Year: 1868

HOW TWO RESPECTABLE MEN FELL


AMONG THIEVES.


Rev. Mr.. White of the Savoy Chapel
in London, relates an incident which
the mysterious disappearance of Mr.. B,
Speke has brought TO his recollection
Mr.. Speke has been found, and Mr..
White escaped from peril, but the story
told by the latter has some interest as
a curious revelation of a phase of Lon
don life. He says:


81 was leaving the Punch Office in the
dusk of an autumn Wednesday even
ing, two years ago. AS 1 stood on the
threshold, for an instant, woman ask
ed me, in an anxious tone, If was a
clergyman, and then implOred me to 60
to her home and baptise her sisters dy-
ing child. She assured me that she
had sought help from the Incumbent OF
her district and from two neighbOrln g
cIergymen; that these gentlemen were
gone out for the evening. In the face
Of this seemingly hopeless and like ly
failure, I consented to accompany her.


"We threaded our way through sever
al courts which lead cirCuitOusly to Fet-
ter Lane. On our journey she recollect-
ed that she had not call atthe druggist s
for some medicine which was needed
for the child. She bade me to hasten to
the address, which she gave me- AIter
a fruibless search among the intricate
aIlevs, Iasked the help of policeman.


He at once recognized the address TO be
the abode or resort of thieves and Bride
Lane rufhans.'


''In spite of his discouragements, and
guarded by his willing cOmpanionshtp,
L went to the house prepared to be OF
use even to a 'ruffian's' child. We
found that no child was i'll, aud that OF
course, the people of the house knew
nothing of a woman sent in search of a
clergyman. The policeman cOngratu-
lated me upon my escape from possi-
bic wardness, and assured me that
it would be useless to seek or charge
the woman who had been sent out to
entrap my unWariness."


Another writer describes the results
of a recent nocturnal adventure in Lon
don:


"Between five and six o'clock on the
night of the 2Ist of March, 1867, L left
the city in an omnibus, got out just be-
fore the Elephant and the Castle, in the
middle of the road Cat that time there
was a grea5 deal of boarding up) gave
the man sixpence, and received the
fourpence out. The rest is blank until
about eleven or twelve o'clock, a man
came and shook me by the arm, and
said, we are going to close 1, heavy
with sleep, or something else, looked
up, and supposed was in a coffee shop,
from one light then burning and the
wood in front of the window. Present.
iV he came again, and SAID, You must
go, sir > at which 1 got up and was let
out of the door, it being quite dark,
save the street lamps. Shortly I found
myself sitting in a cab in front of The
Elephant and Castle, directing the man
where to drive me, which was ten miles
off, and where, thank God, I got safe
between four and five in the morning,
cold and showing, paid the man, gave
him something to drink, got his card,
&C., relieved the anxiety of my friends,
had some tea myself, was sick, went TO
bed for an hour, and off to business as
if nothing had happened


"And vet something very mysterious
and frightful had taken place. From
the time I got out Of the omnibus to the
time I awOke in the cOtfee-hOuse, l re-
member nothing; lost gold watch, gold
and silver near eight pounds, all but one
shilling, Everything else was SAFE
My poCS et-bOOk with more than forty
pounds worth of notes all my loose let
ters, and every atom Of paper safe; my
hat, gloves, OckeC-handkerchlef, and
clothes safe, and not sOiled-save that
on the inside of my coat collar We're
some spots of tallOw grease, as though
nv coat had been off. I had not drank
anything to cause this, and had appar-
emily nothing given me, such as beer or
spirits. felt had escaped with my
life, and when next day in the same
LOCALITY, L felG as GnouBnk SOtue OnS
would seize me from behind, which did
not wear of for a week or two For
thirty years haYe known every inch
of the neighbOrhood. On that night 1
never went into any place to drink with
any one, and the mystery always seems
to me how, with so slight after sickness
was rendered so instantaueOusly
senseless as not to know how and by
whom I was led into the place in which
L found myself have merely related
facts"