Stockton Herald, South Durham and Cleveland Advertiser. — 1871-02-11 (Stockton-on-Tees, Cleveland, England)

ATTEMPTED WIFE-MURDER AT LIVERPOOL.—At the Police Court, on Thursday, William Oliver, a master butcher, of that town, was charged with administer. ing poison to his wife with intent to murder her. On Tuesday evening, his daughter was about to make some beef-tea for her mother, who is in delicate health, when the prisoner took the saucepan from the girl, saying he would meke the tea, lie proceeded to do so, and was noticed to take the pan from the fire several times. Then he poured the contents into a basin, and banded it to his wife. She sipped a little of the liquid, but, fancying that it tasted "very acid and queer," did not swallow it, and told her daughter to call in some of the neighbours. Directly he heard this direction, the prisoner snatched the basin from the hands of Mrs Oliver, ran out of the house with it, and 'threw the contents down a grid. Returning to the apartment in which he left his wife, he told her that he had " Palmered " her, and that he wished he knew how to poison her quickly. The washings of the basin, and some of the liquid thrown away by the prisoner, having been sent for analysis, he was remanded, declining to offer any defence. DESCRIPTION OF A Joss-Hots,—l was wery anxious to see a joss-house. Californians seem to treat such places with contempt, and I asked in vain some half. dozen persons whether they could direct me to one. So I w, nt into the shop of "Loo Sing," who, far from being jealous of a Christian going to see his house of prayer, sold me, nodding and smiling, a bundle of joss-sticks, things like thin bulrushes, made of pastile, and burnt before idols. Then, said I, adopting his own Chinease English, "Want see josshouse, Chinaman's god." "Oh! ah Tchess," said John, grinning, "I ehw," But even when he had directed me to the right corner of the street I was still at a loss, seeing nothing but ordinary houses. At last I caught a passing Chinaman, and made him take me to the sanctuary. It was approached through a shop. We went upstairs and along a passage; then he waved his hand as he led me into a good sized darkened chamber, where I found myself for the first time in my life in the presence of real heathen idolatry. The air was heavy with insence. An altar, some 8 felt by 3, and 3 feet high, draped in embroidered cloth, with two mats for kneeling before it, stood at one end of the chamber. It had upon it two burning lamps with slender stems, two candlesticks, a vessel with smouldering incense, and two vases of artificial flowers. Immediately behind it, in a shallow recess, was the idol, with drapery concealing all but the small wooden face of a doll, whose dark hair was parted in the middle. At the first glance there was little to distinguish what I saw from a dirty altar in a d trk Roman Catholic chapel. The incense, the drapery, the vases of artificial flowers, the burning Lem. s, the joss-sticks of worshippers stuck in front like tap( rs, and the wooden shrouded doll, at once illustrated an. cdote which I had disbelieved of s Chittaman ho visited a Jesuit chapel, and earn- ore, saying, iood, joss-house same." " This Chinamass ?" !JILPLI to my guide. " Tchess," he, " god ;" and some new thou,hts came into U. mind.—People's Magazine.  BOULTON AND PANIC Csss.—The trod of the Bonitos and Park ease has been fixed for the week's sittings of the Court of Queen's Bench intervening between Easter and Trinity terms.  AUGMENTATION Or