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    7 ^0 THE LEAPEB. [No. 386, August 15, 18...

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    Lola Montes.—The renowned Lola Montes is...

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  • Note: This text has been automatically extracted via Optical Character Recognition (OCR) software. The text has not been manually corrected and should not be relied on to be an accurate representation of the item.

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    ^V F|>He English Mind Is Intent Upon Ind...

    preserve . Thus the Conservatives changed into innovators , and the innovators into Conservatives . Some sharp skirmishing took plaee between , the Attorney-General and Mr . Gljldstone on this ^ point ^ the former accusing the latter "of changing his wws , and Mr . Gladstone retorting ihat Sir UacHA *! Bexhell only acted in accordance with the directions of his superiors . finally , Ibord PALM . ERsaHWr gave way , and the amendment * B » s added . JSfrwas also resolved , after much legal fencing and raising of difficulties , to make bigamy a ground of divorce ; but the House would not admit Mr . Dimjmmoied ' b

    proposition to add cruelty to the catalogue oT sins which may break the marriage tie . Take comfort , therefore , oh wSe & ea & ets'l The debate jeancludea with a passage -ctf arms 'between Mr . < Gi / ate * tone and Lord Paxmerston . The Premier had agreed to a motion for reporting progress , out of consideration to the Attorney-General , who had to be up early the next day in connexion with the Shrewsbury peerage case , " and not , " added the lively Lord , " out of -any consideration for the Opposition . " Tor this gross insolence , Mr . Glad-Stone severely reproved his Lordship , who was obliged to make & clumsy retractation .

    The National Gallery is becoming a conspicuous public -question . The decision of Parliament again is-suspended until next session . iWTe reserve our £ > wn for next week , for the case is one for careful j esposition . Birmingham has honoured itself , and put Manrches & er to shame , by restoring John Bright to Parliament . Parliament , Birmingham , and Mr .

    UsieH / r may be -. congratulated together . He , at -all events , is no Old Man of the Mountain , no sham , mo dme damnee . It may be said of him as of 3 ? ox , that corruption never . had a more dauntless * enemy . He haslet himself . right wifeh the nation on 'Indian matters , and since he is one of the few ifln liBii statesmen who Jiave devoted a serious and consistent . attention to Eastern affairs , his return

    it © . the House of Cflmmons . at this moment is pariticularly fortunate . , N *> doubt a place will soon be found for Mr . Cobj ^ PN— r-if he be willing to quit his AchiUiES tent and fight onoe more among the myrmidons . The criminal and legal calendar of the week has ¦ been fruitful in cases illustrative . of that condition iof . society which we call ' civilization . ' ; Spol ^ en , . after if our days' . trial , at IXublin , has . been acquitted of that mysiierious . murder of Mr . Jjixxle , which , seems j & estined to take its . stand by the side of the

    l ? . ] f . T 7 . A ( xribiw . oolD tragetly , and some others , . as a crime beyond the scrutiny of human ^ eyes . The case against the Dublin prisoner was , not . satisfactorily jaaadejont , . and jperhajpe , . also , rthe rjury may . have . been , in some degree , influenced by ithe natural faeling-ofJionroriatiliangiiig a . man on the information of his svife and the evidence of , his children . Jiut } , howfiyw . this Jtn ^ y b $ , the verdict of Not GuUtj ? , as in £ Ue jpase , of . Miss Smith , . was . received with . applauee z > though hero the . parallel ends ,. The

    woman , maintained Jxor « 3 oinp 0 sur . e , t © the last j rthe mm aobbad eoxLvnlflively ,, ; and fainted . His rspcecl ^ on . fygoia aoming to iluvnselij was not . the least atvang © qpart x > f this . etrange etory . It was not wanting iu-natural emotion , ; yot the deliberate acknowledgment of Ahanks to . tlto jury , the counaol for the defence , ' . the gentlemen of the , pres $ / . and the Judges , Jiad too much the appearance of a sot oratiau . Thoro are oaat wanting those who thii * k thut lxo aotod xiipartj : but this is certainly questionable ,

    Srt ) LLBN , then , is froo to go , u ho pleasoa , tc what ho described as ' some silont colony , ' where vex that may oxiat . But Justico , wJliiob . acquits him , has Jkqpt tho balauoe even in the sister country by a conviction for murder . Justice , indeed ^ is icaprioious , and juries act pn no known or understood laws . While Madeline Smith and James Spomubn aro aoquittcd—and rightly acquitted—of the charges TorQVgKt against them , because tho evidence ,

    though' damaging in many respects , is incomplete , John Blagb is consigned to the hangman on next to no evidence at all . Blagg is a shoemaker , who had whadffi'ealled a' grudge' against JohnJ 3 ebbi : hgton , a ^ Sfftmdfeeeper ; andflffi liad . been haaafl te oitter thresfe agafa & t him . 4 Bne morning , ^ Bebhomston wasSfflmd dsad in a fi & H . He had been shafts and certi & i footgannnts on tbejgroiiaafl were ans-vwaasd by the fafc ^ afee , andTM & B df ^ iaG ^ s botftes * but the footprints were not traced up to the body . Blagg was also found in possession of some wadding which corre ^ ponSea wrfih what was fou nd in the lMJay ; : and he had been seen near the spot on the morning of

    fhe murder . Tliat was the whole case for the prose-• outionj caHd-it is-scarcelyconceivaijletha't even'Sir Geouge Grey , notwithstanding his love of capital punishment , -will allosv ± he fixecution to ensue on grounds so incomplete and questionable . In the case of Miss Smxeh , it was universally agreed that conviction could not take place because there was no proof of the accused having met with the murdered man on the day when the murder was alleged to have been committed . Here is a similar want of proof , combined with ah extremely vague case in other respects . ; yet the jury convict , and the Judge sentences .

    The public appetite for hanging , however , ought , one would think , " to have received a check last Saturday at Stafford , where George Jackson was executed for the murder of Mr . Chaklesworth on the highway . His accomplice has been respited , with a view to a commutation of the sentence ; and it maybe doubted whether both ought not rather to have been convicted of manslaughter , the attack

    being comparatively sudden , committed in the heat of drunkenness , and not continued with that long elaboration of brutality which indicates a wish to kill . But Jackson was left to his fate , with which he straggled frantically , sobbed , shrieked , and fought , and was finally dragged to his death through all the added torture of fear and horror . It is difficult to understand how respect for human life can be taught or strengthened by such scenes .

    Our national morality has exhibited its usual strange distortions in the law and assize courts . The action for aflultery , having pretty nearly reached the term of its existence , seems resolved to go out in a blaze and with a roar . A strange -tale was ; acoordingly unfolded on Tuesday at the Croydou Assizes . Mr . Lyle , a London upholsterer , has a young wife and a middle-aged partner—a Mr , Herbert—who , ostensibly in order to attend to the / business , but in'fact for a quite other purpose , leaves 'his residence at Croy & on and takes a room in Mr . Lyije ' s . 'house . It is not Jong before'the

    husband has suspicions ; so lie gets his inends to iorm a sort of watch committee ,, and takes a room in tho next door house . A . hole is bpred through the wall , and one of the friends—a mechanical genius—passes a string tfrom the * bed [ in Mr . HekbbroJ's room into the room of "the adjoining house , where , . actingion ? a weight , it indicates whether ithe bed is QGoujpied by one or more persons . Then the husband . and the meohariical genius ( comforting themselves with ginand-watpr ) watch , the one with his eye to the -hole , the Other with 'his glance on the 'indicator 'and in due time the latter 'tells the anticipated

    tale ; the watchers rush m , with . a policeman ' s bull ' s-eye , and the -catastrophe is reached , Next , ' the injured husband' and his friends sup jovially off picraed Balmon , with grog and cigara afterwards ; and'finally outraged "virtue and ruined domestic ( happiness tappear in court , demanding damages * which ano awarded- — to tthe extent of One Farthing . Mr . Serjeant PacbiRy , wJuo pleaded in opposition tp outraged virtue , dcacribod the ingenious indicator as a * orimcenpmoter 5 ' but the mventor said ho had -npt taken put a pa-tent . 'The

    Mornittff Post ' ( whrtih 'reported tho case ) and ttho Morning Star . ( wliioh did not ) express ttheir pain and horror at itho shocking nature of ( this story . And truly it is shocking , although tho grptoaquo character pf tho details drew inoxtinguisliaDlo lauffliter from counsel , jurv , Juflgo , ana gallery auditors . ; but , as wo hove ojtfeon . bodforohad ocoasion to romack , dt is useless tp blind our ojm to those disease-spots in our system . The case presents a strango nspeqt pf our boasted conjugal life—pi : that

    domestic bliss which is vindicated by actions for ( damages ., and watched over by ' crimconometers . ' Wait fliie is not the only specimen of the Traviata si 3 e of MKlruBS we have had this week . The same Croydba i ^ fisSzes have brought . out another story . Sir JFre ^ owok : Pottinge ^ took a house some time * . ago . forsuMiss Kate Perry—a sort of Ninon de a / ENCLO ^ , Ihpughless cultivated , for she could not write . J | y « "oiid % , he is asked to pay some bills for WEBaSc'uone jnrd furniture supplied , and he consents , ¦© finking that the amount is only 44 / . ; but it turns eiuses to

    out to fee 84 : 1 ., and then he j- pay a farthing , for he lob'kB on the demand as an attempt to extort money . Indeed , all along , ' though on pleasure he was bent , he had a frugal mind . ' " . You must not : be ; extravagant , darling , was his constant advice to JS & enqn . j $ ut ^ NilNOH was extravagant , and the uplolsterer , : perTiaps ,, was extortionate , and Sir 3 FjKEi » EitiOK : was ifirst \ arrested , and then brought into court , where he was declared not liable . The story is singular , as showing an unusual combination of ' fast , or at any rate free , life with prudential

    instincts . In the midst of these discreditable cases , it is pleasant to turn to the west coast of Ireland , and to see the vast electric serpent uncoiling himself thence through the Atlantic waters on his voyage to the great New World ; disappointing , however , at the same time , to find that an accident has arrested the good work . But the success is only delayed . Let us rest assured that it will not be longr before the hearts of England and America beat audibly to one another , through that wonderful nerve which science and human energy have created for the happiness of all .

    7 ^0 The Leapeb. [No. 386, August 15, 18...

    7 THE LEAPEB . [ No . 386 , August 15 , 1857 .

    Lola Montes.—The Renowned Lola Montes Is...

    Lola Montes . —The renowned Lola Montes is now spending a few days at Niagara falls . She has appeared at the Buffalo Theatre as a sort of interlude-to her season of pleasure . Lola took thev train for-Buffalo , and , without advice Eirom any . source , seated herself in ihe baggagecar to puff her cigarette quietly . While thus cosily throwing off from her lips the ^ curling smote , she was discovered by the conductor and informed that the passengers were not permitted to ride in the 'baggage-cars . She paid no attention to the intimation , but continued to smoke as if no one had addressed her . Assisfant-Superintendent Collamer -was at the station , and was informed -what Lola was doing . He said she must do as other passengers did , and that she could not be permitted to ride in the baggage-car . The conductor called upon her , and politely told her that she must take a seat in one of the cars designed-for-passengers . Lola drew herself np into on attitude Of defiance , and told the conductor that she had travelled all over the world , and had always ridden where she had a mind to , and proposed to do-so in this case . The conductor further expostulated with her , and assured -her that he was but executing the orders of the superintendent and the rules of the company . Lola replied that she had ' horsewhipped bigger men than lie . ' This settled the matter . The conductor withdrew :, and Lola was . 'not again disturbed . She rode to Buffalo in therbaggage-car , and had . no occasion to use Che whip . The railroad men did not care further to disturb the tigress . —JiocJiester Union , July 20 . The West Coast < of Africa . — The steam-vessel Antelope , Commander , J . W . Pike , took a prize on the Idth of June at Agfrwey , in the Bight of Benin . She was called the Jupiter , and was under American colours . When ! tho hatches were burst opon , seventy slaves were discovered , and the unaster then threw his papers overboard . One hundred and fifty slaves wore waiting on the beaqh for embarkation the next day . Tho Jupiter is a fore-and-aft schooner , and has been condemned . The steam-vesael Trident , vCommandor F . A . Close , was nt ¦ Clarence on the lat of July , waiting < to return to Oameroons with Consul Hutchinson , to investigate a chnrgo against some of the Cameroon chiefs of having murdered one roan and conveyed -three into the interior . Theso men wore , part of the crew of the brig Spartan . Several of fhe native servants of the English consul at Shorbora have 'been massacred , and the Consul ' s life was throfttened . rGornmander JE . Aplm has left in tho paddlowhcel ateam-sloop Jleola to suppress the disturbance . Captain Pearson , 1 st West India Regiment , who shot Lieutenant Watson dead in his bod , and who was sentenced to bo hanged , died In prison of a liver complaint a fortnight before tho . period fixed far the execution . Txud'Qoxjuucry Exfxosion at ABiiTON-VM > un-LyNm . —^ Tho adjourned inquiry on the deaths of tho thirtynfino persons who lost tfheir lives nt tho colliery explosion » t Aehton-undor-Lyno , "waa concluded last Saturday after a . . long investigation , and tho examination of witnesses , , who deponed that thpy considered tho air in tlio pit was good . The jury returned the following vordlct : —" That ' tho fleceaoed came to thoir deaths by an explosion of gas in < 1 ; h . o now mino on tho Blet of Jwly , but how such explosion was . caused it did not nppoar . ' Uxot in BimorsniREi . —A dosporato and bloodthirBly strugglo haa taken place in Shrowebiiry between Bomo Englieh and dirtoh labourera . Tho latter began the uisturbance , ana , aot ( ho worst of it .

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• Citation
  • Leader (1850-1860), Aug. 15, 1857, page 2, in the Nineteenth-Century Serials Edition (2008; 2018) ncse-os.kdl.kcl.ac.uk/periodicals/l/issues/cld_15081857/page/2/