MISCELLANEOUS

Colonist, Volume II, Issue 121, 17 December 1858, Page 4

MISCELLANEOUS

Horrible Murder hg Boys.—A. man named Hugh Downie was some time since found in an open cellar in St.. Louis, under circumstances which led to the supposition that he had been garroted and murdered for his money. It has just been discovered, however, that the deceased was murdered ill a barber's chair, having been strangled by three apprentices in the shop while undergoing the operation of shampooing. One of the party has made a confession, in which it appears that the operator rubbed the lather over the eyes of the doomed man, when a rope was thrown over his head and pulled until he died, while one of the party held his legs. The plunder was then divided, and the body disposed of by pitching it into the cellar. All the circumstances of the affair reveal the most cold-blooded atrocity on the part of the three boys, the youngest of whom is eleven years, and the oldest seventeen years of age. They committed the deed for the purpose of obtaining spending money, as Gartner (their master) never gave them any, and was very harsh to them, keeping them on a short allowance af food. The boy who suggested the murder by choking, said he had often seen it done in New Orleans.

A Too Pressing Admirer. —At the Rochdale Petty Sessions, Mr. John Bold, manufacturer, Halifax, was charged with having assaulted the widow of the late Mr. Eastwood, solicitor, of Todmorden. The defendant did not appear, and was represented by Mr. Mitchell, solicitor, Halifax. Mr. Higham, at the instance of the Laucashire and Yorkshire Railway Company, appearing for Mrs. Eastwood. The evidence of the latter was to the effect that she left Liverpool on the afternoon of the 2nd with her daughter, in a first class carriage, and two other gentlemen being in the same compartment. After the train had started, complainant felt her foot touched by that of the defendant. She deemed this an accident, and removed her foot out of the way, but it was soon after pressed again by that of defendant, who then raised his foot towards her knee, whereupon Mrs. Eastwood turned partly round on her seat, and so cramped herseif that she was sadly inconvenienced, and at length solicited a gentleman to change places with her. At the Rochdale station she complained to the porter, and ascertained from Mr. Ratcliffe, a directer, who her prosecutor was. The defence was that Mr. Bold being troubled with rheumatic gout, had shifted his foot in order to ease it, its contact with that of the lady being purely accidental. The advocate complimented complainant on her conduct, and urged that the respectability of her appearance would cause anybody to shrink from offering her insult, much more would it repel any familiarity or insult by the defendant, who moved iv the highest society

in Halifax, and whose character of forty years would be ruined by an adverse decision. In conclusion, Mr. Mitchell remarked, " The fact of the charge being made has brought my client to the edge of the grave; convict him, and let him die. The Bench deemed the charge proved, and inflicted a penalty of £5.

Worship-street. — A Juvenile Marriage — A gawky stripling, accompanied by a timid looking girl, their united ages, numbering about 30 years, were brought before the magistrate, by the mother of the girl, and the father of the boy, to ask the magistrate's advice. It appeared that the lad, who had only recently come from school, had been entrusted by his father with the management of a branch business, but on Tuesday morning, having absented himself for several hours, on his return was taken to task, when his cool reply was that he had just been to get married to a girl to whom he was tenderly attached. With greatreluctancehe disclosed the whereabouts of his youthful spouse, and her mother having been communicated with, she concurred in the , application to know if the law afforded any means of setting aside such an absurd and probably disastrous union.—The mother stated that the "boy bridegroom" had made her daughter's acquaintance at a juvenile party, about last Christmas, since which he had "hunted her life out," and she had hidden herself under the bed to escape his persecution. On the day before the marriage he called, and pathetically implored a short interview with her daughter, which she most imprudently granted. When he had gone the girl told her that he had threatened to stab her to the heart unless he married her. On the following day her daughter left the house stealthily, and after a prolonged absence returned, saying that the youth had met her, taken her to a church in the City, and married her, and afterwards to a house in the neighbourhood, but that he had since deserted her.—The young bride, in answer to the magistrate, corroborated this statement, and added that on going away the youth told her he had done it all out of spite, because she was acquainted with another young man, who would have nothing more to say to her after what had happened. The magistrate, after commenting on the strange character of the affair, said no doubt the girl had acted under constraint, and that, both being under age, there would be no difficulty in obtaining a divorce in the proper court; but in the meantime the " boy husband" was bound in law and honour to protect and support the girl he had beguiled.— The father and mother thanked the magistrate for his advice, and departed in different ways, in charge of their respective children.

Breach of Promise of Marriage. —A sheriff's court was held at York Castle, a day or two ago, in order to assess the damages in a case of breach of promise of marriage, the defendant having allowed judgment to go by default. The plaintiff, Miss Rose Rebecca Melbourne, had been barmaid at the Crown and Dragon Hotel, at Harrogate, and in 1856 took a public house of her own at Swincliffe Top, near Knaresborough. The'defendant was the son of a farmer named Morrell, who lived at Haverah ParV, in the same neighbourhood. The defendant seems to have called at Miss-Mel-bourne's house, drunk her beer, and at the same time made love to her. On one occasion he stayed with her till the untimely hour of five in the morning, and then with the greatest coolness walked to the registry office at Knaresborough, where before noon the same day, he married a Miss Hardcastle, whose money, it was supposed, had neutralised and counterbalanced the personal attractions of Miss Melbourne. The jury assessed the damages at — English Paper.

The Times lately published a very remarkable letter, purporting to be derived from the lips of a young lady, name not given, who escaped from the treacherous massacre of the fugitives from Cawnpore in 1857. It was taken down by Mr. George Stu.'irt, of the Sudder Court, AHpore, Calcutta, and sent to the Times by "W. Knighton, L.L.D., the College, Ewell, Surrey." It is admitted that additions had been made to the narrative, and that some of these were expunged. These facts, as well as some errors in dates, have caused the story to be received with suspicion. The young lady begins by describing the massacre. She seems to have swooned and to have been flung into the river for dead ; but she scrambled ashore, hid herself, and there was joined by Miss Wheeler. Sepoys came upon them, and they were separated. " I was pushed and dragged along, and subjected to every indignity. Occasionally I felt the thrust of a bayonet, and on my protesting against such treatment, with uplifted hands, and appealing to their feelings as men, I was struck on-my head* and was made to understand, in language too plain, that I had not long to live; but before being put to death, that I would be made to feel some portion of the degradation their bretheren felt at Meerut when ironed and disgraced before the troops." She was taken to Bithon, and there an African eunuch rescued her from the sepoys, covered her with a robe and procured her a suit of native clothes. After the advance of Havelock's band, she described herself as carried by fugitives through "a great portion of the northwest provinces on foot, viz., Bareilly, Rohilcund, Futteghur, Shahjenpore, and the district near Delhi. Ajfter travelling through all these places we joined the mutineers at Lucknow." Here she met her African protector., who recommended her to throw herself on the protection of the Moulvie, the same who was killed the other day. She did so, and the Moulvie made her over to the Begum, on condition it seems, that she became a Mahomedah, She remained with the Begum a month, and grew strong, but when the British were successful, the Begun threatened to

shoot her, so she fled, and threw herself once more upon the Moulvie. She describes that personage as a good ,warm-hearted, man, who would not harm women and-, children. He said to her "as you follow.' our creed we must protect you ;" and so • she lodged in a palace, and had slaves ; to . attend her. When the Moulvie went out to meet Sir Colin Campbell, the young lady was transferred again to the Begum, : who received her with moody silence, Then Lucknow was relieved, but she could ' not join our forces as an incessant shower of grape was pouring in on every side. So she resumed her wanderings with Sepoys, and " made a iktoitir of Oude." At length she approached Allahabad, and made her escape by prevailing upon a body of mutineers to send her on a mission to the Go-. vernor-General. "After reasoning, and discussing the matter they at last consented •■ to let me go. They were, in fact, like .: drowning men, eager to catch at a straw to save their lives. I was made to give^ ; before I started, to the chiefs or captains,7 certificates that I had been .well treated, ' for they said it was , better to have somei- ' thing in case I played them false. ''!'"' readily agreed, to this, and drew up about'""' thirty certificates accordingly, as they cost me nothing, and I was very anxious to get away from them. I left them with a light heart, and journied on foot with about ten men. Oh, I cannot sufficiently describe my feelings when I left them.; I I offered up a silent prayer of thanksgiving to God that he had safely brought me out of such sufferings, degradation, and misery. After I crossed the Ganges, zemindars, landholders, thanadars, heads of mdfussil police, one and all rebels at heart, perhaps, and disaffected, hearing that I had important despatches from the rebel camp for the Governor-General, readily supplied me with palkies and bearers, and heaped presents on me. I arrived safe on the third day at my uncle's factory, a day's journey from Allahabad. I am very happy in the midst of friends and relatives at Calcutta, whither I came after residing with my uncle for a month. The date on which I reached my uncle's factory was the 20th of June, 1858, exactly one year since the Cawnpore massacre." The story is plausible, but full of difficulties, not the least of which are how it could have reached this country so early, and how much was taken from and added to the original. . - ; . ; A Double Warning. — The late ReV. Rowland Hill understood human nature well. His chapel having been infested by pickpockets, he took occasion to remind the congregation that there was an all-seeing Providence, to whom all hearts are open", and from whom no secrets are hid; 'but lest/ he added, * there may be any present who are insensible to such reflections, I beg leave to state that there are also BoW Street officers on the look-out.'

Intelligent Verdict. —A New Orleans jury declares a man to have come to his death "by an unknown cart." Abdut on a par with a Philadelphia verdict some time since l A man having been crushed to death in a mill, the jury added to their verdict. "No blame can be attached to the machinery."

An Englishman and a Welshman disputing in whose country was the best living, the Welshman said, 'There is such noble housekeeping in Wales that I have known a dozen cooks employed at one wedding dinner.' * Ah,' answered the Englishman,, every man toasted his own cheese.' .

The Safest Plan.—" Give the devil/ Jhi«r, due." " Oh, certainly," said a content-" porary; "but ain't it better to have no dealings with his sable highness, and consequently there vvould be nothing due* him."

Exposure Threatened. —The following advertisement appeared in an Irish paper :— " Whereas John Hall has fraudulently taken away several articles of wearing apparel without my knowledge, this is therefore to inform him thatif hedoesnotforthwith return the same his name shall be made public!"

Bad Company.—' Have you finished both those bottles of port without assistance, Mr. Gulpitup?' inquired an indignant spouse. 'No, my dear, I had the assistance of a bottle of Madeira,'was the reply. A Suhalpine Tunnel. —The immense work of boring a tunnel under the Alps, has commenced. The thickness of the intervening mountain is 13 kilometres; the actual tunnel will be 12£ kilometres (equal to nearly eight miles) long. The sinking of shafts, owing to the great heightof the mountain, was out of the question, and the tunnel could only be worked at its extremities, so that the labor cannot be accomplished in >■ less than thirty-six years.

Discoveries at Cnidus.—A. letter from Mr. Newton, the active explorer sent by the Trustees of the British Museum to dig for antique treasures in'the Greek Islands, describes the discovery of a colossal lion at Cnidus ten feet Jong from stem to stern, of Parian marble, and in very fine condition. From the base to the top of his head he measures six feet.

Light Bread.— There is a hotel in New York where the bread is made so light that the guests can see to.go to bed without a candle, after eating a moderate sized piece.

A fellow out west gets off the following definition of a widow :—'One who knows what's what, and is desirous of further1 in-* formation on the same subject.'