, 1874-08-21
WHAT MAPpENED;1N WESTMINSTER.

| LOU ~ Good 10 TIC 1flBh. -
WHAT HAPPENED;1N WESTMINSTER.
An Entertaining l,Eayesty OF the Per-
forninnccs Of the Modern English
Reporter.
Under tho title OF tt What Happened in Vest
rninstor," the london EIat,.,ncr prints nj Ok
ttaordlunry BtorY-intouded, wo imagine to throw
lldtcno upon tho c1an1 Of nowapapor reporters
lnot nnkuowi, IN this conntry) WHO, when facta
fail them, fall back upon tho unbounslod ro-
sources OF The imagination. It in in tho form Of
! letter to tho editor, and Is signed stamina
Drystick." THO writer aud tho croaturo whose
Sopteat Titl cat forms the tlomo Of tho natra-
I'm my capacity as district visitor to tho
Society OF Wealthy Hebrews for tho discovery
aud invention Of social abuses. am cailod upon
70 WIZ 1 many curious aud daueerous local iteu.
Glanced upoh hoary Eastorn savage IN q bnok
room IN Fleet strect, and have haudol over to
5natlco depraycd ncwsbny crying. tho tail OF
hhiVa q mouth boforo tint event occurred: 1t
napeheo 70 me mo On rosent afternoon to b walk
habltea oy low Irish and my attention was at.
tracteu by noisy group OF people cougrogatod
on iittie Plot Of waste land near tho rlyor-end
ol @ that thoroughfaro. Tho contra! figure waa a
tall, ganne, mud ferocious-fooktng fomalo, with
long gflzSlod hair Which lung abont l,er scraggy
neck and over hor lean but muaoular, shoullora
| like tho mhno Of wild boaat.h - .. =,
Tl1o writer discovered in various obsouro but
not altogethor novel ways, which arc fully do
hcrlbcd, that this woman was about to opraee
iu an unnatural kind OF combat, and nualiy d.
tanned perlntasloni to be present: 1Iho roniRtu-
| eette:
1T matters not how succeeded in gaining a
promise thnt should 500 for myself tho uatlro
! OF tic nght,' nor tho terrible details Of the
oath that was compelled TO taKo that wonll
not botray the drAmatis poraonn. At o'clock
tho same evening :; thoro happened to .bo
innocontly lounElng in tho nclghborhood
Of court which opona on Old Pyo Atrcot,
Wostmiuster, Mrs. CockoMaxy aud ono or two
fcmalo acquantauces. Ti,eao wcro presently
casually Joined by fcmnls: figure, whoss up
bnt Which, nevertheless, mas tAat OF tho respect.
nbo district visitor nho H!gna this letter. Siren
nous cHottB wero made to confuse my perception
OF localities. I had to follow mi conductors lp
ono street and down another, TIL tho cLsae d.
gan to grow somewhat mearaome waa snun
round and round, an iudoilnite number OF timos,
at spot where four CT ctoss-roads met my normal
position wns M temporarlly inverted, and finally
waa blindfoidod and 1nosmorizcd.
- came to myself in what aeemcd tho front
attic OF q largo but dl'apidased house. a squire
area 10 tho centre OF tho room was fenced in by
ropes, on either sido Of which wore two strong
room was q raised platform. which, when / first
looked at it, was empty; but tho other three
Sides. between tho ropes and the wall, wero
denselv packed with s'ght-AoorB., These. with
out exception, Noro wontou. Sonlo of them
wore almost, a. s unconth and debasoln look
as Furious Poll herself, toozled as TO IaIr,
dishcvelcd rs to bosom, fiery as to faco,
coarse aud riolent aa to language. But ali
were not iornalo rougls. l recognized the
vito of \ .wsll-known metropolitan clorgy,nan,
accompanied by two portly dnmcs, who looked
as il they were the spouacs Of church -wardons,
and 1st bottle circulated among tho trio with
sreat, a, frequency: For myself was accommo-
platform. between two other females, QUO Of
whom had . black oye aud smoked short
BLACK Pipe. the othor woro = puce silk dress,
rather = tp 2, wprse y, tor wear and as vociferatins
inside tho inclosod spaco within tl.o roncs.
Sho wao sitting on bucket, al,d swearing freely
at things in general. while sho combad out
went down on her knees and felt ali over tLo in-
cloaed space, rs it she ware searching for a pin.
Amt sue downy old faggot.' said my neghbor
with tho: short pipe; it wea a Bplint in tho
Pan,isng g thnt m l9nt her Tho last match osh
won she felt his ta[onts il her throat-that'g
wot It wcre.' WAoae tslcnts,' aud, in tho name
OF everything nyAtcriouu, why should she funk
thoms 1t Was st1u uncertain with me-, though
truth.
"'Timo !Timel' were nou the cries from tho
back TOMS NOT arc We a waitin' for p wy
wo can't begin without tue awells, and it'a tic
makes an late Just at ills n,ou1oat about M !
dozeu gaily-drossed ladics emerged from aide
door, and ntepplng on the platform laughing
and talkng. wan dumtourdared to recoglize !
III tho group the Duchess Of, tho Counteses Of
Hon. hlra.: -, and Arra. -, vito OF tho
Bishop Of -. Furious Poll Was honored
With much notice on tho part Of these ladies',
especially 1 Of e.: the ; Duchess Of 49, That groat
pulalro as ele- appeared, md, taking u black
PERSON who supposed was her companion, sho
.lrst refreshed herself with q bumper and thon
affab!e remark, lave glaus Of max, roll; it'a
genuine stufT-my own particular tippIe.' 4 few
condolences tden passed bctwoou tho
virago and tho Dlchcss, aud. these oyor, tho
latter took out her tinioksopor AMI called ayo
minutes to . time '-wAoreupon thoro was a
clapping OF hands and the baetlo-broual Fu-
1ious Poll ,procooled further to mystify mo,
She aiveated herself Of her upper clothing about
Tho throat and Shoulders, aud took OF nrokan
aud curioualy so1f~asscrtiys crnone WHICH Ind
previously beon diatoniing her dirty and rsrcod
skirt. Thus partly stripped, Bho appearci an
muscular female. Iier bopy arms
Sore covered with doep halt-llcaled scratches
or oxceptional physical 'charaetoristics, had
ho MARKS Of vaccination peculiarly Welt
developed, a strawberry mark upon Aor
.rna. three black eyes, and a cl, cnlar cica-
rl1 OH hcr fanuy-bone, which looked liEo q
'ioco bitten cut Of q dirty apple aud pnt back
'eain. She now nrpducod . latgo buckle with
urious berrated tonguos, which sho Intervene
nto her Long bsek hair, at tho sa,no timo dis
ortoiss-sl,ol comb With half tho tooth broken
way. Then elc took from out OF tho crown
u hor battered bonnet, a, pilI:box filled with
rLat looked like dripping, which aho handed
. .he. Dacheas who had callod 'timo,' who
ook OF tho lid. snels At 1t, and having SOL
mnly. pronounced it 'all right, gave II back
Q Poll; sMd that n,ysterious fenaale, ansast A.
most breathfoss silence, commenced to a,lnoiut
lor, l.ce and throat with it, rubbing 1t well in.
Sail ockowaky uout bring in: opodsldoo TIL
be last rninnt, romarlnd my nefgl'bor with tho
hort pipo. l still managed to refrain from do.
handing Of my companions who tho Opodoldoo ,
fns for, and what 1t NIL .neant but it IL to this
our wontlor 10 mo how resisted.
tWithin a minute my curiosity was only too ,,
roll aatihlled. Al ready p asked the Duchess,
Tho by this time had also begun to smoke a ;
hort hlack pipe. tAy, maa,N, 'aye him
, az soon ~ yo llke' replied Poll, aud