The Liverpool Standard and General Commercial Advertiser.
Liverpool, Merseyside, England, 1843-12-26 00:00:00

BURGLARY AT ASHTON

George Sweetman and Thomas Fl;Wher were indicted
for feloniously and burglariously entering the dwelling-
house of Mr. George Marsland, in October last, and
stealing a quantity of brassaps, and locks.
Mr. Townsend conducteortle case for the prosecution,
and Mr. Brandt defended the prisoner Sweetman.
It appeared from the evidence that the prosecutor was
a whitesmith, at Ashton-under-Lyne, and that, on the
night of the 30th of September, he fastened up his premises
and made all secure. About five o'clock on the following
morning it was ascertained that the windows had been
broken, and that a quantity of brass articles belonging to
the prosecutor's trade were taken from a shop. Shortly
after, three persons, two of whom were supposed to be
the prisoners, were seen carrying bundles of the stolen
property across Ashton Moss.
The prisoners were acquitted.

Thomas Hayes, who pleaded guilty to two indictments
for larceny, was sentenced to transportation for seven
years.

John Acton, found guilty of being at large previous to
his term of transportation having expired, was sentenced
to transportation for life and one calendar month's itn-
prisonment and hard labour at Kirkdale.

The court adjourned athalf:p;alveio ten o'clock this
(Tuesday) morning.

HALF-SOVEREIGNS AT A HALFPENNY EACIT.--011
Thursday morning the neighbourhood of Leicester-square
and the Haymarket was patronized by a couple of adven-
turers, whose manners, appearance, and mode of harangue
enabled them to succeed in disposing of a number of mock
coins, intended to imitate half-sovereigns, and which,
st range to say, were eagerly purchased at a halfpenny each.
The scheme was evidently only a modification of the well-
known " wager" speculation, but managed in such a su-
perior style, that even the most sceptical persons might
have been tempted to purchase a cheap addition to expe-
rience of a similar, though of a much dearer kind. In the
present instance, the supposed half-sovereigns were offered
for sale by two men whose appearance was consider ably
superior to the generality of street speculators. One of
them carried in his hand a small canvas money-bag, and
the other had, in one hand, a smooth piece of plain deal
board, avid in the other a small golden coin, which not
only looked very like, but actually was, a half-sovereign.
Now, ladies and gentlemen," said its possessor, hold-
ing up the coin to view, and then ringing it upon the
board in his left hand, " there's as good a half-sovereign
as ever came out of her Majesty's mint, and there's 50
more of them in that little bag you see in my friend's hand
there, all to be sold at a halfpenny each—ring 'em and try
'em before you buy 'em—but, of course, you'll allow me
to do that for you. Now, ladies and gentlemen, I don't
t 11 you that this is a wager made at one of the most cele-
brated sporting-houses in the neighbourhood, nor do I
tell you that the parties making the wager have employed
somebody to come out with me to see that I don't bolt
with the money. I don't tell you this, because it is an
old tale that has been told before—though once before, if
you remember, you did not choose to believe it ; all I now
say is, here's half-a-sovereign for a halfpenny," It need
hardly be added that, by means of a little dexterity in the
art of " palming," the half-sovereign, though apparently
sold, was invariably substituted by its counterfeit. a small
gilt pocket-piece, bearing on one side a profile of Prince
Albert, and on the other a supposed likeness of the Prince
of Wales. It may be asked, which of the two answers to
the description of a " half-sovereign."— Times.

MESMERISM.—SERIOUS PRACTICAL JOKE.—We have
received the following extraordinary statement from a
known correspondent :—On Friday last, as James Cooke,
an errand boy, 13 years of age, in t:)e employ of Messrs.
Smith and Sons, hat manufacturers, Deptford-bridge,
was sitting with his young master in the warehouse, the
latter (who had recently attended several lectures on
mesmerism) said, " Jem, I'll mesmerize you ; look me in
the face." The boy, not fearing anything, complied, and
his master having made the requisite passes for about
three minutes, became alarmed at seeing his head drop
and his eyes close. He was now in a state of mesmeric
coma, and Smith tried the back pass for a long time with-
out producing the slightestefl'ect towards recovery. Being
greatly alarmed, he sent for Mr. Taylor, a gentleman who
has been lecturing on mesmerism at the Greenwich Lite-
rary, &c. Institution. The gentleman immediately at-
tended, and, after trying his utmost skill for some hours,
succeeded in opening his eyes. This was the extent of
his power; for although he has remained with him ever
since, the boy is as much under the influence of this mi-
raculous power as when first operated upon. The phe-
nomena of clairvoyance are very curiously exhibited in
this case, for, with his eyes fast closed, he recognizes per-
sons and objects with as much facility as if they were
optically visible to him ; he names persons before they
enter the Iroom, and pretty accurately describes places
that he never saw. He has been visited by numerous
medical men—amongst the number were Mr. Downing,
the police-surgeon ; Mr. Hope, of the Dreadnought Sea-
man's Hospital-ship, and the Messrs. Hope, of Deptford.
The boy continues in a state of alternate ecstacy and stu-
por; from the latter, however, he is easily roused. He
appears frequently to suffer great bodily pain, and ex-
presses himself to do so. Mr. Taylor operates for it, and
removes the symptoms gradually, but they return on the
least excitement. His health remains good, but he is
gradually sinking under the excitement, and if something
be not speedily done for him, it is the opinion of medical
gentlemen that death must ensue. A report was spread
through Greenwich and Deptford that he had expired,
and in consequence Inspector Douglas, of the R division
of police, with several constables, proceeded to the house
of Messrs. Smith, where the boy was lying on a sofa in
the drawing-room, but finding he was still alive, they re-
turned and kept a strict watch upon the case under the
advice of the surgeon to the force. It is considered a se-
rious matter for the operator, as in the event of death
the circumstances will have to be laid before a coroner's
jury. Dr. Elliotson, of London, has been consulted by
Messrs. Smith, who act upon his advice.—Merning He-
rald.—Subsequent accounts state that the boy awoke
from his tornor to full consciousness shortly before six
o'clock on Sunday night. Considerable debility suc-
ceeded the lengthened catalepsy in which he lay ; but on
Monday he had much recovered, and he is now said to be
completely recovered.