Chester Police.
The Times, 1824-08-28T00:00:00

ii1 tew (lays ago a person made hlia appearance at Parkigate in cothes thiat had been of a Fashionable cuit and( quality, Ile called at the house of MUrs. Briscoe, the Mlostyn Arims, rdc.rderd a dinner, dranik two pints of' wine, and was about Tmaking htis exit. At thel door, however, certain custonaury interrogatorics took place, and there being no probability of early paymnent, Mlrs. Briscoe seized the gen. tlentan's cltnyjeeu, shie retirlion inito the bar with her prize, and he matc~hing off', in aL contrary direction, withi his dininer and wine. In a day or two after he was seen In Chiester, and apprehended, and on Saturdlay last wa,s broughit up for examination before the Alayor and AMalistrates. Air. FICETM DD M W a is Vour iname ? Pri;oner..Thlompson.Chtarles Thomupson. All. FxaCItETrTMADnocx.-You have not always gone by thlatrname :youi assumed the namie of ThornliiIJ, at Parkgate. Thompson...Mine, Sir, is a mnost extraordinary case, and I will readily give you rrsyv historv. Mlight I be permitted, however, to stolleit the intdulgeijee of' fiaving the Court cleared. Of course I meani the general hearers; anid no't the respectable gentlemen I now see around me. The MAAyoR consulted with hi.s brother Mlagistrates ; andl as they expected som-ewhiat nmighit be elicited of public interest, the faveur was gran,,ted, and thec room clearen . M,r. 'I'ontpson then ad~vanced to the front of the table, and ad- dressed the Court to the f'ollowing purport r--"1 Gentltemien, you see. before you I ay say t'he Jast rentains of ani unifortunate youineman -a getea byblth faIl onn=in, andt education. I was borni to afflutmtcircuroistande.. anti liealy educated, few in tile kingdom mnore so : and as it sometimets happens, I neverthieles travellecl into thie path of adversit,;. Aly father possessed atn tin- mense property, and I was brough't up in' thie lap of luxuiry, ant(i I miay add, inddlence. Ilie enitered into an) uinfortuniate specula;tion, the conseque~nce ofwhich was, that he failedl for nearly 5011,0001. 1 was then living at a very great exp~nse, indutlging in, all the extra- vagancies of dissipation, flatteredl and caressed by highly respect- able personages, anct by somec of the nobility. I was not then 22 years old, anti I had at to commanld an income of 2,0001. a year. t'fhe recollection of my t!ather's misfortunes led me to fuirther dissi- pation, and an unfortunate f'emiale attachment completed my ruin. Wi-hingr to emrancipate myself froin my companions and fromn m.y follies, I dleterminedl on going to Amierica. I embarked at L,ondon, anti landled safe at Nevw Yxork, in the hope that in that young buit enlighltened country I mnight get a re!spectable living. ean edl there seven or eight monthis, and then I found tha h young na- tive taletnt of thie country was so grea', that I hiad no chiance of' gann emplovmetnt. I obtainied an itttroduction to Counsellor EmmeT-11tt and MNr. WeliCbe, (Mlr. Emmett is the brother of himn who was hung in Ireland) ; and f'romi thlem I lhave the highiest testoimoials as to niv talents and literary acquirements. At this time the yellow fever broke out at New York, anti so great weas the panic ,vhich it excited, thiat 60,000 of the inhabitants fled to tuie neigibouring towins. I also left that city, anti proceededl to Pluil- de)phia, where I endeavoured to get emploympent- btit witlhott suc- cess, antd theti I dleterminedl on going to Baltimnore. whiere I o c qjuaintect withi Mr. Baker, brotlher of Mlr. Anthony St. John RuBakcr,- the Britishi Consitl at WVashington. I was equally unsuccessfuil at Baltlisiore, butl could not bear to retuirn to England in a state worse than :1 was wheii I left it. I there experiencedI all the hotiror% of a visitaion worse titan that of a iVest India hurricanie; azid resolvedi to) go to Bostonn bitt fate followed me. Off the Capes of' Virgittia I was shlipwrecked, and 8even) of' the people on beard ivere drowned. I succeeded in getting into Hlampton, Roads, and thience to Norfolk, where I was temporarily relieve by, Air. Gray, the Britisti Consul. I reached Boston, anid hiad I possessed money mly object, was to open a schiool thiere, but I unfortunately hadl none. I titen, crosstd tite country, andI the Lakes Erie anti Chaimplaini to Plattsburghi, anti af- terwards proceeded to Ala[ntreal and Quebec. I there took mny pass- sage to Newfoundland, and reached New Brtunswickc; but there was nothing stirring at those places. I emibarked for flalifax, Nova Sco- tia, anti obtatinedI an introtduction to Mir. Lawrence Hartshorn, a higlhly respectable gentleman end most worthiy mnat, whtom 1 hadl before known in the days of my prosperimy. lie did all be coaldl for tne, but I litad no hope of improving my situation in a place so distlres-sedl as that country is, and 1 w-,s advyisedi to retuirn to England. I was at Halifix nearly 15 monthis, anti Dr. Inglis and Air Ilartsliorn gave usie the nmost flattering testiimonials as to my character and eon(titct. These dlocuiments, geut(lentien, I will show, to voti.' I embaike-d at Halifa)x for my native counstry, and landed ai Hlull. It has beeni my misfortuine, gentlemen, to be at variance witit my~ family; and I had been toldi by souie of the branches of it to whomi Itad preriotusly appliedl, thiat they couldi (10 no etore for me. However, I determined on writing to thiem osncc more, tell- inig tiem what I lhad doaec and What hlad OCCLurred to mie, addling thiat as there was a chance of my succeeetling itn obtaining a living itn Sotuth Ansierien, I hati determined on ptoceeding to V7alparaiso or Rio Janeiro, coultd I raise whierewith to pay for toy, passage. I re- ceived no answers to my letters ; anti under these painful circunm- stances I went on to Plymnotitit, to Batli and other places, in the hop to get a situatiotn as teachier in avn academiy-as a translator of' ImoRtlages, or, indeed, toi avail myself' ot aniy situation in whichl I could obtain a hottest livelihood.' I wats agait destined to) be dis,ap- poinited. AMY fatther is now at a very, adivastcedtitge, hetweett 61) ancti 90 ;l my tother is nearlyv the samte, but theY (10 not know that I alit in E n~ld, antI ci rcumstances tmrpver t mle cutui igWit ik thlemi. A; onie titie I resolved t(i go to Liverpool, antd pot on a sailor's jarket. I went to Swansea, 1ronm thentce to Ire- land, atnd at NsVaterfoird I wrote to a rehatiosa-to) ny sister; I re- ceived an atlawer, but it was; not satisfactory. I re-em1barked for Ljiverpool, and arrived] there ott ttit 25th of' Jtttte. I searched over the slhipping intentled to sail tfur variotis parts of tite world, btit httd ito sticcces. They wanteIt ittcti, ttot like ltte- theyv etilplovetd only altc-bocti(it secamen, stuch as couldI miounit the 41la,t, and recef' a top-naill 'i a gale of winti. I remtaineti at tile Duti- Ill City Hlotel, ill IRed (ross-strect, andti tirrc I sticceetledi in ob- taining a remtittane of 101. fronit uty brotiter-iti-law. St:utitlg;at tite CaInen tine, titat lie WOtidIL advancee no itore. i p aid t Ie landlttrd 51. as. lii. for mny bill, pircliasc,l snttie necessary evlothinig, atid titict I resolved to come to Chester, sviticit I ticari teas a qttiet, retiredi place. I arrivedI here, atsf applieti to thiti goodI lady (aL Mrs. l)avics, Park-street) for a blogingv at II. per enioittli, anti I ap~peal tot her titat no one couldi behiave withi mTore ptropriety since I have been with lien. I hatd ito meians left ine to obtain stisteniance, andI at last I was poi-.i tively sltort of' foodl. Ott Sutitlay anti Moonday I liath nonie. Uttdler stich cireusnntaticees, gentlemen, it was likely mny otitid would be- come depressed-1. knew not weitat to do. A t last I took a smnall book iti my htantd, atid( walketIl atlvsl along ttite roati fromi titis city to Parkgate. I proceeded insensibly on, my progress, tilt I dit- coveredl I wast getting very near to PArkigate. I wettt rut, anti on arrivitig and niskitig sotlie inqitirics, I lc~ioti there wits a geni- tteieiaii thiere whomi- I fortiierly well knew, I inieati tite Rcverei't Sir. Hiannmrr. I went to schoo'l wittit lisi at Rugby." [ In tltis p,art of hiis narratiVC Mir. 'rh(tttnpson read t nitost suilctionlate, pious, attd well-writtcen letter fronti Itis sister, hlrs. C-.-----, of 1L Castle, Irelandtt. This letter. iicex1tltiised,was in answer toanti applica. tiott froiti Ititi fu)r 201. as a tit-otit for 14outi Attncrica.1 " I 'iote to aniothier sister, ttndI ite aniswer I recciv-ed on Ti'tut-cadY last was, It is of no ti.-e hiereafter to write to any one.' As I before statetd, f Itiatl taken no foodl lir soutec tille ; I 'was fattiguedi frotti utyv walk, and undler thea inipression that I eltoultd soon I.e in ithe receipt, of mno- ney, front a quarter to wvhichi I katl ajpplied,--and tlis I soletottlly declare is trine if it is tuie last wvord I miay ever spetak-1 wenit into tie Alostyn Arims, antI asked for dinner. I made itqtuiries for the Rev. Mr. Hlantiter ; lie was not in. I calletd for a pint of' wine; buti soon afterwards I was toltd I mtust go into the liar, a latdy antI gentle. inan being about to occupiy time tootti it, whichl I dlinedt. I calledi for anohe 1int of port, and this, a ngt eepce,sotlgtee m hedvery niucli; I then ntatle uptily tltintI ItOL to see Air. hlai- tner. Alrs. Bri-coc shiortly afterward s brouight to me a cartd, anti I protest to my M'Vaker, wititout thtikilitig at till what I was doitlg. I inativertently wrote upoms it the namie of "1 Tltornhili." The bill was thecn broitghic to Inc, I toltl the v,aiter I tetieiitlkd no as1il, hut I wiould pay to-morrow. li-e said that would not dlo, and in the titiiist of the altercation, Alir%. Briscoe seized miy hEit, gave venit to very strong language, anti loadlei me with opprobrious epithets. These, gerntlemien, are the real circumstanees of the case, atid I thirow tmy.' elotyor littntane consideration." Some uestions were lhere put to him as to liis fatitilv ; buit he declinedqg gving the proper nalites. He said they were from Kent, and he dlid not witshlitLeni to know where lite was. He bad gone by the atime of Thompson soine time, and a letter from Air. Ilartohorn was adAressed to butti as "1CltarlesOctaviuK ThOlotp8on." He saied ite had lodged at a Mirs. Poivell's, at Ruigby, and quitted thie school there in 1606. 1os order to ascertain tisc truthm of this statviasent, re- ference was tituade to 51r. Thomas Fincliett, then present in C-oitrt, who was educated at Rugby, andl who put severcal pertinent qUestions to 'hompoti s to his knowictlge of thittt schiool and its miasters, Mes,srs1P". Home,r, (an excellent naamn for a lrofemstr of' Greek). I.ogani, &C., all1 of whiich were entirely saiisfactory. HeC bad still left a little reversionary property; bult if .the haesyts of his relatives were so hardl as nat to pay attentioni to his late applications to therm, he had de- termined to enlist into the East India Company's service. Tite Magistrates beard the whole of this extraordinary statetnlent with tdme greatest attention, arid ultimnately, made a subscripitioni for biiny of between 21. aoti 31. to relieve lila temporary wants. It was ititimatedi to hm thxat Airs. Briscoc diti not intend to proceed against hinT, atnd thiat site would rteturn hiis lust. Mr. Thompaon then left the room, apparently dt:eply imnpressed wvith tie kitndness he fiad received.. In the coatrse of hila address, he frequently aliticled to liis high literary anti cfassicatl attaintumnts, anti "1the acknowledged talent" wlih ich is frienii(s were aware he pos- sessed: ie cdescribedhbimiself as being U, years old. CHIESTER POLICB. EXTRAORDINARY NARRATIVP.