EXTRAORDINARY ADVENTURES IN LONDON.

New Zealand Times, Volume XXX, Issue 4519, 14 September 1875, Page 3

EXTRAORDINARY ADVENTURES IN LONDON.

(From the Glasgow Mail.) A correspondent for whose truthfulness we can vouch sends us the following narrative of the almost fatal adventure of a Glasgow gentleman in the metropolis. Mr. E. arrived in London on a Saturday morning, and took up his quarters in a well-known Scotch hotel in the city. His quiet style of living may be gathered from the fact that in the interval between his arrival and the Wednesday following he had spent a day in the Crystal Palace, inspected Westminster Abbey, St. Paul’s, the Mansion House, the Bank, and attended a sitting of the House of Commons. On Thursday he repaired to Kensington Museum, and in leisurely strolling through the place he stopped before a picture which attracted his attention. A gentleman, with a distinctly nasal twang, and having all the appearance of an American citizen, sauntered up and made a remark upon the picture, which Mr. E civilly answered, and this led to a very short conversation about the surroundings, as it was but natural it should do. As they were standing speaking a young gentleman came past, and in passing pulled out his handkerchief to wipe his face. In doing so his pocket-book was drawn from his pocket and fell at the feet of Mr. E , and the American opening it displayed a roll of bank notes. Its owner passed on without observing what had occurred, but the American hailed him promptly, calling his attention to the dropped pocket-book. The young man come hastily back and eagerly gathered up the book and the notes, carefully examining the latter to see that they .were all right, apparently greatly relieved to find that nothing was amissing, and looking a little excited at the narrow escape he had from losing so much money. He thanked the American very heartily for his kindness, and said that while it would be an insult to offer a money reward, still, as ho was just going to have dinner himself, he would only be too glad if the Yankee and his friend (meaning Mr. E ) would come and have dinner along with him at an adjoining restaurant. The offer was resisted for a little, it being at the same time explained that Mr. E and the American had only met for the first time a minute or so before ; but the young gentleman would take no denial, urging the fact that as he himself was an Englishman (up from Yarmouth on a trip to London), Mr. E , a Scotchman, and the other an American, and all on the same errand, it would be rather a pleasant thing for them to enjoy a social meal together. His invitation was accepted, and the three adjourned to the place indicated, where a good dinner was enjoyed, which the Englishman paid for - . On leaving the place Mr. E , who did not like the idea of dining at the young gentleman's expense without giving anything in return, invited his two companions to go east with him and have tea at the hotel at which he was staying, and at his expense ; which was frankly accepted, and thither they sallied. Mr. R took them into the public room, where, during tea, their vivacity and entertaining conversation attracted considerable attention. They seemed intelligent gentlemen, fully answering in their whole conduct to the account they had given of themselves. After tea they went into the smoking room to enjoy a cigar, and while there the young Englishman said that his father had sent him up a box with some fruit, and a bottle of champagne, suggesting, at the same time, that as they had enjoyed each other’s company so much they might spend the remainder of the evening at his lodgings out at Krrightsbridge in discussing the contents . of the box. The waiter was at once instructed to call a cab, and on reaching the street Mr. E found a hansom at the door, into which he and the American got, while the Englishman gave the driver his instructions. So intent was Mr. E on the conversation in which he was engaged with the Yankee that he did not hear the address which was given ; and when the Englishman jumped in he seated himself with a laugh on Mr. E.’s knee, saying that it was a mistake in the waiter to call a two-wheeler for three ; and by this means Mr. E was prevented, as well as by the unceasing talk that was kept up, from remarking the way they went. After a good long drive, the hansom, drew up before the door of a fine house in the West End, where they all got out, and the door being opened at the Englishman’s summons, they were shown into a well-furnished and exceedingly handsome room on the ground floor. Agreeably to promise, the fruit was produced, discussed, and praised, and then the Englishman opened the piano and rattled off a song in excellent style. The bottle of champagne was then produced, and while it was being opened Mr. E was requested to favor the others with a song, which, being an excellent musician, he was not the least reluctant to do. On rising from the piano he found his glass filled, and, pledging the health of his companions, he drank it off. It was scarcely over ere ho felt that there was something wrong. A strange feeling in his throat and a confusion creeping over his senses told him that he had been bo cussed. He started up and looked at the Yankee, over whose features an almost pitiful expression had come; the door had opened, and a woman, evidently the servant, but also an accomplice, for whom the Englishman had rung the moment before, stood in the doorway with the look in her hand, and intently regarding him; while the Englishman sat eyeing Mr. E with the most sardonic look imaginable upon his countenance. He seized the champagne bottle with the intention of hurling it at the Englishman’s head, but before he could fulfil his purpose he dropped senseless on the floor. When he dropped it was still broad daylight; and when he came to himself it was daylight too; but it was eight o’clock on the following morning, and he was lying on a stretcher in the Paddington Police Office, with a surgeon beside him, who had been actively engaged in restoring him to consciousness. He learned that he had been found by the police on a sent in St. James' Park that morning in an unconscious state, and the surgeon said he had been so heavily drugged that he almost despaired of reviving him a<*ain, and that he was as nearly dead as ever he would bo till he actually expired. On recovering he found that all the money he had had on him (£10) was gone, as well as his watch and chain, and his return railway ticket. Although still very ill, he insisted on going with a detective through the pawnshops, and the watch and chain were found, but it was impossible to got any trace of the pledger. On returning to liis hotel he inquired of the waiter where he had got the machine from, and was chagrined to find that the handsom had not been got from the cabstand, but was a stray one which had been passing as the waiter went to look for one, so that all hope of obtaining a clue in this direction was at an end. During the day a letter came to the hotel for him, and on opening it ho found it to contain the half of his return ticket; but that was the last he heard of the fellows, although he waited in London for some days try ingby every means in his power to discover them. Duringthemanyhours they were together there was not a single act which could have suggested to Mr. E that the two had ever seen each other before, while the nasal Yankee twang and the Yarmouth accent were kept up to the very last. It was more than a week before he got over the morphia which had been given him ; but it will bo much longer ere he forgets tho terrible moment when, he felt that he had been drugged and saw the evil eyes of his de-

luders watching the effects of the poison they had given him. Such was Mr. E ’s adventure in London, and there is little doubt that many of the mysterious findings of dead bodies, which are now and again chronicled in the London papers, and which the police fail to trace the cause of, are attributable to circumstances very similar to those under which Mr. E lost his money.