The Stourbridge Observer, Cradley Heath, Halesowen & District Chronicle.
Stourbridge, West Midlands, England, 1884-05-17 00:00:00

DUDLEY.

VIOLENT ASSAULTS. —On Wednesday, at the
Police Court—before Alderman Bagott and Mr.
Batenthn—John Danks, alias Timmins (28), miner,
of Vauxhall Street, was charged with assaulting his
wife no,i Police-constable Biddle on the previous
night. Chief-superintendent Burton t•aid the wife
would give no evidence, but fortunately 4 they could
prove the case without her. Thomas Grove stated
that he saw the defendant and his wife quarrelling,
and the woman was cursing and "bamboosling"
her husband. Danks knocked her down three
times, and finally the neighbours pat her on a chair,
and gave hr some water, The defendant pulled her
off, and dashed her down on the ground. He also
bumped her head on the floor, and rendered her iu-
sensible. The neighbours sent for the police, and
Police-constable Biddle went to the spot, He
spoke to Danks, who suddenly drew back and took
a "running kick" at the officer. Defendant: I
may as well plead guilty. Mr. Barradale : You
need not unless you are guilty. Defendant: I was
drunk. and I did not know anything. Superinten-
dent Burton said the defendant had been convicted
twenty times, mostly for assaults. The Bench sent
him to gaol for two months for the assault on the
wife, and one moath for the assault on the officer.
—John Sylvester (20), drover, well-known as one
of the "Tally-ho" family, was convicted of vio.
lently assaulting Police-constable Pitt, Police-ser-
geant Speke, Police-serg:ant Wimblet, and John
Pargeter, of King Street, and was committed to
prison for four months with hard labour. The
mother of the prisoner, for interfering with the
police when arresting her son was fined 5s and
costs.
CIIARGE AGAINST A PUBLICAN.—At the same
Court Edward HE chett, of the Dragoon Inn, Tower
Street, was charged with selling brandy during
prohibited hours On. Sunday.—Police-constable Hall
said he watched the house, and saw Mary Sylvester
go into the place and receive some liquor, which
proved to be brandy. He stopped the woman,
who said she asked for the brandy to rub on her
face.—Hachett was fined 40s and costs, ald the
Bench ordered the endorsement of his license.
GEOLOGICAL SOCIETY AND FIELD CLUB. The
anival meeting of the members of this society was
held in the Museum on Tuesday,—Mr. H. Johnson
was re-elected presilent.—Mr. G. Jones read an
interesting paper on "The Metallurgical Operations
of Dui Dudley in this neighbourhood during the
early part of the seventeeth century ;" and subse-
quently Mr. Jones conducted the party to Dibdale, i
where quantities of the scoria of old iroaworks is to
be found. He pointed out the site of some of the
earliest blast furnaces in the district, and called
attention to the great quantities of calcined shade
lying about and stated that, in consequence of the
coal measures cropping out, and being worked near
the surface in olden times, vast quantities of slack
were left in the pits, which afterwards took fire,
i
and then ignited the adjacent coAl, so that it s es-
timated that hun ireds of acres of coal were des-
troyei, the fires resembling, as Dud Dudley lweyhertle
marks, " Ueda, in in Cicilv or Ue in the Indies."
The party then drove t the Wren's N
the president pointed outa most instrwitive sec-
tion, showing the manner in which the limestone
had been contorted by the forces which threw up
these tilted rocks.