MISCHIEVOUS HOAX.-A very ...
The Times, 1824-10-02T00:00:00

MISCII]EVOUS HOAX.-A very unmneaninsg, tloutgi most annoying species of hoax was plavet ofF a fcw daysi ao againitt Ir. King, of Sn ow hill, whiich is attri bted to the following circumstances: r. bing carries on the business of a tisa-plate-worker to a great ex. tent, employing generally from 100 to 150 men, to whom he has al- ways paid thc most liberal wages. Fiading themselves, perhaps. even tao well treated, the joarneymen senmc time ago thought propber to strike for advance; but as M'r. Kting alreadv paid as htgh a price as any otber master, hc resisted the demand, and acrding as they quitted his service, he took in others, and gave every encourage. inent to couintry hands. Whien out of craploy, the mualcontenvt be. came desperate2 and took every possible means to injure Mr. King in the way of his business; they attacked such of the strangers as they couhl mreet, and one of his apprentices, vwho was taking good home to order, wasseverely beaten, ant the property thrown intothe New River, near wicil the outrage was committed. Unfortunate. ly, there was no possibilitv of bringirig the offcnders to ptunish. ment, and the thing was spawtd over. In consequence of these continued hostiliieg. Air. King was compeUed to employ two watchmen, at considerable expense, to look after his factories at night, as there wais no knowing to what excesses tilose men might be inclined to carry their revenge. Feiled by these precau- tions in doing any taterial injury to the concern, tiey hit upon a mnst extraordinary and unprecedented species of annoyance: they got a vast quantity of bills stuck up about the town, intimating " that a number of honest men and r4women might learn an casy and lucrative business, at which they would get permanent employ, by applying to Mr. King, No. 21, Snow-hiill." The consequenee was exactly what had beon anticipated by the mischievous authors. In an hour after this placrard appeared, crowdsi of people flocked to the appointment, att anxions to leavrn the nature of the lucrative busi- ness that was to be taught: for thrce or four days the applicants were incessamntly pouring in, so that it gave Air, Ring and lits people quite enough to do to answer them. Deterniined ifpossiblo, to punisls the contriver of this ingenious edevice, an application was made, on the part of Air. King, to the magistrates of Hatton-gayden police-office, for a summons to the printer of the bills, (Air. Batchelor), who, it was presunedn mightbe made to give up the author; but the sitting magistrate, r?r. Sergeant Sellon, tsaid, he did not Buppose that the printer could have known any thinf about the busineis, and therefore declHned granting the summons Ittr. King, however, Is detrzmined to trace the matter to its source, and prosecute the persons concerned in this really malicious procedure. )gSCERAT1 ATTESCrT AT SUrCIDg.-On1 Thurstlay evening, about half.pastsleven o'clock, during the heavy rain, a fe- male, very respectably drcssed, with Bh infant In her arnms botlh drenched to the skin, was observed, by some persons who had stood up for shelter in a pent-house in the Iackney-flelds, near the lock of the Regent's-canal, walkiag towatds a by-part of the water with a hurried step. One individual remarked-that it was singular she did not talce shelter from the stortn, and expressed his fears that ste in- tended to destroy herself or baby; upon which a man, named John Simpson, living in Alargaret-atreet, t3ackney, hastened after ler, and when he was withiti twenty fect of hisobject, the unhappy wo. tnan threw her chiild into the canal, and then preclnitated herself in after it. Simpson called loudlv for help, and two other persons caine to his assistance. A long pole was obtained, which was used to save them, but without elfect; upon wiich Simpson umptOA in himself, and, after a few moments, he called out, a 1 have got thems," and the next minute he reached the shore' with the poor creature and her inrant in her arms, both.alive. They were convey. ed to the Wheatsheaf, where they received the kindest treuttuent; and fron whhat could be learned from the poor womnan, whis ecerned to he about 25 years of age, her namte was l/tsrreos nnd - she lived with her parents at Kin land; that the father of the clild was in the Wetst Isdies, and that disres baa caused her to comnmit the rash attempt. Siinpson, her preserver, and one or two othera, con- veyed her home; and Iter aged pnirents received bier withi open MANVFACrtUnE OF PArrta.-TIe quantity oF paperof the first class which paid duty (3d. er lb.) fn 1823, 38,927,7381b.; ditto, ditto, secondtlass(dutyl.3d.), 11,740,4501b,