The Stourbridge Observer, Cradley Heath, Halesowen & District Chronicle.
Stourbridge, West Midlands, England, 1885-10-17 00:00:00

DARING ATTEMPTED BURGLARY AT
A JEWELLER'S SHOP,

At the Greenwich Police-court on Saturday, Wil-
Ham Clark, 33, stonemason, who refused his address,
was charged with attempting to burglariously enter
the premises of Mr. Nathaniel Wegg, jeweller, of
487, Newcross-road. Prisoner appeared in the dock
with his head bandaged. Mr. Wegg said between
one and two o'clock that morning he heard a noise
in his shop, which is detached from the house. He
watched for about 20 minutes, and then saw a man
on the shop roof. He saw some slates had been re-
moved, and that the man was at work at the hole,
being screened from view in the street by a low wall.
Witness had a revolver, and he fired it at the man
between the laths of the blind and through the
glass, because on former occasions, when similar at-
tempts had been made, the thieves had decamped
when he moved the blind. Immediately he fired he
threw open the window and said, "How did you like
it ?" The man made no reply, and witness then
called out, "I have-another ready for you," and then
a voice replied, "Oh, don't; I will give in." Witness
told him that if he moved he should fire again, and
he covered him with his revolver, while he called for
the police. The police did not come, and he then
fired three shots in the air to attract their attention'
and one of his neighbours sprang a rattle, which
brought the police to the spot. He told them what
had happened, and that they would probably find the
man on the roof dead. They got a ladder, but the
man had escaped from the roof by getting down the
water-pipe into the garden and so into the street.
His boots were found in the garden, and on the roof
was a chisel. There had been a second attempt to
break into the shop by cutting a hole through the
wall. The premises were surrounded by a wall about
10ft. high. Witness saw the prisoner when he was in
custody, and recognised his voice, which he thought
had an Irish accent.
Inspector Frost, R Division, said in consequence of
this attempted burglary he went round the neighbour-
hood, and shortly after three o'clock that morning
met the prisoner near Clifton-hill, New-cross-road,
walking without boots. Witness noticed that his
socks were dry, and asked where his shoes were, and
he said the sole came off one and he threw them both
away. He further said he had been "hopping," and
and on being asked where, he said" At Wandsworth."
(A laugh.) Witness took him to the station, and
there noticed some blood on his shirt, and on being
asked how it got there he said a man struck him on
the head with a quart pot. When told he would be
charged with the attempted burglary at Mr. Wegg's,
be made no reply,
Police-constable English, 125 R, said he was in the
Neweross-road at about half-past two that morning,
in company with Police-constable King, when he
heard the report of firearms. They went to Mr.
Wegg's premises and searched the place, but could
not find anyone. Witness found a jemmy on the
roof, and abeut 10 slates had been removed and some
of the woodwork cut away. When in custody the
prisoner said he had been drinking and fighting with
some men, and 'ILIC of them hit him on the head with
a quart pot.
Police,constable King corroborated, and Detective-
sergeant Purbrook denosed, that, just before being
placed in the dock, the pvisoner said to him, "I
won't give you any trouble, governor. I shall plead
guilty; but the old man did not hit me. After he
fired I got down from the roof and fell and hurt my
head. Witness examined Mr. Wegg's premises and
found that the prisoner must have got on to the roof
by climbing a wall Oft. high, getting on to a dustbin,
and then on to a water-butt. There was some blood
in the garden, and part of the waterspout was broken
away. Prisoner was examined by a doctor, who said
the wound in the head was caused either by a shot
from a revolver or by a fall. The injury was not
serious. Prisoner's hat had a hole through it, and
the boots found at the prosecutor's were tried on the
prisoner, with the result that they fitted him exactly.
A knife was also produced, which Mr. Wegg said
had been found by his scrvent.
Mr. Marsham (the magistrate) asked Mr. Wegg if
there was much property the prisoner might have
taken.
Mr. Wegg said there was property, of course; but
be was rather careful.
Mr. Marsham (to the prisoner) : You are not much
hurt, are you?
Prisoner: Well, I feel rather feverish.
Inspector Phillips said the prisoner was well known,
having been sentenced at this court to six months'
hard labour in February last for aitempting to break
into a house.
Mr. Marsbam committed the prisoner for trial at
the Central Criminal Court for attempting to break
into the premises, and for being found abroad at
night in possession of housebreaking implereen.t4s,
supposed for the purpose of committing a felony. tra

MR. GLADSTONE ON THE CRIMES ACT:

The following correspondence has been published:
" Hawnrden, Oct. 2..

"Dear Sir M. H. Beach,—You are reported in the
Times of yesterday to have spoken at Salisbury as
follows: As I believe is pretty well known, our pre-
decessors in office had determined to relinquish these
very clauses . . . . because they had been
found to be incapable of effecting their object.' The
paseage relates to the boycotting clauses of the Crimes
Act.
"Perhaps the reporter mistook your language.
If not, allow me to say that you are entirely in
error. It is within my knowledge that the late
Government had not advised the abandonment of
the clauses, and it is my opinion that they were re-
garded as powerfully tending to the repression of the
offence.
"You will, I am sure, agree with me that this ex-
planation ought to be made public.—l remain, very
faithfully yours,
"(Signed) W. E. GLADSTONE.°
"Oct. 5, 1885.

"Dear Mr. Gladstone,—The sentence which you
quote from my speech at Salisbury contains two
statements :
"1. That the boycotting clauses of the Crimes Act
had been found to be incapable of effecting their
object.
"2. That, because of this, our predecessors in ale*,
had determined to relinquish them.
"On the first point I can only say that I entirely
adhere to the statement I made, for I believe it to be
a fact that the practice of boycotting, so far" from
being repressed by the Crimes Act, had grown up
under it to very considerable dimensions before the
present Government assumed office.
"it is clear from your letter that I have been miss
informed on the second point. I regret my error,
and shall readily concur with you in correcting it by
the publication of this correspondence. But permit
me to add that your words leave me in some
doubt as to the extent of that error. If the
expression had not advised the abandonment'
is equivalent to had advised the renewal'—(as might
possibly be inferred from your opinion that the clauses
were regarded as powerfully tending to the repres-
sion of the offence ')—l can only admit that I was
ccmpletely mistaken, and wish that an announcement
of such a decision on the part of the late Govern-
ment, when it was arrived at, had saved me (and
others) from misapprehension on the subject. But if
your words only mean that the late Government,
within a very few days of the time at which a full
statement of their intentions as to the Crimes Act
must have been made, had not decided that it was
necessary to renew these clauses : Then I would sub-
mit that although such a position is not the same as
a determination to relinquish them, yet it is not very
far removed from it.—l remain, very faithfully yours,
"MICHAEL HICKS BEACIL,
"Right lion. W. E. Gladstone, M.P."

" llawarden, Oct. 10,j885.

"Dear Sir M. H. Beach,— In the fetter I addressed
to you I confined myself strictly to the point raised
by your speech, and apprised you that the late Cabinet
had not arrived at any conclusion in favour of aban-
doning tho boycotting clauses. This point is disinsed
of by your courteous letter.
"We also believed them to be an important instru-
ment for the repression of intimidation. Here there
appears to be a difference of opinion which calls for
no remark at present.
"You have, however, introduced a new subject, and
have apparently conveyed a desire to know not merely
what we had not intended, but positively what we had
intended to advise with regard to these clauses.
"This, as you are doubtless aware, I was unable to
state without the permission of her Majesty. Hence
my delay in replying to your letter.
"This permission has now been graciously
accorded, and I will at once state in outline the views
of the late Cabinet as to the Crimes Bill, which had.
been completely settled before the debate of the Bth
of ;Tune, except upon a single point not of primary
importance.
"1. As already known, we had a considerable time
before that date formed our opinion that there was
no ground in the condition of Ireland, as it then
stood, for renewing what we conceived to be the
coercive clauses of the Act.
"2. As to the clauses which might be generally
termed procedure clauses, and the most important of
which related to special juries, change of venue, and
boycotting, our opinion was not that they should be
absolutely re-enacted, but that the Viceroy should
have power to put them in force, together or
separately, as and where he might see cause.
"3. The single point which remained for farther
consideration was whether the provisions as to boy-
cotting, of which we had resolved to recommend the
retention, should remain in force unconditionallly
throughout Ireland or should, like the other pro-
visions, be left subject to executive discretion.
'I conceive, therefore, that all the vital conditimysl
of the new bill had, so far as the Cabinet was con!:
cerned, been disposed of on the Bth of June, when, ns
you justly observe, the time for proceeding with the'
new measure was near at band.
"Having now answered.the question as to a matter
of fact which you appeared to put, I will no longer
withhold your explanation and my own from pub:-
lication. - . .

"I remain, very faithfully yours,
"(Signed) W. E. GLADSTONE.
"Right Hon. the Chancellor of the Exehmuer."

DARING ATTACK ON AN IRISH
MANSION.
About midnight on Sunday Aghadoe House, Kil-
larney, the residence of Mr. S. M. Hussey, was
attacked by a large body of Moonlighters, who sur-
rounded the house in divisions and fired several shots
at the police on guard. The constabulary returned
the fire, and the attacking party decamped on horse-
back. About a year ago an attempt was made to
blow up Mr. Hussey's house, Edenburn, with dyna-
inite, and Mr. Hussey has been residing with his
family at Aghadoe for the autumn months. The police
authorities havebeen repeatedly warned to increase the
'constabulary force in the district, but have failed to do
I so. It is feared that f his outrage is only the begin-
ning of a series. The dffair seem to have been
planned with a deal of cunning. The attack was made
wholly or partially by men on horseback or on cars,
who approached the house in three different parties.
The night being perfectly dark„and the house sur-
rounded by woods, the Moonlighters had no difficulty
in advancing within striking distance without being
discovered. The plan of operations seethe to have
been for two of the attacking parties to open fire and
then withdraw, hoping to lure the sentries after them,
thus leaving the house open to an attack from the
thud party, who lay in ambush at the edge of the
, wood. Accordingly, the two parties opened fire from
' two different points, the fire being returned by the
police, but they refrained from following up the Moon-
lighters when they retreated, and thus the scheme
failed. Had the police left the building it is believed
the third party would have attempted to blow up or
burn the house. There were nine policemen in the
building at the time of the attack. On the arrival of
Inspector Crane with reinforcements on Monday
morning the whole county was scoured without any
arrests being made, but from indications in the
grounds it is evident what the intention of the des-
peradoes were. Mr. Hussey, who is Lord Kenmare's
agent, was just about to leave for England; indeed,
some of his servants had already gone. It is a coin-
cidence that on the last occasion when an attempt was
, made to blow up Mr. Hussey's house at Edenburn he
was then on the eve of leaving for England,