The Carmarthen Journal and South Wales Weekly Advertiser

SOME FEMALE POISONERS. When Mdme. de Sevigne, in one of her letters, hoped that the expressions "poisoner"' and If Frenchman would not become synonymous, she was moved—as well she might be-by the almost epidemic form that this description of crime had taken in France. But every age and every country has, at some time or other, been plagued with the secret poisoner.

HUNG, DRAWN, AND BURNT. In the good old days of the unreformed English criminal law, the wife who murdered her husband was done to death with additional ignominy. The crime was regarded as something more than murder; it was "petit treason; "and the woman who committed it was first drawn on a sledge, instead of a cart, to the place of execution, and then strangled, after which her body was burnt by the common hangman. But sometimes the hangman was in a hurry (he was a busy man in the eighteenth century), and began the burning before the strangulation was complete. For instance, the notorious Catherine Hayes, executed at Tyburn on the i9th of May, 1726, for the murder of her husband, was literally burnt to death. The executioner, letting go the rope sooner than usual, in consequence of the flames reaching his hands, the fire burnt fiercely round her, and the spectators beheld her poshing the faggots from her, while she rent the air with her cries and lamentations. Other faggots were instantly thrown on her, but she survived amid the flames for a considerable time, and her body was not perfectly reduced to ashes in less than three hours."

THE POPULAR POISON. The "popular" poison, so to speak, has always been arsenic. It was a compound of arsenical neutral salts that Hieronjama Spara was accus- tomed to supply to her clients, the secret society; of young Roman matrons. This wonderful elixir," M she grimly termed it, was a slow poison, clear, tasteless, and limpid, and of strength sufficient, to destroy life in the course of a day, week, month, or number of months, as the purchaser preferred," and it appears to have been similar in its properties and action to the acquetta subsequently sold in Naples by Tofana. Now and again, in the English criminal records, we find strychnine, prussic acid, colchicum, aconite, oil of vitriol, and laurel water used to destroy human life. But arsenic has always held the field," and its use during the past couple of centuries has been pain- fully common, even among the labouring and agric- ultural classes.

OUR FIRST FEMALE POISONEF. The first detailed record of a female poisoner in this country is furnished by the case of Amy Hutchinson, a native of the Isle of Ely. She seems to have married a man about whom she cared nothing, for no other than the feminine reason that she wished to spite her sweetheart. Repentance came, not at leisure, but immediately. 44 Her favourite happening to return from London just as the newly-wedded pair were coming out of church, the bride was greatly affected at the recollection of former scenes and the irrevocable ceremony which had now passed." Soon Hutchin- son became jealous of bis wife, a quarrel ensued, and he beat her with much severity. She bought a quantity of arsenic, which she administered in his ale, and, meeting her lover, acquainted him with what had passed. He advised her to buy more poison, fearing that the first might not be sufficient; but Hutchinson died the same day. The young widow, who was described as "a tall, fine girl," was burnt for petit treason at Ely on the 7th of November, 1750. Another female poisoner, Ann Williams, was burnt three years later. This barbarous punishment was repealed bjf an Act passed in tbe thirtieth year of George

ARSENIC ALWAYS ARSENIC." Coming to the present century, we find the dtory of poisoning by arsenic—arsenic, tmijours arsenic- repeated with wearisome iteration. At Bristol, in 1835, Mary Ann Burdock was put on her trial before Sir Charles Wetherell for the murder of Clara Ann Smith by the administration of arsenic. This was a case of murder for gain. Mrs Smith was an elderly woman, and was proved to have been in possession of at least XI,000 shortly before her death. The prisoner, who was in poor circum- stances, kept a lodging-house. The evidence was circumstantial, but overwhelming; and the pris- oner was found guilty and executed. She was sentenced on April 13tb, a Monday, and executed on the following Wednesday. Yet this was only two years before Queen Victoria ascended the Throne!

WHEN DOCTORS DISAGREE, &C. The case of the notorious Madame Lafarge, in France, for the murder of her husband by arsenic, administered in cake and a fowl, attracted great interest in this country. Its most remarkable feature was the astounding disagreement between tbe medical men. On September 9th, 1840, the chemists who had searched the remains for poison reported that none could be found but fire days later the famous Orfila and other experts declared that poison was to be found in every part of the body submitted to them." The jury found her guilty with extenuating circumstances," and the court ordered her to undergo exposure in the pillory, followed by hard labour for life.

A CAM OF ARSENIC NOT PROVEN." The next famous charge of poisoning recorded was again, as usual, by ar&enic. Christina Gilmeur was put on her trial before the High Court of Justiciary, Edinburgh, on the 12th of January 1844, for the murder of her husband just a twelv. month; previously, (Mrs Gilmour's case, incid- entally, is a leading one in International law, for she was, the first person surrendered on a criminal charge by the United States under the Ashburton Treaty.) She was the daughter of a substantial Ayrshire farmer, and her husband was in the same station of life. It appears to have been a mariage de convenance, although the pair were well matched in point of years, the bride being about twenty-three and the bridegroom 'thirty. Young John Anderson was a neighbour; five years before he and Christina had formed an attachment, but her parentB compelled her to marry Gilmour. Six weeks after marriage Gilmour fell ill, with all the symptoms of having been poisoned by arsenic, and died. A post-mortem examination detected the presence of arsenic, and it was shown that the wife had pur- chased some of that poison. For the defence it was proved that arsenic was habitually used on the farm for the destruction of rats, that Mrs Gilmour attended her husband during his illness, made no opposition to calling in medical-advice. and, in < short, showed no evidence of conscious gilt and no ■ > desire for concealment. In fact, it was she who first wished the authorities to disinter the body. Her statements on one important point, however, were contradictory; for, in a letter to Anderson, she said that she bad bought the arsenic to commit ,1 suicide, while in her declaration she stated that it Was purchased to destroy rats. The jury returned a verdict of Not proven.

THE STORY OF MADELBIKS SMITH. It may be convenient here to leave the chrono- logical order of narration for the purpose of 1; referring to one of he most sensational charges of poisoning known in the annals of criminal juris- prudence—the trial of Miss Madeline Smith. strictly speaking (like that of Christina Gilmour, the Bravo mystery," and the more recent If Bartlett case,") Madeleine Smith's case does not come under the heading Some Female Poisoners," because the results of the trial was here again a verdict of Not proven." Not only Scotland, but England, tbe United Stales, and the Continent, awaited the verdict breathlessly, during ten days of pent-up feeling. The trial, which began in the f High Court of Justiciary, Edinburgh, on the 30th of June, 1857, disclosed the fact that, unknown to her friends, the prisoner had for some time carried on clandestine relations with a young Frenchman, Pierre Emile L'Angelier by name, who was beneath her in social position. That L'Angelier's death was due to arsenical poisoning there was no question. Madeleine Smith was placed at the bar, charged with having administered arsenic to her lover on three occasions within a little over a month. For the prosecution it was shown that she had bought arsenic and kept it in her possession, and that L'Angelier was 3een going in the direction of her house—presumably for a stolen interview-on the night when the poison was alleged to have been last administered. Then came the question of mo ire: Madeleine was about tJ throw off her inconvenient French hanger-on, and to contract a marriage with a gentleman of position, For the defence, the Dean of Faculty made a powerful harangue to the jury, fully equal in ingenuity and force to the speech for the defence by Serjeant Shee in Palmer's case the year before. He dwelt on the peculiarities of the case; on the air of romance and mystery surounding it from beginning to end," and in an eloquent passage, which moved every one present in the crowded court, he said to the jury; You are invited and encouraged by the prosecution to snap the thread of that young life, and to consign to an ignominious death on the scaffold one who, within a few short months, was known only as a gentle, confiding, and affectionate girl, the ornament and pride of her happy home." A majority of the jury returned a verdict of Not proven," and Madeleine Smith was a free woman. It was upon the verdict in this cause celebre that Mr Wilke Collins found his well-known story of The Law and the Lady."

ONCE TOO OFTEN. Six years prior to Madeleine Smith's case-in March, 1851—Sarah Chesham, "a woman of masculine proportions," was tried at Chelmsford for poisoning. Here, as usual, it was the same well-worn story of arsenic; and it illustrated the proverb that the pitcher can go once too often to the well. The specific crime for which Chesham was indicted was the murder of her husband, but the evidence left little doubt that she was a whole- sale poisoner. In 1847 she had been tried at the same place for poisoning a child, and acquitted. The next year she was again found not guilty on a charge of murdering two of her own children, and-strange to relate-a third time she escaped the noose. But in L849 a female accomplice, her- self under sentence of death for poisoning, split on Mrs Chesham, who in due course was found guilty and executed. "She heard her doom with- out the slightest emotion."

ANOTHER WHOLESALE POISONER. Another wholesale poisoner was Catherine alias Constance Wilson, convicted in 1862 of the murder of Mrs Soames, of Bedford-square. Her motive was avarice. The crimes of this monster were epitomized by the presiding judge (Mr Justice Byles) in passing sentence upon her at the Old Bailey. In 1853-4 she was employed as a house- keeper to a person named Mawer, at Boatm, in Lincolnshire. Tie was in the habit of taking colchicum, and it was quite clear that the prisoner was well acquainted with the nature of that poisonous plant, In April, 1854, Mawer made a will leaving Wilson the whole of the little property he possessed; he died in the following October. In 1856 she was found living in London with a young man named Dixon, who it appeared was soon taken violently ill, his symptoms being exactly the same as in the case of Mrs Soames, and he died shortly afterwards. In 1859 she poisoned a friend, Mrs Jackson, and robbed her of X120. In 1860 she robbed and poisoned another friend, Mrs Atkinson, who was staying at her house in Kenningtod. In the following year she attempted to poison her paramour, a man named Taylor; and soon after- wards she was tried at the Old Bailey, but acquitted, on a charge of attempting to poison a Mrs Cornell with oil of vitriol. 1, These facts, I regret to say," observed Mr Justice Byles in conclusion, "render it extremely probable that the startling statement made by Dr. Taylor in the course of his evidence it correct, and that, in the midst of apparent pros- perityand obedience to the law, a dreadful crime is rife in this metropolis-the destruction of life by secret poisoning." On the morning of the 20th of Octobcr this infamous woman underwent her sentence, in the presence of more than 20,000 persons, in front of Newgate. She preserved an air of callous indifference to the last. A murderer of a similiar type was Mary Ann Cotton, who, for the sake of miserably small sums of money, poisoned several members of her own family. She was executed on March 27th, 1873.

CHERCHEZ L'HOMME. The Balham Mystery" and the Bartlett Mystery do not, correctly speaking, come within the purview of this article. Besides, they belong to the domain of recent news rather than of history, and their salient facts are, no doubt, still fresh in the public mind. That Mr Bravo and Mr Bartlett both died by poison is certain but," in the formula of the crowner's quest, by whom the poison was administered there is no evidence to show." Running over the foregoing list of female poisoner?, however, one is somewhat inclined to reverse the French saying, and to write Cherchez I'homme.

SHOCKING DEATH OF A YOUNG LADY. On Thursday night a young lady named Catherine Parry, of Bethesda, Carnarvon, was killed at Pwllheli Railway Station. An Eisteddfod was held during the day, and owing to the rush on to the platform the deceased was pushed and carried under a passing train. Death was almost instant- eous. She was the accompanist of a male choir that competed at the festival.

A NEW PURSE. The American purse has found a favourable welcome, and deservedly so, for it is very attractive in appearance, and convenient. There are two sizes, the largest 6 inches long and 2i inches wide. It resembles a long, narrow envelope, is hand- somely finished off with silver corners, and when open discloses several divisions. A cardcase in the form of a small carriage clock case is novel; it is for carrying in the carriage, and has the same fittings as the ordinary ones, with the addition of a small pincushion and mirror, but its novelty is in its shape. The new fondu cases are in untarishable worked silver, with handles, and finished with white fireproof i china souffle cases. They look like little silver, saucepans, and are a fashionable wedding present now. They are most ornamental, being highly worked. In small table trifles there is a lighter case in the semblance of a half-burnt cigar, most real in appearance; and also a miniature coffee grinder, in copper, doia £ <luty as a yard measure. The new Racmg and Cocket Match Calendar is a nice present for a gentleman, fitted into a plain leather case; the leather may be of anyone's racing or cricket club colours.

A FIDDLE WITH A HISTORY. Waldemar Meyer, the well-known violin virtuoso, has recently become possessor of one of the most valuable fiddles in the world, but for which he had to pay £ 1250. According to the documents re- specting it this fiddle was made by Stradivaiius in 1716 for George the First of England, ani it is very nearly the largest "Strad" ever constructed. Down to the beginning of the present century it remained in possession of the English Royal Family, and then it passed into the hands of a Scotch nobleman who was in the English army, and who valued it so much that he always carried it with him in his baggage—indeed, he even had it with him at Waterloo. At his death his family closely hold the instrument but the violini.st Molique, who lived in London from 1850 to 1866, often visited their house, took a fancy to the Strad and it was ultimately presented to him. In 1866, when Molique returned to Bavaria to pass the evening of his life, he transferred it to his friend and pupil Baron Von Dreifuss, of Munich. He possessed the violin for thirty years, till he was too crushed by the weight of age, and rendered incapable by an injury to his arm, of longer enjoying the wonderful tones of his much-prized instrument. He sold it a few days ago to the great violin collector of Berlin, Herr Riechers, for A:1,000, who in turn has sold it to Waldemar Meyer, netting £150 over the transaction. A SCENE AT AN EISTEDDFOD. THB ADJUDICATOR REFUSES TO SPBAK IN ENGLISH. According to the Mongomeryshire Express a re- markable scene occurred at a ctmir eisteddfod at Towyn. The chief choral contest was for a priie of £ 10 and carved oak chair for the conductor, for the best rendering of"Mor IWYDol ydyw'r nos" (Emlyn Evans). On ascending the platform to give his adjudication Dr. Parry- was requested to speak in English, but this he declined to do, re- marking that the composition was a Welsh piece sung at a Welsh town, and it would be inconsistent on his part to give bis adjudication in other than the native language. He then delivered a lengthy adjudication in Welsh, awarding the prize to the Aberdovey Choir. On its completion the reporters present applied to Dr. Parry for a summary in English of his adjudication. His only response was to tear up his notes, and remark that he could not take the trouble to do so. This pro. ceeding elicited some rather strong remarks. A MOTHER'S EXTRAORDINARY CURE FOR LYING. At Clerkenwell Police Court, Elizabeth Landon, thirty-eight, a married woman, of 11 Denmark Grove, Islington, was charged with cruelly ill- treating her son Vincent, aged seven, by placing a hot poker in his mouth. Mrs Bishop, a lodger in the same house as the prisoner, stated that on Saturday afternoon Mrs Landon sent her boy on an errand to a baker's shop, and that the child re- turned and said that he had lost the money—3d. Shortly afterwards the prisoner went out, and on her return she told witness that she did not believe her son's story, and that she had gone to see the woman at the baker's shop, who told her that the best way of curing a child of telling falsehoods was to burn its tongue with hot curling-irons. The prisoner added that she had not the irons, but she would use a poker, and then went upstairs to her rooms. Witness did not believe that Mrs Landon would do such a thing, but soon afterwards she heard the boy screaming, and running upstairs to the prisoner's sitting room she saw a small poker in the fire. The prisoner admitted that she had used the poker in the way she had threatened to do and witness, on examining the child, found that his tongue and the side of his mouth were burnt. She was amazed at the cruel conduct of the mother, and communicated with the police. The prisoner was taken into custody soon afterwards. A doctor who had examined the child, said the front of his tongue was burnt, though not very seriously, and also the side of the mouth. Mr Haden Corser said it seemed to him that the prisoner had been the victim of an absurd superstition in this matter, and and that she had not intended to hurt the boy much. It was a difficult case to deal with, for, whatever her intention was, she had burned the boy's tongue, and had caused him pain. The husband then, at the Magistrate's suggestion, consented to be bound over in the sum of £ 10 to bring his wife up for judgment if called upon. LITTLE FISHERS SWEPT AWAY IN A FRESHET. An exciting scene was witnessed at Barnard Castle last week. A heavy flood of water carae down the river through the rainfall, while two boys were fishing in midstream near Egliston Abbey. One boy, named Barry, about twelve years old, who came, it was stated, from London last week to stay a time was carried away and drowned. By the aid of a rope, a passing carriage driver, who was taking a pleasure party out to Rokeby, and with the help of a horse from the farm near at hand, succeeded in rescuing the other boy, who lives in Barnard Castle. There was much excitement while the efforts at rescue were proceeding, the horse falling into the stream, and the driver losing his hat. The rescue was eftected with great difficulty. For some time the lad was up to his waist in water, holding on by his fishing-rod stitH a ropeconld beobtained, and the driver with the horse could be got to attempt a rescue. The body of the drowned lad was not recovered. A STORY OF J. L. SULLIVAN'S STRENGTH. The habitnes of the Laclede Hotel; St Louis, have a lively recollectiotof (te visit which John L. Sullivan paid to that hostelry some four years ago. He was there for several days, and daring his stay was the obsenedof all observers. A number of gentleman did their best to induce him to give an exhibition of his wonderful strength. This he he declined to do, but at length yielded to their solicitations, and performed a feat which none who witnessed it will ever forget. Stepping to the bar, which is of hard mahogany, be laid a silver dollar on the counter. He then raised his right hand and brought his fist down upon the coin with tremend- ous force. Upon raising his hand it was seen that the coin was stamped deep into the bar and could with difficulty be extracted. Every letter and line of the device was reproduced in the hard wood, and remained plainly legible for two years, in spite of the frequent scrubbings to. which it was subjected. A FROG CATCHES A CHICKEN. Mr Fred Barfield of Unadilla, in Dooly County heard a chicken squalling in his yard and went out to see what was the matter. He found a large toad frog attached to the wing of the chieken, and was trying to swallow an object twice as large as himself. He had to kill the frog to get him loose. BLONDIN'S LATEST. Blondin-of tight rope celebrity and Niagara fame-has been offered and has accepted a wager of A4,000 to walk on a cable from Eiffel's Tower to the Central Dome of the Exhibition in less than five minutes. The name of the person who has offered the bet is withheld, and Blondin is only awaiting the permission of the Exhibition authorities to begin operations. MR. EDISON'S VERY LATEST INVENTION Mr Edison writes very confidently about a new invention which he has in hand (says the London correspondent of the Sheffield Independent.) It is a machine for separating ore, and, if it realises the the expectations formed of it, it is likely to revolu- tioniso the mining of iron ore. The machine, by a very dimple process, separates the ore from the earth, and leaves it ready for the furnace. A LADY BURIED ALIVE. A lady residing at Dorbiscb, near Kolin, in Bohemia, where she owned considerable properity, was buried last week, after a brief illness, in the family vault at the local cemetery. Four days afterwards her granddaughter was interred in the same place, but as the stone slab covering the aperture was raised the bystanders were horrified to see that the lid of the coffin below had been raised and that the arm of the corpse was protrud- ing. It was ascertained eventually that the un- fortunate lady, who was supposed to have died of heart disease, had been buried alive. She had evidently recovered consciousness for a few minutes, and found strength enough to burst open her coffin. The authorities aie bent on taking measures of the utmost severity against those responsible. AN INFANT SHOT BY A CHILD OF FIVE. I Two children named Styles, residing at 27, Hart- lane, Bethnal green, were the other day playing with a loaded revolver. One of them, iged five, shot the other, aged nine months. The infant died soon after admission to the London Hospital, having received two bullets in the abdomen. I DEATH FROM SWALLOWING A POKER. I An inqpest was held at Ashton-under-Lyne on the body of a young man named William Connolly, who was employed as a grinder in a cotton mill, but who was apparently in the habit of visiting public-houses and of performing various tricks. On Thursday week he was in a beer-house in the town, and attempted^ to perform what a witness called the poker trick." This consisted in ramming a common poker of somewhat large size down his throat. He succeeded in putting down the greater portion of the poker, but on withdrawing it com- plained of feeling sick. A doctor was called in next day, but death occurred during the Friday night from internal injuries, the result, it was believed, of the insertion of the poker into the gullet. The jury returned a verdict of "accidental death." THE BIRCH. Archdeacon Denison writes :—I am glad to see a sign of revival of common sense amongst us, as indicated by the advertisement annexed common sense in place of sentimental nonsense Birch Rods.—These useful articles, for which there is an increasing demand, may be had from the Depot. Of different sizes. Mrs Clapp, St. JohnVroad, Clifton." It would be well for us if there were signs of revival of common sense in the department of what is called by courtesy "education but which has lost, in this century of our history, all true claim to the name, undei a blast of self-oongrato. latory trumpeting, by the extinction of its primary element, and the introduction of the cramming procese-a thing so bad throughout that I will not attempt to pursuj it in all its manifold rais- chief in the compass of a letter. If anybody wishes to be informed of the structure of a rod birch as it ought to be, I can supply them with the account of what an Eton rod was in the days and hands of Keate—the only rod I have ever seen worthy of the name—by personal experience. I am told that this, and indeed any rod, iI become at Eton a memory only. Common sense is at a disconnt in the famous old place. THE MAN DESTINED TO LONG LIFE. From a forgotten but interesting and scientifically clever book. entitled "The Art of Prolonging Life," written by an eminent German physician named Hufeland, at the end of the last century, we extract the following happy and apparently very truthful description of a man who, if be steer clear of accidents, is absolutely certain to attain a great age He has a proper and well- proportioned stature, without, however, being too tall. He is rather of the middle size, and some- what thick-set. His complexion is not too florid- at any rate, too much ruddiness in youth is seldom a sigh of longevity. His hair approaches rather to the fair than the black; his skin. is strong, but not rough. His head is not too big; he has large veins at the extremities, and his shoulders are rather round than flat. His abdomen does not pro- ject, and hi3 hands are large but not too deeply cleft. His foot is rather thick than long, and his leg3 are firm and round. He has alto a broad arched chest, a strong voice, and the faculty of re- taining his breath for a long time without difficulty. In general there is a complete harmony in all bis parts. His senses are good, but not too deliedte; his pulse is slow and regular, his stomach is excel- lent, his appetite good, and his digestion easy The joys of the table are to him of importance they tune his mind to serenity, and his soul partakes in the pleasure which they communicite. He does not eat merely for the sake of eating but each meal is an hour of festivity, a kind of delight attended with this advantage with regard to others that it does not make him poorer but richer He eats slowly and has not too much thirst. Too great thirst is always a sign of rapid self-consump- tion. In general, he is serene, loquacious, active, susceptible of love, joy, and hope; but insensible to the lasting impressions of hatred, anger, and avarice. His passions never become too violent or destructive. If he ever gives way to anger, he experiences rather a useful glow of warmth, an artificial and gentle fever, without an overflowing of the bile. He in fond also of employment, and particularly of calm meditation and agreeable speculation, is an optimist, a friend to nature and domestic felicity, has no thirst after honours or riches, and banishes all thoughts of to-morrow." PAINFUL ACCIDENT AT A MENAGERIE. A serious accident occurred the other evening at the Neuilly Menagerie, Paris. The wild beast tamer, Buskoff, has been in the habit of creating a sensation at the daily representation by leading a bear through the audience. It appears, says a Paris correspondent, that the animal has been rather savage of late, this being probably due to the hot weather, and on the evening in question, in spite of cord and muzzle, he managed to inflict a cruel injury upon the eight-year-old daughter of M. Fabre, juge-de-paiz of Saint Cernin. The little girl was seated behind her father in one of the foremost rows, and, as the bear passed, childlike she held out her hands playfully towards the brute, with no thought of danger. Suddenly the bear turned, stretched out one of its paws, seized the curly head in its claws, and tore away a mass of golden h»ir still attached to the bleeding scalp. The condition of little Jeanne is very grave, although the doctors hope to save her, Meantime M. Buskoff has been directed to see that this bear has no further opportunity to gratify his surly proclivities. II SAMSON." A VISIT TO "THB STRONGEST MAN ON EARTH. There are many Delilahs but only one Samson and he is performing at the Royal Aquarium at present, where his feats of strength are certainly of an original and marvellous character. The specta. tor as he watches feels that it is better to be friendly with such a man; with a blow of his fist he breaks an iron chain that will bear a pressure of 3,000 lbs. With his two hands grasping a short chain, of 2,500 lbs. ascertained pressure, he makes a momentary effort and pulls the iron chain to bits and in what seems the most beautiful teat-namely, fastening two tight iron chain bracelets or armlets round bis biceps—the spectator may view the pro- cess from beginning to end. One hears the strong man take a long breath, sees the muscles of his arm growing bigger and bigger, the cords of his neck swelling with sustained effort, his face crim- softing, and then, in tie silence, those nearest the stage can hear a curious little sundering snap; it is the double chain armlet that hai broken, and that the next second falls ringing to the floor. When Samoa's fist is clenched and he is ready to strike, the measurement of his upper arm round biceps and triceps is 19! in., which, we may casually remark, is considered a tolerable waist for a young lady. Among some of his minor feats-if such displays can be called minor—Samson took a penny piece from one of the audience, and at one trial bent it with his fingers as one may bend a railway ticket, held it up to view for a second, and then deliberately broke it in half and returned the pieces to the owner. A very little practice will convince amateurs of the hopelessness of breaking pennies with finger and thumb. The strong man next bent a four-foot iron gaspipe round his neck and cheer- fully straigtened it again by repeated blows on his left arm, such arm being for the nonce a species of anvil. Fourteen men came upon the stage, by invitation, to pull against him but Samson, not deeming them enough, or sizing up their athletic capabilities with a professional eye, expressed a wish for four more. These men he divided into nine a-side, the two sides nearly the width of a man's stretch apart, and each side being provided with and grasping a strong and lengthy iron rod. Before placing himself between them, Samson stimulated their ardour by promising.8100 to them if he failed to move them, and apparently there was a grateful determination on the men's faces to win the pour-boire. Then there was a short sharp struggle the men held their ground for a brief space, were pulled together, and the next moment thrust apart, and finally, swaying as they went, were carried away by the intensity of one straining man in their midst. Samson is a man of thirty-one, of French origin, a native of Alsace-Lorraine. He comes to us from America, and this is his first appearance in England. At fifteen years of age he entered the Circus Ranz as an athlete, and pulled against horses and elephants; at eighteen be commenced to wrestle; and from that time till the present he has left untried no means whereby he can maintain, j train, and develop his extraordinary strength.

TRADE REPORT. During the past week the shipments of steam coal from Cardiff have been considerably below the average. A circumstance which in some measure may be accounted for by the fact that work at the collieries was very irregular up to Thursday morning. Since then business has resumed its normal condition, but the demand for our leading staple on Friday and Saturday was hardly up to the expectations of the colliery proprietors. Buyers and sellers alike, however, appear to the regard of the lull as one of a tem- porary nature, and as a consequence the old prices are still quoted firmly. In the fuel trade there is considerable activity, and most of the local manufacturers are well supplied with orders. The market for this commodity continues firui Steam Coal. -As foreshadowed above, the market for steam coal Saturday was inclined to be sluggish, and the inquiries for all qualities were unquestionably below the average. Prices, however, were practically unaltered, the follow- ing being the ruling quotations Best coals 13s to 14s. secondary sorts 12s 3d to 12s 6d. Monmouthshire lis 3d to lis 6d, and small steam 6s 9d to 7s. Hottse Coal.-The sales of bituminous coal to- were very limited. No. 2 Rhondda was selling at 9s 6d to ICe, and No 3 at 118 6d, small of the latter quality being scarce at 9s 6d. Patent Fuel. —The patent fuel market con- tinues healthy, and last prices are well main- tained. Coke.-Makers of this staple are very busy and both foundry and furnace cokes are still in strong request at 20s and 19s respectively, with every indication of a further advance in the near future. Pit wood. -The demand for this commodity is now equal to the supply. To-day good wood was firmly quoted at 17s 6d to 17s 9d. Manufactured It-on and Stetl. -The general condition of the finished iron and steel trades is very satisfactory. All the local works are well employed, and prices have an upward tendency. The following are the latest quotations Welsh • bars, £ 65. k>.£6 10s; sheet iron (singles), F,8 10s ^to £ 9f.o.t. at works steel rails, heavy sections, 5 to 10s light sections, 96 5a to £ 6 10s f.o.t.; steel sheets (singles), £9 10s, to XlO Bessemer steef tin-plate blooms, JE4 12t 6d to fA 15s tin-plate Jbars, £5 to E5 10s Siemens best tin-plate bars, £5 7s 6d to 25 10s. Freights.-In the outward freight market steam chartering was moderately active, and a good all round business was effected. Rates for the Sicilian, Italian, Egyptian, and Black Sea ports ruled firm. Spanish and Gibraltar freights were quiet. Quotations for the French Bay ports were also quiet, and there was no change in Eastern and Western freights. Homeward rates from Decido, Povena, Salto Cabello, and Bilbao ruled firm, wfth a good inquiry for steamers to load for Cardiff, Newport, and the other South Wales ports. There was also an improved inquiry for tonnage to load at Carth- agena and Huelva for East and West Coast ports U.K. In the sail market there was a steady inquiry for tonnage to load for South American ports, Monte Video. Rio de Janeiro, and the Brazils, and for those directions rates ruled firm. TIN;—A quiet and uneventful market has ruled in this metal during the week, and a few words will suffice to record the transactions. On Friday, the 4th inst., the market was more or less neglected, the few transactions that were done being upon the baiis of £ 89. 7s. 6d. to £ 89 12s. 6d. cash, and 289 12s. 6d. to 290 three months. On Tuesday morning Straits developed a weakness, from which they did not recover all the day, and only a limited businel's was done. Cash nominally ruled at B89 to £ 89 15s., and three months were not dealt in to a recordable extent. The weakness contined throughout the next day (Wednesday), and sellers were rather disposed to let their warrants go at jE83 15s. to JE89 cash, and about 12s. 6d. to 15s. more three months but as these rates business was hardly better than nominal. On Thursday morning warrants were sold for cash at 288 12s. 6d. to 288 15s., and for three months at 989 5s. to 289 10s. During the afternoon sellers were rather disposed to let their parcels go at £88 15s. cash, but buyers were not anxious to secure the warrants, and business was therefore limited. Australian rules at J688 17s. 6d. to 10s. better three months. TINPLATES. London. — There is a somewhat better inquiry, and buyers have been less disin- clined to place orders at makers' rates. Taking advantage of this movement, slight and relatively unimportant as it is, makers have raised their quotations to 13s. 3d. to 13s. 9d. per box for 1. C's Live i-I)ool. -There is a wonderful revival of inter- est in the tinplate trade this week. Not only have the inquiries become very numerous, but orders and offers are also brisk. These, however, are not up to sellers' limits yet, though they are in advance of what buyers have been offering for many weeks past. Tinplates and terneplates seem to be making a new move upwards, and buyers are inclined to pay for their actual requirments. They are some unusually clever people who still boast that they can buyer cheaper now, when plates are actually on the rise, than they have ever done during the past period of depression. There are some well-assorted specifications of both Bessemer and Siemens steel plates in the coke-tin grade, and these make up good round numbers as to totals. The coke and charcoal tinplates and terneplates are also looking up. Prices are Coke tini and Bessemer-steel cokes, 13s. to 13s. 9d. and 13s. 6d. I.O. Welsh shipping ports; wasters, lis. 6d. to lis. 9d. and 12s. Siemens-steel cokes, 13.. 6d. to 13s. 9d. and 14s.; wasters, 12s. and 12s. 34. to 12s. 6d. charcoal tins, 14s. to 15s. 6d. and 16s. to 17s. best charcoals, 17s. 6d. to 18s. 6d. and 20s. I.C. terneplates, 24s. and 25s. to 26s. and 27s. to 28s.; terne wasters, 22s. and 23s. to 24s., all delivered Wales. Lead is being offered less freely, and neces-1 sarily values are stiff, at £ 12 10s. to £ 12 10s. 6d. | for foreign, and 2s. 6d. more for English. MAKE AND SHIPMENT OF TINPLATB. The Swansea Harbour Trustees have furnished the following official return of tinplates received from the makers, works, and shipped and held in stock Week ending Last Corresponding Aug. 2,1889. week. week last year. Boxes. Boxes. Hoxes. Received. 43,716 54,555 54120 Shipped. 27,306 59,741 46,244 In Stock. 144,554 128,144 74,004

Truth has the following U I announced several months ago that a marriage would pro- bably take place between Princess Victoria of Wales and the Hereditary Prince of Hohenlobe- Langenburg, and I now hear that their engage- ment is practically settled." A French showman, finding business rather dull, determined to provide his patrons with a new sen- sation. For this purpose he pitched and tarred his wife, then covered her with skin and hair, and passed her off as the Woman panther." The spec- tacle drew in the Paris fairs, but the lady at length mutinied against her brutal lord and master, refused to perform any more as a wild beast, was duly whopped by her drunken tyrant for her dis- obedience, and now, as a last resource, has appealed to the law for protection. Humane people will be glad to learn that the proper authorities are making inquiries into her dolorous case. THE UNEMPLOYED IN EAST LONDON.—At a time when much thought is being given to this matter a practical suggestion may be of service. Last year more than X300,000 worth of foreign matches were purchased by inconsiderate consumers in the country, to the great injury of our own working people, so true is it that evil is wrought by want of thought, as well as want of heart-" If all con- sumers would purchase Bryant and May's matches that firm would be enabled to pay £ 1,000 a week more in wages. HUMAN Lirz.-Fifty years' record of Facts, Principles, and Discoveries relating to the Original and TRUE TREATMENT of Disease, and the preser- vation of Human Life on Earth. By Dr. Samuel Birley, M.D., Ph.D.; author of "Patriarchal Longevity Reattainable," "Eaith-Life," &c., &c. A series cf most valuable articles in 52-paged books, containing Diet Rules—what to eat and what to avoid in various complaints, together with other nseful and valuable information. Invaluable to every Sufferer. Sound and Practical. Write, to-day for, presentation copy from the publishers, Messrs Gordon Murray and Co., 48, Theobald's Road, Holborn, London, W.C. I

THE TITHE BILL. th JwoSbv nii?T nofchi"g more than simplify be recovered anH m!* acknowIedged debt can recovered, and the opposition offered to it is j ust as irrational as if a proposal to enable gro2.il to recover money owed to them were rented because it did nothing to bring down the price of currants It is a matter of8 public polfcyThat men who refuse to pay their debts should be made to pay them with a minimum of annoyance either to the creditor or to the debtor. 1 he law of distraint or tithe offends against both aspect of this condition. It takes the money owed fn a form which is highly inconvenient alike to him who has to pay it and to him who has to receive \i> ,The.on^ re.ason ^hy the Welsh farmers wish the law to remain as it is is their belief that if it is not altered it will become more and more inoperative. To put it more plainly, they think that by retaining the cumbrous machinery of distraint they will be enabled to cheat their 1 instructions moved on Monday nfJL f '? led to 8erve as drapery to tbis oSht t ,cont|ion» 'hat the burden Undlord from the •" th« landlord, and that the question cannot be Der- Son^bSth hi tL°n TJ ba8is °.ther than redemp- tion—both in themselves very just contentions- had no other meaning. The utmost that can be done at the end of a session is to rescue the Welsh clergy from a portion in which they have Uli&i0 c!1008e1^between provoking a riot or sub- X™ ? £ • ?hbe7-. A»y attempt to do more than this in August is really prompted by a wish to do less. At this time of year it is not wonder- ful that the Government majorities should be thl l!im« i thl8„ca8e wiI1 be useful to study lilts M figure8 in the <U™»on •••* '•»

THE EGYPTIAN QUESTION. lr,^r?„C"on did not go at .11 beyond the truth in what he said on Monday about the Ena- Ll £ t°SapaV°n ?' Jt h" been • vS great advantage to the inhabitants, and it would be a stiH greater advantage if its continuance had iTh^ h! "U^J ,°-f no Ple<*g«. Unfortunately it has been the subject of very distinct pledges. We are bound to leave Egypt so soon as Egypt is able to run alone. Whether under her piLnt Government she is ever likely to satisfy this condition is a point on which different opinions n pn,Ta!ined' but 1° ,on« aa ifc un- certain England can only go on upon the haiid- TnTn Vr'k011 wlJIc.h 8h« ia Present acting. To repudiate her self-impesed limitation would J1!? continuity which .could only be justified by the appearance of some over- mastering necessity.

THE IRISH VOTES. The arrangement by which the Xrish Constabulary votes are left to the middle of August is not very intelligible. When the session is still young it is easy for the Nationalist members to raise debates on the administration of Ireland. When the majority of the House is anxious to get away grievances that have no foundation do not so readily find an audience. f morf of tb,a 13 that Irish votes should be taken earjy henever they are taken they will be obstinately resisted, and in August they wirS7 aVXCU8e which would otherwise be wanting for renewed denunciations of Mr Balfour a unexampled brutality. On Tuesday, on Wednesday, on Thursday, on Friday this familar theme was handled with the usual want of reason. It seems strange that even Mr E. Harrington should not see that so long as the resident magistrates Mr Balfour was defending believed that the police had been described as "uniformed bloodhounds it made no difference to Mr Balfour's argument whether that particular epithet had ever been employed. Considering how these four days were spent there is some ground for contentment in the fact that 5 Drainage Bill was read a third time.

THE MAYBRICK TRIAL. It is not, however, to politics that the interest of the public has this week been given. The pro- longed trial of Mrs Maybrick for the murder of her husband has been followed by a prompt con- demnation, and this has in turn evoked a singularly loud protest from that large class of persons which is not quite clear whether anybody ought to be hanged, and is sure that a young and pretty woman, who is also the heroine of an adulterous intrigue, ought, at all events, to be saved from such a fate. The strange thing about this excitement ,s that it has carried away some people who ought to know better. What is the use of haying Judges and juries if their functions are to be usurped by the man in the street when- ever the result of a trial does not square with the popular fancy ? Not to have heard the evidence does not constitute a paramount qualification for discovering the truth, but such as it is it is usually the only one possessed by this outside court of appeal. It is a gratuitous and mischiev- ous addition to the responsibility of the Home Secretary in capital cases that he should be thus oesieged. His only proper advisers in the matter are the Judge who tried the case and such other experts, legal or medical, as he may think fit to consult. Mr Matthews has already shown praise- worthy firmness in dealing with clamour of this kind and we do not doubt that he will not allow it to affect his decision either way. But though in this sense it may be true that the outcry which now fills the newspaper, does no harm, it might do a great deal of harm with a weaker Home Secretary. 1

THE NAVAL MANOEUVRES. • Tk 6 are *lready bearing fruit UI MUI, ?!. Places in our arfnaments. As yet all that has been proved is that the means of defence we have are not always aa good as they were thought tob*. Before the manoeuvre are over we shall probably discover :that the means of defence we have are by no means all that we ought to have. It is worthy of note that all who take part in these operations, whether on sea or on land, seem far more impressed with their reality than is the case with military ma?fU,V.T- explanation probably is that an iinglishman does believe that an enemy may try to land an army, but that he does not really believe that an army will ever be landed. If his conviction on the former point is allowed to have the proper influence on the naval estimates we need not quarrel with his scepticism on the latter.

GENERAL BOULANGER'S CASE. The trial of General Boulanger has at last begun, and the Procureur-Gánéral has opened the case for the prosecution in a speech which seems to have carrid conviction to all the General's enemies. If the record of the accused weie setter than it is he would be more likely to suffer from M. de Beaurepaire's attack. But the malcontents who have made General Boulanger their champion have not done so from any belief in his pretensions or reverence for his character. With few exceptions they avowedly regard him as an instrument that has unexpectedly presented itself for a particular work-a work which, with. out that instrument, might have remained undone some time longer. That is not a temper of mind in which men are apt to be critical. The indifference to General Boulanger's demerits which so shocks M. de Blowitz has its origin ia the conviction that as soon as he has answered a particular purpose he will be thrown alide. Whether this conviction is well founded is another question, but those whom it animates are not likely to be discomposed by the question how they ean tolerate the prospect of seeing General Boulanger master of France. They have two whaTthi 5 °"e of which sufficient for what they want. One is that they do not mean to leave him master of France the other is that even if they exaggerate their power of putting him on one side he will at least make a better master than the men now in power The Guardian.

COLMAN'S SINAPISM. The improved Mustard Plaster. -Certain in effect, safe for young children and persons of delicate skin ready for use at any moment; does not scorch or blister, and is perfectly cleanly. Of all Chemists and Grocers. Wholesale of J. & J Colman, 108, Cannon Street, London.