The Stourbridge Observer, Cradley Heath, Halesowen & District Chronicle.
Stourbridge, West Midlands, England, 1883-01-27 00:00:00

HALESOW EN.

ALLEGED COCK FIGHTING. —At the Police Court,
on Tuesday, before F. D. L. Smith, 11. Howard,
and 11. T Hickman, Esp., sixteen men, named
John Shaw, Jesse Both,m, James Littlewood,
Thomas Dimmock, Wm. Ban brook, Henry Little,
Wm. Edge, Isaac L it, Oliver 6haw, Win. Torford
Benjamin Westwood, Septimus Siviter, Matthew
Siviter, Joseph Parkes, Thomas Ro,e, and David
Edge, all resident at Quarry iiank, Cradley Heath,
Rowley, and Bla,lch!ath, appeared to a;:swer
:urnminses charging Iberia "with having, o te
26th of December, tog ther whit biv rs other
percons, to the number of 2,.? and more, unlawfully
and riotously ,issemblel io dis urb toe
—Mr Smith Dor,ett, of the dli lind Circuit (in-
structed by Mr. J. Sheldon, of Wednesbury), ap-
peared to defoldranti .514gistrate4' CitniLli reply

t) Mr D )I:sett, said the summonses under which
the defendants appearel that day fortnight f
ilareating cecke by causing. teem to fight with
steel spurs had been xvi lidrawn —Police constable
Hardwick then give evidence to the effect that on
the date in question he saw a crowd of about 200
men aezeiebl.-d in a ring in Wassail Dingle, near
Cleat. Two cocks were fighting, when suddenly
sorn-one shouted, "The bolP)y is coining."
Witness rushed in, whereupon Jelin Shaw picked
up one of the cocks, which was spurred for fighting
and ran away. Witness arrested him, and he also
piclikd up a pair of scales. Whoe Shaw was charged
with cockfighting he replied, "We didn't fight;
we were just going to begin." All of the defen-
dants were present in the Dingle, and took a
prominent part in the proceedings.—ln cross-
examination the witness said the defendant
Turfield ran away with a dead bird. John Lang.
ford farmer, Lutley, said he went with the last
I witnes-i to the dingle, and heard the men there
assembled betting crowns and half-crowns. Then
there was a shout, "Here's the bobbies after the
cockfighters," and the men then scattered in all
directions. Hardwick .then caught hold of Shaw,
who had a bird in his possession.—Cross-examined
Witness could not identify any of the defendants
except Shaw. Henry Farley, farm labourer,
Hasbury, spoke to seeing a crowd of people standing
together, but he did not see them do anything,—
Mr. Smith to observed this witness, at the conolu-
sion of his evidence, that he knew a great deal more
than he choose to say.—Police-sergeant Raybould
said after the alleged fight he visited the spot,
and found a quantity of feathers in a field at the
corner of the dingle. The ground appeared to
have been trampled upon, and under the hedge
witness found a piece of paper which appeared
to be a portion of a betting book. On it was the
name of Dimmock, one of the defeudants.—Mr.
Dorsett submitted that there was no case to
answer, and defendants all formally pleaded not
guilty, He said there was no evidence of unlaw-
fully assembling to disturb the public peace.—Mr.
Smith intimated that the Bench were agreed that
the objection was valid, and the case against each
of the defendents was dismissed.
ROBBING A FELLOW LoDaEa.—George A.ndre.ws
(32), Bromsgrove, and Phillip Dial (42), belonging
to Pontypool, both nailmakers, were charged with
stealing four h ilf-sovereigns, belonging to Henry
Perry, another nailmaker, of Islington, Halesowen.
—The patties all lodged Together, and it was
a legel that the tn, ney was s'o.en out of a poeket
in ene of prosecutor's coats at his lodgings during
re osecutor's absence. P isoners were arrested by
Police—cons aFde Jones. when Andrews admitted
having taken the money, and three half-sovereiens
and some silver was found in his possession. No
money was found upon Dial, nor was there any-
thing to connect him with the affair —The prosecu.
tor, in cross examination, admitted having told
Andrews during the afternoon, whilst they were
together, to fetch the money, but afterwards told
him not to do so.—Andrews now pleaded that he
took the money, but with no felonious intent ; it
was a drunken affair.—The Bench sentenced <him
to 21 days' hard labour.—Dial was discharged.
ALLEGED VIOLATION OF THE Tar CIE ACT.
Thomas Craddock, nail manufacturer, Birmingham
Street, was summoned by Mr. Charles NVihiams,
tre seeretary of the Anti-Truck League, for a
contravention of the Truck Act by paying wageslin
knd iestead of in the coin of the realm.—On the
application of superintendent Hardman the case was
adjourned for a month.

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