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Leader (1850-1860), 19th June 1852, Edition Town of 2, Page 584, Untitled Article

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      Untitled Article

      trate gave it up as a bad case , and rode vnmeft&teiy to another station in search of police . Meaatimxrthe Irish chief of police set out for the mines , and thought he ^ ould make more money in digging gold than in arresting brave Irish patriots . Such is one of the first fruits of _ the gold discovery in Australia—the escape of the brilliant Meagher . Gold , after aH is useful iii its way . Meagher waited for six hours after the time , in order not to give the' British authorities any excuse' for saving he had violated hispledge . He wa s accompanied and assisted by three young English settlers , who supplied him with horses and had horses themselves . They proposed to wait till the police came , and kill them , B " ut Meagher thought it unnecessary to shed blood , but waited till the police came , and kept his

      friends waiting at a short distance . The moment the police entered the house , he passed out at another door , and , mounting his horse , came round to the front of the house , and within pistol-shot of them , and told them to arrest him if they could . In the next moment he put spurs to his horse , and , with his friends , was soon out of sight . They travelled over 180 miles without halt , having relays of horses on the way . They at leng th reached unmolested a lonely spot upon the sea-coast , where , according to previous arrangements , a whale-boat was in waiting , and bore him off in safety . " When it became known in New York that Meagher

      was there , detachments of the Irish , militia regiments , accompanied by their bands , marched up to his residence in succession , and serenaded him .

      Untitled Article

      " GREEN ; VEBY GREEN . " It is not often that a story illustrative of human simplicity in all its purity comes before us . But here is one , the herb of which is an extremely verdant Cantab . Edwin Ricketts and George Shaw , two respectablydressed men , were placed at the bar before Mr . P'Eyncourt , on Thursday , charged with the following extraordinary robbery upon Mr . William Ellice East , a graduate of St . John ' s College , Cambridge : — The prosecutor stated—I reside at Cambridge , but on Monday , the 10 th inst ., I came to London upon business , after the completion of which I returned towards the Shoreditch station of the Eastern Counties Railway , in order to return home by the train . While walking along Shpreditch , at twenty minutes to the time that the tram would start , I met the prisoner Shaw , who stopped me , and placing his hand upon my shoulder mysteriously whispered in my ear , " Would you like to buy some good cigars ? I can show you some very nice ones that are not often to be met with / ' I told him I-did not want any , but he persisted in his importunities , and TC at length consented to purchase some , and went with him for a distance , perhaps , of a hundred yards , when he poi nted out a beershop _ to me , and said , " That is where I am in the habit of keeping them . " He then took me into the house , and showed me into a room upon the groundTfloor , and having asked me to drink with him , inquired what I would take . I did not altogether like the look either of him or the place , and decisively declined his invitation ; upon which he tookme kindly by the handand said , " Don ' t be afraid of me ,

      , sir ; I am not going to harm you ; " and again pressed me to drink with him , but nothing was brought into the room , and I again declined to drink , as before . He then intimated that he also dealt pr ivately in gloves and handkerchiefs as well as cigars , and saying that he would go and fetch them , left the room , and , to my surprise , locked the door after him . I waited for a few minutes without hia coming back , when a second man came into the room through another door , who had three playing cards and some books in hia hand . Three other men then came in—Bicketts was one of them . The first man then spoke to the others , and wanted them to buy his books : ho spread out his three cards upon the table , and

      said that any one who guessed right should have ono of his books for sixpence . Some betting thori wont on between them , and I saw money pass from ono to the othor , but I was not spoken to by any of thorn . Bickotts then took a chain resembling gold off his nock , which he deposited with the man with the cards , and soon after so me gold was paid to Bickotts by the man with the cards . Ono of the- men first put down a silver watch and chain to the card-man , and speedily lost it . This was an old man , and whon ho lost he stamped his foot violently in aggravation , and seemed very much vexed . Rickotta ecomed ploaaod with his success , and asked mo if ho should play for mo : his words wore , " Will you try y ourself , or shall I try for you P" I said , " No , certainly not , for I must bo off by the train , if the- man with tho cigars is not back quickly . " Bickotts then wont on playine , saying ., " I shall win some

      money for tho gentleman I know ;'' but I said nothing , aa I was uncertain whether ho meant mo . Jtlo won money at first , but said nothing to mo , nor did ho offer what ho had won to mo . Ho then went on and lost some . I then looked at my watch , and finding it near four , o ' clock , when the train went , I said , " I must bo going now , " and rose for that purpose . The man with tho cards then domanded the money ho had won from Bickotts , amounting , as they said , to 161 . or 201 ., upon which llickotts turned to mo and said , " Now , sir , you must pay up . " I said I should certainly do nothing of tho kind , and ho replied , that if I had won from him ho should havo paid mo , and that as I had lost I must pay him . I then became very much alarmed , and

      moved towards tho door to got out , whon llickotts and tho others Burroundod xno , including tho old man who had lost , and all exclaimed together , " You numt pay—you must pay , sir . " I then bocamo very much frightened , and unresistingly gave up my gold watch and chain from my nock , tho rings off my fingers , and upwards of 21 . in gold and silver . ItiokottH himself took my watch out of my waistcoat pocket , and gavo it to the man with tho cards . I permitted tho old man to Htrin tho rings from my fingers , which wont tho eamo way , and then ono of tho mon took my purse out of my pocket , emptied the contents out into his hand , and then coolly restored mo tho empty puree , which I now produce . Tho wholo of them thon loft tho place

      Bicketts alone remaihing ; I was so alarmed that I can't say whether the door was locked or not , but they all went out by the one I came in at . As soon as they had got put Ricketts laid hold of iny arm , and expressed his regret that he had been so unfortunate as to lose for me , and said if I would wait he would show me where the men were . He still kept his hand upon me , although I tried all I could to get away from him after the others who had g < 5 t my property . We at last went out into Shoreditch , and , not seeing anything of the men , I asked him where they Were , upon which he pretended to treat me as an entire fitrano-er . and coolly asked me what I was talking about .

      I then left him and went to the station , where I gave information of the manner in which I had been robbed , and an accurate description of all the men . I saw the two prisoners yesterday at the Hampton Races , just as they came on the heath , with , as I believe , one of the other men I mentioned . I had just before seen the card-man , playing on the back of a board on the racecourse , not far from where I saw the prisoners . I knew them at once , and gave the m into the custody of an officer , who took them , but I have not seen either my watch , chain , or rmgs since . The men were remanded by Mr . D'Eyncourt , in order that the evidence against them may be completed .

      Untitled Article

      RAILWAY COLLISIONS . A passenger train , consisting of four carriages , left Ayles ^ burr on Friday afternoon , at a quarter to two o clock , to meet the London train at Cheddington , on the London and North Western railway . The train was proceeding at a pace of between twenty-fiveand twenty-eight milesran hour , when , on approaching within a mile-and-a-half of Cheddington , the engine , from some cause not yet ascertained , suddenly ran off the linej breaking away from the tender , and tearing up the rails , and after running about a hundred yards , it passed through a hedge into a neld , where it fell on its side . The tender and two foremost carriages ran off the line on the other side . -The guard , George Allen , was thrown from his seat , and died _ in a short t ime , having sustained internal injuries beyond any remedy . The engine driver kept his place on the engine till it overturned , and seems to have escaped unhurt . There were fifteen passengers in . the train , none of whom were seriously injured . , * , ,. . xt .- -j .-ii ' There seems to be sufficient reason for believing thattne accident arose from some obstruction placed upon the rails . Two or three times chains have been laid over the rails in this neig hbourhood , for the purpose of throwing trains off the line , which attempts have been frustrated by the vigilance of the engine dr ivers . Some time ago , a man who is now in Aylesbury gaol under sentence of two years imprisonment , placed ' sixteen chains and a rail upon thi 3 line , apparently for the purpose of stopping the goods tram , to give an opportunity for plunder . It so happened that an train a ssed the spot first , at a rate of about

      express p fifty or sixty miles on hour , the speed of which was sufficient to sweep off the obstacle . Tho jury before whom this matter was investigated returned the following special verdict : — " We find that the deceased , George Allen , came by his death on Friday , June the 11 th , by acc idental circumstances , in consequence of the engine of tho train of which he was the guard jumping off the line of tho Aylesbury railway . The jury think that , owing to the clay subsoil , the rails and sleepers require constant attendance and care , and that it appears from the evidence that there is not in places sufficient ballast above tho clay , < ffihat the bearings are too far apart , tho jury considering that there should bo another sleeper under each rail . That no satisfactory reason appearing in tho evidence for the engine getting off the rails , tho jury are unable to come to any other conclusion than that there was some defect connected with the rails or tho

      sleepers in the neighbourhood of the accident . ' A ballast train from Birmingham passed the Rugby station about eleven o ' clock on Monday morning , and was followed in half-an-hour by a coal train , which overtook the former in the Kilsby tunnel . From some cause yet unknown , tho signals which are usually given by the policemen stationed at this tunnel , whoso duty it is to prevent any train entering the tunnel before a preceding train has lott it , wore omitted . The coal train accordingly cntored tho tunnol at its usual pace , and camo upon tho other train , scarcely allowing time for the engineer and stoker to rcvorso the onginp and j ump off , A asumbor of platelayers wcro seated upon some of . tho trucks of tho former tram , most of whom were thrown off and more or less injured-Ono man , named Williams , was found jambed in between two o £ th e carriages a nd terri b ly mutilated . Ho died soon aftor . Tho two constables stationed at tho tunnol aroboth in custody . . . . _

      Untitled Article

      MURDER BY POISON . A Cojxieii , named Nicholls , was marriod eighteen years ago to a woman named Elizabeth Lawronson , now cullod Bet Brush , who is still living . They separated soon after , and about ten years ago Nicholls married a widow named Ann Connolly ; for which act of bigamy ho was sentenced to six months' imprisonment . Since tho expiration of this term ho has lived with Mrs . Connolly as her husband , and they havo had throe children , two of whom are still living . Last Saturday Nicholls , on roturmng from his work , produced from his pocket <¦ two cakoH , saying to 1 » h . wife ( his second wife ) , " Sec , Nancy , I found two ydry nico cakes this morning . " Tho cakes had a tempting look , and wore dividod among tho family , including Sarah and Ann , tho two children above mentioned , and a daughter of Mrs , Connolly by a former husband , named Mary . Mrs . Connolly and her daughter Mary afterwards loft tho houso to mako some p " urohaBO . On thoir roturn , in about half an hour they mot Nioholls , who camo towards them , " "'^ Bff ""! ? ' * looking quite wild . " Mrs . Connolly exclaimed , " Oh dear , Mary , does ho not look as it" ho woro drunk P" On mooting thom , ho told thorn ho had boon poisoned by eating the cakes , as well as Sarah and Ann , and anothor child named Broxon , who eooniB to have had

      a piece of the cakie from pne of the children . Mlary went home to look after the childreny while Mrs . Connolly went with Nicholls to the surgery of Mr , Fisher . Mr . Fisher at bhee recognised , the symptoms denoting thei presence of arsenic , and sent the woman home with medicine for the children , while he administered a strong . antidote to iyicholls .. On visiting the house , Mr . Fisher found the girls , Sarah and Ann , as weH as the child Broxen , all sick . A woman , of the name of Morris and her child , who happened to get some of the cake , were both taken sick , but soon after recovered . Towards the night Nicholls and the two little girls grew worse , and Mrs . Connolly and Mary also were taken ill . Early on Sunday morning Nicholls : rapidlyhecame worse , and died about half past four . Broxen died during the same day . In the evening of Sunday Mrs . Connolly and h the

      the three girls were recovering , thoug two youngest were still very weak . Nieholls , up to the time of his death , had a conviction on his mind that his former wife was the cause of tho mischief . The account he gave Mrs . Connolly during his illness was this : —As he was going to his work on Saturday morning about half-past four , he found the cakes lying in his path , wrapped in a piece of clean white calico . At that mome nt there were but two persons in the street besides himself , a man about thirty yards beforehim , and a Woman midway between them , on the opposite . Bide of the street . He thought that the woman must have dropped the cakes , as it seemed that the man could not well have walked over them without noticing them . She looked over her shoulder twice , and he thought it was " Bet . " He followed her about a hundred and fifty yards , when she turned off anpther way , and he thought no more about it .

      Elizabeth Nicholls , alias Bet Brush , has been apprehended , as well as a man named Thomas Hughes , with whom she has been cohabiting , and who is . believed to be the man . seen by Nicholls When he found the cakes . A few days before these events a woman applied to a druggist in the neig hbourhood for some arsenic , which he refused to sell her . The druggist be ^ ey es this woman to have been Bet Brush , but cannot positively identify her .

      Untitled Article

      MISCELLANEOUS . Count P'Orsay has at length been suitably provided for , by an appointment to the highly responsible office of Superintendent of Fine Arts "to Louis Napoleon himself , " at a salary of 1000 ? . per annum , and Board and Lodging to boot . His onerous duties will consist in spending 12 , 000 Z . a-year on pictures , statues , and other refined sources of enjoyment—all strictly moral , of course ! It has been asked , whether the Count ' s office will include the purchase of lay figures , and the engagement of models ? ¦ .

      Untitled Article

      Mr . N . S . Dodgo , who has arrived by the Baltic from Now York , has brought two packages for Her Majesty s Board of Ordnance , containing some guns and pistols at American manufacture . A passenger fell from St . Paul ' s wharf on Saturday afternoon as ho was stopping to the pier . The Reverend James O'Reilly , of St . Peter ' s , Walwortb , Beeing that the poor man was being fast carried down by the tide , gallantly leaped into the water and held him up until tho lite-buoy was thrown to their assistance . .... it

      In a Convocation held , on Tuesday , at Oxford , was unanimously resolved to accept tho donation , proftered by Mrs . Fielding , of Laneastor , of the very valuablo herbarium collected by the late Henry Borrow Fielding , Esq ., together with his botanical library ; it was agreed also to oovoto a sura not exceeding 20 OOZ . for the maintaining and adding to tho collection , and an additional sum not exceeding 1250 Z . for providing a suitablo building in tho botanical garden for tho reception of the herbarium and books connected with it . , Tho Halmeroann Hospital will havo its first Concert on Mondav next . This establishment , having its . origin m

      the perscvoring exertions of Lord Robert Gr 6 svonor , us premdont , and in W . leaf , Esq ., appears to bo m ft prospering condition , and woll supported by tho public a school of medicine has been this yoar attached to it ; an tho Concert announced for Monday , patronized by ft pomnumber of distinguished persons , and having the assistants of tho best artists , promises a brilliant attendance . It has boon arranged that tho meeting of *« ^ ™ J " Association for tho Advancement of Sclonco is co commonco on tho 1 st September , at Belfast . All tho sections into which tho Association divides itself for convenience > oi discussion , will hold thoir sittings under ono rooi , wio «» - ,. nll ~ .. 4- K .., - li : ^~ „ # ft . tnnn ' a DnUnirn ¦ whltih . Mi WOU 08 »» collent building of Eicon ' s Uoii whichm » « *» " ~ j ¦

      , cgo , , ; tho public buildings in Bolfast likely to bo usetul m «»? groat gathering of British soionco , lias boon placed at uw disposal of tho managing committee . , . At a mooting of the friends and admirorfl ot tno «»< Thomas Mooro , hold at Lansdowno-houso , on auosday 1 Mb a letter was road from Lord Charlomont , stating tuat ,, ni previous mooting , it had boon roaolvod to erect a p « ' « monumont to tho memory of tho poot in hifl n « lM ™ , „ *'« Dublin . It was then resolved that ft subscription flUQUKj bo raised in Great Britain in furtherance of tho object , i > tho following noblomon and gontlomon woro "PP ! " ™ , " committco to carry it out : —Lords kansdownc , C ! aro »« ° J Fortoacue , Wicklow , Carlisle , Sholburne , John Kusbou , an . Monteaglo , and Messrs . Macaulay iind Longman . Longman consented to aot aa treasurer .

      Untitled Article

      5 S 4 THE L EABER ^ . ^ Iti S ^ pAY , /

      Untitled Article

      NEW BBITISH EXPOKT . BibmhsTGHAM , great officina of the most genuine and the most spurious ^ carries out the " genius of the epoch" in devising a new export . Considerable cargoes of " gold dust " are going out , as ballast , to Australia , for re-exportation to this country . The Brummagem gold will yield , profitable returns .

  • Citation
    • Leader (1850-1860), June 19, 1852, page 584, in the Nineteenth-Century Serials Edition (2008; 2018) ncse-os.kdl.kcl.ac.uk/periodicals/l/issues/vm2-ncseproduct1940/page/12/