The Stourbridge Observer, Cradley Heath, Halesowen & District Chronicle.
Stourbridge, West Midlands, England, 1884-02-23 00:00:00

A THIEF IN A MELON.

It is a task of more than ordinary difficulty to invent
an original costume for a fancy ball at Para, and
great, therefore, were the manifestations of approval
shown to a masquer who appealed as a melon at the
last ball in the Opera House. The disguise was so
perfect that it seemed as if a living melon was walking
about among the masquers. The applause of the
multitude were received by the melon with a melan-
choly air, which, he explained, arose from the fact
that he was deadly tired owing to his costume, which
would not allow him to sit down. At this revelation
another storm of applause arose from the unfeeling
multitude. After an hour spent at the bar, where the
melon was liberally treated, he became so tired that
he fell down and had to be removed. Lying in a
corner, he slept soundly for several hours until he was
disturbed by a policeman bidding him to take off his
fancy dress and depart. Still under the influence of
drink, he rashly gave his real name to the policeman.
He was at once stripped of his finery and arrested as
a thief, whom the prison authorities had been expect-
ing to be their guest for more than a year in order to
serve out a sentence of two years' imprisonment.

MR. BROADHURST, M.P. ON DRINK
AND THE WORKING CLASSES.

A public meeting in connection with the opening
of a workmen's club was held in the Lecture-hall,
Holly•park, New Southgate, on Saturday evening.
Mr. Broadhurst, M.P., presided, and in the course of
an address expressed his strong approval of such
institutions, and remarked that they were calculated
to improve the condition of the artisan classes. Any
sensible man, he thought, would prefer to spend his
time, when it was possible tor him to do so, in an
institution like that rather than spend it at the bar of
a public-house. He did not speak as a teetotaler,
because he was not one, but he maintained that it a
man wanted alcohol he should have it at home. If a
workman told him that alcohol was necessary to sus•
tam n physical exertion, he should say that, as far as his
personal experience went, there was no necessity for it.
He had worked up to within ten years ago as a journey-
man stonemason at sme of the largest buildings in this
country, and his work was of no light character. He
found he could get through his work much better
during the day without the beer, and left off work in
the evening much stronger and less tired than if he
had drunk beer during his working hours. His work
at the present time, while of a no less arduous
character, was of a different nature, and he could
express his honest belief that it would be impossible
for him to sustain himself during the usual hard day's
work of a member of Parliament if he were not almost
a teetotaller. One of the greatest obstacles to the
progress of the working people, so far as the skilled
mechanics were concerned, was certainly the drink,
for workmen who spent their time in the publichouse
were always a drag and an obstacle to every forward
movement made by the working classes. Many of
the great struggles which the working classes had
fought would have been far lighter, and would have
been won much easier, if the working classes had been
more sober. With sobriety the working classes of the
present day had advantages which, if utilized, would
make them masters of the future destinies of this great
country.

THEFT FROM THE ROOF OF A CHAPEL—In London
on Saturday, at the Thames Police-court, John Wood-
house and James Ragan were charged with stealing a
large quantity of lead from the Baptist Chapel in
Mull-yard, Whitechapel. At a quarter to five o'clock
on Saturday morning William Jones, schoolmaster, at
15, Mull-yard, Leman-street, Whitechapel, whose
father is minister of the chapel, found the priQoners on
the roof of the chapel. Seeing they were detected,
both made off, but after an exciting chase were appre•
hended. Three hundredweight of lead was found in
the court-yard, and a large quantity of lead ready for
removal. Mr. Lushineton remanded the prisoners.
POPULAR SUPERSTITIONS. Some instances of
popular superstition are published in Notes and
Queries, "A. J. M." writes: "I am glad to learn
that there exists a cockney maid-servant who is sta•
ciently imaginative—sufficiently en rapport with the
past—to believe that the placing of boots on a table is
unlucky. The table, on this side the Atlantic at least,
is not the right place for boots, and so the belief has a
social merit of its own; and it is a common belief in
Shropshire and Staffordshire. I have more than once
been prevented, on this very ground, from examining a
pair of new and untried boots by the respectful exhor-
tations of a too observant female. Here are two
other items of folk-lore from the same counties—both
recent, both authentic, both derived from native
servant-maids. "If you find the fire still burning
from overnight," said one, "when you come to light it
of a morning, you know, ma'am, its a sure sign as
you'll hear tell of a illness that day, I found it a-light
last Tuesday morning, and that was the very day as
you had the letter about master bein' took ill,"
Again: "If you chance to say your words back-
wards," said her fellow, "you'll sure to see a stranger
afore night. Only yesterday I says, I'll bread the
toast,' instead o' saying, 'l'll toast the bread,' what I
meant to, and it was yesterday afternoon I seed Mr.
ilobert."
ARREST FOR MURDER IN IRELAND, —A man named
James Redmond has been arrested on the charge of
murdering Patrick Curtis, a farmer at New Ross,
on Tuesday last. Prisoner, who is a farmer and
market gardener, has made a statement to the effect
that on the day of the murder he was lying drunk in
a ditch, when Curtis and a man named Bryan at-
tempted to awaken him. He (prisoner) shook them
off, whereupon they struck him. Prisoner then
attacked Curtis with a knife, stabbed him in the neck,
and cut his throat. The police have not yet found
the knife, but on searching prisoner's house they
discovered a gun and two pistols, all loaded, hidden
under the thatch. Prisoner was brought before the
magistrate on Saturdays and formally remanded.

COULDN'T PLAY ON IT.—An old man from the un
disturbed quiet of rural bill tops and his daughter,
who was no doubt the belle of the neighbourhood,
came to do a semion's shopping for themselves and any
of the nelg -;bours who "sent along." While they were
in a store t -e Orl said : "Pap, I want you to buy an
album." T :e old fellow gave her a sarcastic look and
replied: Waat do you want with an album? You
couldn't pl ,y on it of I wuster get it fur you. When
the salearn .n xpl.kined, the old fellow said : "Oh, I
didn't unc.orstm-A. I thought it was one of these
here things tpm take in both hands and Fhove up
together aid stretch out. To put pictures in, eh?
Wall, she eot hot three pictures, and they're
made on tl i. Reckin E.he can keep 'em in a box a while
longer."— ibluricart paper.

*WORK FOR PARLIAMENT. Although the Perlis-
mentary Session is but a fortnight old sufficient
business has already been provided for some years to
come (says the Morrtino Post), The number of private
bills now before the House of Commons alone is 105,
In addition to which there are two Provisional Order
Bills. The measures as yet introduced by the Govern-
ment are ten only in number, including Crown Lands,
Dublin Museum, Elections (Hours of Polling). Law of
Evidence in Criminal Cases, Merchant Shipping.
Municipal Elections (Corrupt and Illegal Practices);
Police, Sale of Intoxicating Liquors On Sundays
(Ireland),- and Summary Jurisdietion (Appeal. &c.)
Of the 95 bills introduced by private members 53 are
to be credited to the Liberals, 2a to the Conservatives, .
and 22 to the Home Rule Party.
THE Comm EGG (American edition),—Mistreas
"And, cook, what a strange colour the yolks of. the
eggs at breakfast were 1" Cook : "Yes, ma'am; I
spoke to the shopman about it, and he said he
supposed they had put in the wrong colouring,"—
Judy.
THE UNEMPLOYED OF MANCHESTER.—A mass meet-
ing of the unemployed of -Manchester was -held on
Monday at the Pomona Gardens to consider their
position, the labour market being at the present time,
overcharged. There were about 2000 persons present,
among them being a large number of persons who
seemed to be in the positiolkot ,cliirks., Several reso-
lutions were passed calling attention to their deplor-
able and necessitous condition, and earnestly advo-
cating the promotion of the Manchester Ship Ca nil
Bill. Daring the proceedings it was stated that there
were now 40,000 persons unemployed in Manchester.
CONSIDERATE.—Young Man: "And why don't you
show me your doll, little Missie?" Maudie :
cause my doll's a clown, and he might steal somethlng
out of your pocket, like the clown we saw t the
pantomine ; and if you're out of work, you calet afford
that. can you ?"—.Fun.


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A SERIES OF BIIROJARIES. As, ENORMOUS DratalisercE.—City Man " Cer.
, tainly, quite approve of the disreputable game of
In London on Saturday, at the Clerkenwell Police. ! baccarat leeing put down. Decidedly worst form of
court, Hans Heinrich Schivarz, 31, a German cigar gambling:" Innocent Logician: "But is it worse
maker, giving no address, was charged with baying than those dreadful City speculations?" City Man
committed five separate burglaries during the past (horrified) : "They cannot be talked of in the same
month, as follows: On the 6th Inst., breaking into breath. Bacaltrat—yon play with your own money;
the house, No. 4, Coleridge-road, Islington, and steal. Solk ifxchange—,Nas play with other people's I"—Funny
ing therefrom 25 cigars and a shirt, value 135., the Foicks.
property of Charles Higgins, surveyor; 29th ult., THE LIGHT DUTZT,S coN Snlnesaa.—lt is understood
burglariously breaking into the house, No, 212, Seven that arrangements are being made by the Board of
13isters'-road, Holloway, and stealing therefrom a Trade and the lighthanse authorities for a further re-
watch, value £5, the property of William Preenwood, duction of 10 per cent. in the rate for light duties now
chemist; Bth inst.' burglarionsly breaking into the leviable on shipping. It le propoeed that this reduction
house, 160, Seven Sisters'-road, and stealing there. shall come into operation en the let of April next, and
from a coat and a handkerchief, value £2, the property its effect will be to increase the present abatement
of William Morris, hosier; breaking into and from 60 per cent. to 70 per cent, of the amount which
attempting to steal from the house, No. 24, Lowman. was leviable for light dues when the control of the
road, Islington, occupied by Frank Charleeworth ; Mercantile Marine Fund was first plated in the hands
30th inst., burglariously breaking into the house of the Board of Trade in 1853. The shipowners will
No. 5, Upper Tollington-park, and stealing therefrom thus, in addition to farther substantial' relief which
a felt hat, the property of James Morgan.—For some has been given to the home trade and to certain over.
months past the Y division of the detective force have sea voyages, have to pay leas than one-third of the
been nightly engaged in the endeavour to discover the rate leviable in 1853. The present remission of light
man or men concerned in the extraordinary number dues will probably exceed £lOO,OOO per annum.
of burglaries which have taken place throughout LAND FRAUDS BY AMERICAN SFECULAT:7E3. —The
certain neighbourhoods in the north of London. The Government of the United States has recently been
prisoner was early on Saturday morning apprehended dealing with a series of frauds which have assumed
by two constables, Wilkins and Thomas, who were in gigantic proportions. It appears that millions of
uniform. They captured him in Annette-road, Isling- acres of forest lands and of grazing and coal lands
ton, wearing a long overcoat, having previously seen have been appropriated every year by speculators,
him scale a wall at the rear of a house in Lowman- who get men to make fraudulent entries, and pay
road. He was seen groping about at the back of the them from 10c. to 50c. an acre for land worth from
house, but apparently taking an alarm he went back 2 dole. to 20 dole, an acre. Special detectives were sent
to the roadway, where he was captured. From In- out West last summer, and they have intercepted and
formation in the possession of Detective-Inspector restored to‘the Government 128,000 acres, and in only
Dodd it appears that Schivarz can be proved to have a few instances was there any objection to the cancel.
been concerned in nearly fifty, more or less, recent ling of the entries. It is reported that if all who
burglaries. His modus operandi, as far as the have fraudulently obtained large parcels of land were
police have been able to ascertain, appears to be sent to the State prison, many prominent persons
very much the same in each case. By a variety of in. in New York and Washington and other places would
genious methods he opened windows at the rear at the lose their freedom.
houses by cutting panes, and, entering the premises
MEDICAL WOMEN FOR INDIA.—The Madras Weekly
noiselessly, he generally crawled upstairs to the occu-
pier's bedroom and rifled the pockets of articles of Mail of January 9 publishes the following reference to
wearing apparel hanging on the door. Future charges, this movement, contained in a minute of the Governor,
It was stated, would show that the prisoner had stolen the Right Hon. M. E. Grant Duff: Mrs. Scharlieb
large sums of money and several watches in this way, having returned to Madras after attaining, during her
The officers gave evidence as to the capture, and medical studies, quite unprecedented honours, a pro-
detective Blake added that some of the woodwork had posal has been brought forward by the Surgeon-General
been cut away from the window of the house in the to establish, under her superintendence, a hospital for
Lowman-road, and the catch forced back. On being the higher classes of native women. The Government
searched at the polict-statlou there wen found iu the have expressed their approval and their readiness to
prisoner's possession the watch stolen from No. 212, assist as soon as the matter ie decidedly taken up by
Seven Sisters'-road, two knives, two boxes of matches, the leading members of native society. That this will
nine keys, a silver flask, and several small articles, be done before very long Ido not doubt; but nothing is
He was also wearing the hat alleged to have been gained by trying to force public, opinion in such
stolen from the house in Tollington-park. The pd. matters. The success which Mrs. Scharlieb is likely
sone: was committed for trial at the Sessions, where to obtain in her private practice will gradually break
other charges will be gone into, down prejudice.
AN EXCITING INCIDENT.—A regrettable incident
occurred the other night at the circus in Cairo. The
correspondent of the standard writes: In the course
of the performance, an Italian acrobat unfurled his
national flag. An English officer walked into the
arena and attempted to tear it from the staff. Amid
a scene of great excitement the flag was taken from
him, and the Italian on regaining possession of it
rushed round the arena waving it tri-arnphantly, where-
upon a Frenchman jumped over the barrier and struck
him. Many others at once joined in the melee, and it
looked as if the whole audience were going to engage
in a free fight. Some other English officers, however,
rushed between the combatants and succeeded with
great efforts in calming the tumult, and no damage
was done save the exchange of a few blows. The
Italian Consul has demanded satisfaction for the insult
to his flag, and the local press have written indignant
articles on the affair. It is hoped, however, that all
may be satisfactorily settled.
STEALING CANCELLED STAMPS.—In London, at the
Mansion House Police-court, Walter Henry Stileman,
in the service of the Post Office, was charged with
stealing a number of telegram forms and cancelled
stamps, the property of the Postmaster-General. Mr.
Breton Osborne prosecuted. The prisoner, it was
stated, was a porter in the stores department of the
Post Office. The manuscript telegram forms were
treated as confidential documents, and, as a pre-
caution, the authorities had erected a machine for the
purpose of " pulping " them, thus preventing them
from getting disclosed. Several telegram forms had
nevertheless been taken, and the cancelled stamps
sold. rt had been discovered that the prisoner's
brother went to a firm in the Strand dealing in foreign
postage stamps, and sold a packet containing a number
of the cancelled stamps of different amounts, and when
the prisoner's house was searched a large number of
cancelled stamps and forms were found, the market
value of which at the present time was £l5, although
their original value was £2500. The prisoner pleaded
guilty, urging that he had no idea he was committing
a serious robbery. The Post Office authorities asked
that the caas might be dealt with summarily, and Sir
Andrew Lusk, commenting on the gravity of the
charge, from the fact of the telegraph forme being oon-
fidential documents, sentenced the prisoner to six
months' hard labour.
FOUR GREAT AMERICAN CANALS,—The four canals
which it is intended shall cross the peninsula from the
Atlantic to the Gulf of Mexico are thus described by
Captain Gambier :—The Atlantic and Gulf Coast
Canal and Okeechobee Land Company proposes ;to
make a passage for vessels from the navigable waters
of the Calooshahatchie through Lake Okeechobee
to the Atlantic. The second project is a canal from
Charlotte Harbour, through Manatee and Brevard
counties, to St. Lucie, on Indian River. The third,
still further north, commences in Levy County, at the
mouth of the Withlacokee, runs through the counties
of Levy, Marion, and Volusia, to New Britaireoon the
Atlantic; and the fourth, being the one furthest
north, and called the Florida, Atlantic, and Gulf Ship
Canal, is from Cumberland Sound in the harbour of
Fernandina, through the counties of Nassau, Duval,
Clay, Bradford, Alachua, and Levy, or the route
surveyed by General Gilmore from the St. Mary's
River to St. Mark's.
MR. SPURGEON'S JUBILEE. —Mr. Spurgeon will
attain his jnbille in June next, having been born at
Kelvedon, E3S6X, on June 19th, 1834. He settled at
Waterbeach, Cambs., when only 17. and in London
over the church now meeting in the Metropolitan
Tabernacle, at the early age of 19. His jubilee has
already begun to excite considerable interest. It is an
event in which most of the Nonconformist churches
are likely in some way to take some part in commemo-
rating. The silver wedding of his pastorate was cele-
brated a year or two since by the collections of £6OOO,
which was presented to Mr. Spurgeon, and which he
forthwith handed to the institutions connected
with his ministerial work. A second fund, in recogni-
tion of his jubilee, is now in contemplation, though the
exact object towards which it will be devoted is not
yet announced. A building, to be called "Jubilee
House," has just been commenced at the rear of the
Tabernacle. It is to form a residence for the chapel
keeper, and a suite of offices for the church officers.
The Church at present under Mr. Spurgeon's pastoral
charge numbers 5300 persons, and overtaxes the sitting
accommodation of the Tabernacle.

A SECT OF CHILD MURDERERS The Novaje
Vremja warns Russian mothers of a new religious geet,.
which has already given several proofs of its exist-
ence. In Rostov, on the Don, an officer eneged
middleagel nurse for his three-year-old eon. She
Was very attentive and seemed to love the child, but
after two months she suddenly left the situation and
the town. The child began to all the very next day,
lost its memory and suffered from continual drowsi-
ness. A week later it died without having been really
ill. The corpse was placed in the coffin, when a
young Jewess buret into the house, threw herself upon
the dead child, and crying bitterly said: " The same
woman poisoned my child. She was my nurse before,
and now she has murdered your poor boy l" The
woman spoke the truth. It has been found that in
Rostov there is a society of child murderers, who
poison children by means of narcotics. They Are
instigated to do so by a fanatical woman, who says,
"It is every woman's duty to spare the evils of life to
as many children as possible and to make them parti-
cipate in the bliss of Heaven before the earth has con-
taminated their souls."
EARLY EDITIONS OF DICKENS' WORKEL—At a recent
sale of a library at Manchester, "Pickwick,, with
few extra plates bound up wiht the orignals, sold for
£5 ss. ; "Sketches by Boz' " not the much sought
after fcap. Bvo. edition, but the first Bvo. reissue, with
duplicates of the plates coloured, realised the large
sum of £9 10s. ; ' Oliver Twist," the three volume
edition of 1838, brought £6 6s. • the set of five little
Christmas books were knocked' down at five times
their published price-26 65.; the rare "Village
Coquettes" cost its purchaser £6 ss, ; and "Great
Expectations" and "The Uncommercial Traveller',
fetched respectively £4 and £2.
ARCHROLOGIOAL Drecovenres.—Five statues, in-
cluding one of a Roman attired in the chlamys,
satyr, a Hecate presiding over spells and expiatione,
besides the figures of two other goddesses, nd somte
30 inscribed tablets, have been re tly disinterred in
the Argolide, in the course of some excavations made
,at Epidaurum among the ruin' of the celebrated
, temple to Esculapius, the God of Medicine. The
remains of the temple were bun on the Argos road,
between two eminences, and in the midst of a wood
' which contained a statue of the healing divinity in
gold and ivory. Snakes were bred in the locality, as
Esculapius was personified in the form of those cress-
tures. The god, in fact, was represented seated on se
throne, holding a staff round which a snake was en-
twined, whilst a dog reposed at his feet. The cock, as
the symbol of vigilance, was also consecrated to the
tutelary god. With the fragments of the antiques now
discovered on the site of the temple at Epidaurnm, it
has been possible to reconstruct the famous Stela,
described by Pansanias, which the ancient writer
stated was placed around the edifice, and covered with
the names of persons cured, with the enumeration of
their ailments, the remedies employed, the mystical
formula, incantations, or sacrifices made during ill-
ness. The Stella, as restored, is pearly perfect, and
the inscriptions comprise 125 lines of 50 letters each.
THE ELECTRIC LIGHT IN THE Housz Ces COMMONS.—
From the Easter recess to the close of the res.ion last
autumn the libraries and dining rooms of the House bf
Commons were lighted by about 270 Edison incandes-
cent lamps. The lighting having been successful, some
extension of it was deemed desirable by the First
Coliamissioner of Woiks, and accordingly, additional
plant has been recently laid down by the Edison and
Swan Company, and the total num* gglAmps is mot
increased to about 480. The machinery es located in
a portion of the basement frt. the House ad-
joining the boiler • room, and' consists of l'teeo
811 n. by . 101 n. Armington "'ant:l'43lns
zontal high-speed engines running at about
200 revolution per minute; the one engine delving two
Edison 250-light dynamos, and the athertwo 1!5
dynamos. Ample provision kas been zoed"tenor may-
• failureof OA light fronlactident lo ;he ep Pt Bori-
.c.hstainnecee.s
iiTeenne
attachments.in•harmony with
means Of ornamental -htsecenngt several
laip in—
stances
In other eases
prorae Immo en
the diameter o f tldge gas
9:3hafitnhxdeteullinearesnse.
concealed !rota -*kw The
Ipoeslcisenhet ds4hbradars pehinvdesbnetesn, bracktticilelhir. w. oprema-.
are throughout entirely
ta, enreacrhracnagpeadbolne ajf beingcon lighted or extinguishedsderlaibglenumberof
separate
clairmculls
of these
the I fit of In
hae small
e aapbaor tu
mt
dbiyatietslv proverunr
circu;tg converge on a switch board, and can be con-
trolled by the attendant who possesses the key to the
e2ont femme
-
Each switch is surmounted by doubLe.
switches.
pole asfety fuse. end each to-euit Is lettaeo

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