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

THE BURNING OF A REFORMATORY
- SHIP.

At the Liverpool Asaizes, on Monday, before Mr.
Justice Butt, Edward Ryan. aged 16; John Lloyd,
15 ; Martin Mannion, 16; Joseph Peate, 16;
Anthony Bannister, 17; and Christopher Sewell, 15,
the six boys who were charged with having wilfully
set fire to the Catholic ship Clarence, then lying in
the Mersey, and who all pleaded guilty last week,
were brought up for sentence.
His lordship said the crime with which they were
charged was a most serious one. There were at the
time some 200 persons on board the ship, and though
fortunately there was no loss of life the destruction of
property had been very great, They were all young, and
it was only in consideration of the youth of the
prisoners that the sentence he was about to pass was a
lenient one. After careful consideration, he had Come
to the conclusion that he was bound to inflict a sen-
tence of penal servitude on each of them. Though
they had been placed on board the ship as a punish-
ment they were also placed there in the hope that
the discipline and instruction they would receive
would be an inducement to mend their lives and give.
them an opportunity, aftet they had served their time,
of starting afresh in the world. The crime was aggra-
vated by the fact that they had all been sentenced for
five years, and that in nearly all the cases the greater
part of the time had yet to run. They no doubt thought
that by committing the act they had that they would
obtain their freedom, or, at all events, their freedom
from so long a servitude. If he passed a lighter sen-
tence than he intended passing he would be assisting
them. The sentence was that they should be all kept
in penal servitude for five years.

FLOWERS BY PARCELS POST.—The Postmaster.
General has issued the following notice: "The season
La now approaching when, according to a very general
custom, primroses, violets, and wild flowers of all
kinds are er.trusted to the post for transmission
between places within the United Kingdom. As the
parcels post may be extensively used for this purpose,
the attention of the public is drawn to the expediency
of properly securing the parcels so sent. The box in
which flowers may, in each case, be contained should
be of a material so much stronger than cardboard as
to bear pressure and friction in transit. Cardboard
boxes are frequently reducladio pulp bY moisture from
freshly cut flowers'ormet moss soaking through them,
and are, therefore, not suitable.'' .

ONE HUNDRED AND FIFTY TIMES CONVICTED.—
In London, on Tuesday, at the Marylebone
court, Norah O'Donnell, 49, a charwoman, was
cbarged with being drunk and disorderly at Seymour-
place at five o'clock on Monday afternoon. Police.
constable Clinnick having proved the charge, the
prisoner, in her defence, said she had been Buffering
from toothache for some days past, and her friends
had giv,err her .a fWglassee of beer,' •whiulrovercame
her. In answer to the magistrate, Assistant Gaoler
Barrett said the prisoner had been charged at this
court upwards of 150 times, and had also been before
the magistrates at Hammersmith. She had been
coming to this court for the past thirty years. The
prisoner: Oh, I say, you hays put it on for me this
time. Mr. De Rutzen said it was evident that the
prisoner was a very disorderly woman, and seemed
to be beyond reclathationd He ordered her to pay a
fine of 10e, or go to prison for seven days.

TEMPERANCE BILLS IN PARLIAMENT.
In addition to the general bill promised in tboe
Queen's Speech dealing with the traffic in intoxicating
liquors, and the Government measure to render per.
moment the Irish Sunday Closing Bill and extend its
provisions to the whole of Ireland, there is a con.
siderable number of bills of.a temperance character in.
troduced by private members, the dates of which have
been fixed. The second reading of Mr. Stevenson'a
Sunday Closing Bill for England is 010 for April 2nd.
Sir Joseph Pease also gave notice of one on the same
sul3leot. Mr. P. Vivian's S-unday Closing Bill for
Cornwall comes on for second- reading on May 14.
Mr. Charles Wilson's Sunday Closing Bill for York.
shire, and Mr. Carbutt'm for Monmonthshire come on
for second reading on June 18. Mr. T. Fry has a
Bill for Sunday Closing in Durham. Mr. McLagan's
Bill to enable the owners and occupiers of properties
in boroughs and parish districts in Scotland to prevent
the sale of intoxicating liquors in those area, comes
on for second reading on the 7th May. Other
temperance measures include Mr. Coleridge Kennard's
Bill to repeal the grocers' licenses, and Dr. Cameron's
for the earlier closing of premises licensed for the sale
of exciseable liquors in Scotland.