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SHAMEFUL INTIMIDATION OF AN OLD GENTLEMAN.

At the Westminster Police Office, in the course of an organ-grinding
nuisance case, there was read, according to the reports, a threatening
letter; which, as the following copy of it will show, was of a very
dangerous character. It was stated to have been addressed to "an aged
invalid gentleman;" who, we presume, had disobliged the writers by
growling at them and sending them away:--

"SIGNOR RUSSELL,--You are one very great vicked ole man. You are one
very rechted miserable man. Why you wil hart the pore horgan man
that trys to get a honnest living, for you have plenty yourself
money? Why you stop the poor horgan man to get a little money? You
are a very ole feeble man, and cannot life much longer. When you die
where will your guilty sole go to? You have no charity for the poor
horgan man; what charity will God have for you in the next world?
What mercy will he have for you? He will be as hard to you in the
next world as you are to the poor man in this. You will go to
purgatory and stop for ever and ever, if you do not repent of your
vickidnys, you brown breeched, blue coated, brite button ole
scarecrow; now, in conclusion, three or four of us true sons of
Italy have sworn by the HOLY VIRGIN to make of you rite over upon
the top of your own dore-steps one fritefullest tomartyr.

"Sined,
"ANTONIO G.
"GUIDO R.
"JUAN B."

The report further states that opposite the names were three daggers;
but from the theological views apparent on the face of the document, we
imagine that the daggers were merely the sort of index which his
Eminence CARDINAL WISEMAN is in the habit of prefixing to his signature.

MR. BRODERIP, we are told, read this letter, "which created much
laughter." Of that convulsive affection, however, happily nobody died;
so that the communication was simply dangerous--not actually fatal to
the hearers. To the original recipient, however, it seems to have been
productive of consequences seriously alarming, as it, "had put him into
such a state of bodily fear that he was nearly dead."

We have read of people who saw their own ghosts; which rather frightened
them. SIGNOR RUSSELL, perhaps, was in some degree terrified by his own
phantom, raised by the Italian organ-grinders--the apparition of himself
in brown breeches, blue coat, and brass buttons. However, besides being