The Liverpool Standard and General Commercial Advertiser.
Liverpool, Merseyside, England, 1833-02-19 00:00:00

Ti=ith LIVEkPOOL STANDAh.b.

A REVOLUTIONARY METAMORPHOSIS.
A physician at Exeter was one day summoned to see, at
Alphingtou, a man who was supposed to be in the last stage of
consumption. He found the case by no means desperate; the
sufferer himself resigned and patient; and withal singularly
well informed, acute, and inteiligeut. Considerable mystery
seemed to hang over his past life.
Struck with the philosophy and fortitude of the stranger, and
anxious to save him for the sake of his young and helpless
family, Dr. was unremitting in his attentions, and had the
good fortune to .find his care repaid by the rapidly returning
health of his patient. Calling one Sunday evening to take his
leave, he found the invalid listening to his two eldest children,
who were reading the Bible aloud. The Doctor congratulated
him upon being able to say " good bye" to' his medical attend-
ant, and uttered some common-place compliment upon the
nature of his employment.
"Yes, sir," was his reply, "nay present position is a strange
one; though God forbid that my children"—said he as he pa-t-
-ted their heads and dismissed them to rest—" should be such as
myself: You will think it both hypocritical and unnatural,
when I tell you that I am Robertson the burgler. You must
have heard of me, sir."
"Often," said the Doctor, faintly.
"It could scarcely
.be otherwise," returned the other in a
lower tone. There is not a county gaol in the kingdom, nor
a judge on the bench, nor a country bank of any note, that I
.am not personally acquainted with. You have treated me kindly,
generously, forbearingly. The day may come when I may be
able to show you that 1 appreciate your worth, though I cannot
imitate it. But to time present. The city police have ferreted
out my retreat. A Bow-street officer will be down to-morrow :
he will visit you before nine o'clock. You see we have our
sources of secret intelligence, as well as the minions in power.
Ido not choose you should be taken by surprise. See him or
not, as you please : this time I defy him and them. But it is
due to you, sir, that I should myself tell you whom you have
been attending, and by whom you stand a chance of being
questioned.
The police officer arrived. Robertson was apprehended.
Two old blundering bankers—one of them went into the Gazette
about six weeks afterwards—affected to be half wild with ap-
prehension, at learning that the notorious bank burglar was in
their immediate neighbourhood. While the county magistrate
who presided over the proceedings—he enlightens Brighton
with his wisdom at present—expressed the most virtuous indig-
nation that such a miscreant was permitted to exist—
" Our capital," said one.
"The public welfare," echoed the other.
"I live in perpetual apprehension," chimed the senior.
"The safety of the city of Exeter," roared the junior.
"Exverience"—began the elder banker in a solemn tone—
" Mattes fools wise," said Robertson, finishing. the sentence
for him, and with enviable nonchalance addressing the chair.
" You need, gentlemen, be under no apprehension. There is
not a Bank in Exeter worth robbing. Mr. —, you are ex-
tremely vivacious, considering you are not a man of mettle—
you understand me. It might be as well though, if your clerks
were a little more corre,t in their figuring : for allow me to ob-
serve to you, that in Ledger B. pages 5,7, and 63, the balances
are cast up wrong. You will find the real total put in pencil at
the bottom of the page; the false total scored through! Ex-
cuse the liberty, Mr. --; the temptation was irresistible!"
Mr. sidled down the Mayor's chamber in double quick
time; and was never heard to mention the name of Robertson
the Cracksman afterwards.

Against that worthy no charge could be substantiated; and
he was accordingly dismissed, and the following day he disap-
peared: and the Doctor thought they had met for the last time.
Many years afterwards the Doctor's second son was in Paris :
and was astonished to find himself an object of unceasing atten-
tion to a Monsieur de who loaded him with civilities, and
to whose kindness there appeared no end or limit. Ile men-
tioned to his father the innumerable attentions this friendly
foreigner had shown him ;—the way in which all his Disb e s were
anticipated and his amusements provided for ;—and concluded
by observing—
" Were I his son he could not lavish on me greater and more
constant attention."

The Doctor joined his son at Paris on the accession of Louis
Philippe. As they were crossing towards the Tuileries, "See,"
cries the young man, "here comes the Citizen King and his
family. That on his right hand is the Duc de Nemours, at-
tended as usual by my mysterious friend M. de St. —."
"De St. what?" said the Doctor, looking up in amaze, and
staring till his eyes seemed ready to start from their sockets.
"Do I dream? "fis Robertson tkie cracksman, and in the royal
cortege !" Wltychcotte of St. John's.

THE LONDON PRESS.