The Liverpool Standard and General Commercial Advertiser.
Liverpool, Merseyside, England, 1842-12-23 00:00:00

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SUPPER WlT.—"Well," saidA gentleman to his friend,
who was partaking of a custard, " So you are in custard-ey."
" Yes," replied the other, " and you seem to be very witty
(Whitty) over me.

VIOLENT ASSAULT ON A POLICE-OFFICER.--Thomas
Young, Patrick Young, and Patrick Sellinger, were on Wed-
nesday placed before Mr. Rushton, charged with having
violently assaulted William Edgar, constable 55. Edgar
stated that about twenty minutes before one o'clock on Wed-
nesday morning, when on duty in Chisenhale-street, he saw
the three prisoners standing at the corner of Wigan-street.
He said to them " now men, it is time for you to go home,
it is nearly one o'clock." They replied, ' we will please
ourselves when we go home--we are not doing any harm to
any one." Edgar replied, " I can't allow you to be hover-
ing about here." One of them replied, "we are going to
the Clarence Dock." The officer said, " see that you are off
then," and with these words he left them and went upon
Chisenhale-bridge. The prisoners followed him, and upon
his reaching the steps they went to the side of the canal.
Presently Patrick Young came up to him and said—" Do
you know me ?" He replied, " yes, 1 know you very well."
Young asked—" What do you know of me ?"—" not much
good" was the officer's reply. Sellinger said—" What do
you know of me?" " I know you all perfectly well," the
officer replied, " you had better go home." Sellinger im-
mediately struck at him, but he stopped the blow. Patrick
Young then knocked off his hat, and as he was stooping to
take it up, Patrick Young knocked his legs from under him,
and Sellinger kicked him in his left side and shoulder. He
got up, when Thomas Young rfshed at him and forced the
stick from his grasp, and in tearing away the string by which
it, was held to his wrist broke the third finger of his right
hand. Thomas Young struck him on his hand with the
stick, and repeating the blow knocked him down, when all
three again kicked him. He got up and seized Sellinger by
the cravat, when Patrick Young exclaimed that if he did not
loose his hold be would cut his hand off. At the same
moment he felt Young cutting with some sharp instrument
at his hand. Patrick Young struck him several times with
his stick, and at length he fell and was kicked until he be-
came insensible. When he came to himself he found several
women supporting him in a sitting posture against the wall.
He was sent to the Northern Hospital. Superintendent
Al`Donald stated that he apprehended the prisoners in bed
that morning, in consequence of information he bad received.
They all stated that they were in bed before ten o'clock, and
denied all knowledge of the affair. An aged female of the
sister isle was greatly excited during the examination, and
declared she could bring abundant proof that the "boys"
were in bed before ten o'clock. Henry Murray, however,
was brought forward, and proved that he was drinking in
company with the prisoners till twelve o'clock the preceding
night, and that he left them in the neighbourhood of Chisen-
hale-street. The policeman appeared to have been dread-
fully injured. The prisoners were committed for trial.

EXTRAORDINARY 'CASE.-011 Friday last, at the Liver.
pool Court of Bankruptcy, an extraordinary case came be-
fore Mr. Commissioner Phillips, arising out of the bank-
ruptcy of a person of the name of Hall, formerly a grocer in
Warrington. It appeared that in the month of September,
1841, the bankrupt absconded from Warrington, and was
subsequently discovered to have sailed for America, leaving
his affairs perfectly unprotected, but without any effects
available to his creditors, either from a secret disposition of
them prior to leaving, or by some fraudulent negociations
with other parties, for the purpose of keeping the proceeds
from his creditors. The bankrupt's father-in-law took pos-
session of the books and has retained them up to the present
inquiry, and they are stated by the bankrupt himself to be so
mutilated as to be of little or no service in making out his
balance-sheet, or presenting even an ordinary statement of
his assets and obligations. On the bankrupt's arrival in
America, he solicited and obtained an appointment as clerk
in a grocery store, where he evinced creditable talents, and
both activity and vigilance for the period of a twelvemonth,
as described by his master in his advertisement of the rob-
bery in the different American journals. On the 19th of
June, in the following year, he absconded from the house
of his master at Brooklyn, in the state of New York, taking
with him 4,950 dollars, the monies of his employer, in
Texian Treasury notes and specie of different denomina-
tions. It was supposed that he had taken the route to Bal-
timore, and an active pursuit was commenced in that di-
rection, but although every means was consulted that the
best authorities and the most practised assistants could de-
vise, the search proved fruitless, all trace of him being ex-
tinguished for a month or more. Shortly afterwards, the
bankrupt appears to have had some concexion with a Mr.
Thomas Montfort, in South Boston, from whom he also ab-
sconded, taking with him 1,200 dollars current money of the
state. Mr. Montfort immediately advertised the prisoner,
offering a reward of 300 dollars for his apprehension, but
without effect. The bankrupt contrived to elude the vigi-
lance of the police in the United States, and nothing more
was heard from him until information was received that he
had been seen at his old haunts at Warrington, England.
His accusers lost no time in memorializing the United States'
Consulate of the felony, who, with the assistance of an intel-
ligent police-officer (Jones), took the prisoner into custody,
seizing at the same time a large amount of notes of the Texian
Bank, before any messenger from the Court of Bankruptcy
was apprized of his return. The bankrupt was brought up
before the magistrates at Warrington, to answer the charge
of the felony preferred against him from his American pro-
secutors by attorney, but the case was so beset with difficul-
ties, in consequence of the indeterminate relations between
the two countries on the point of arrest, that recourve was
had by Colonel Aspinwall, the United States' Consulate, and
also by Mr. Nicholson, clerk to the magistrates at Warring-
ton, to Sir J. Graham for advice in prosecuting the examina-
tion, which proved ultimately an affair of so much difficulty
as to cause a recommendation by Sir J. Graham of an
abandonment of the case—a recommendation which was
instantly followed by the release of the prisoner, but
not of a restitution of the property, either to the pri-
soner himself or to the parties deputed by the assignee
under his estate. On Friday the bankrupt surrendered
himself, the forty-second day having expired, which is the
limit prescribed by the statute to prevent an outlawry. Some
strong statements were made by Mr. Nicholson, affecting the
truth of the bankrupt's statement of his poverty; this gen-
tleman asserting that he had good grounds for believing that
he (the bankrupt) had some reserved funds, a statement
which the learned Commissioner received with his usual cau-
tion, and with much good feeling and in the best possible
taste recommended the bankrupt, if he were privy to any con-
cealment, at once to disclose it, and save himself from th•
painful consequences prescribed for such offences. The ques-
tion now before the Court is, as to the disposition of the
money in the possession of the officer, who has detained it
nunertoupou the priu4sy or a Cfll.lllittil uire,..• Q. 0.1,11
there being put in before the Court a certificated copy of
theft. In answer to questions put by the learned Commis-
sioner, the bankrupt said he was totally unable to make out
a balance sheet, a declaration which the Commissioner told
him he could not hear of. The books said to be much torn
and mutilated in the hands of his father-in-law were ordered
to be given up for examination by the bankrupt upon his next
examination. Under the circumstances the learrifd Com-
missioner adjourned the examination sine die. This case
derives considerable interest, as being the latest evidence of
the state of the international law between this country and
America, and affords a tolerable presentiment that something
is likely to arise out of these negotiations favourable to the
interest of both nations in the exercise of public justice, in a
reciprocative determination that those who by the violation
of their obligations to society have rendered themselves ame-
nable to a criminal tribunal, shall not by a false, shallow, and
abstract right of mere citizenship be suffered to elude the con-
sequences of their offences.

13
.

DOCTOR SMITH OF OXTON AGAIN.—TiIiS individual
again appeared before John D. Case, Esq., at the Town
Hall, Birkenhead, on Wednesday morning last, to substan-
tiate the charges he had made against three individuals alluded
to in Tuesday's Standard. Mr. Mallaby appeared as the
legal adviser of the magistrate, and Mr. Smith being asked
if he was prepared with evidence to prove the charges he had
made, replied that he was, and entered into along statement
almost the same in effect as that which has already appeared.
He, however, stated, on this occasion, that he left home
about three months ago, showed a paper from which it ap-
peared that he had remitted home £l7 3s. Bd., and said the
furniture he left in his house amounted in value to £2OO.
The greater part of this property had been pawned by the
elder female, who had sold the tickets afterwards. This had
been done without his wife's consent, and she should swear
that most positively, and he would take the salvation of the
oath on himself. All this had been done in consequence of
some foolish newspaper reports, but although he had been
unfortunate he could assure the magistrate that his character
for propriety was first-rate throughout the land. Mr. Mal-
laby asked Smith to state some specific charge which could
be inquired into, and after some discussion some silver spoons,
two lancet cases, and some other trifling articles which had
been given up on Saturday evening by a respectable trades-
man in this town to Greaves, one of the Liverpool police,
were produced, and Mr. Smith claimed them as his property.
The young man said he purchased the ticket for the spoons
from the owner of them, Mr. Spilling, for £l, and he had
released them for £4 10s., so that he considered he had paid
the full value for them. The magistrate inquired if Mr.
Spilling was present, but on that gentleman stepping forward
Mr. Smith exclaimed, with great vehemence, " Oh, for God's
sake do not let him swear, gentlemen, be's not capable, he's
a lunatic, and has been placed under my care," and then ad-
dressing the wrong gentleman, he added " John, John, do
not swear about :t • you are not in a fit state ; what are you
going to do ?" The magistrate requested Mr. Smith to calm
himself, and not attempt to produce excitement, and as to
the capability of the gentleman he should judge of that him-
self. Mr. Spilling, in a calm, rational, and consistent man-
ner, stated that the plate never belonged to Mr. Smith ; that
it was first pawned in Sheffield, and when Mr. Smith took
charge of him he was paid £7B down, and £lO to release
some articles which were in pawn, which he had done, but
on Mr. Smith's return to Oxton the latter had again pawned
them in Liverpool, and he (Mr. Spilling) obtained the tickets
from Mrs. Smith, and sold them to the person who had re-
leased them from pawn. Here Mr. Smith again became ex-
cited, charged the young gentleman with stating what was un-
true,--that be was insane, asserted that he had released him
from the workhouse, and had been obliged to pledge the ar-
ticles for his support, and ended with a pious ejaculation we
do not deem it necessary to repeat. Mr. Spilling answered
several questions which were put to him by Mr. Mallaby
most satisfactorily, and then stated that it was true Mr.
Smith had taken him from the workhouse, but it was
the only place where there was a lunatic asylum, in
which he was at that time. Mr. Smith, however, had
received for his maintenance, during the last twelve months,
at least £120; and as he had contradicted what he (Mr.
Spilling) had said, he hoped the magistrate would post-
pone the case until he could write to his friends and
prove the truth of the matter. Mr. Smith : " Oh! for God's
sake—by all means ; but, John, (addressing Mr. Spil-
ling,) take care what you are about,—don't do any such
thing." The magistrate ordered the plate to be restored to
the individual from whom it came, observing, that there was
no pretence for a charge of felony. Mr. Smith : "Very well,
but there is no such plea with regard to the blankets and
carpet." These articles were produced, and the elder female
was charged with illegally pawning them and then disposing
of the tickets to her son. The female said she had pawned
them at the request of Mrs. Smith, to pay for a wapentake,
or the bailiffs would have been in the house ; and Mrs.
Smith's brother had assisted her in carrying them. The boy
said he had done so, arid that his sister knew they were going.
Mrs. Smith, in answer to questions from Mr. Mallaby,
stated, that she knew there were law proceedings going on,
and that the goods were pawned to pay the debt and costs.
She also admitted that the receipt had been given to her, but
she denied having given the housekeeper permission to sell
the tickets to her son : she had told her to sell them to a
friend in Birkenhead. Mr. Mallaby therefore advised the
young man to give up the blankets and carpet, as it would
no noubt save him from further trouble, although there was
no ground for a charge of felony. This was agreed to. A
number of pawn-tickets were then produced for articles
which had been pawned : amongst the rest, a writing-desk,
two coats, and various other articles. Mr. Spilling said, a
coat and writing-desk belonging to him had been pawned by
Mr. Smith, without his consent, and also a large painting by
Morland. The elder female said she bad pawned a coat
belonging to Mr. Smith, at his own request, last midsummer,
in order to raise money for him to leave home; and in
answer to a question by Mr. Mallaby, Mr. Smith said that
was so. Mr. Case said, there was no pretence for charging
the parties with felony, and ordered them to be discharged.
Greaves, the officer, then stated, that he had incurred some
expense. Mr. Case said, he could not order any expenses—
he must look to Mr. Smith. Greaves said, Mr. Smith had
told Mr. Dowling that he applied to him at the request and
with the authority of Mr. Case. Mr. Case said, he had
given no such authority; Mr. Smith had applied to him on
Saturday for a warrant, which he had not granted, telling
Mr. Smith, that if the parties bad committed felony, there
was no need of a warrant for taking them into custody.
Here the proceedings ended.—[Should this meet the eye of
the friends of Mr. Spilling, perhaps they will see the neces-
sity of interfering.]