The Stourbridge Observer, Cradley Heath, Halesowen & District Chronicle.
Stourbridge, West Midlands, England, 1870-03-26 00:00:00

INEUSTRIAL REGIMENTS.

A letter in the Paul Pioneer gives thefollowing dencrlptlon
of the organization of industry in the " Mississippi bottoms"
—the slim low lands on the basks of the great river, which
are subject Colts overflow :
L sbour has been systematized so as to realize its
highest possible benefite to all parties. The planters
furnish the land and the teams, the negroes do the
work, and the crop is divided equally, the negroes re-
imbursing the planter from their share for clothing
and provinions advanced by him, and often, after
providing for immediate necessities, buying of him a
horse, mule, cow, hogs, Sze., with the balance. Tics-
negroes organize themselves into squads of three or
four families, with a leader appointed by themselves.
Each man counts Rs one hand, each woman as two-
thirds of a hand, and boys and girls according to age.
All work together in the field allotted to them. It is
to the interest of the "captain' of the squad, as well
as of each individual, to see thaat the others do their
share of the work, and at the end of the season one half
of the env raised by the squad is divided among the
families according to the proportion due to each on
this basis. Cott in is the principal crop, but each
plaster endeavours to raise enough corn for home con-
sumption. Labourers are scarce, and are even now,
as in old slave times, being imported from Kentneky
and Virginia, though on a slightly different principle.
One good hand will work well ten acres of cotton and
six of corn. An average family can raise sixteen bales
of cotton, half of which, worth at present prices SOO
dollars is theirs, besides corn enough for bread for the
family and feed for several pigs. This, with the
garden, leaves little to be expounded on provisions, so
that they can, and often do, save 500 dollars in one
uccessful year.

A BREACH OF PROMISE-MO DAMAGES.

At Huntingdon, the rase of " Streather r. Jacques " has
been tried, and was an action for breach of promise to marry
The parties to the action are both in a humble poei.
tion of life, the plaintiff being a domestic servant, the
defendant being a policeman. Some time in 1868 the
defendant wrote to the plaintiff. asking to be allowed
to keep company with her. To this she gave her as-
sent, and a regular courtship, followed by the usual
attentions and warm epistolary effusions on the de-
fendant's port ensued. The reading of the lettere, as
is generally the case in these actions, caused consider-
able laughter, but beyond somewhat grotesque expres-
sions of devotion and affection, there was nothing more
absurd than in ordinary love-letters. It was clear,
however, that an engagement to marry had been con-
tracted, and also equally clear that it had been broken
by the marriage of the defendant with another woman.
In the course of her cross-examination the plaintiff was

asked about a quarrel she had had with the defendant.
This, it seem', had its origin in her objection to his
being placed on duty to prevent Mr. Murphy exciting
any disturbance at a meeting to be held in her neigh-
bourhood. I:eing asked whether or no she was a stanch
Protestant, ber, answer, which caused roars of laughter,
was—" No, I belong to the Church of England."
The jury found a verdict for the plaintiff with £2O
damages.

CUTTINGS FROM AMERICAN PAPERS,
Drunkenness le call,' "miff ering from wet groceries"
In Chicago.
A San Fr.il ciaito tripsr says that the applan4e at a
recent concert In that city was " bounded only by the strictest
etiquette."
A New York coal merchant killed himself becau.e
an unexpected increase of buainess annoyed him. Fnelish
bellow ! . .

A contemporary has a discerning criticism of
..Tennyeouli last work on iloly Gruel."—Thiladelphia
Le rr.
A well-known journalist hung up his stockinga on
C. rlstmas, and his wife out a behy in it, whereupon he 'aid,
.• 31y dear, darn that !stocking !''

_ .
An impulaive young man in Hampshire county,
Manachusett., at a church revival meeting the other night,
prayed that God would bless the young ladles between whom
he hail been sitting, "especially the one on the right."

An old former whose sou bad lately died, WWI visited
by a neighbor, who bacon to condole with him on his loss.
" My Ines !" exclaimed the father, "no such thing; it waft
We own loss—he was of ego."

A Itabiniore wont,n Kent her grocer the following
note "air. Tuttle : Thle here thing hag got too much hemp

In it for mJlasses, and not quite enough I 7r a clothes' Uno, so
I beg you MU exchange it for a purer article."
Speaking of a recent gale in the vicinity of White
Pine, Nevada, one miner remarked "Why, Its a reglar
typhoid ; " whereupon a momrsale p.ttronisingly remarked to
the bystanders, "He's an Ignorant cuss : he means tycoon !'

A Alinnesota paper has introduced a new feature—
s report from two prominent physicians of its town of the
condition of their patients, their names, diseases, etc. All
are reported to be "improving," " convalescing," "convales-
cent" "pining," "doing well," or "getting better."