A CAEEEE OF CEIME.

Thames Star, Volume XII, Issue 3779, 7 February 1881, Page 3

A CAEEEE OF CEIME.

Bjr the execution of William Joseph Dißtin, in Bristol, the State may be said to ha7e abandoned in despair all attempts to reclaim an irreclaimable criminal. The Bristol murderer was one of that numerous class, " the failures of society." Four-

teen years ago be made his first appear--ance before the magistrates on a charge of violently assaulting his own father, and > the three months' hard labour to which he v?as sentenced appears to have kept him in order for three"ypars. .In 1869 he was fined for being drunk; In the next year he\attempted suicide,,but failed. After another three years' absence, his appearances at the Police Conrt began to, be more frequent. In 1872 be was twice " drunk arid disorderly ; " in 1873 be was 4 times up for assaulting the police when drunk, and on two of these xccasions he was also charged with assaulting his + mother. In 1874 he was sentenced to Lard labor for assaulting his sister Emily ; and in 1876 to a similar term of pv&ishinent for assaulting bis sister Eosa. In 1877 he took to stealing, but this

apparently was his only theft. For nearly ' eighteen months after his release he kept out of, the hands of tlje police, but in December, 1879, he broke loose ag^in. After twice being drunk and disorderly he stabbed his paramour in the face in June, and was. sentenced to three months' bard labor. Almost immediately after his - release be went back to bis mistress and murdered her: After having been sent to ' gaol thirteen times, without being improved by the process, be has at last been hanged. He will trouble the police no more, but the confession of failure involved in resorting to such a resource, is none the less humiliating on that account -rPall Mall Gazette.

•; Tso-Tsung-Tang, the conqueror of the Taepings arid of the rebels of Turkestan, commander-in chief of all the troops on both sides of the great wall, seems to be a sort of Chinese Bismarck, with differences. So we infer from the account given at an interview with him by the Austrian Count Szechenyi, who, it may be remembered, was foiled in his attempt

to enter Tibet about the same time as * Prejevalsky. Tso, he describes as a small fat, jovial fellow of sixty-seven years; _isiieatureß are coarse, but his small eyes sparkle with malice, and are never still. He is'the son of poor parents, and has risen solely "by merit.. He knows the extent of his authority, and_ brooks no contradiction. Tnis in, China is the secret of maintaining oneself in a high position. Friendship, esteem, confidence are useless and even hurtful sentiments. Yet Tso has the reputation of being honest and up- • right. Hehas the command of large sums of the money, but saves nothing. c ; lives inthe greatest simplicity ; his clothes are old and worn. He employs his large salary in buying. -Erupp* guns for his country. But he is cruelly severe, even ferocious. He "is ;raarried, but hates women; he sent his wife home to her parents long ago. He watches the conduct of his soldiers with extreme rigor, and has interdicted their^ using opium ;<_ndei'the severesfcrpenalties^ His executioner is always within call. . Speaking of arms he declares that those of German-

manu&cture are the best, English and American guns very bad. He showed a needle-gun manufactured at Sou-Tchou < arsenal, -which Szechenyi declared was ■'■' rery satisfactory. Ah account by another writer; states'that in reforming abuses 11 he drives like Jehu," and that the people not Qnly fear but honor him. He is evidently'bent on stamping put opium. " '■''''.'.'. It ia said that, during the coming winter .WpnderfttLsatinSjare to be worn in New \, SjoEk,; & oejiiebrated dry.goods establish--meat in that-city is already;displaying a" ■■; satin costing £12 per yard, which i 3 thus • described: —''Jmagine a ground of the - softest, creamiest satin, c vered with clusters of huge Jlowers, embroidered in pearls ; here and there, where the leaves turn or the flowers hide the petal, there is a transient shimmer of gold, just a .shading, as it were, of fine gold embroidery. Every incb. of the ornamentation is done by hand, and the effect is exquisite." The material of a modern, dress made from this satin costs £300. A Freßch chemist is said to have condensed the body of his wife into ih« space of an ordinary seal, and had her roughly polished aud set in a ring. He made a nice income by betting with lapidaries and others that they could not tell the material of the set in three guesses, and, after pocketing the money, would burst into tears, and say, "It is my dear, dear * wife. I wear her' on my finger to keep alire pleasant remembrance of her."