Alderman Lawrence has committed one Seth Seymour for trial, on
a charge of sending up to Newgate-market for sale the carcases of seven sheep unfit for human food. The striking part of the case was that Mr. Seymour is held to be, at Wimborne, in Dorsetshire, a highly respectable man, "very much esteemed," by the clergymen, and by his landlord, Sir Ivor Guest. He pleaded ignorance, or rather his counsel said there was no evidence to prove that Seymour knew the carcases to have been unfit. The magistrate thought otherwise.
Two instances of female heroism are reported this week. A ser- vant girl, living near Birmingham, on her way home, overheard some burglars planning a robbery on the house of her mistress. Getting home by a short cat, she allowed the ladies of the house to go to bed, and then prepared to defend the house. At the main entrance she arranged a series of heavy articles so that they would fall if the door were forced, and taking a loaded double-barrelled gun, watched for the robbers. They came, broke open the door, and were received by the awful clatter of falling furniture, the ringing of bells, and the discharge of firearms. Of course they fled. The other case is that of a lady, Miss Driffield, an invalid left alone in a house on Sunday. Hearing a noise she went up-stairs, and found a robber who demanded money. When she refused to give any or tell him where it was, he beat her until she was senseless. Recovering consciousness she saw the thief forcing a box and taking money, and she screamed, where- upon he knocked her down and set out to find a razor. During his absence Miss Driffield hid the bulk of the property between the mat- tress and the bed. Entering the room with the razor in his hand, and having caught hold of her by the hair of her head, he demanded where the money was gone, declaring most solemnly that he would either have her money or her life. She replied that she did not care, for she would not tell. He then placed the razor to her throat, and made a slight incision. Just at that moment a noise was heard below which alarmed the robber, and, after uttering a curse, he started away, threw the razor at Miss Driffield, and decamped imme- diately, taking with him the sum of 251., but leaving a much larger sum behind. The alarm was the voice of a man crying "Hallos., what are you doing there ?" But this was not addressed to the robber but to a child in the neighbouring premises !
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