LOW LIFE IN LONDON.

Hot Lakes Chronicle, Volume 2, Issue 118, 6 March 1895, Page 4

LOW LIFE IN LONDON.

There ore few ways in -which some : studentship ol his wo owo many of his inimitable descriptive passages. A ease such as the groat novelist would have closely followed, was hoard, in the closing days of last year, in the Southwark Police Court. It revealed

a most unloscly phase of hunianily, | but it presented a perfect portraiture, and it has, unfortunately, to bo accepted as ono oE tho types of the vaunted ago of civilisation in which we live. Tho police had preferred a charge against two men of ' intentionally and maliciously wounding and inflicting grievous bodily harm on each oilier by (stabbing each other with knives.' Ono of the offenders was a John Sullivan, and his aliases ' Big Tim' and ' Big Ben,' perhaps sufficiently describe his personal appearance ; the other was Christopher Selby, alias ' Black Chris.' These men* wore simply two of a party, who had devised ' a walk round the public houses ' by way of a morning diversion. In the end there was a good deal of lighting, one of the witnesses exhibiting a head which had boon damaged by ' the murderous use of .a crowbar.' 'Tho end, by the way, did not como till late in tho evening, whon tho two men above mentioned agreed to have ' a fair light,' and the others •' all stood round to have a. look like.' What happened was narrated in graphic detail by somebody colloquially known as ' Costy ' Cannon : ' Big Tim ' shaped up and popped it o'.i Solbv's face, and Selby turns around and pulled out a chivy (knife), and make's ago at Tim's arms. Tim put up his arm, and the knife goes through it. Selby then makes another dig at his leg and the knife goes in, Sullivan turns round to them what was looking on and sayu, ' I've copped it thick,' and then he pulls out a kiiit'o and says to Selby/ Now, I'll see how you like it.' He has ago at Selby, and digs him in the logs a bit. —Mr Slndo : Did he etab more than once r—Witness i No, he only made two or three digs, and we laughed. (Sensation.) Selby turns round to me and says,'l've got it thick this time, Costy',' and I fays, ' Well, turn it up and come to the hospital.' The others in the bar says, ' Let them have another go,' but I goes up to Sullivan and Selby, and 1 takes the knives away. I went ouside and threw them' over the railway bridge. After the barney was over I looks at Selby's legs, and I sees he's a bleeding. Selby then goes out and comes in with' another knife. I says, ' Now then, come on, push out of this, or we shall have the coppers round,' but when wo gets outside Selby tells the copper and they are locked up. it will probably surprise nobody to learn that each man had indulged in a solicitor to defend him, that each badly wanted to be released on bail, and that the police, having in view tho notoriety of the duellists, successfully opposed the application. 'Black Chris,' indeed, tried a plea that might have moved a less experienced magistrate, than Mr Slade :'' lie wanted to go and see h'n mother buried.'