The Stourbridge Observer, Cradley Heath, Halesowen & District Chronicle.
Stourbridge, West Midlands, England, 1885-12-19 00:00:00

THE -.STOURBRIDGE OBSERVERS.
TER. • 1°0.; 1; AV a
OS"
- •
-Pr

manner instantly resuming, its usual composure and
ease. "1 believe, Philippe, you have not the pleasure
of this lady's acquaintance. Miss Waco, allow me to
introduce my brother, Couat de gesimont."
Catherine bowed rather haughtily, and turned her
eyes away from the dark, handsome features they had
rested on baltly a second.
She was annoyed beyond measure at this en-
counter, happening as it did at such am
.embarrassing
moment.
"Will Miss Waco allow me to thank her for all the
kind attentions my hrvalid brother has experienced at
her hands, and those of Mr.-Ingestre and his family? I
assure you, madam, I feel a gratitude beyond expres-
sion for the affectionate care you have bestowed upon
him, and am happy indeed to find that it has awakened
a fitting response in his bosom." This was said with
an emphasis that somewhat approached a sneer.
Catherine's only reply was a bow, and a movement
to leave the spot; but Ferdinand laid a detaining
hand on her dress.
"Miss Wace, intercede for me: let me remain
here."
"Are you not a free agent?"
"Not while I live, madam," said the count. "My
brother is not of age—is mine to control--to compel;
and his intellect besides, as you see, is weak."
"Philippe !" exclaimed the par young man.
"Philippe, can you imply an accusation so horrible—
so untrue? Do you, indeed, wish this lady to believe
I am mad ?"
-" I believe nothing of the kind," said Catherine.
"Your intellect is as calm and clear as my own. In
your brother's eyes its weakness evidently consists in
the simple and worthy affection you have bestowed
on me. Believe me, I shall cherish the memory of it
with grateful remembrance, and never forget one
who, in years and resemblance--" But here she
drew her breath with a sudden spasm, and stopped
short. Then, with tears in her eyes, she gave her hand
to the boy, and said, gently—
" Ferdinand, good-bye.'
All self-control had vanished. He seized both her
hands in his, and implored her not to go—not to part
with him for ever.
"I have lutown--I have loved you; think what my
exile will be—"
In acute distress Cathegne looked up, and met the
eyes of Philippe fastened on her. Her pale cheeks
flushed indignantly; she wrenched her hands from the
youth's grasp, and turned away. The elder brother
glanced at the younger, awl smiled with a wicked
and gleeful meaning; but Ferdinand's hands covered
his face, and he was sobbing mournfully. Chap 46
Catherine turned back once to look at them. They
were standing there together; the boy had his face
tinned towards her. He made a gesture of farewell,
and she returned it; thus they parted.
(To be continued.)

MITI

Early on Sunday morning a cite broke out ia Lone.
street, Plymouth, which proved more disastrous than
any which has occurred in the town for more than 9C
years. The house which was the scene of the con flagra-
tion was inhabited by 31 persons—men, women, and
children—and 12 of these must have been suffocated or
burnt to death within a few minutes of the flames
breaking out. The terrible suddenness with which
the fire spread inside the building, and the short
space of time in which so many of the unfortunate
residents met their deaths, was owing to the fact that
whilst the outside is of brick there was a great deal
of woodwork ' inside, and the house is one of the
oldest in Plymouth. It was originally held by the
Trelawnys, of Ham, as their Plymouth house. The
partition-walls from floor to garret were either of lath
and plaster or wainscoted. This house was in-
habited by no less that 12 poor families, and
the only proper means of egress was one narrow
winding staircase, rendered far more inflammable
than usual by reason of the quantity of carved wook-
work with which it was ornamented. Such an old ,
house, turned into a rookery to meet the require- ,
meats of modern Plymouth, offered every advantage i
to the devouring elements, and as the fire occurred
just as the inmates were in their first sleep, those who
were not suffocated and burnt were left destitute.
The fire apparently broke out about one o'clock in
the morning on the ground floor, a grocer's shop, in
the occupation of a widow named Babbage. It im-
mediately spread to the room on the other side, the
front door, a butcher's shop, in the occupation of
,Edward Sprague, the owner of the house, what little
meat it contained being roasted and burnt, as indeed
was a dog, which appeared to have been coiled up
asleep on the floor of the other shop. Intelligence was
at once conveyed to the ,nolice-station, and in a very
short time the town, pollcie, and West of England Fire
Brigade engines were on the spot. A fire escape
was also promptly brought to the house, but, owing
to the extreme narrowness of the street and the
intensity of the flames, it was impossible te•
bring it into requisition. Immediately on the
arrival of the men of the fire brigade a shout was
made to arouse the inmates; but, although probably
less than a quarter of an hour had elapsed from the
first indication of fire, it had already done its work,
so far as lives were concerned, the whole of those
who had not already escaped being suffocated by the
dense smoke which soon filled every room in the
building. Failing this, a dash was made for the stair-
case, but those- of the brave rescuers who were able
to face that found themselves baulked, the fire having
raged there so fiercely as to have destroyed a portion
of it, leaving a gap they were unable to cross. A
ladder was then brought, and an entrance was effected
through the first floor window over the grocer's shop,
there to find the body of a woman (Mrs. Sprague)
lying partly under the bed, with a portion of her
nightdress burnt away, but the body itself little burnt.
Passing with diiscultv to an adjoining room, they
found the dead bodies -of Mrs. Kirby (a widow) and
her brother, Fred Downing, a mason's labourer. the
woman undressed and the man partly dressed.
Having found in another room the body of Mrs.
Newcombe, a sailor's wife, they made their way to
the second floor, where the greatest number of
fatalities occurred. In one room, in which had
,resided a Mrs. Bickford and her four children,
they found the body of one of the elder children
fearfully burns, his head having been almost com-
pletely burnt away. Leas ghastly, but more widely
fatal, had been the ravages of the fire in yet another
room on this floor, where the whole of a family of
nine were burnt, with the exception of the father,
who jumped a distance of 25 feet from the window of
his room upon the flagstones beneath, breaking both
his legs and sustaining terrible injuries to his head
and ribs. He was at onee taken to the hospital. The
force of the water supply was very great, and the
flames were brought under in an incredibly short
time. In the meanwhile the remaining 18 inmates
made good their escape by means of h ladder, which
was in the yard at the back of the house, having been
brought there a few days before. A num of £l5O in
aid of the destitute was collected an nSii;tday by
gentlemen of Plymouth at tables placed in the streets
near the scene of the disaster, A quisntity of cloth-
ing has also been given. In the mousy collect2d
about £3O was in coppers.

11••••••$•••

ol maidñiiitffèL _
years of age; has just died,at.OnistoN 4flNtfti?-9V291
borders of Nottinghamshire and Lincoins !re. o
had lived alone for many years, and, after the funeral
a nephew proceeded to take stock of what was left in
the house, when the discovery made greatly
astonished all who knew the deceased. Forty
sovereigns were first found, then several bank-notes
were brought to light from under the bed. At the
top of the bed there was secreted no less than £4OO,
while several bank-notes were stitched as lining to
the carpets. Fifteen spade ace guineas were found, and
altogether nearly a peck of copper, silver, and gold
coins were discovered in various parts of the house, a
goodly pile being found behind a bookcase. The total sum
secdred up to the present is £2340. Although the
old lady was thus possessed of a large sum of money,
she appears to have lived in a meagre style, as a poor
body in receipt of parochial relief would be corn'
pelled to do. She was very eccentric in her habits,
hying alone, as above stated, and when her stock of
eatables were delivered at the house the chain was
not taken off the door, and the goods consequently,
had to be passed in through the space Lowed. Only
one person was admitted to her house, and that was
a charwoman, who did very little, and, as may be ex-
pected, was closely watched. This helper had to
walk two miles to and fro, and was rewarded with 3d.
for her services. The old lady had made a will, but
it was unsigned, and the nephew above alluded to
lays claim to the booty.
"JANUARY" PARLIAMENTS.

kary

"73

It is an ominous fact that Parliaments which have
met! in January have not, as a rule, been long-lived.
Since 1510 there have been 12 meetings of new Par-
liaments in January. The first of these Parliaments
namely,' that:which met on January 21, 1510—came to
an untimely end within six weeks of its birth, being
dissolved on the 23rd of the following month. The
next January Parliament met on the 16th of that
montii in 1541, and was dissolved on March 29, 1544.
A painfully short-lived Parliament met on January
20, 1558, and was dissolved on November 17 of the
same year. Even less fortunate still was a Par-
liament that assembled on January 25, 1559,
and was dissolved on May following, having
lived less than four monthe. On January
12, 1563, a Parliament which managed to survive
nearly four years, lasting until January 2, 1567. In
1621 Parliament met on January 30, and was dis-
solved on January 6, 1622, lasting less than one year.
" Commonwealth " Parliament, which met on
January 27, 1659, came to grief in less than three
months, being dissolved on April 22 of the same year.
On January 22, 1689, Parliament met, and was dis-
solved on February 6, 1690. The Parliament that
met on Jx.nuary 28, 1728, was exceptionally fortunate.
It lasted until April 18, 1734; and the same good
luck attoncled the Parliament that assembled on
I January 14, 1735, and survived until April 28, 1741.
These two are the longest lived January Parliaments
lon record. The Parliament that inet on January 14,
1819, W 9,9 dissolved on February ?P.), 1820. In 1833
the Parliament which met on January 29 was dissolved
on December 30, 1834.