The Stourbridge Observer, Cradley Heath, Halesowen & District Chronicle.
Stourbridge, West Midlands, England, 1876-12-16 00:00:00

THE STOURBRIDGE 013Sr1YER.

executed considerably faster than they are
received, and the result of this will presently be
that even the best makers of finished iron will
have their books perfectly empty. Both best
and commoner qualities of iron, however, are a
little firmer than they were a week or two ago,
3d, and in some cases as much as Gd a ton more,
being obtained for medium qualities on 'Change
to-day. There is a slight improvement in the
pig iron trade, and a few more furnaces have
been blown in, smelters being of opinion that
owing to the upward tendency of prices which
has recently been manifested in the North it will
presently be possible to realise better prices
than just now. The stocks of pig iron continue
very low, but some purchasers are taking a good
deal of the produce of a few makers in the hope
that when the market moves it will move for
the better. Some few days ago a considerable
order for bridge work for Italy was placed in
the neighbourhood of Wolverhampton. This
has encouraged district firms to secure an order
which will shortly be given out by the India
Council for nearly 3,000 tons of iron bridge
work. The coal trade is perhaps a little brisker
than it has lately been, but there is still a great
deal of underselling going on.

mad, therefore, the takings will scarcely
cover the expenses incurred.
THEATRICAL LICENSE.—At the Police Court, yes-
terday, Wore Colonel Fletcher, Messrs. F. Evers,
R. L. Freer, and J. B. Cochrane, Mr. W. Craufurd.'
applied for a theatrical license for the Union Hall;
for one week from January Ist. The applicatiaatt
was granted.---Mr., T.,Wall, solicitor.,,- applied on
behalf of Mr. W. Patch, for the date of opening the
Theatre Royal to be altered from the .26th inst, to
the 19th inst. The application was granted.
CHARGE AGAINST A Punme.a.N.---Thomas Brooks,
landlord of the King's Head, High Street, was
charged with permitting drunkenness in his house
on the Bth inst. Mr. H. Saunders defended.
Police-constable Smith, stationed at the Lye, said
he was on duty on the Bth inst, and visiteddefend-
anes house about 10 minutes past three. He saw
a man asleep in the kictheia with his head on the
table and he was drunk. Witness apprehended
the man oal a wafrant and as he could not stand
they had to lead him to the station. --- Cross-ex-
amined: I did not see defendant. There was no
one in the room when I apprehended the man.
There was an empty cup on the table in front of
the man. No one complained to me about Rinsing
the man whilst taking him to the station.---Police-
constable Widdows corroborated Smith.---Police-
sergeant Jones said he Wai at the station when the
man was brought in and he was druuk.—Cross-ex-
amined : It is possible for the landlord to be in
the bar without seeing who is in the kitchen.—
Mr. Saunders, in defence, contended that the man
was not intoxicated, that he did not have anything
to drink there, and that he was in the house with-
out defendsnt's knowledge. Several witnesses
were called and stated that the man was not in-
toxicated and that he did not have anything to
drink whilst he was in the house. The Bench
said they considered the case had been properly
brought before them andithey were of opinion that
the man was drunk, but it had not been proved
that the man was supplied with drink with the
knowledo of defendant, and the ease was die-
missed.

EXTNNSION Or Trz TO PUBLICANS.—Mr. Perry
applied on behalf of several licensed victuallers for
an extra hour on the nights of the 25th and 26th
insts, and January Ist. The application was
granted for the 25th and 26th enly.
CFIAZGE OP UNLA.WPULLY WOUNDING. Henry
Nickless, a clerk, was charged with having on the
11th inst, at the parish of Kinver, unlawfully as-
saulted William Harding, with intent to do him
bodily harm. He was further charged with being
on enclosed ground for the'purpose of taking game,
armed wilh a bludgeon. There was a third charge
preferred against defendant. for unlawfully assault-
ing and wounding Robert Saunders, on the same
date.—Mr. Perry appeared to prosecute, and Mr.
Stokes defended.—Saunders said he lived at Stour-
ton, and was a watcher in the employ of Mr. Foley.
A few minutes past three on the morning of the
11th inst, he was in the coppice at the Ridge Top.
The coppice is within 500 yards of Worcestershire.
William Hardinglwas with witness. He heard the
leaves " rattling " and on turning round he saw
three men about twenty yards from him. One of
the men had a frail and a stick. Witness heard a
dog bark and one of the men commenced throwing
stoneslat witness and his companion. One of them
said" There's only two of them, go into them."
Witness had a dog with him and he loosed it.
The three men with two others then came towards
witness and one of them struck Harding on the
forehead and knocked him down. Defendant was
the man who struck Harding. Defendant then
struck witness on the head twice and knocked him
over a hedge into afield. On the following day
he saw defendant at Bretteli Lane, on the railway.
When they got within 20 yards of defendant wit-
ness recognised him as the man who had assaulted
him. When they met defendant, Harding asked
him if he recollected seeing him the other morning
and defendant said he never saw them before.
Witness afterwards examined his own dog and
discovered that a spike had been run into it in two
places.—Cross-examined: Defendant's father is a
farmer and his land is close to the coppice. It
was not an over dark night. There was no moon
but it was star-licht. Police-constable Smith told
us that defendant's name was Nickles& and that
he worked somewhere on the line. That was after
we had described the man. William Harding,
Police-constable Smith, and Ann Adams gave evi-
dence on behalf of the prosecution. Mr. Stokes,
in defence, called John Clarke, Joseph Archibald
Clarke, John Hodgetts, and Frances Sarah Clarke,
to prove an alibi.—After hearing the evidence the
Bench retired to consider their verdict. On re-
turning into Court, Colonel Fletcher said they
had given the case their best attention and were
of opinion that a prima facie case had been made
out. They were not satisfied with the evidence
for the defence, and they should commit defendant
to take his trial at the next Assizes. Defendant
was bailed out.

disorderly, at Wordsley, on the 2nd inst.—Police-ser-
geant Boon and Police-sonstable Hume proved the case
and defendants were fined 5s each and costs.—James
Jlennefer was charged with being drunk and riotons, at
Trettell Lane, on the 2nd inst.—Police-sergeant Hinton
proved the case and defendant was fined lOs and costs;
in default 14 days.—llichard Ball was charged with
liping drunk, at Kingswiuford, on the 6th inst.—Police-
constable White proved the case and defendant was fined
2s 6d and costs; in default 7 days.—Ann Aston, land-
lady of the Wagon and Horses, Wombonrn, was charged
with permitting drunkenness in her house, on the 27th
nit.—Police-sergeant Boon said he visited defendant's
house on the above date at 25 minutes past eight o'clock
in company with Police-constable Wood. Me went to
the kitchen and there found a man named Tucker who
was intoxicated. Tucker had a pint cup in his hand.
He got up and had to catch hold of the table to steady
himself and he then drank out of the cup.—Police-con-
stable Wood corroborated Boon.—Henry Johnson said.
he went to the Wagon and Horses about 20 minutes
past six in the evening and saw Tucker in the kitchen
quite tipsy.—The Bench considered the case clearly
proved to their satisfaction and fined defendant 20s and
costs, and endo-sed the license.----Thomas rucker was
charged with being drunk on licensed premises, at
Womtourn, on the 27th ult.—Police-constable Wood
and Police-sergeant Boon proved the case and defend-
ant was fined 5s and costs; in default 14 days.
A REFRACTORY PAUPER.—George Jones, a pauper,
was charged with refusing to work at the Workhouse, at
Kingswinford, on the 11th inst.—lsaac Perry, superin-
tendent of the vagrant ward, said defendant entered the
Union on Sunday night and on Monday morning be
refused to work.—Defendant pleaded guilty and was
sentenced to 21 days' hard labour.
SOECOOL BOARD PROBZCIITIONS.—At the Police Court,
on Thursday, before I. Spooner, Esq., stipendiary,
Frederick Smith was charged wlth neglecting to send his
son to school.—Finad fig.—Joseph Whittaker, for not
sending his daughter to school was fined ss.—Joseph
Walsall was fined 5s for not sending his son to school.—
Arthur Hill, for not sending his daughter to sehool was
fined ss.—Henry Harper was fined ss, for not sending
his daughter to sohool.—Yerney Bretos proved the

UNJUST 60/LES AND WEGlNTS.—Abraham Whitworth
Brattell Lane, provision dealer, was charged by J. G.
Herder, inspector, for having one pair of unjust scales
in his possession, on the 28th ilt.—Mr. Herder proved
that the seals. were a quarter of pound short.—Defend.
ant said the scales were new and he had never used them.
—Mr. Spooner: I don't believe it. lii. cheating the
public, and I fine you Xi and costs.—John Smith, for
having an uujnat machine, 81b. short of the balance.
was fined £2 and costs.—Edward Wright, Wordsley
Green, provision dealer, a pair of scales half an Ounce
short.—Hr. Holbirton defended.—Fined £2 and coats.—
George Firmstone and James Sherwood were charged
with refusing to produce certain weights to Mr. Herder,
when requested, on the 28th ult.—Complainant said he
visited the coal yard of Sherwood's and saw Firmstone,
a boy. Asked him for the weights and he refused to let
him see them. He went away and produced a spring
balance, and he asked them both if they had any more
and they said " No." He requested his assistant to
search the yard and he found a pair of steel yards.
Cross•examined by Mr. Helberton : The steel yards were
not correct for using. He had them put on a shelf and
sent an assistant to look after them. He found them
thrown amongst a lot of old iron.—Samuel Toy, assistant
to complainant, gave corroborative evidence.—Sherwood
was,fined £1 and costs.—The charge against Finiustone,
the boy, was dismissed, he being an ogent.—Jarn,
Waden, of Wordsley, three weights light.—Fined and
costs.

ASSAULT CASE.—David Kirby was charged with assault-
ing George Henry Flavell, on the Bth inst.—Complainant
said he was at the works of Earl Dudley on the above
date. The defendant was also there. They had some
words when defendant caught him by the hair of
his head, pulled him down and struck him several times
on the face. He did not give him any provocation.—
William Millward corroborated.—Fined lOs and costs; in
default three weeks' hard labour.