The Stourbridge Observer, Cradley Heath, Halesowen & District Chronicle.
Stourbridge, West Midlands, England, 1878-01-19 00:00:00

KIDDERMINSTER.

BURGLARY AT THE POST OFFICE.—At the Borough
Police Court, on Monday, before Messrs. J. J. Harvey
(the Mayor), S. Fawcett, T. Banks, and H. Toye Wood-
ward, Walter Ashley, who described himself as a black-
smith's striker from Lancashire, was charged with a
burglary at the Kidderminster Post Office, early on
Sunday morning,—Mr. E. B. Thorneycroft appeared for
the prosecution, snd having stated the outlines of the
case called Police-constable Penny.—The officer stated
that he met the prisoner at 230 on Sunday morning, at
the bottom of Swan Street, and asked him what brought
him out at that time, and where he had been. Prisoner
said he was not bound to tell him ; but, on repeating his
question, prisoner said something about a bank which
he did not catch. Witness took him back in the direc-
tion of the Stourbridge and Kidderminster Bank, and
on passing the Post Office he touched the door with his
stick and found it open. Prisoner immediately said,
" That's the crib I have broken into." Witness re-
moved prisoner to the police-station, and then returned
to the Post Office where he called up Mr, Broadfield,
the postmaster. Before this he had noticed a scarf the
prisoner was wearing, and he admitted he took it from
the Post Office, On examining the office with Mr.
Broadfield he found a crowbar (which had been obtained
from the back of the Stourbridge and Kidderminster
Bank). The door had been forced open, and there had
been t v,dent attempts to open the safe, the hand and
locliplate of which were broken. The door from the Pest
Office into the kitchen was open, and several pots of jam
were partially empty and a coffee-pot was on the gas stove.
When asked if he wanted to ask any questions, prisoner
said : " The less I say the better. I can't get out of it.
My two mates got away. lam guilty."—Mr. E. Broad-
tie.d, postmaster, deposed to the office having been
securely fastened up on Saturday night. He had left the
gas turned on in the Post Office that night, but when
Police constable Penny called him up the gas was out.
He corroborated Penny's evidence as to the finding of
the crowbar and the marks on the safe. The broken
handle of the safe was put on a card, on which was
written, "A Manchester cracksinau. NJ money ui the
safe ; pro boito publico." (Prisoner was considerably
mistaken on this point). In the same handwriting
there were a number of peecil annotations in two books
which he used in the office. Mr. Broadfield also spoke
to the jaw-pots being open and partially opened in the
kitc'ien. He identified the scarf as his son's property ;
and his son was examined, and said he saw it safe in the
house at ten o'clock on Saturday night.—Police con-
stable Penny, recalled, said the prisoner told him he
hsel eaten three pots of jam, and that the dogs had part
of ic, and liked it as well as he did. Bribed with jam,
th , dogs had not given any alarm.—Prisoner, on being
asked if he had anything to say, said, "I am destitate.
I have been out of employment six or seven weeks and
I think it very hard to starve in a country where there's
plenty. I am striker for a blacksmith, and willing to
get a living honestly if I can. The reason I did this
was that I am destitute."—The prisoner was committed
for trial at the Worcester Assizes.
LECTURE ON THE TELEPHONE.—A lecture was delivered
upsn the above subject at the Town Hall on Monday
evening last by Mr. Augustus Wood, C.E. The Mayor
(Mr, J. J. Harvey) presided, and there was a large
number present. A wire had been connected with the
Lion Hotel, distant about 100 yards, and four
gentlemen, at the request of the Mayor, went there in
order to watch the transmission of messages to the
Town Hall. Several were sent and answered, and in
one instance the Town Clerk (Mr. J. Morton) identified
the voice of Mr, Burcher, who was then transmitting
a message from the Lion to the Town Hall. Mr.
Burcher afterwards came to the Town Hall, and
stited that he was the person who gave the message
spoken of by the Town Clerk, The wire was also
attached to a musical box, but through some mistake
in the way of fixing the wire this experiment
was not so successful as could have been wished.
Those at the other end of the wire could hear the
musical box playing, but the sound was not sufficiently
distinct to enable them to say what the tune was.
Sufficient, however, was done to show the great possi-
bilities of the telephone when properly managed.—A
vote of thanks to the Chairman for presiding closed the
proceedings.
THE BOARD OF GUARDIANS.—Mr. Kiteley presided at
the meeting held on Tuesday morning. From the
Master's returns it appeared that the number now re-
maining in the house was 275 against 231 in the cor-
responding periol last year. There had been expended
upon out-door relief in the Borough during the last
fortnight, £56 us lid ; and in the Foreign, .£62 Os lld
George Griffiths was engaged to do the necessary tailor-
ing in the house. This work had been done for the last
toren'y years by an inmate named Thomas Doughty.
He was now incapacitated Ity illness, and hence arose
the necessity of engaging a man to do the work. The
salaty is to be 17s per week, and dinner to be provided
every day.
KNOCKING DOWN THE PALISADING AROUND THE
BAXTER STATUE.—On Tuesday morning one of the drays
belonging to the London and North-Western Company
came lot° collision with the iron palisading around the
Baxter :statue and brke down one corner of it. It is
sale that the horses were startled by the noise made by
the children coming out of the New Meeting Board
richer is,

SCHOOL BOARD,—Mr. J. Brinton presided at the
meeting held on Thursday, Mrs. Moulden was appointed
custodian of the Hume Street Schools at a salary of £6
per annum, and she was also allowod 15s for the extra
work in cleaning the schools after the builders. Mary
Hitchin and Nellie Hinton were appointed monitresses
at the Hume Street Schools, and Miriam Moore moni-
tress at the Coventry Street Schools, the salaries to be at
2s per week.—On the motion of Mr. Parry, a sum of £5
was voted by the Board for the purchase of chemical
apenrites for the science classes. Mr. Davey had
collected £2o'for the purpose, and with the grant of £25
from Government it was calculated they should have
£5O for the purpose.—Mr. Morten moved that the salary
of the Clerk be raised to £l2 per year.—This was
seconded and carried.—Mr. Willis moved that the
time of meeting be changed from Thursday to Wednes-
day. at twelve o'clock.—The general opinion of the
Board was, however, averse to the change, and the
motion was deferred for a fortnight.—Messrs. Willis,
Morton, and Killingbeck were appointed a committee
to see to the levelling of the playground at the
Hume Street Schools, with power to act.—t. tender
from Mr. Wood to rut the pecessary gasfittings in the
Hume Street Board Schools for the sum of £lO Sc was
accepted.
STATIC ELECTRICITY.—A lecture was given on the
above subject at the Board schools on Wednesday
evening last by Mr. W. C. Davey, the teacher of
the science classes held at the school Fi The lecture
was illustrated by numerous experiments, the whole of
which were highly sucolssful. There was a large attend-
ance.

lirrTMtN DESERTION.—At the County Petty Sessions,
on Thunday, before Messrs. J. Kiteley, J. Brinton,
W. Hancocks, and Major Trafford, Josiah Horton
was charged with deserting his four children and
allowing them to become chargeable to the Union.—
Mr. Henderson, relieving officer, stated that he visited
defendant's house in Lax Lane, Bewdley, on the 12th
just, and found the four children in a most deplorable
condition. Their ages were eight, six, five, and three.
There was neither food nor fire in the house, the
youngest child was in a perfectly nude state, and the
others had but a very scanty covering of rags. Their
father, who was a dyer at Kidderminster, had not been
near them since the Thursday morning previous.—
Those facts were corroborated by Mr. Milson White,
overseer, and defendant was committed for one month's
hard labour.

POACHERS PUNISHED.—WiIIiam Reece and Thomas
Pearsall, who were caught with several rabbits and
hares in their possession near to the Habberley Cross
Roads on the morning of the 9th mat, were fined, the
former 20s and costs or fourteen days', and the latter
50s and costs or six weeks' hard labour.