The Sun. — 1865-11-15 (London, England)

EXTRAORDINARY IMPOSTURE.  One of the most extraordinary cases of imposture that has come under our notice for some time has just occurred at South Stockton, where the police have been imposed upon by a young woman, who has proved herself a thorough adept in deception. On Saturday evening last one of the officers of the South Stockton force, whilst in Mandale-lane, near the town, found a young woman of rather respectable appearance, who seemed to be greatly distressed. The officer inquired what was the matter, but her replies were at first vague and unsatisfactory. At length she told him she had taken a quantity of tincture of saffron to procure a miscarriage, and, as she really appeared to be very ill, a vehicle was procured, and she was conveyed to the police station. Here she repeated her story, and Mr. J. Lefler, surgeon, was sent for, and the drug not having been successful in effecting its pretended function, she seemed to get better slowly under medical care. In a day or two she seemed restored to good health, and she gave the people the startling intelligence that she was a murderess, having strangled and thrown the infant child into the river. She said she had been living for a week with a man at Middlesbro', who had left her, and that on the morning of last Saturday week she took her female child, aged twelve months, down to the ferry landing at Middlesbro', and after strangling it she threw it into the river, from the pontoon bridge. The circumstantial account she gave of the occurrence  led everybody to believe her extraordinary statement, but no child could be found. On Thursday she was taken before the magistrates at Yarm, charged, on her own confession, with the offence, but she was remanded. Inquiries have been made by the police as to her antecedents, and it turns out she is a well-known impostor. She gave the name of Mary Ann Taylor Ward, and that she came from Stafford, but this was untrue. She is a native of Burslem, in the Staffordshire Potteiies, and her proper name is Mary Hutton. At the Quarter Sessions, at Stafford, in October, 1863, she was convicted in the name of Mary Ann James, alias Taylor, alias Williams, of being an incorrigible rogue and vagabond, after being before convicted of a similar offence, and was then sentenced to twelve months' imprisonment. She had also been  found at Wolverhampton, crying in the streets, threatening to destroy herself, saying she had come from Burslem with a young man, who, after giving her a drug to procure abortion, had deserted her. On another occasion she eharged three men with having committed a rape upon her, when there was not the slightest ground for the charge. In May, 1863, she was found at Eccleshall, in Staffordshire, on a Sunday morning, when she appeared to be in such a state that a county magistrate and a magistrates' clerk were sent for out of church to take her dying depositions. In November last she was taken up at Blakenhall, Cheshire, when she pretended she had heen delivered of a child, and had thrown it into a pit, and that she had taken poison. These are only a few of her exploits which might be narrated. All who saw her before this information was received were so deceived by her artless manner as to express their deepest pity for her condition. She is believed to be the same person who some time ago kept the police of four places all at one time making inqui_ ries into her pretended murders of her babes. She will no doubt be sent to prison again as a rogue and vagabond, and thus be kept for a time at least from imposing on the public. with her shameful practices.  In the Foreign and Colonial Produce Markets during the last few days there has not been much animation. Sugars, however, have been in better request, and prices -have slightly improved. A steady demand has prevailed for tea at fully late rates, while a considerable business has been done in rice, chiefly for home consumption, at slightly higher prices. Tallow has been in more request, and prices have shown an upward tendency.