EXTRAORDINARY CONSPIRACY.

New Zealand Colonist and Port Nicholson Advertiser, Volume I, Issue 63, 7 March 1843, Page 4

EXTRAORDINARY CONSPIRACY.

Bristol, Sept. 29. Bristol has been the scene of one of the most romantic incidents in real life which ever occurred, and of which a highly respectable merchant of this city has been unfortunately made the dupe. This affair has been made public in consequence of the gentleman (Mr. Wooley) having been charged before the magistrates with having conspired to defraud a goldsmith, of a lady s gold watch and chain. We therefore subjoin an accurate account of the facts of this most extraordinary conspiracy, of which a most respectable man has been made the dupe. Mr. Wooley has been, it appears, for the last five years a widower, and Miss Brvers, who is now about 22 years of age, and whom he has brought up and educated from the early age of eight years, resided with him in the New Cut. About six months since, Miss Bryers intimated to him that a lady whom she knew, and whose property was worth 47,000?., had accidentally seen him, and had on the instant fallen in love with him- - ; that she had striven long to conquer her passion but in vain ; that her declining health bore testimony to the intensity of the struggle ; and that, as a last resource, she had communicated her passion to her (Miss Bryers), with a view to her sounding her brother-in-law as to the state of his heart, with much more sufficiently nonsensical and absurd. Hearing this tale, Mr. Wooley, being of course, most anxious to know who the lady was, pressed Miss Bryers to inform him who the fair inamorata might he, and was at length told by her that she was Miss , a lady of the first family and respectability. Mr. Wooley, who had never seen the lady whose name was mentioned to him, oddly enough agreed to reciprocate the alleged affection, and pressed anxiously for an interview. To this Miss Bryers replied, that such a course was entirely out of the question, for should the relations of the lady arrive at the knowledge that such an acquaintance existed, they would immediately have her removed, her peace of mind would be ruined for ever, and Mr. Wooley’s chance of the 47,000?. would be destroyed. To mitigate the rigour of this sentence, however, a tender correspondence was fabricated and carried on in this lady’s name (who was all the while unconscious of even Mr. Wooley’s existence) through Miss Bryers, and in answer to one of these tender billets, Mr. Wooley pledged his honour not to seek an interview with the lady until it could be safely granted. The matter having been mentioned to some confidential friend by Mr. Wooley, it was suggested to him that he ought to be better assured of the truth of the affair, and that it might be a hoax. This insinuation was, however, indignantly met by Mr. Wooley, with the reply, “ Could they suppose that she whom he had brought up as his own child from the early age of eight years, whom he had ever treated in the most kind and indulgent manner, would attempt to or be a party to the playing off any trick upon him who might be considered as her father ?” His friend still remaining incredulous, Mr. Wooley said he would write a letter to Miss ,

it should be taken by Miss Bryers, and that to satisfy himself of her truth, a female, the wife of a person in his employment, should see whether she went to the house where the lady resided with it. This was done, and Miss Bryers was watched by the female to the door of Miss ’s house. Shortly afterwards some circumstances transpired from which he was again led to think that a trick was being played him and determined to make assurance doubly sure, he mentioned his suspicions to Miss Bryers, wrote a letter to Miss -, and proposed himself to accompany Miss Bryers to the door of the lady’s house, and to wait outside for an answer. Miss Bryers, nothing daunted, reproached him for entertaining the slightest suspicion, and said that she should be most happy to convince him, and that he had better at once write the letter, and they would walk together with it to the house in which the lady resided. This was accordingly done, and on reaching the house, Miss Bryers knocked at the door, and having ascertained that the lady was at home, sent in her card (both being personally wholly unknown), and desired Mr. Wooley to wait for her. She then with unparalleled effrontery introduced herself into the presence of the lady. Being requested to be seated, she apologized for her intrusion, but that being informed that Miss was very kind in administering relief and religious consolation to the poor, she had presumed to solicit her to visit a poor woman at a place in Cathay, which she named, to administer some relief to her mind. That the poor woman did not need pecuniary assistance, as she (Miss Bryers) had procured for her everything which was necessary. The lady replied, that it was true she was ever most happy to contribute to the relief of the suffering poor as far as possible, but that with respect to religious consolation, she thought the clergyman of the parish was the proper party to be applied to. Miss Bryers immediately acknowledged that this was the proper course, and having apolo-

gized for troubling Miss , requested to be allowed to write a note to the rev. gentleman soliciting his aid. This was, of course, acceded to, and Miss Bryers sat down to write the note, but instead of writing to the clergyman, she penned an amorous answer to Mr. Wooley’s letter, in the name of the lady in whose house and presence she was committing this wanton fraud. Having finished, and used a wafer instead of a seal, she wished the lady good morning, and having rejoined Mr. Wooley in the street, she triumphantly produced the note, still wet, told him Miss was much annoyed at his suspicions, and, in fact, completely convinced the too credulous Mr. Wooley that all things were proceeding rightly for his marriage with the lady. The correspondence continued uninterruptedly between the parties, and at length Miss Bryers, producing a very handsome ring with the initials of the lady engraved upon it, told him that she had sent it with the request that he would wear it for her sake. Things being in this state, it was arranged, on on this semi-fictitious correspondence, that 20,000?. of the lady’s property should be settled on herself, while the other portion should be at her husband’s disposal. A request was also made that they should exchange watches, and Miss Bryers produced a neat lady’s gold watch and chain, which the police reports show that, together with the ring, she had procured from Mr. Jones. Mr. Wooley was, of course, delighted, and immediately handed Miss Bryers a very valuable gold watch, &c., which he wore. Mr. Wooley then became most anxious for the lady to name the happy day, but Miss Bryers told him that before he married, as he had been a widower for some time, he ought to refurnish certain portions of his house in a style befitting the reception of a lady. This was, of course, agreed to. Miss Bryers was directed to select the necessary furniture, and on her handing in the various bills cash was given her to discharge them. At this period this artful young lady, in order to still further blind her too-credulous relative to her machinanations, requested him to accompany her to make a morning call upon lady of one of the first merchants, at her resldt_ v h(sb at Clifton, and told him that this lady was most intimate with Miss , and would no doubt induce her to immediately name the day. Mr. Wooley, accompanied her in the carriage to Clifton to the house of Mrs. ■ . When they arrived there, Miss Bryers persuaded him not to enter the house, but to remain in the carriage while she went in and spoke to Mrs. upon the subject, as they should not he able to converse freely in his presence. Miss Bryers then went into the house, and on being introduced to Mrs. whom she had not at all known preyiously, informed her that she had been taken suddenly ill at her door, &c. It is needless to say that the lady, of course, sympathised with her for her illness, and persuaded her to take a glass of wine, which might recover her. The artful girl did so, and took care to spill a portion of the wine on her cambric handkerchief; she then assured the lady of the house that she felt better, and having returned to the carriage told Mr. Wooley that she was sorry to have detained him so long, but that Mrs. had promised to go immediatly to Miss , and that she would make her have a glass of wine, and, “ Bless me,” added she, “ I declare I have spilt some of the wine over my handkerchief.” If any doubts whatever had remained in Mr. Wooley’s mind, he must have been more incredulous than the generality of men if he had any longer entertained the slightest suspicion, and accordingly he procured the license for their marriage in Redcliff church.

Bridal dresses and presents were prepared, bride-cake ordered, and every arrangement made for the performance of the ceremony; on the day preceding which, however, a strange series of events took place. In the afternoon of that day Mr. Wooley sent to the house of the Rev. Marcus D’Arcy Irvine, to request that gentleman to perform the ceremony on the ensuing morning. The rev. gentleman was, however, gone out to a dinner-party, and Mr. Wooley, the anxious bridegroom, sent again and again, at 6 o’clock, at 8 o’clock, and at 10 o’clock at night, before Mr. Irvine returned home, who then stated that he would perform the ceremony in the morning, but that it was a strange time of night to come to a clergyman about such an affair. In the meantime, the confectioner, who had orders to make the bridecake, happening to see one of the brothers of Miss , the circumstance was mentioned, to the utter astonishment of that gentleman, who immediately communicated the intelligence to his brother and Miss ; and, as was to be expected, finding that their sister had never seen Mr. Wooley, nor knew aught of the matter, they determined that a respectable man like Mr. Wooley should not be made the victim of so cruel a hoax. They, in the evening of the same day, went to his house, sent in their card, and desired to speak with him. Mr. Wooley was at home, but, being persuaded by Miss Bryers that they had found it out and were only come to stop the marriage, he had himself denied, and would not see them. These gentlemen, however, in the most praiseworthy manner, made another effort to undeceive him,

and wrote him two notes, desiring to see him at their counting-house on business of the utmost importance, at the earliest hour in the morning, and before he went any where else. These notes, however, together with their ©all, and the answer of the Rev. Mr. Irvine, only strengthened him in the opinion that their object was to prevent the marriage, and at. the persuasion of Miss Bryers hefelt convinced that they should be interrupted if they attempted to get married at St. Mary Redcliff Church, and that they had better get married near London. With, this view the sister-in-law was despatched to Miss , to inform her of this alteration, and make the necessary arrangements. This being done, Miss Bryers, in the most artful manner, informed Mr. Wooley the next day that, in consequence of the brother’s having found it out, there had been a great disturbance, and that Miss had left her home, and was then in the house, where she would remain until the day of their starting for London, but that no one must see her except Miss Bryers, not even the servant, as her character would be compromised if it should ever become known that she had been in his (Mr. Wooley’s) house before they were married. In order to favour this deception, Miss Bryers had procured the daughter of a neighbour who was kept upstairs by her, and requested to frequently walk about. “There,” said Miss Bryers, “don’t you hear her over head walkingabout, how agitated she must be, poor thing R’ Mr. Wooley pressed very hard to be allowed to see her, but this was still refused, and tender billets were passed by the hands of Miss Bryers, upstairs and down, almost every half hour; and at length, in compliance with his tender entreaties, the lady above stairs agreed that on his retiring to rest at night he might shake hands with her, bnt that he must not attempt to force his way into the room. Accordingly on going to bed at night a hand was put out through the door, and tenderly kissed by him, which hand it now turns out was that of his sister-in-law, Miss Bryers. On the fourth morning it was arranged that they should start for London, and the supposed Miss descended to the carriage thickly veiled, and accompanied by Mr. Wooley, Miss, Bryers, and a male friend of Mr. Wooley’s. They proceeded to Bath, where they dined at an hotel, Miss Bryers and the lady in one room, and Mr. Wooley and his male friend in another. The male friend then returned to Bristol, and the other parties proceeded to London, where a license was procured, and after the 14 days had transpired which by law they were compelled to remain, they were married, Miss Bryers officiating as bridesmaid, After the marriage they drove to the country, and visited the Isle of Wight, Southampton, &c., driving everywhere with four horses, and living in the first style to pass away the honeymoon, and on Monday last Mr. Wooley and his bride returned to Bristol. On the day after their arrival at home friends called, as is usual, to offer their congratulations. Amongst them was Mr. who, on seeing the lady, said, “Why, my dear Wooley, I thought you liad told me that you had married Miss——, of , sister to the Messrs. , African merchants ?”—“ So I have,” replied Mr. Wooley, “ this lady was Miss , she is now Mrs. Wooley.”—“ That lady ?” exclaimed the friend; “ she is no more Miss than I am.” The friend then departed, and Mr. Wooley immediately charged liis wife with what he had said. “ Indeed,” said the lady, “I’ll convince you and all the world in the morning that I was Miss to my brothers and bring away the deeds of my property, &c.,” Upon hearing this Mr. Wooley was re-assured, and everything passed off well until the morning, when the bride and Miss Bryers went out for the .purpose as stated by her the preceding evening. It is needless to say that they absconded, and have not since been heard of; and Mr. Wooley discovered, that instead of having married the rich MRs was, through the contrivance of Miss Bryers, married to a person not worth 47 pence. How the affair will end we know not; but it will doubtless furnish abundant occupation to the gentlemen of the long robe. Supposing the wife to be a party to the fraud, we should suppose that a marriage under such circumstances would not be valid. What were the reasons inducing Miss Bryers to play her brother-in-law such a trick remain a profound secret. It is right to state that the lady whose name was so unwarrantably made use of to deceive Mr. Wooley not only knew nothing of the transaction, but is a perfect Stranger to both Mr. Wooley and Miss Bryers. Chinese Barbarity.—An unfortunate seaman of the Cornwallis recently wandered into the hands of a party of Chinese villagers, who immediately cut off his knee-pans, made an incision round each wrist, and stripped the skin off the muscles, up to the elbows, and down each hand to the finger ends, leaving it dangling. In this condition the poor fellow was abandoned. On his being found, the village was destroyed by the boats of the ship. The man is alive and slowly recovering. Living in the World. —Living always in the world makes one as unfit for living out of it, as always living out of it does for living in it.— Walpole.