The Stourbridge Observer, Cradley Heath, Halesowen & District Chronicle.
Stourbridge, West Midlands, England, 1869-12-18 00:00:00

CONVICTION FOR ARSON.

At the Salisbury Assizes, before Mr. Baron l'igott, i
Henry Stocker has been indicted for setting tire to two :
horns and a shed, belouging to Mr. Popham, at ,
Knighton, on the 26th oL September.
About ten o'clock on the night of the 26th of Sept. •
fire was discovered in a barn in the occupation of Mr.
Neat., at Knighton, and priperty amounting in value
to nearly £2 911 was destroyed. The prisoner was a
labourer in the employ of Mr. Seats, and was about
the premises that day. Toe chief evidence against the
mei...rem arose from conversation he hail with a person of
ihe name if Such, at the tiino the !ire was eking,
THE WILL OF THE LATE BISHOP OF and when the prisuner was assisting to put it ;me, lie
EXETER. sail to eieveral chile-rent persons that he had bee n
walking with Sarah Gielmlens, also a servant there, to
The will of the late iilahlit, of Exeter has been proved,
Newton and ha mk—that they eat down under some trees,
and is sworn ureter £60.000. lie directs the .1121 of
and he thought of cuing indoors, but Ida imice wss
£lO,OOO to be paid to the Dean and Chapter of Exeter out, that he lighted it again, and then he said to Sarah
for the endowment of a theological college in conjuuc-
Giehlene, "Timis mai t r of mins is not much of a man,
tion with that body. his gives to his son Henry
and ru go in f am it now awl do for tim," and he then
£lO,OOO, which deceased had covenanted to pay for
put a match under the thatcie of the himn all set tire
certain uses, to be paid out of moneys to be raised from
to it. and he said to one of the men to whom he told
the insenances in the Equitable, Rock, Law, and
this that he would n mt tell anyone else for £20,01m0. Ile
University offices, the residue of the poli ilea to
said if he was found out he should hive seven years,
be sunk in his residuary estate. Ilia executors are to
bathe would juinti into the river. When the alarm
pay to each of his daughters, Mary Stevens, widow, I e.„g
given an engine was sent for, and the prisoner
and Sy belle du Boulay, the annuli y . f MO ;luring life,
living near, came forward and worked all that night
the latter free front marital control ; and L'2,54.0 to and next day is assisting to put out the fire. The
Charlotte Cassandra Cherry, his daughter, wife ot Ben- barn contained 94 acres of corn, and the whole to-
jamin Cherry, of Brickindun, Herta, but any advances gether with a cattle-shed were entirely burnt. The
made in the lifetime of the deceased to be stopped out
frontage of the premises WWI 114 yard'. When the
of the legacy. The sum, Sc' settled my deed in 100c5, of
prisoner wee apprehended, the girl Gieldens was also
£18,500 is to be divided between his four married
taken into custody, but was discharged by the wafts-
daughters and Lie sous, Charles Edward and John
trates, awl the prisoner ki-sed her, and said, 'Good
Scott Phillpotts, in pursuatile of the marriege settle-
live ; I shall never see you any more.' She said,
relents. lie bequeath.; his real and residuary estate to his ..-you will. for I'll wait for you if it's twenty 3 eans."
three stirs, William John, Henry,hom In
ry, and Arthur as ~. e priaouer, in his defence, said he was innocent,
Phillputta, absolutely three equal fourth sharea—the re-
and that the story was all false. He called Sarah
maining fourth share lobe held hy the trustees for Geor.
Giddeus, a very decent-looking girl, who said—The
gita Lain, widow of his late son, Eilward Coplestone
young loan khows nothing ;if the charge ; he is perfectly
Phillpotta, rector of Le zant (near Lauucesta in), to enjoy
innocent. We went to Chilton feast that day, sod
for her life, or during her widowhood, with remain ter when we came back we met two travellers; one was
to her children. smoking. The prisoner, said, "Oh ! the place is on
In regard to the action of quart impedit brought fire... I Bait , "Oh ! don't say so, Harry." and I
against the deceased by the Rev. Mr. Marshall became very faint, and the prisoner said, "Don't be
respecting the living of Tregony, against which the silly," and he dipped his handkerchief in come water,
deceased had appealed to the House of Lorde, and the
and put it to my face, and I got l•tter. The prisoner
appeal was then pending. the testator directed that in .
then helpe Ito put out the tire. He did not amoke that
the event of his dying before the suit was terminated,
night. I remained at the time the greater part of the
consilering the importance to the Church that the
night.
points involved should be decided, the executors were , ,I,e jury found the prisoner guilty,
to prosecute the suit to a definite termination. . and the judge
1 seriteed him to be kept in penal servitude for
I eight years.