The Colfax chronicle. [volume] (Colfax, Grant Parish, La.) 1877-1981, 1879-08-09


the noise he made being sufficient tc
make the wife call her husbands atten.
ton to the sound. "It's only one of the
dogs" was the sleepy answer: and,
swapping his fingers, he called by its
name one OF his favorites which was
supposed to be present. The thief's
presence Of mind did not desert him,
though on the brink of discovery; for.
divining the situation at once, he imme.
diately licked the extended hand. in the
hope OF confirming the gentleman's
surmise. This clever ruse was not. how.
ever, we believe, successful, though one
might say it deserved to be for its bold
ness and ingenuity.
When Moore Carew, the 4" king of the
beggars," among his numberless i'm
postures had q well peppered raw beef
steak placed around his leg to simulate
disease. he only used one of masy clever
lodges to impose on the charitable.
Fever has been initiated by swallowing
tobacco, the tongue whitened by chalk,
and the cheeks heated by rubbing. The
appearance of ulcers is obtained by glu-
ing bit of spleen or the skin of frog
to the parts supposed to be affected, and
keeping them moist with blood and
water. They are created by the use of
corrosives, and their healing prevented
BY the application of irritants. An OBJ
stinate sore limb has before now been
cured BY locking it up in box. Prick
ing the gums to show actual splitting of
blood. eatiag roughly powdered glass
to produce internal hemOrrhage, max
ing soap pills for epileptic frothing at
the mouth feigning insanity, and lying
rlgid to simulate catalepsy, are all tricks
familiar to prison officials. Even doc
tors may sometimes be deceived by i'm
posters who display so much ingenuity
in the art of deception. Those who
gorge shell-fish for the sake of getting
nettle-rash, who put lime in their eyes
to indame them, and even thrust q
needle down to the lens of the eye to get
a cataract, furnish few Of the forms of
imposition resorted to at times either to
evade punishment or escape military
service.
Seldom do We hear an instance of so
successful an imposture in evading the
sentence OF the law as was revealed at
the Wiltshire assizes in England recent
ly. A man apprehended for stealing
mare was lodged in Malmesbury lock up
previous to his transmission to the as
sizes. When the police visited his cell
next morning they found him lying ON
the floor unable to move. His state
ment was that he had got up to look out
OF the window, and that he had fallen
backward across the corner of the bed
stead and injured his spine. Medical
aid was obtained, and his sad condition
duly commiserated. He appeared to be
almost irretrievably injured, and in the
greatest agony; and as it would have
been extreme cruelty to remove q man
in bis condition, he accordingly remain
ed at Malmesbury nine weeks. During
this time every thing which humanity
could suggest to mitigate his sufFeripgs |
was resorted to, and his comfort was
studied in every particular. At the end
OF nine weeks he was removed with |
great care to the in6rmary in Devices,
where two men were appointed to at !
tend him, the medical officer there being |
likewise of the opinion that the poor
fellows spine was seriously injured In
this pitiable state he was brought before.
the Judge, murmur Of sympathy run
ming through the court as they beheld
the pallet with the injured man lying
upon it. ut is . dreadful
thing to pass sentence upon q man in
such state,'' said the Judge. The
infliction you are suffering under sur
passes any punishment / can give you. !"
Had the culprit been in ordinary health,
he would hive had penal servitude, for
u was not his first act of felony; but the
Judge, plying his condition, sentenced
him, amidst breathless silence, to ~
imprisonment, and the pallet
with its occupant was carried away.
But now came the sequel. Te prove
> former conviction, the Deputy Gov
srnor Of Gloucester Jail had been sum-
moned to Devices; and ON going over
he jail, close inspection enabled him
10 recognize in the culprit aa old sin
valid'' with whom he formerly had to
deal. What! at your old gamer" ex-
claimed the Deputy Governor, scanning
he prisoners countenance. That fell
ow is an impostor. There Is no more
he matter with his spine than there is
With mine" This was thought TO be
and several doctors put the J
Invalid through severe examination
out he protested that the injuries were
'eal. and seemed unable to move. To !
,ut the matter to q further test, q gal
7anic battery was introduced, and
'hocks were turned on pretty strong,
,ut without the expected results. The
loctors went away; but the suspected
mposter was threatened with severer
ests on the morrow II he was not found
itting up when visited. On the next
lay, - he was found in the same posi-
ion, the electric machine was again set
Q work, and 90 sharp was the effect
hat the leg which appeared most af-
ected BY the spinal injury began to
move, until st last, unable to stand the
hooks any longer, the fellow jumped