The Stourbridge Observer, Cradley Heath, Halesowen & District Chronicle.
Stourbridge, West Midlands, England, 1884-08-30 00:00:00

EXTENSIVE SMUGGLING.

A pleasure yacht belonging to Major Nlattley, of.
London, was boarded at Newhaven Harbour a few
days ago by the Customs authorities on suspicion of
unlawfully concealing goods liable to duty. The
yacht had been cruising about the harbour for some
days. On making a strict search one of the officers
found some new nails driven in the flooring of the
deck of a passage. On taking up the matting and
flooring, the goods were found packed away below.
It appeared that the tobacco, &c., was brought from
Amsterdam. Alfred Honeybourn, James Dunning,
Thomas Spender, Thos. Kemp, John Kendall, Charles
Coker, and Horatio Orbell, mariners, all young men,
were taken into custody and charged by McDougall,
acting surveyor of Customs at Newhaven, with unlaw-
fully concealing 22411 b. of tobacco, 111ilb. of cigars.
snuff. - - - - -

.. ..
and lb. of _ ~valued at £B4, with intent to defraud
her Majesty. The prisoners said certain portions of the
tobacco, cte., was their own property. The prisoners
were charged at Lewes on Friday before Mr. Molinent
and Mr. R. Crosskey. Mr. McDougal gave evidence
in support of the charge. The principal offenders
were fined treble duty, and the others double duty—
Barnes, £52 Bs. 3d., or in default a month's imprison-
meat; Kendall, 4'61 19s. 3d., or one month, the term
of imprisonment being lessened on account of the pri-
soner having a wife, mother, and family depending on
him; Spender, £35 Os. 9d., or one month; Dunning,
£3l 19s. 3d., or one month; Orbell, £l7 :-Is. Bd., or
one month; Kemp, £l3 Os. 10d., or one month; Coker,
£l3 103., or one month; Honeybourn, £l9 19s. 6d.,
or one month. The prisoners were removed in custody.
Afte 'the sentence had been passed, a telegram was
recei ed from the owner of the yacht stating that he
)
had ost his train, and requesting that the case might
be delayed. Major Mattley afterwards arrived, and
said he wished to testify to the men's previous good
conduct. The vessel remains at Newhaven und.e.r f 4.3
surveillance of the Custom authorities.

THE lATAL SHOOTING CASE IN

SOUTHWARK.

In London, at Guy's Hospital, on Friday afternoon
in last week, Mr. Samuel F. Langham, the Southwark
and City Coroner, held an inquiry into the circum-
stances attending the death of Emma Leach, aged 18,
the daughter of a rag merchant, residing at 15,
'Upper Grange-road, Bermondsey, who was accidentally
shot on Tuesday afternoon by her cousin, who was
on a farewell visit prior to sailing for New Zealand.
George Leach, the father of the deceased, de-
posed to being at home at the time of the occur-
rence. He said they were making the day as merry
as possible, and all kinds of sports were going on in
the garden at the back of the house, in which he, two
of his sons the deceased, and a cousin named H.
Newman all joined. In the afternoon a shooting com-
petition took place between Newman and his son
George. They shot at wine bottles thirty-five feet off
with a small loaded gun. About 4.30 p.m. he went in
to tea, and was followed by the deceased, who came
for some tea for the young men. Immediately after
she went out into the garden with it witness heard the
gun go off and a heavy fall, and then found that his
laughter had been shot in the head. Medical aid
was obtained, and the deceased was got to the hos-
pital, where she died on Wednesday.
By the Coroner : She was quite unconscious when
she fell, and bled from the nose and mouth. There
had An no angry words. In fact they were all as
merry as crickets prior to the disaster. The deceased
was not engaged to Newman.
The Coroner: I am very sorry for you, it is a very
lamentable occurrence.

George Leach, a son of the last witness, deposed to
the gun belonging to him. In was one of four that
belonged to a shooting gallery which he owned. He
and Newman had been having a friendly competition
for about an hour before the deceased brought them
out the tea. She had placed it on the dustbin and
then began chaffing Newman about his shooting. She
called him a duffer and said she could shoot better
herself. Newman turned round to answer, and as he
did so lowered the rifle so that the butt was against
his knee and the muzzle pointing over his shoulder
nearest to the deceased. The next instant the gun
went off, and the charge entered his sister's head
through the corner of her eye. There had been
no animosity between any of them, and the occurrence
was purely accidental. There had been no betting in
connection with the competition. It was quite
friendly.
At the request of the jury Henry Newman was
sworn. He deposed to firing the shot which killed
the deceased. Ile believed the gun to be in perfect
order, and explained that the deceased on setting the
tea down on the dustbin, came and stood on a tin close
beside him, which elevated her about two feet above
him. He was in the act of firing when she came up,
but lowered his gun, and thought it must have caught
against his waistcoat pocket, and so gone off. He was
positive he had taken his hand away from the trigger
before it fired. _ _

......__„. __ ..._ __.
A juryman here examined the gun, and said it
was out of order, and wotild go off at the slightest
touch.

Mr. Claas. Meyer, house surgeon, deposed to the
deceased remaining unconscious up to her death,
which took place at 12.30 a.m. on Wednesday. Her
condition was such that they could not search for the
bullet, but the post-mortem examination showed that
it had passed from the inner corner of her left eye
through the brain to the back of the skull.
The jury returned a verdict of "Accidental death,"
and were unanimous that the gun should be destroyed.
Geo. Leach promised to dispose of all the guns to a
gunsmith, and to acquaint him as to the condition of
this particular gun.