The Cotton Factory Times. — 1886-05-21 (Manchester, Greater Manchester, England)

FORTY•SEVEN TEARS IN A MADHOUSE. A Paris correspondent telegraphs :—The Tribunal of Tara con has decided to hear Jean Mistral, the millionaire, who has remained 47 years in a Montpelier madhouse, where he TM locked up as insane by his relatives. To allow a person to plead his soundness of mind is without precedent in French jurispru • dence. This case in particular will excite the greatest attention, Minstrel having warm iun. porters all over France. His sequestration, whicn was brought about through political influence in a department which Louis Philippe wanted to Rain, followed upon Minstrel having made a love match and refusing to abandon his wife, and thereby enabling his family to quash the marriage. SUICIDE THROUGH FEAR OF THE WORKHOUSE:. Mr. F. Price (district coroner) held an inquiry on Saturday at the Woreley Hotel, Tation-street, respecting the death of John Norton, 38 years of age, a bricksetter's labourer, who lived in Hyd•-street, Tatton-street, Salford. The deceased, who ha .4 been out of employment for several weeks, had been in a desponding state for some time, and a few days ago he told his wife that he had done his best to finif work, but he could not do sb. He seemed very uneasy on Thursday last, and, although his wife tried to cheer him, he said he would rather die than go to the workhouse. Later in the day IVlrs. Norton found her husband hanging by the neck from a nail in the bedroom. She screamed, and a, hawker who was passing at the time ran into the house and cut him down, but be was then quite dead.—The jury, in returning a verdict of "Suicide whilst of unsound mind," expressed the opinion that the rash act was due to want and fear of hay. lug to go to the workhouse. Seesertorm Tem. is A.rsrms. Nfirincetra Vienna correspondent telegraphs last night :—A sensational trial has just been concluded at Gorice in Southern Austria. On the 26th of February Count Savorguan, after tracking his wife, Countess Savorguan, and Dr. I'datiussi, her paramour, to the place in question, fired two shots at them from a revolver, seriously wounding them. The count, in his defence, pleaded, amid copious tears, that the wrong done to him had roused him to such madness that he was for the time deprived of the rational control of his actions. Throughout his speech the count was frequently interrupted by enthusiastic applause from the public that crowded the court. The Gorice jury, without hesitation, returned a verdict of not guilty. The count, who was at once set at liberty, received a great ovatio:i from the crowd.  DUMPS ReMBERY tx Num.—An American lath., met with a strange adventure as she was drivin4 down the Boulevard liaussman, Paris, in an open carriage the other afternoon. A young man, vrhn had been walking quietly along the footpath, Buddenly made a dash at her and tore from her backhair a valuable pin, studded with brilliants. Be then ran away, leaving his victim screaming with fright. Some gentlemen who were passing by set off in pursuit, and. after an exciting chase, cartared 'him at the end of the Rue Tronchet and took him to the nearest police station. On being confronted with the magistrate he coolly explained that, being without work, he considered it the most natural thing in the world that those who had more than they required should supply him with meat and drink. The magistrate refused to acknowledge the force of his theories, and he was sent to gaol. Too COLD TO BE Masai:sp.—An amusing case of proposing in haste and repenting at leisure came before Mr. Justice Cave, at the Leeds Assizes on Monday. Laura Cobb, aged 27, daughter of an engineer living at Strensall, near York, sued Edward Atkinson. provision merchant, of York, for damages for breach of promise. The parties became acquainted and engaged in September last. The wedding day was fixed for early in January. The wedding guests, including the defendant's father and mother, arrived, and the breakfast was laid. On the evening before the wedding day, Miss Cobb's brother took a conveyance to York to fetch the bridegroom, who, however, said he wanted to postpone the wedding. After four hours' pleading, young Cobb persuaded the defendant to return with him to Strensali. Tbero he saw Miss Cobb, and told her he did not feel ready to be married in the morning; he was cold, and generally felt unwell. and he would marry her in a fortnight. The interview lasted until three o'clock in the morning, when the young lady agreed to the postponement. She had never seen him since. The defendant had told h& his income was £5OO a year.—His Lordship said was clear the young man had altered his mind, and it was only a question of damages.— A verdict of £5O damages was given by consent.  THEFTS FROM A PosT Orricr.—At Crewe, on Tuesday, Daniel Ouldcott, a telegraph messenger, employed at the Central Post Office; Alexander King, a soldier, of Fleetwood; and Thomas Morris were charged, the first-named with stealing money from the Crewe Post Office, and the latter with receiving a portion of the money with a guilty knowledge. Ouldcott pleaded guilty. It appeared that on Sunday, the 9th of May, the youth Ouldcott had the key of the office given to him to hand to a clerk who was coming on duty. The office was duly locked up, but some time afterwards the boy returned and got over the gates of the yard and let himself into the office by the back. Ile then went to a drawer, obtained the key of the safe, and abstracted £5 10s. Ile also confessed to a robbery of £2 33. 61. under similar circumstances about three weeks previously. A sum of 10e. 6d. from the first lot of money taken, and a sum of 10s. from the second, were sent to the soldier King, with the latter amount being a letter stating that Ouldcott had taken the money from the Post Office. Ouldcott had also spent a portion of the money in "coffee and cakes" with Morris, to whom he entrusted £4 17s, for safe keeping. Morris hid the money in a bag in a coal cellar.—The Bench committed King to gaol for 14 days, and fined the other two prisoners £1 each and the costs.