64 The PytcJiley Hunt, Past and Present, [chap. h. 



his capacity of a magistrate, cannot fail to interest tlie 

 reader of these pages. 



A deserter from the 68th Regiment then stationed at 

 Canterbury, Henry Couch, on the false pretence of being 

 on furlough and unable to reach his home from having 

 been robbed of his money, induced Mr. L. Smith to 

 advance him ten shillings. Discovering the imposition, 

 the police were speedily on the track of the rogue 

 militant, who, ere many days had elapsed, found] himself 

 an occupant of a cell in Northampton gaol, on a charge 

 of defrauding the Rev. Loraine Smith of the sum of 

 ten shillings. A very short acquaintance with the new 

 comer was sufficient to show the governor of the gaol 

 that he had got hold of a " character," and that he was 

 not entertaining " an angel unawares." Whilst awaiting 

 his trial, Couch helped to pass away the time by writing 

 letters to the Rector of Passenham for pecuniary assist- 

 ance for his defence at the Quarter Sessions. These 

 letters, being without parallel in the annals of corre- 

 spondence, are here given for the amusement of the 

 reader, who will not fail to observe that each letter is 

 headed with a text from Scripture. 



To account for a cleverness and a language that seem 

 inexplicable coming from a common soldier, it must be 

 stated that he had been in some way connected with the 

 press, and so was a man of good education, as well as of 

 unusual natural abilities. 



Letter No. 2. 

 " Now therefore there is utterly a fault among you, 

 because ye go to law one with another. Why do ye 

 not rather suffer yourselves to be defrauded ? " — 

 1 Cor. vi. 7. 



