The Stourbridge Observer, Cradley Heath, Halesowen & District Chronicle.
Stourbridge, West Midlands, England, 1885-04-18 00:00:00

SATURDAY, A PRIL 18 1885.

THE HAGLEY SEDUCTION CASE,

At the Birmingham County Court on Monday.
before Mr. Registrar Parry, the following bank-
ruptcy case came on, re FELICE BROWN. late of the
Roses, Bagley, now in lodgings at 81, Bristol
Street, clerk,—Debts, £808; assets nil. Public ex-
amination. Mr. Dennis, of Kidderminster, appeared
for several creditors. Mr. E Docker appeared for
the bankrupt. Mr. F. King (Messrs. Bernard and
King, Stourbridge) appeared for the magistrates
who had made an affiliation:order against the de-
fendant.—ln reply to Mr. Dennis, the debtor said
that he became acquainted with Miss Tompkins,
his principal creditor, in 1882.—Mr. Dennis . You
began to pay her considerable attention in Feb-
ruary and March, 1882 P—The Bankrupt: In the
first place, am I here on an affiliation summons ?
The egistrar : You had better answer the ques •
none quietly. I will take eara that nothing
improper is introduced.—The Bankrupt answer, d
that he had paid Miss Tompkins attentions in the
months named. She attended at his father's house,
but was not received there as his future wife. In
1883 the magistrates at Stourbridge made a bastardy
order on him for 68 a week and expenses. He ap-
pealed to the Queen's Bench Divieion to quash that
order, but was unsuccessful, and he gave notice of
appeal, which he did not support because he had
no means.—Mr. Dennis: Didn't you give notice of
appeal really to run Miss Tompkins to greater
ouble and expense? Tbe Bankrupt: It was to
"quash" that order; the order was characterized as
bad.— Mr. Dennis: Have you paid your solicitor's
costs? The Bankrupt : No, because I had not got
it,—Mr. Dennis: Are you going to pay? The
Bankrupt: No. How can I ?—Mr, Dennis: Mr.
Tompkins issued a writ against you for damages?
The Bankrupt said he did, and he entered an ap.
pearauce to it—Mr. Dennis: But you did nothing
turther, but allowed judgement to go by default?
The Bankrupt: I never had any further notice.—
Mr. Dennis : But your solicitors had.—The Bank-
rupt : They did not send it to me; they were not
acting for me; they applied for payment, and could
not get it, and they refused to act. I knever heard
of the subsequent enquiry to assess the damages
until it was over.—Mr. Dennis : Hasn't your father
stated ie your presence that rather than Miss Comp-
lies or her family should have a farthing of your
money he would spend £l,OOO in fighting them ?
Mr. Docker objected to the question.—The Regis-
trar : I don't see how you can make him responsi-
ble for statements made by otner people.—Mr.
Dennis : Didn't you on one occasion say to Mr,
Tompkins, "Oh, don't talk about money on any
consideration ;it is only herself (meaning Mise
Tompkins) I want. Money is no object, I clear
£5O every day that comes in. The Bankrupt: No.
—Mr. Dennis : You will swear that? The Bank.
rupt : Yes.—Mr. Dennis :Do yo a know it has been
sworn to on two occasions that you did repeat the
statement? The Bankrupt: Who swore it? Mr.
Tompkins would swear anything for a halfpenny.
—The Registrar : I think your conduct here to-day
if carrying out the conduct you nave exhibited and
acted on hitherto, and lam sorry to see it. I think
after all the misery you have caused and the wrong
you have done you might have altered your tone.
Etlll sorry I have no power to deal with you, bet
perhaps I may have if you go on in that strain.
Mrs Dennis: Did you or did you not make that ob-
servation to anyone? :Remember you are on your
oath.—The Bankrupt : I never remember saying
anything about it, but I won't swear I did or did
not. Proceeding, the bankrupt said he could not
say whether he had ever stated that his father told
him he wits going to do something for him which
was es good as £7,000, anst that his father thought
if ho placed £l,OOO in ihe business he would take a
desper interest in it. He could not say whether
he stared on the same occasion that he had saved
£769 and wanted to make it £l,OOO before he go;
his f ither's consent to marry. He never stated
that he was in partnership with his father. his
fsther was a manufacturing jeweller in Birmingham.
—Mr. Dennis : Have you no money or anything?
The Bankrupt; Nothing.—Mr. Dennis : Not a
fai thing ? The Bankrupt: Now, you are going a
'lite too low; a farthing is a very different tiling
to inoney.—Mr. Dennis : Have you got no
jewellery at all? The Bankrupt: No. I have a
silver chain. —ln reply to further questions,
the bankrupt said he bad had a welch and chain,
but they had gone a long while ago—fifteen month
ago. He sold the watch for £6 or £7 to a gentle-
man he met at Day's Music Hail- He had been
wearing one since, but it was one sent to his father
to be timed. The chain he was wearing was a
silver gilt one. He produced it, and the Registrar
ordered him to give it up to the Official Receiver.
The watch he sold was presented to him by his
father on his twenty-first birthday. He was now
twenty-five. He denied that he ever possessed
a gold ring set with five diamonds. He had one set
with paste diamonds. He might have told people
that it was worth £7O or £BO, but if he did it was
not true. He had a gold ring with a blood stone
in it at home. (This he was order< dto deliver up
also,) He received only lOs a week wages from his
father, of which 5s a week went towards the has-
tardy order. His father found him board
and lodgings, He had been arrested undei the
bastardy order for £l4 odd. Ho was conveyed from
Birmingham to Stourbridge, and on arriving there
paid the money under protest. His father had
given him the money before he left Birmingham.
His father had claimed against his estate as a
debtor for £3O, money lent. Part of this amount
had been expended in resisting the action for the
affiliation order, and the rest in payments under
the order since it had been made.—ln reply to Mr.
Docker, the defendant said that he defended the
action for affiliation, and made the appeal under
the advice of his solicitor, He,was also advised to
defend the action for seduction which was brought
against him by Miss Tompkins, who was awarded
£5OO damages.--Mr. Docker: In fact, in all the
proceedings taken by you you acted on the advice
of yout solicitor ? The Bankrupt: Yes.—The
Registrar: Advice given on statements made by
you to the solicitor ?—Mr. Docker: After the bas-
tardy order was made against the debtor his solici-
tor advised him to appeal.—The Registrar : I want
to know what right he had to give aotioe of appeal
when he knew he had not the means of supporting
it. It was merely to put the respondent to extra
•osts amounting to something like £3O. What is
lie ju6titication for that ?—Mr. Docker :I can only
•iy tilat I did not advise hiux.—The Registrar (to
lie debtor) . It the time you gave this notice of
Ippell you knew you were only in receipt of 10s
per week, and had sot toe means of going on v ith
• t Is that so or not? the Bankrupt : Yes.—Tne
Receiver : I have to en uire as to who-her
ay partnership exisios be‘,Avi in the debtor and his
f.itlief, emit an appoint nini has been in toe f r tie
Inspecting of ihe b. oks. o.t ttt s ground 1 imat
,tale fir au adjo irnineet _Regiitrar : I larl.
certainly lir:sm.:tie f-ie I conclude the public ex-
amination. Ido ti uiuk the Bankruptcy Act eas
made for the purp-e of a; wnitewashing petition
like this, which has been tiled solely to g .t. r d of
this lady's claim. I shall require very s 'tong argu-
ments to convince mesh tt the debtor is in a posi-
tion to ask for this examination to ' be concluded.
Unless I have something very strong to alter toy
opinion I shall adjourn this case sine die. In the
seitement of affairs, the only creditors besides this
lady and his father are one or two solicitors, whom
the debtor seems to have vic,imised in defending
those proceedings.—Mr. King said he appeared on
behalf of the justices concerned in the appeal, and
he asked permi.sion to put some questions to the
debtor.—The Registrar said that as the magistrates
had proved for the costs of the appeal, Mr. King
was entitled to examine the debtor.—Mr. King (to
the debtor) : you know Mr. Southall? The
Debtor: Yea—Mr. King: Do you remember meet-
ing him on the platform at New Street Station, be-
tween the time of giving notice of appeal and the
date on which the appeal was mane? The Debtor:
I.might have met him many times. I used to meet
him every night.—The Registrar : Did you meet
him on the occasion referred to? The Bankrupt .
I could not say.—Mr. King : Do you remember
saying to him that yonintended to put the magis-
trates to every expense in your power before you
would pay your costs, or words to that effect ?
The Debtor: I do not remember it.—The Registrar:
Are you prepared to swear that you did not make
such a statement The Debtor : I would not swear
I did or did not.—The examination was adjourned
till May 4th,

OLD HILL.
HEALTH LECT,TRE.—On Monday
"Infectious
night Dr. Keir
of Halesowen, delitiered a lecture on
,
diqeas., and how to avoid it," at the Trinity Sal
Old Hill. Mr. W. b'assano, J. p, presided over*
large audieube, 'lll, heturer strongly urged the
advisability of establishing infectious disea,a, n"
as being the means of stamping them out, and Pre'
uenting the rii6k of infection.
BRUTAL OUTRAGE.—At the Police Court 012 Wed,"
nesnay before Messrs. W. Bassano and U. go"
croft (magistrates), fine miners named John Town..
send, Thomas Colley, William Moahey. Bd/r4rci. "
Pearsoe, and Alexander Waldron, all residing. '
' Rowley were oharged with violently astatilta ,
Benjamin and Jomes Round, on the 6th inst. Ml'
aldron appeared to prosecute and Mr. Ward 10'
the defendants.—The defendants.—The defendant!
were drinking at the Britannia Inn, Springdelu
Lane.—For the proseecutien it was stated that 0,11
Easter Mosday the dofendants visited the public
house and created a disturbance, for which theli
were turned out of ;he house. Shortly afterwar
they returned to the public-house, and Townivo!!
attempted to force open the door. The two cora ,
plaintauts who are the sons of the landlord of qii!'
public•house, attempted to eject them upon wnit'
the defendants took of their belts and violentl;
assaulted the two men until James Round
i voggr„„ellii
dered insensible.—. Dr. O'Dowd stated thrt he F
Benjamin Round suffering from four scalP iv,°111"„40
and James Round two wounds just above
jlI
temple. Mr. Ward submitted that a free u,
lb„,
took place, and called evidence to support his gs'ia
, ment,—After a protracted hearing the Belle,,b 19' id
, they regarded it os being a very bad Wet it°,7
each of the defendants 40s. and costs, or in
six weeks' imprisonment and ordered them t° r
, the surgeon's fees.

QUARRY BANK.
At d
Loc.u. BOARD —Mr. W. Seymonde pre-r-clues4 1
the monthly meeting of this Board 01,,ca11-- e
evening. Complaint was made of the cire—„Agor
scenes which occured in the streets by tilei—A4lea
bers of the Blue Ribbon Army, and it WO
to call the attention of the police to the lII' .6113
The medical offioer reported 10 deaths
moath, giving a death•rate of 18.636, as Ito,
12 96 for the corresponding month of last ,roo
The annual report of the medical officer I°rdio
that 135 deaths daring the year, the cleat': -
being 21.12.

SPORTING NOTES.
By our Sporting Correspondot)
That there is a dearth of racehorse is ?
more daily evidenced owing to the Ina' ugurittitillaell'
new race meetings all over the country
during the past Easter week, some thirty ntl-ro
took place, and in many instances
h several.Ama°d
held engagements on the same day to be dec„lh,"-t
three different districts, the result being "-baiP
to ssio
pirsnte of an inferior class, and belonging
practical person—like the "Calder Wil,iteani col''
Company,"—had an opportunity given
te w-„-fatu):l
st ,or Easter h. liday favor. The betting,' nmii-e a 0'
classic events still shew us Paradox at
affairs, tl'he' pd 3
airs, both for the 2,000 Guineas all
De d, t-te aglii
rby, although Porter has another andliti:pgr-
n the latter race, named I, 'Wit 111
0
tavor at 10 to 1 ; and I understand that the
ree
clere people are divided in their °Oda • por
the respective merits of the two candidates•ifiagr
the City and Subtirban Handicap another
ciere champion in the Duke of RiCl3ll3OO seell
nea..l of qu,tations, and no doubt if all ic.„eemP,6
with him up to the day of the race lie Wu'. ,o - Ft?,
close. Next week, that time honored ra.rae
of lacing, Newmarket. will inaugural' Zirde
ot 1885 by giving 1,000 soya, in the Crso`7odltci'
and another 1,000 soya, in the Newmarke:arto;4
cap; thus the Jockey Club have at last
abl,e - etat";
valuB f
to travel with the times by offirins
to be contested for. Tile chief event o,,thyli
day, Tuesuay, is the 6 furlong Cravrfer‘lA
which is sure to bring out most of our note"
whicti includes Energy, 10st 71b, but as
WHITELOCK 110/6.
hire
showed some fair speed in the Leicesters tof
cap last Saturday, and inclmding her Pellll,ltOY' 04!
mg only 7st 51b to carry, should ag6infradiert
close. Regards the Newmarket;Spring
one mile and a hrlf, run for on Friday

BENDIGO
will the beating the beet of them eau
prior to the Ceearewitch of 1883, he Wag
hailng good animal over the Newmarket
distance.

CRICKET.

LYE FIRST ELEVENaV. NEXT SIXTREN:
Dag match of the Lye Cricket Club was
the Lye, under the above title, on Sat
and ended in an easy victory for the Ele'
and Pardoe batted well for the Eleveu,
bowling of Greenway and Beddoes
tffecttve, they taking between them 12'
cost of 19 runs. Pope bowled three