The Stourbridge Observer, Cradley Heath, Halesowen & District Chronicle.
Stourbridge, West Midlands, England, 1878-03-30 00:00:00

THE 111''STOTTIZERIDGE 71'013SER1TER.

Kelley. had said about his urging the Cominis,
sioners to get it.
Mr.-Prescott : That is positively untrue.
Mr. Woolley : Mr. Kelley states it.
: Dar. Prescott : Mr.. Kelley may state what he
likes; deny, it. And I say it is a:mos.t deliberate
lie on the part of Mr. Woolley to say I ever drink
at other people's expense„ 'because there are
pereens here 'who..linow very well that I don't do -
it.
Me. Penny said that Mr. Hughes, the chairman,
toll him some time ago in the presence of Mr.
Perkin that Angel Street would not be stopped up
and .that he considered it was the shortest cut to
the station for persons in their street.
The Ciiairman said he did not recollect saying
an: thing about it. ,7 .
PenriY Yes 'yon did. I consider that by
Stopping up that street the value of property is
coneiderably depreciated.
Mr. Healy urged upon the meeting to support
the Commissioners and let them do the best they
could for the town.
The Rev., D. Maginnis also asked the meeting,
to Support itd strengthen the hands of the Com-
missioners by passing the resolution.
The Clerk said the railway company had really,
no power -at present +0 stop up Foster Street
against carriage traffic. The statement appeared
,to take the meeting- by surprise, the general
impression being that the company had already
the, power to stop up Foster Street against car-
riago traffic and was seeking in their bill power to
evade makini, a footpath they had previously
do.promised to o.
Mr. Freer said he was under the impression
that Foster Street could be stopped up.
Mr. G. Perry said the railway company could
not stop up Foster Street at present without
the consent of the commissioners; but if their
bill was passed they could do so without that con-
sent.
Mr. Prescott complained that the town clerk
was deliberately misleading the ratepayers.
After some noisy talk by several persons the
Chairman put the vote to the meeting when
27 held up their hands for the motion and 10
against it. The Chairman decided the motion car-
ried..
Mr. Prescott demanded a poll. Several gentle-
men present 'asked him to withdraw it 14ut he
'pOsitiveiy refused.
Mr. Woolley : Here is a nice man trying to put
the town to all the costs .he can. The poll will
cost .220 or more.
At this stage some sharp shots were fired by
Mr. Prescott's friends and the supporters of the
motion, several persons saying that Mr. Prescott
deserved the thanks of the ratepayers for coming
forward and explaining things in the way he had
done. '
The Chairman appointed Saturday, the 30th
March, for sending out the voting papers between
the hours of nine in the forenoon and four in the
afternoon; Wednesday neat, the sth of April for
collecting them ; and five 2o'clock on the same
afternoon of the last mentioned day at the Corn
Exchange, Stourbridge, as the time for counting
and casting up the votes.

STOTJRBRIDGE STOCK SA.LE.—Mr. E. King held
ins usual stock sale on Monday last, being fair
iay. There was an unusual large attendance
especially from Birmingham and the Black
Country. 'at) stock which was very large con-
sisted of upwards of 400 sheep, 50 beasts, 20
calves, a quantity of pigs, and horses. The
biddings wore very spirited and tegs fetched 80s;
,vether sheep, 87s 6d ; bullocks, .231 15s; six fine
bullocks belonging to Messrs. Webb, Royal seeds-
men, averagea ..tzo Si 6d each. The greater part
of the stock was purchased by Birmingham
and the Black Country butchers. Mr. Lane
alone purchased £6OO worth. The sale realised
£2154.
THOMAS PARGETER, oF FOXCOTF, CHARITY.—
rhe annual meeting of the trustees of this charity
was held on the 16th met, at the offices of Messrs.
Larding and Son, Waterloo Street, Birmingham.
lie trustees present were the Revs. C. Clarke, H.
Crosskey, W. Cochrane, H. Eachus, M. Gibson,
Maginnis, H. McKean, W. E. Mellone, and J.
rai.din. The latter gentleman was elected chair-
nan for the ensuing year. Mr. Beattie was re-
elected treasurer. The Revds, W. E. Mellone and
I. W. Orosskey were elected auditors, and Mr. C.
Alarding was re-elected Secretary. Nine an-
nuitants have died since the last annual meeting,
and one annuity has, in accordance with the
scheme, been discontinued, in consequence of the
annuitant having become possessed of increased
;leans from other sources. The vacancies thus
erected have aen supplied by the election of other
andidates. The present number ol annuitants
including • three elected at the last quarterly
meeting) is ninety-nine, of: Wau,.o ninety-three are
stilled to receive £2O a year ea. 311, and sir (being
,Liters) .216 a year each. A large number of
names of applicants for aunuitLs sail remain on
the books Cu the charity, many oi them et long
,ianding, and new applications are frequently re- ,
ceived.
SUPPOSBD CHILD MURDER.—Tite further en-
quiry by the jury was resumed at Mr. J. Davis,
on Thursday morning last, before R. Docker, Esq.
coroner. Superintendent Freeman was present
and Mr. T. Wall was there to watch the case on
nehalf of the accused. Mr. Docker said that
on the last occasion he proposed an adjournment for
she purpose of making further enquiries. From
the evidence of the medical man it was quite clear
that the child lived for some time after birth. On,
making an internal examination he found all the
parts healthy, and externally there were no marks
of violence. It was, quite clear that the child did
not have proper care at its birth. He believed a
iemale had been apprehended on the charge ot
;oucealment of birth. Women of that kind often
ionceaied tne child to cover their shame, and this
• ,Mild appeared to have OEIOII Concealed. the pri-
_miler was not charged witu murder or mauslaug,h-
,7er and so far the enquiry of she jury came to au
:nd and must leave toe case tor another tribunal
criminat court wiiere tue enquiry will go on.
Lowy had the evidence teat the cluid was born
and lived but a saors (Auld, and the evidence
ves to show that the child died ior want of proper
care. if the jury wisned it he would read over the
evidence, and call furtherevidence, but he thought
that calling further evidence could not at this
enquiry effect the case. The feicuan said the evi=
deuce was still fresh in the minds of the jury and
did not think it necessary to read it. The coroner
said it v% as quite clear from the medical evidence
that there were no marks of violence. The room

v'as then cleared at the request of the foreman,
aud alter a short eonsultation returned the follow-
ag verdict. " That the child born is that of a
full grown female child, newly born. That the
.I,hila had an existence separate from her mother.
I hat the child died within a short time of its birth,
and that death was not the result of any violence,
cut probably wanted proper care and attention at
iirst." The coroner quite agreed with the verdict,
also Superintendent l'reeman who said the jury
could conic to no other conclusion.—Prisoner was

brought up at the Police Court, yesterday, before
Colonel Fletcher and Mr. J. B. Cochrane, charged
with having given birth in the month of March to
a female child and concealing the said birth.—
John Davis, Charles Joseph Hill, Camelia Shil-
yea, Police-constable WoodLail, and Police-ser-
geant Jones repeated the evidence as given before
the jury and which appeared in our issue of last
week.—Police-sergeaut Jones, in addition, said in
Company with Superini endeut Freeman he
searched the house of Charles Hill where the
prisoner lives. In a bed room he found three
ssirts and part of another and found a quantity of
slood upon them. He afterwards examined the
bed and found blood upon it. He then searched
a second bedroom and found the nightdress pro-
duced in a box in the father's bedroom, stained.
He then searched the room down stairs and in a
cupboard he found some more cotton print, the
same pattern as that wrapped round the body of
tie dead child and it appeared to be the.t vo
sleeves of a shirt. He took the prisoner into
custody the same night about half-past seven and
charged her with giving birth to a female child,
murdering the same, putting it into a cistern in
her father's garden, and with concealing the birth
of a child. Cross-examined: Prisoner was not
present when the search was made. Nothing was
Vero vn in the way to prevent me making a full
„ea:ch.—Eliza Hill, sister to the accused, said the
skirt produced belonged .t,o her sister Cross-ex-
amined: My sister wore the darkest of the two
skirt 4 the week before she was locked up. My
sister has not worn the black skirt for three
years. The night dress she wore three weeks be-
fore she was locked up. I have always slept with
my sister, since the death of my mother six years,
ago. We go to bed together and I have not
missed my sister from bed at night. I have seen
no difference in her the last six months. We keep
a dog which has had puppies a month ago and
•one of the skirts produced he had pfippies on up
stairs.—Sarah Hill, widow of Jeoeph Hill, said
she gave a quantity of skirts-to 'Jharles Hill and
some of them were marked. The one produced
was marked J. Hill, 12," and was .marked by
witness.—Catherine Williams, wifaof Police-con-
stable Williams, said she had compared. two of
the prints produced and she sbould say the two
shirt sleeves belonged to one shirt.—Prisoner was
committed for trial at the Worcester July Assizes,
bail being accepted, herself in £4O an two
sureties of £2O each. -
THE SKAT.WQ RINK.—The first performance of
the Stouebridg,e Juvenile Amateur Skaters on
Tukvelay evening, has proved as we anticipated in
• our last week's impression, a most complete and
deisidtsci OLICCe6B, a 43 upwards of 800 per.sour at-