The Stourbridge Observer, Cradley Heath, Halesowen & District Chronicle.
Stourbridge, West Midlands, England, 1884-09-27 00:00:00

OPIUM SMUGGLING IN rnpu.

A good deal of ingenuity is displayed by opium
smugglers in the Central Provinces in running their
contraband goods. In one case which came before
the authorities last year, two and a half maunds of
foreign opium were discovered stowed away in the
saddles of two camels, and in another case five and
a half maunds of the same material was found packed
in vessels supposed to be full of oil. On examination
of these vessels it was discovered that a tube running
down the centre of each was filled with oil, the re-
maining portions of the vessels being packed with
opium. In both these cases the opium had been
brought from Holkar's territory, and the smugglers
were caught at Nimar whilst attempting to run it into
the Bombay Presidency. Despite the successful de-
tection of the offenders in these instances, it is daily
becoming a matter of greater difficulty to detect
opium smuggling. The well-to-do importers of con-
traband opium rarely attempt to run tho :drug in
person. They generally employ poor agents, such as
grass and wood cutters, who are not often suspected,
and to whom a period of imprisonment does not much
matter, their employer in the meantime helping their
families.—Times of India.

TIM CHINESE ENTERTAINMENT.—" Walk up, walk
up, ladies and gentlemen. Be in time! The
Chinese Military Council is just again' to Pekin.—
Moonshine.

A FRENCH gentleman claims toeharce diseavpred how
to foretell the weather by the raargter in which the
globules rise in one's coffee ifter the sugar /las been
put in. There are sonfe, howaver, who assert that
this gentleman has no (coffee) gronads for his state-
ments, and that they are indeed, all Mocha-rv.—
Fun.

THE DYNAMITE OUTRAGE IN
CUMBERLAND.

Patrick France, miner, Cleator Moor, was on Mon-
day brought up in custody at Whitehaven Police-
court charged with attempting to murder Mr. Thomas
Moffatt, mines manager, by an explosion of dynamite,
on the 30th of August last.
Mr. Lumb, who prosecuted on behalf of the Public
Prosecutor, said he would offer some evidence, and
then apply for a remand till that day week, when he
hoped to be able to go fully into the case.
Thomas Moffatt, mining manager for Mr. John
Stirling, said that he lived at Montreal House, Cleator
Moor. On the night of the 30th of August there was
a dynamite explosion at his house, which blew out
the kitchen window and all the windows in the house
facing Crossfield-road. Damage was also done
to furniture. He was certain the explosion
was caused by dynamite, for he had a knowledge
of dynamite and its effects from the time it was first
introduced. He knew the prisoner, who had worked
in Mr. Stirling's employ. .He had reason to give him
notice to leave the employment. At the time he got
notice prisoner asked what it was for. He declined
to give him any reason. Prisoner asked him if he
thought he was acting wisely. Prisoner spoke in a
malicious, threatening sort of way, and asked what
about the pistol shots (referring, it is thought, to the
shots fired at the Cleator Moor riots on July 12.)
Witness said to him, "These are matters I don't in-
tend to discuss."

In cross-examination by Mr. Atter, who appeared
for the prisoner, witness said that after the 12th of
July be dismissed seven or eight persons. He would
swear that he did not discharge fifty, and the men
discharged were not all of one religious persuasion.
Mr. Atter : Were they discharged in consequence
of what had taken place on the 12th of July?
Witness replied that he gave no reasons, but he
might say that he discharged the prisoner because he
considered him a dangerous character to have about
the place. He had found the prisoner interfering
with things he had no business with about the works.
and from what he learned of the way in which the
prisoner conducted himself on the 12th of July he
thought he was not a character to have about the
place.
Mr. Lumb : Had he threatened any other man?
Witness: I am informed that he threatened to take
the life of a man named Milburn.

Deputy Chief Constable Sempill proved the appre-
hension of prisoner, and stated that when be was con-
veying the prisoner to Whitehaven in a cab, prisoner
asked what had become of two other men who had
been seen by the police. Witness did not tell him
then, and the prisoner said, "I suppose somebody
had to be apprehended, and I have to suffer for the
lot."

Aftkr further evidence the prisoner was remanded
for a week.