The incredible-looking story of the Bristol conspiracy, which is told
under the head of " Provinces," proves not to be unfounded after all : the site of Chatterton's forgeries suggested the suspicion that this tale was a forgery itself; but it seems the genius loci inspired, not the narrator, but the heroine. The conspirators, Ann Briers and Mary Ann Morgan, the sister-in-law and wife, were yesterday brought before the Magistrate at Union Hall ; and the victim, Mr. John Wooley, appeared to prosecute his sister-in-law for felony and his
wife for forgery. He restated the main facts of the case ; with the addition that Miss Briers once obtained 201. from him, and that the name of the lady whom he supposed himself to have mar- ried was Louisa Poole King. The fictitious Miss King could not 'write; but that difficulty was none to the fertile invention of Miss Briers: when the bride had to sign her name at the marriage, she was of course " agitated," so much so that it was necessary for Miss Briers to guide her hand. After the elopement of the ladies, he met them in the City, and gave them into custody. He supposed another woman at Bristol, named Allen, to be implicated in the conspiracy. The pri- soners were remanded, without throwing any farther light on the mo- tives of the chief conspirator or Mr. Wooley's most extraordinary readiness to be deceived.
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