prisoner occasionally made £6
booksellers on Wednesday, December 28, price ONE PENNY.
—Never in the history of periodical literature has such a sale a week, and that some of the parties present had come
from Prescot to gratify their inquisitiveness as to their
been secured by any work as that obtained by CASSELL'S
ILLUSTRATED FAMILY PAPER, upwards of one hundred and future destiny.
filly thousand copies having been sold in little more than a On Thursday, another revealer of futurity's secrets,
week. Encouraged by this great success. JOHN CASSELL is named Richard Parkinson, a hoary-headed sinner, resid-
determined to spare no expense in securing first-rate artsts ing in Horatio-street, Scotland-road, was charged with
and writers. The Engravings in Number 11. will be numerous obtaining 6d. from Catherine Downs, a married woman,
and splendid. The following will be their order :—The Ern-
living in St. Martin's-street, by pretending to tell her
barkation of Henry Maynard in the " Fair Fanny," illustra-
ting the narrative of " The Arctic Crusoe," by Percy B. St. fortune. The woman stated that, in consequence of what
John—Ancient Kalmuck Encampment on the Banks of the she had heard of the prisoner from some of her acquaint-
Danube—Group of Bulgarians—Jassy, the capital of Moldavia antes, she went to his house in Horatio-street, about six
—Types of the various races on the Banks of the Danube— o'clock the previous night. The prisoner was then up stairs,
Costues Farmer, e Moldavians; Postillion, Postmaster, Tra-
veller, Coachman, and Herdsman—Columbus taking telling the fortune" of two other women who were with
possession of the Island of St. Salvador—General Baraguay him, and she waited in the kitchen until they came down
D'Hilliers and his staff. The whole forming an ensemble when she went up stairs to him. He showed her a glass;
of Illustrations constituting JOHN CASSELL'S IGLUS- ball to look through, at the same time pretending to offer
TRATF.D FAMILY PAPER the Literary Wonder of the Age. up a prayer in her behalf from a book which he had by
CAS3ELL'S ILLUSTRATED FAMILY PAPER can be him. He then told the woman that her husband, who
ordered of any Bookseller, price ONE PENNY Weekly.—It
was a labourer, was about to sail for a " foreign country,"
will also be published in Monthly Parts—Four Numbers, 32
and it would be "better for him to go to Australia than to
pages, price FIVIIPENCE,; or when Five Numbers, 40 pages,
SIXPENCE ; enclosed in a neat Wrapper. Philadelphia." Her worldly prospects were to be improved
in the course of the ensuing year. He charged 6d. for his
scientific advice. The woman then left, and two other
equally credulous persons immediately entered. When
the prosecutrix got into the street she was interrogated
by police-officer Kennedy, who had received information
respecting the manner in which the prisoner obtained a.
livelihood, and was watching for a dupe to leave the house
in order that he might establish a, charge against the pri-
soner. The officer asked Mrs. Downs if she hadbeen getting
her "fortune told," and receiving a reply in the affirma-
tive, he inquired if she believed what the man had told
her, when she immediately replied " No ; I don't believe
what he has told me about my husband." The officer then
went and searched the prisoner's house, where he found.
two glass balls, one of which, according to the directions,
, written in red ink,in one ofthe prisoner's scientific works,"
was to cure witchcraft in man or beast, and the other was
to discover the future partner " of all who would believe
in its miraculous qualities." There was also a framed tes-
timonial of the prisoner's " abilities as an astrologer," the
body of which was profusely covered with all kinds of
hieroglyphics. A number of othes voluminous works, on.
the same abstruse " science, " were also found at the
residence of the prisoner. The magistrate said he thought
it was a clear case of extorting money, and such conduct
ought to be suppressed. The prisoner must go to gaol for
three months.

[ADVERTIAEMENT .]
UNITY FIRE INSURANCE ASSOCIATION,

HEAD OFFICES-40, PALL MALL, LONDON.

TO THE SHAREHOLDERS OF LIVERPOOL AND ITS

NEIGHBOURHOOD,

The period between Christmas-day and Old Christmas-day
being one of the most important in the year for effecting Fire
Insurances, I he :r most res;)ectfully to remind you of the
approaching opportunity for bringing your own policies, and
inducing your friends and neighbours to bring theirs, to this
office, or to some of the Liverpool agents.
It has not only become an ambition on the part of each
member of the Unity to be a direct contributor of business to
the concern, but it is also a commercial fact, that every policy
added to the vast number already completed is a new source
of profit, augmenting your own respective dividends ; and you
will find among our acquaintances many who are not bound
to other offices, and who have
To commence Insurances hitherto neglected ;
To augment Insurances hitherto insufficient;
To renew Insurances expiring at this time ;
And some persons have ALL these things to do.
It will be well to remind all your friends, that " he who in-
sures his property has compensation in case of loss ; he who
does not insure has self-reproach instead."
And let it ever be borne in mind, that in asking your friends
to insure with this gigantic Association, you are suggesting a
positive benefit to themselves, seeing that two-thirds of all
the profits of the concern are to be returned to the policy-
holders every five years, not as a capricious or patronising
bonus, but as a debt specially due to them, proportionate to
their outlay in Insurance.
SHARES IN THE ASSOCIATION.

EXTENSIVE LANDSLIP.—An extensive landslip, carry-
ing away a whole field, has just occurred on the Wilts,
Somerset, and Weymouth, line, now constructing near
Devizes, together with an occupation bridge, owing to the
immense superincumbent weight of an embankment,
which has, it is stated, at great expense been made and re-
made.

The wholeorili-e-500,000-o;:iiin—alsliaTe;, It 2 each, have
been taken up, by nearly 5000 Subscribers, and are now to be
divided into 1000,000 shares of .*l, as directed by the Regis-
trar-Gene:ll, in order to be uniform with the new shares.
The deposits on the former are all paid up, and the shares are
at a high premium.
The new shares, 1,000,000 in number, at 25. 6d. deposit and
2s. 6d. premium, are just beginning to be issued ; and, as the
premium itself is paid into the funds of the whole Association,
the old and new members are thereby alike benefited.
This is a trifling entrance fee to pay for admittance to a
large concern now solidly established; and already, although
the new issue was only authorised, by law. so recently as the
28th November, no f wer than 70,000 to 80,000 shares have
been applied for on this basis !

Fox AND PITT AS Bors.—A curious prediction of Fox's
mother, Lady Holland, about this time, deserves a passing
notice. In expostulating with her husband, on his unwise
indulgence to his children, and especially to Charles, she
said, " I have been this morning with Lady Hester Pitt
(meaning Lady Chatham), and there is little William Pitt,
not eight years old, and really the cleverest child I ever
saw, and brought .up so strictly and so proper in his beha-
viour that, mark my words, that little boy will be a thorn
in Charles's side as long as he lives."—Eclectic Review.
CURIOUS CASE.—At
...the Court of Queen's Bench, on.
Wednesday, Miss Abbrassant sued the Rev. Lut-
trell 3foysey, vicar of Combe St. Nicholas, Somersetshire,
for a breach of engagement. The plaintiff is a native of
Brussels, and was engaged by the defendant as governess
in his family, at a salary of £5O a year, with extra for
the first three months. Plaintiff was discharged in a short
time after her engagement, and the defence to the action
was that the plaintiff had sometimes represented herself to
be a Roman catholic' and sometimes a protestant, and at
other times an infidel. A great mass of evidence was heard
on the question raised, but ultimately the jury gave a
verdict for the full amount claimed.

Your friends may, therefore, not only secure for themselves
two-thirds of the profits by insuring with us, but may also re-
ceive the other one-third of the profits by becoming share-
holders, in addition to five per cent. per annum interest on
their deposits.

I repe.at, that a single half-crown per share, for such advan-
tages, is indeed a small entrance fee, especially as it is paid
into the very funds of which every purchaser of shares be-
comesa co-proprietor.

BUSINESS.M.READY EFFECTED BY THL -
In less than the first
12 months, say to} Policies, 4,500 ; insuring 42,500,000
Sept. 28, 1853 .... -
In the next 12 weeks, I
say to Dec. 20,1853. / "

" UNIT 7."

.t 1,689,014

Total inless than 14 years, 7,080 • .4,189,017
Such proofs of the extent ,f
and vitality of this truly national
association require no comment.
I remain,
Your obedient servant,
JOHN SMITH, Local Manager for Liverpool.
Unity Fire and Trafalgar Life Offices,
Commerce-court, it, Lord-street, Liverpool,
December 19, 1853.

EMPLOYMENT FOR TURNOITTS.—The question of a,
labour test for turnouts has uudergone serious discussion
between Mr. H. B. Farrall, the Poor Law Inspector for
the district, and the Guardians of the Haslingden Union.
The Poor Law Commissioners, anxious for the application
of the labour test, propose that the guardians should hire
land, and set the operatives on strike, who apply for relief,
to turn the soil, without any reference to the productive-
ness of their labour. Surely this must be wickedly in-
tended as a satire upon free trade. After the bread has
been taken out of the mouths of the agricultural labourers,
the unemployed factory labourers are to be turned into
agriculturists, with this only difference, that whereas the
toil of the former produced a crop, that of the latter is to
produce—nil!—John Bull..

AGENTS FOR LIVERPOOL

Mr. JOHN SMITH, Branch Offices, 11, Lord-street
Miss E. A. MAUGER, 62, Oxford-place, Vine-street,
Mr. GODFREY LEVI, Stationer, 26, London-road.
Mr. D. WILSON, 34, Exchange-street East.
Mr. WILLIAM OKILL, 2, Dale-street.
Mr. JAMES R. PENN, 8, India-buildings.
% OUTHPORT:-.
Mr. JAME WOOD, Lord-street.