The Stourbridge Observer, Cradley Heath, Halesowen & District Chronicle.
Stourbridge, West Midlands, England, 1869-05-01 00:00:00

EPITOME OF NEWS,

DRITISII AND FOREIGN.

On the 31st of March, the House of Representatives
In liaaaschuaetta re-enacted the Prohibitory Liquor Law, by a
vote of 129 to I,s—two to ate.

The journeymen carpenters of Berlin, to the number
of 2,000, have struck work. Public order tuts not been dia
turned. . . .

The Ntio York Er prcks recommends, in order to have
an " elastic currency," that the greenbacks be printed on
indlarubber, . .

The Movimento of the 24th inst., publishes a letter
from Garibaldi to Senor Garrido, a member of the Spanish
(',,rtes. In this letter the writer expresses his surprise that
the Spaniards should have exposed themselves to a rebuff
such as they have met with from Dom Fernando, instead of
choosing someone among themselves to whom they could
confide the duties of government.
Americus' Georgia, has a young lady who has been
the bride of two brothers and the betrothed of a third, all
since August, lsC,o. The account adds that "there are other
brothers ready for the sacrifice."

A typographical mistake of a "e" for an "h" in the
columns of a contemporary, made "A locomotive run over a
cow and cut it into calves."

A contemporary, by a typographical ,rror, an-
nounced ths a convicted thief had been sent for two months
to the " House of Common."
- -

They have stylish parties in Boston at which no one
worth less than 250,000 dollars is admitted.
An inquest has been held at Liverpool, on the body
of Michael Cullen, twenty-four years of age. On Tuesday
loot he went to his brother's house, drunk and excited. As
he refused to go home he was allowed to remain all night,
and about three o'clock in the morning tie jumped from his
bedroom window Into the court, and teceived such Injuries
that he died shortly afterwards.
- -

Lynch law in k entucky is made to apply to lazy
husbands. An indolent blazkernith was recently tied to a
tree and given sixty-two lashes because he did'nt support his
family.
"Should courtship precede marriage ? " formed a
subject of keen debate fr nearly two hours, last week,
among the memb es of a Mutual Improvement Society. On
a division, the affirmative was carried by eleven to ogM.
A parliamentary paper, showing the amount of
coinage at the Mint during the last ten years past, has been
issued. In 1868 there were cowed in gold, 1,053.381 sove-
reigns ; in silver, 591,940 florins ; 3,330 360 shillings ; 1,069,200
sixpences; 4,198 f nurpences ; 1,461,706 threepences ; 4,752
twopences; 7,920 pence ;in copper 1,102,720 pence; 3,046,400
halfpence; 4,811.208 farthings. No half-crowns have been
coined since 1851 Worn silver of the nominal value of
£125,000 was purchased for recoinage, the loss on which was
418,058.
- - - •

Should the Municipal Franchise Bill pass both
Houses of Parliament, one year's occupation of any house,
warehouse, counting-house, shop, or other building within
any broach will entitle every male petson of full age to the
municipal franchise.
A good story is told by the Rkhmond Li.spatch. A
coloured soldier affixed his mark to an application for back
pay and bounty. While the claim was passing through the
department he learned to write, and signed his name to the
additional papers subsequently required. The Red Tape
Bureau declared the latter signature tubes forgery.
A Custom-house clrrk who has just passed through
the Bankruptcy Court, alleged that the reason he was placed
in such a position was the high rate of interest which he had
to pay for borrowed money!
Mrs. Dolly Chandler and 194 other sensible women
have sent a remonstrance to the Massachusetts Legislature
against woman suffrage, belkving that it would "diminish
the purity, the dignity, and the moral influence of women,
and brim, into the family circle a dangerous element of dis-
cord, without securing additional strength, efficiency, or
wisdom to the government of the natmn," and ask to be let
alone "In the condition allotted to us by nature, by custom,
and by religion."

. -
A New York paper says that the Methodists have
boldly solved one of the great problems of the day by licensing
women to preach. The Conference of the Ellenville District,
New York, hoe given creden'ials for this impose to a widow
lady named Vann Cott. The Sing Sing Conference has re-
ferred the subject to a special committee.
A return which was recently moved for by Mr. St.
Aobyn has now been published, and contains a list of all the
mines within the Stannarles of Cornwall and Devon regis-
tered as joint stock companies from 1845 to 1868, distinguish-
ing whether registered with limited or unlimited liability,
and whether registered in Loudon or at Truro.

A Married Woman's Law has recently been passed
by the Illinois Legislature. It provides that a married
woman shall be entitled to receive, use, and possess her own
earnings, and sue for the same in her own name, free from
the interference of her husband or his creditors. The act
does not give to the wife any right to compensation for any
labour perfornied by her miner children or by her husband.

A sad affair bas occurred at Derby. On Monday
morning a woman, the wife of a railway porter, murdered
her child, an lidant nine months old, and immediately after-
wards gave herself up. There is no doubt she was insane
when the crime ma committed. She has been sent fur
trial. _ . .

A. young woman, the wife of a labouring man at
Marseilles, has just been arrested on a charge of murder.
She was in the service of the curb of a parish in that city.
The husband, to the astonishment of every one, died sud-
denly, and a suspicion arose that he was poisoned by the
wife. It is said that she admitted the crime, and that she
was urged to it by the abb6. Ile was then also arrested, and
is now confined in the raison of Tarascon Both will take
their trial at the next assizes of the nouches-du-ghoue.

Good news for Mr. Babbage ! According to a tele-
gram from Florence, Goieral Menahrea has presented to the
Italian Senate a bill prohibiting the illicit deportation of
children as organ-boys.
_ . . .

It is said that the Sultan spent £50,000 upon the
reception ot the Prince and Princess of Wales on their visit to
comtantinople, and that so pleased is his Majesty a ith the
Princess that he intends to present her with his own
portrait, set in brilliants, valued at £BO.OOO. Another
account says that his Majesty has presented the Princess with
a brscelet of the value of £20,000.
President Grant has delighted " progressive " ladies
In America by appointing three post-mistresses.

- -
Mr. Guest, the Liberal candidate for Youghal, has
published an address, in which he promises to 'support the
present Government so long as they continue to legislate in
accordance with the wants of Ireland," considering himself
"at perfect liberty to take an independent course should the
necessity arise." He considers, however, that compensation
for the withdrawal of the grant to Maynooth College and
the Regium Donnin should be paid out of the Consolidated
Fund. Ile is also in favour of denominatior al education, as
it "bas been demanded by all parties" in Ireland.

- -
Captain Vivian's suit form divorce from his wife, on
the ground of her adultery with the Marquis of Waterford,
came before the Court of Divorce on Tuesday. Dr. Swabey
appeared on behalf of the petitioner, and stated that the re-
spondent and co-respondent having simply traversed the
allegations in the petition, be had to ask that the case be
tried before the court itself without a Jury. The judge as-
sented to this, and the case will accordingly be tried by the
Court.
A novel mode of dunning, lately introduced in New
York, is to hire a chaise painted in flaming red letters
"collector's Chaise," in which the collector makes his daily
rounds to the domiciles of slow-paying debtors. In very
obstinate eases, and when the debtor lives in a fashionable
house, this chaise, with its glaring label, is kept standing in
front of the premises several hours a day.
The thirtydlird annual meeting of the subscribers
to the Art Union was held in the Adelphi Theatre, in London,
on Tuesday, Lord Iloughton in the chair. The amount of
subscriptions was stated to be £11,109, the reserve fund is ,
nearly £15,000, and the sum to be distributed in prizes was
£4,902. The report having been adopted, the drawing of
the prizes was proceeded with.
From a Parliamentary return issued it appears there
are 6.920 male convicts at present undergoing terms of penal
servitude in convict prisons, for terms varying from five
years to the duration of life. Of these 1,582 had not been
previously convicted ; against the others from one to live
and upwards of previous convictions had been recorded.
"The Pope is reported to have said that, of the
many felicitations he received on the anniversary of his
, jubilee, none gave to much pleasure as the unexpected
! courtesy of the queen of England, who, although differing
from Catholics tu matters of faith, has by this simple act
bound more firmly than ever in loyalty her many Catholic
subjects."—Weekly &jitter.
A mysterious tragedy happened at Carlisle, on
Saturday night. A cab-driver named Simpson was engaged
to take a party to a village about three miles distant and
back ; and, on the return journey, Simpson invited an ac-
quaintance to take a seat beside him on the box. IS hen
within a short distance of the city the occupants of the cab
were astonished to find that the driver and his friend had
both disappeared ; and shortly afterwards they were found
lying on the road—the former quite dead, and the latter
with several of his ribs broken. Everybody seems to have
been more or less under the influence of liquor, and no trust-
worthy information has been obtained as to how the shock-
ing aftair took place.
Twenty-two prisoners have been tried at Mons, for
the share which they had taken in the disturbances in the
Borinage. Four were sentenced to three months' imprison-
ment, two to two months, and eleven to one mouth. The
others, lads of from 15 to 18, were acquitted. On the con-
demned leaving the court, the police and gendarmes had
great difficulty in keeping back the crowd of colliers who
strove to approach their companions.