Spirit Pelting
[In the Northampton Petty Sessions] Scarcely had she [the last complainant] made her exit, when another good lady entered with a fair haired little girl, and besought their Worships’ advice under the following mysterious circumstances: – For some time past, the pebbles in Wellington-street have taken to flying about in a manner equally marvellous and inconvenient. They seemed, too, most unfortunately, to start generally from the good lady’s premises, although it was quite impossible that could really be the case, seeing that her husband had sent one of the children, upon whom the suspicion of the neighbours rested, away to a distance.
Nevertheless, the pebble pelting continued, and she was exposed to the most annoying imputations by the neighbours, who were so excited on one occasion, that they assembled to the number of a hundred and fifty about her house. But the most annoying person of all was Mrs Shipton, who was really unbearable, adn would insist upon laying the pebble pelting at her door, though the name seemed to involve Mrs Shipton herself.
The Worships’ could offer no advice on the subject, but thought if the neighbours applied themselves to the elucidationof the phenomenon with as much energy as they seemed to apply to quarrelling among each other, the spirit pelter might be detected.
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The Spirit Pelting.
Mrs Wilcox and her fair haired little girl came again before their Worships this morning, to inform them that she had acted on the hint of the magistrates, and had applied herself to watching the bombardment of her neighbour Mrs Orton’s door by at least half a gallon of the Wellington-street pebbles. The result was the discovery that the pelters were no other than Miss and Master Orton. The Mayor sent Police Sergeant Cornwall as special ambassador to Wellington-street, with power to represent the neighbours, and the Ortons and the Shiptons in particular, the consequences of the apparent conspiracy against Mrs Wilcox’s peace and reputation.
Northampton Mercury, 4th November 1854.