The Observer, Cradley Heath, Halesowen & District Chronicle. — 1865-08-05 (Stourbridge, West Midlands, England)

BADLIER REDIVIVUS.  The Liverpool corres ondent of the North British Mail narrates the following The name of John &taller must he well known to most newspaper readers. He was an Irish member of Parliament, a Lord of the English Treasury. and by a series of the most gigantic frauds. swindles, and forgeries—for he was an at torney also—he succeeded in obtaining hundreds of thousands of pounds, Mid some millions of acres of land under the Encumbered Estates Court in Ireland. His operations were not confined to the above, as ou one occasion he turned his aspiring mind to a mercantile speculation in London, and in one day he purchased, or caused to be purchased, every pound of sugar, raw allti refined, that could be found In the metropolis, and it was stated that he realised by that man,euvre something like 500,000 L It cannot be forgotten that the wind-up of the eelebrate, as man's career w death b 11 y poison, administered by his own hand on Hampstead Heath. The previous life, actions and wonderful adventures of the Juan, led many to believeTtat he was not the real person found dead on the heath, but that he " manufactured " is dead hotly to resemble his own. and thcrelq rapped all his former proceedings. Be this as it may, there were at the time hundreds of people who believed that Sadlier was not dead, and reports subsequently spread that he was in America. Australia. and other places and a paragraph went the rounds of all the papers in the em pire, which originated with a gentleman who absolutely asserted that he not only met the supposed suicide in India, but actually dined with hint at an hotel. This story was extensively credited, and, somehow or other, another report was circulated that a large reward was offered for his apprehension, on charges of having forged deeds and documents on the Irish Encumbered Estates Court, and many laughable stories are relived of his capture in different parts of the world at the same time, so that the eminent ' Irish Bird' that was said to be in two places at the same time was eclipsed by the movements of the ex M. P. and Lord of the Treasury, who managed to be, according to reports, in seven or eight places, some thousands of miles apart, all at the same time. Indeed, for a considerable time the stories in circulation about the wonderful movements of this 'Will o' the Wisp' formed quite a romance; but like most other sensational eases, all died out, whether John Sadlier, M.P. had died or not, and for the last three years nothing more was heard about him. 'the old aphorism, that truth is stranger than fiction, may be said now to be illustrated—for although the defunct Lord of the Treasury has not actually turned up, there has been an excellent attempt made to resuscitate his memory, If not to resurrectioniso his body— the operator being a sapient policeman in Liverpool. Some days ago Mr. a gentleman well known and extensively engaged in mercantile life in the sister Wm 1 arrived in Liverpool to transact business, and storm id at one of the first hotels in the town, where lie had been known for many years. For three or four days he observed that he wits followed, and his movements narrowly watched by a strangelooking person, and this rather annoyed Mr. M—; for go , where he would, morning, noon, or night, the individual was either in his wake or by his side. He made several attempts to speak to this mysterious being, lint all to no purpose, as the moment he approached, that moment the man would disappear round a corner into sonic passage or public-house, but very soon would re-appear beside Mr. 111 . At last , the latter formed a notion that the mysterious dodger had , an intention of robbing hint, and a few evenings since. just at dusk, he turned sharply on the man, and caught hint Lq the collar, giving hint a good shaking, and at the same time insisting on knowing who and what he was, and , what he wanted. "I am a policeman's assistant," the mysterious stranger replied, "anti want you on a charge of forgery." The astonishment of the gentleman may be , imagined when the "policeman's assistant," informed him that he Mr. II—) was not himself at all, lint the late John Muffler, member of Parliament ! The denowanent is as , follows :—The gentleman happened to hear a strong personal likeness to the ex-M.P., anti it seems that there happened to be a man in the police force at Liverpool who was well ' acquainted with Sadlier's appearance, and the sapient • " bobby " concluded that Mr. M— was the identical "John," and having some dreary recollection that there was a large , reward offered for his arrest, concluded that it would turn out "a good job" to "nab "him. However, as his time was otherwise occupied, he employed the assistance of his friend, "the policeman's assistant' above alluded to. The assistant, however, being convinced that he had real flesh and blood to contend with, and not the ghost of John, and that it was likely he the assistant' would get into trouble, quickly disappeared, and has not since been heard of.