The Liverpool Standard and General Commercial Advertiser.
Liverpool, Merseyside, England, 1842-11-01 00:00:00

HYDROPATHY, OR THE COLD WATER CURE.

(From the Kentish Observer.)

On Friday evening last a very interesting lecture on Hy-
dropathy, or the Cold Water Cure, was delivered at the
Royal Oak Assembly Rooms, Dover, by Captain Claridge,
wbo is the author of a work on the Subject. After a few
general remarks, the captain related to the audience his own
experience of the benefits to be derived from the system.
He was suffering severely from rheumatism, headache, and
weakness of the eyes, for which he had consulted many
physicians, and tried various remedies without effect, when
he was advised to try the effect of this method. For this
purpose he proceeded, with his family, to Grafenberg, in
Silesia, the residence of Mr. Priessnitz, the originator of the
system. Mr. Priessnitz was a peasant, without education ;
and his skill in curing diseases originated in accident. He I
was severely injured by a kick from a horse, which broke
two or three of his ribs. The surgeon whom be consulted
said he would be disabled for life. He, however, determined
to attempt a cure, which he effected by cold water and spare
diet alone. He afterwards performed several cures on men
and animals. Grafenberg is situated about half way up one
of the mountains of the Sudates. The establishment of Mr.
Priessnitz is a very irregular structure, having been built at
different periods ; but it has one noble room, which is used for
meals and assemblies. The accommodations are very coarse,
and in consequence Captain Claridge took up his quarters in
the neighbouring town of Freiwaldau. He had not been long
here before he was visited by two Englishmen, whom he had
persuaded to apply to Mr. Priessnitz. They assured him
they should owe him an eternal debt of gratitude, for their
restoration to health. They then invited him to dine at the
public table, where they sat down about 300 persons, and the
captain took occasion to remark the extraordinary flow of
spirits which seemed to pervade the company, so different
from what any one would expect in invalids. His friends
then pointed out to him some extraordinary cures effected
by hydropathy. One was a young lady, who went there with
scrofula in her face and neck, so bad as to render her quite
an object; in nine months she was so completely recovered
as to be considered the beauty of the room. Another case
was that of an officer who, in consequence of a wound, had
his leg so withered that it was not thicker than his wrist. He
shortly had the limb perfectly restored. Many others they
pointed out.
The table is spread with plain food, and no restriction is
placed upon the patients, except in forbidding the use of wine,
beer, mustard, pepper, &c.
The course prescribed by Mr. Priessnitz, for Captain Cla-
ridge, was the following :—At about four o'clock in the
morning his servant brought a large coarse blanket, in which
he was enveloped, and which was tightly fastened round his
neck, and at his feet ; then, as many blankets as he could
conveniently bear were heaped upon him, and on these a bed,
so as effectually to exclude the external air; in this state he
remained till six o'clock. In about an hour, perspiration
took place, when the doors and windows were opened, and
he was instructed to drink about a pint of cold water, by
means of a pipe. At six o'clock the coverings were removed,
and he had his face, chest, and shins washed with cold water,
to prevent his taking cold. He then descended to the bath
in a pair of straw shoes. In the bath he remained three
minutes ; dressed, with the windows open, and walked,
drinking cold water at various places (to the amount of about
eight glasses,) until he arrived at the establishment to break-
' fast, which was composed of milk, butter, and brown bread,
with wild strawberries, for five months in the year. Then he
descended the mountain by another path, and on his way
took a douche bath, in which the stream flowing from the
mountain is collected in a pipe. This is suffered to flow first
on one part of the body, then on another; and lastly on the
part affected. From this he proceeded home, took a sitz bath
—a tub with about six or nine inches of water, in which he
sat for fifteen minutes ; he then took a foot-bath for the same
length of time, the servant rubbing his feet while they were
in the water. For the weakness of his sight he lay on the
floor upon his back, and placed the back of his head in a
basin of water for fire minutes. He dined at one o'clock ;
at three repeated the same process, and walked until nine.
For supper he ate the same as at breakfast. His daughter,
who was supposed to be consumptive, but who Mr. Priessnitz
pronounced had merely outgrown her strength, being, as he
expressed it, too tall for her breath, underwent a similar pro-
cess, except that, to produce perspiration she was enveloped
in a wet sheet, instead of a blanket, and at night she wore a
wet cloth upon her chest, and another round her body. In
less than three months she was perfectly recovered.
The Captain remarked that he could see no reason why
man should not live to 200 years of age. The inferior
animals, it is calculated, live eight times as long as it takes
them to arrive at maturity, and why not man ? He then ad-
duced several examples of longevity.
He gave an extract from a work by Dr. Rausse, to the
following effect :—" It is impossible for any man to die of
any acute disease, while the patient has sufficient strength
left, to allow of water producing its re-action in him." He
said that people never died at Grafenberg of any aeute dis-
order. He states that there are now a hundred establish-
ments on the same plan in Germany, and gave an account
of the number of patients who have consulted Mr. Priess-
nitz in each year, from 1829, its commencement, to 1841.
The total amount is 7,000.

TERRIFIC AFFRAY BETWEEN GAMEKEEPERS
AND POACHERS.-MURDER OF A KEEPER.

(From the Chester Chronicle of Friday.)

We regret to have to record a most sanguinary combat
which took place on Saturday evening last between the keepers
of John Tollemache, Esq., of Tilston Lodge, M.P., and Ed-
win Corbett, Esq., of Darnhall, and a party of poachers, and
which resulted in the defeat of the former, one of whom,
named Richard Chesters, died in a few hours afterwards from
the injuries he received in the conflict. The following are
the facts as near as we have been able to collect them :

It appeared that, from some information that had been ob-
tained, by Robert Bostock, keeper to Mr. Corbett, he had
reason to apprehend that a poaching party would be out on
the night in question. He called that morning on Daniel
Bebbington, who was engaged by Mr. Tollemache to look
after the game at Wettenhall, and told him that he expected
there would be some poachers in Wettenhall-wood that
night ; and they arranged to meet at the Wettenhall side of
the wood at eleven o'clock. About nine o'clock on that
evening Bostock called upon John Noden, waggoner to
Mr. Corbett, and John Bebbington, under-keeper to the
same gentleman. They went to Wettenhall-wood as watch,
and found Daniel Bebbington and Thomas Bebbington,
his grandson, a young boy, who had heard the report of
fire-arms a few minutes previous, and were awaiting the
arrival of, the remainder of the keepers and their party. It
was a moonlight night. They went some distance by the
side of that part of the wood called Boffey's Pipe, and
crossed a field of John Boffey's, which adjoined the Pipe,
where they saw four or five men, who, as soon as they saw
them (the keepers), called to them to stand off. Three of
the men had guns, one of them was identified by Bostock as
Jos. Baker, and one of them had a bludgeon. Those who
had guns pointed them towards the keepers. As the keepers
advanced the poachers retreated slowly backwards, and
Baker cried out, " their eyes, don't let us go back, let us
stand !" Daniel Behbington said, "My lads, we are five as
well as ye," counting his grandson as one. When they came
to close quarters, John Bebbington seized hold of one of the
men, and seized his gun by the muzzle, and threw him down.
In the struggle the gun went off, as the poacher had bold of
the lock. This man was dressed in dark clothing. Daniel
Bebbington came up during the struggle, and threw himself
upon the man, and John Behbington left him in order to
pursue the other poachers, and immediately another of the
gang came up, dressed in a short darkish coloured slop, and
struck Daniel Bebbington over the head and arms, and en-
abled the other men to escape. Robert Bostock seized the
man who had the bludgeon, and was beaten severely by
him ; the second blow knocked him down, and stunned him,
and his gun was taken from him and discharged. When John
Bebbington left Daniel Bebbington in charge of the poacher
he had prostrated, he pursued Tohn Baker who had run
alongside, of the wood for a short distance, and had during
the pursuit got over the hedge into the wood, John Bebbing-
ton being close to him, and in fact was with him as he got
over thehedge,.Baker's gun being under him. They had a
struggle, when Richard Chesters, another of the keepers
(and who afterwards died of the injuries he received,)
came up, and the two secured Baker. John Bebbington
said to his prisoner, " I know thee." He called him Duke
Baker; and he answered, "Well, thou knows me, let
me go." In about five minutes, whilst still in the wood,
the keepers heard some men who were coming up the side
of the wood, calling out—" Now my lads, how are you
coming on ?" and John Bebbington, who supposed they were
the remainder of the keepers, said "We are here." They
then came up, there being three of them, and stood on the
hedge top, when Bebbington saw that they were the com-
panions of his prisoner Baker. He said to Cheaters, " Shoot
the first man that comes over." Chesters then took up his
(Bebbington's) gun, lying by his side, but held it in his hand,
and did not present it. The men then came over the hedge,
when Bebbington then let Baker go. One of the poachers,
tile man in the slop, struck Bebbington on the head and
stunned him, and he received several other blows, which in-
duced him to keep calling upon Chesters to shoot. The men
then left Bebbington, and attacked Chesters. What took
place then Bebbington is unable to say, as he was litunned
by the blows he had received, and when he came to himself
he was in the brook close by. Bostock, after the conflict he
had been engaged in was ended, and he had recovered from
the blows he had received, went towards the place where
Bebbington had had the struggle with Baker, but he did not
find him. as he had gone away ' • but he saw the body; of
Chesters lying there. He saw four men just out of the
wood,' and one of them looking through the hedge, but he
could not recognise any of them. He went acress the wood
towards Wettenhall, and in the field next to, the wood he met
Bebbington, who was at that time bleeding.very much from
a bad cut across his head. They went to thepublic-house at
Wettenhall for assistance, and having obtained it, they went
for Chesters, whom they found lying on the ground, where
Bebbington had last seen him before he was attacked by the
poachers; and they carried him to the Boot and Slipper
public-house.
Whilst the above conflicts were going on John Noden had
a struggle with the poacher armed with the bludgeon, and
managed to fight him for a considerable time with his stick,
and ultimately wrenched the bludgeon from him. They then
got into the Ledge and had a severe struggle, when the
poacher got uppermost, and jumped with his feet upon Noden's
belly, and then set off into the wood. Noden was so much
injured as not to be able to get up for some time ; and when
he did get up the men had all gone away.
When Richard Cheaters was taken to the Boot and Slipper
public-house he was in a state of insensibility, and the atten-
dance of Mr. Job Harrison, of Tarporley, surgeon, was ob-
tained as soon as possible. He got there about 12 o'clock.
The moment he had examined the wounds, which were chiefly
about the head, there being a severe fracture of the skull over
the right eye, he considered the case as hopeless. He, how-
ever, immediately bled him, and used such remedial means
as the case required. He continued with him until five
o'clock ; his head was much swollen, caused by the contusions
and effusions of blood under the scalp ; there being also con-
siderable hemorrhage from the right ear. He saw him again
at half-past nine o'clock, when he was much worse. He died
about half-past 12 o'clock on that day.
On Wednesday, an inquest was held before the Cheshire
coroner, when a verdict of " Wilful murder against Charles
Hitchen, William Warburton, Samuel Cousins, Joseph Ba-
ker, and Richard Evans," and the four prisoners in custody
were immediately committed on his warrant to Chester Cas-
tle, to take their trial at the next assizes for that offence ; and
were conveyed there the next morning by Mr. Baker and his
assistants.

It is expected that Baker will not be able long to evade the
search making for him.

It is rumoured in legal circles that, in consequence of the
declining state of his health, the veteran Lord Lyndhurst
will shortly retire from the woolsack, which his brilliant
talents have so pre-eminently adorned, and that he will be
succeeded pro tern. by Lord Abinger, now Lord Chief Baron,
who will shortly afterwards retire in favour of Sir William
Follett. These changes will involve the elevation of the
present Attorney-General to the dignity of Chief Baron, and
in all probability the promotion of Mr. Fitzroy Kelly and
Mr. Justice Cresswell.—Herald.
Cvnious COINCIDENCE.—LAW I—A proof of the " glo-
rious uncertainty of the law" was shown at the last quarter
sessions for the county of Dorset. Two men were indicted
jointly for a felony : upon being called on to plead guilty or
not guilty, one of them pleaded " guilty," and the other
" not guilty." At that moment an attorney stepped up to the
prisoner who pleaded guilty, and told him he was employed
to defend him : the prisoner then withdrew his plea of
guilty, and pleaded not guilty. The trial proceeded, and at
the close the jury acquitted the one who had at first pleaded
guilty, and convicted the other who had pleaded not guilty.
—Sherborne Journal.