The Stourbridge Observer, Cradley Heath, Halesowen & District Chronicle.
Stourbridge, West Midlands, England, 1885-01-24 00:00:00

_

Eighteen months ago Mr. Justice Kay granted an
Injunction restraining the London City Commissioners
of Sewers from compulsorily taking the whole of the
site of the Wood-street fire, on the ground that only a
!mall strip of the land was required for the purpose of
widening the street. An appeal against this decision
before Lords Justices Baggallay, towen, and Fry, has
been dismissed with co,ts.

An application was made to the Queen's Bench
Division to set aside an order of the judge of the
Kingston County Court committing a builder to prison
for non-paymenl of a judgment for forty-three pounds.
The plaintiff had shown that the defendant was carry-
ing on business and receiving weekly advances under a
contract at Richmond, and Mr. Justice Grove remarked
that many orders of committal had been made in
Chambers upon less evidence of means than this. Both
his Lordshipand Mr. Baron Huddleston doubted whether
a power of appeal existed in the case; bat without
deciding that point they refused to interfete with the
decision of the county court judge.
An action, brought to test the validity of certain
debentures issued in May, 1883, by the Duplex Electric
Light, Power, and Storage Company, now in liquida-
tion, has been decided by Vice-Chancellor Bacon against
the debenture-holders, on- the ground that no proof had,
been furnished to him that the necessary formalities
had been observed.

At the Central Criminal Court, London, on Monday,.
a man named Humphreys was found guilty of obtain-
ing considerable sums of money from persons whom he'
engaged as clerks and collectors. After they had de-
posited their money with him they found he had no.
genuine business. A detective officer stated that the
prisoner had been engaged for several years in, the same.
practices. He was sentenced to five years' penal
servitude.
The arrivals of live stock and fresh meat at Liver-
pool during the past week from American and Canadian
ports amounted to 1088 cattle, 299 sheep, 10,621
quarters of beef, 988 carcases of mutton, and 450 hogs,
against the preceding week's arrivals of 827 cattle,
7527 quarters of beef, and 874 carcases of mutton,
showing an increase in the imports of both live stock
and fresh meat. The conveying steamers last week
were as follows: The Brooklyn, with 357 cattle and 299
sheep; lowa, 300 cattle and 884 quarters of beef;
Venetian. 100 cattleand 1127 quarters of 'beef ; Iberian,
58 cattle, 1726 quarters of beef, and 115 carcases of
mutton; Lake Nepigon, 48 cattle, 665 quarters of beef,
and 100 carcases of mutton; Alaska, 1660 quarters of
beef, and 20 carcases of mutton; British Prince, 1052
quarters of beef; Lake Winnipeg, 894 qnarters of beef,
and 60 carcases of mutton; City of Richmond, 20a
quarters of beef and 450 hogs; and Ibel, 225 cattle,
2413 quarters of beef, and 513 carcases of mutton.
Speaking at the annual meeting of the Warwickshire
Scripture Readers' Society, Mr. Newdegate said in the
present day men deemed themselves learned who knew
nothing of the Bible. They considered if no degrada-
tion to be totally ignorant of the Old Testament. He
was convinced that all who desired that this country
should remain as peaceful as she had been, and that
those about to be invested with political power should
use it wisely, could not do better than to aid societies
such as that under whose auspices they were assembled.
As exemplifying the danger of driving cattle without
the security of a halter, it may be stated that at Eden-
bridge Kent, on one day no fewer than eight persons
were knocked down and more or less terrified by an in-
furiated cow which was being driven though a country
road close to the town. Among the injured was Miss
Waind, who was returning with her parents and sister
from a children's treat and Christmas tree. Four of the
children were also thrown down and alarmed. Much
indignation is felt in the neighbourhood that on a
pitch dark night drovers should be allowed to take ill-
natured and dangerous beasts through public thorough-
fares without the least security as to life and limb.
A man named Trussler, who resided at Guildford,
died on Sunday evening from hydrophobia. He was
bitten by a mad dog 14 months ago, but the symptoms
of hydrophobia did not become manifest until the close
of last week.

The Dublin Court of Admiralty on behalf of the
owners and crew of the brig Richard Owen, of Swansea,
have granted an order for the sale of the American
brigantine Belle Star, which is under arrest at Newry,
having been condemned in damages for colliding with
the Richard Owen and sinking her, off Newfoundland,
two of the crew being lost.
An accident occurred on the Great Western Railway
on Monday morning to the up express from Wey-
mouth. When near Dorchester the side-rod of the
engine snapped while the train was at full speed,
destroying part of the framework or the engine and
smashing the axle box of the tender. The trsin was
quickly pulled up. Fortunately none of the passengers
were injured.
At the Kent Assizes, on Monday, before Mr. Justice
Manisty and a jury, Captain Clarke, -a member of a
London firm of horse-dealers, sued the superintendent
of the Maidstone police for damages for false imprison-
ment. Captain Clarke was arrested at Maidstone fair
on suspicion of being in possession of stolen horses.
The jury awarded him £2O damages. Captain Clarke's
foreman also recovered £lO damages in a similar case.
On Monday a large meeting of the tenants of Lord.
Kintore met at Laurencekirle, Kincardineshire, and dis-
cussed the present crisis in agricultural matters, and
"the impos.iblllty cl paying rents while the price of
farm produce remained so low." It was resolved to
draw up cl petition, praying his lordship to grant a
revaluation of the farms by neutral parties, or liberty
to quit at one year's notice with the privileges of way-
going tenants.
Extensive robberies of Government stores have been
discovered at her Majesty's Convict Prison, Isle of
Wight. On Saturday an assistant warder, named
Hutchins, employed in the shoemakers' shop at the
prison, was brought before the magistrates at Newport,
charged with stealing upwards of 1.500 pieces of leather,
consisting of boot fronts, lining vamps, ,Szc. The
accused, who pleaded auiltv. was committed for trial at
the assizes.

On Saturday the dead body of a man was. found
caught in a salmon weir, in the Suir, about _two miles
from Carriek-on-Suir. On his head there was a deep
gash, as if he had been cut with a sharp instrument,
which leaves the impression that he had been subjected
to violence, and that afterwards the body was thrown
into the river. He was about 40 years of age,

The Mortuary Chapel at the Military cemetery,
Aldershot, has been destroyed by fire. • -
An attempt has been made to blow up by - dynamite
a hat factory at South Norwalk, Connecticut, while
seventeen employes were asleep in the building, which
sustained some damage. The outrage is attributed to
some men on strike. -
On Saturday Dr. Diplock held an inquiry at the One
Tun Inn, High-street, Brentwood, 'respecting the
singular circumstances attending the deatt of twin
infants, named Frank Matthison and Albert Edward
Matthison, aged one year and nine mouths. Eleanor
Matthison, the mother, said she was the wife of a
lighterman. The children had from their births been
weak infants. When one was ill the other was affected
in a similar manner. Both were seized with a fit on
Thursday, and died at the same moment. 'Mr. William
Roe, surgeon, said the cause of death was 'convulsions
from teething. A remarkably sympathetic influence
existed between the two children, and the - coincidence
in their simultaneous illness and death could only be
accounted for in that way. A verdict of "Death from
natural causes "was returned.

Mr. John O'Leary arrived in Dublin on Saturday
morning from London, where he had been staying for
the past week. It had been intended to present him
with an address from the Young Ireland Society, but
that he waived sooner than was anticipated. Mr.
O'Leary's sentence of exile does not expire until the end
of this year. He has been living for some time in
Paris.

Henry Medhurst, a gentleman's coachman, was
charged at the Marylebone Police-court, London, on
Saturday with being drunk and furiously 'driving a
horse and brougham in Avenue-road, Regent's-park,
late at night. Mr. Cooke sentenced him to.seven days'
imprisonment without the alternaiive of a fine.
A meeting of the Metropolitan Board Teachers'
Association was held on Saturday at Exeter Hall, Mr.
T. B. Pitt in the chair. The question of overpressure
was discussed, but without eliciting an unampious ex-
pression of opinion; and a resolution calling on the
teachers to cease striving after abnormally high per-
centages of passes at the Government examinations,
and throw their energies into the more capable work
of real education, was negatived in favour of the pre-
vious question.
On Saturday a powerful steel
.armour-clad, twin-
screw, turret-ship, built for the Brazilian Government
by Messrs. Samuda, was successfully launched at
Poplar. Mrs. Carvalho, wife of the naval architect
appointed to superintend the construction of the ship,
christened her the Aquidabau.
On Saturday Jane Johnson, of Leeds, who obtained
notoriety from the number of her incarcerations for
drunkenness, which exceeded 200, died in the Leeds;
Workhouse at the age of 85.
At Boughrood, Radnorshire, on Saturday evening, a
railway porter took up a gun, and at the same time re-
marked to a fellow-porter named Davies„" Look out,
Charlie, I'll shoot you." The gun went off, killing
Davies on the spot.
Speaking at Bradford on Saturday, Mr. A. Ming-
worth, M.P., said the nation ought to hold resolutely to
the policy of not extending unduly our South African
possessions, and to insist that British blood should not
be sacrificed for the sake of a comparative few, who are
infinitely better off than the average of people at home.
The present aspect of the Egyptian quarrel was the
most unfortunate conceivable, and was nothing short
of a muddle. Whenever faithfully chronicled, history
would prove that Gordon forgot altogether the peace-
ful character of his mission, that his military instincts
got the better of him, and that he had not done that
which England expected.
Mr. Caine, M.P., who was recently appointed Civil
Lord of the Admiralty, presided on Saturday evening at
a concert held under the auspices of the Nation Tem-.
tpeheravnalcehef
League e ienrgEexneisteatrieHn in promoting all, and
mo re testimonytheg
re ts:
i
size in North Wales, last
of temperance in the navy.
Mr. Justice Stephen, on ass
week enjoyed an almost unique experience. At Mont-
gopery the business was r!di
ensiy
light; at Dolgelly
the judge was presented with a pair of white kid gloves;
e pbtoi
and at Carnarvon only one indictment.
was presented.
For the whole twelve months not a solitary prisoner Ems
been committed to the assizes in Merionethsh
An explosion, caused by an escape of as tiirp,
place
on Saturday at the house No. 30, Frederick-place„
g,90
Plumstead. The lower part of the house Was com-
pletely wrecked., the windows and doors being blown
out and the ceilings destroyed. An argand burner had
been inadvertently turned nn for about five hours, and
on a light being applied the explosion, which was of
terrific violence, immediately occurred. ,
The express train from Tourn.ai to Brusselß. ran ofe
the rails on Sunday morning beyond Bierges, and four
of the carriages were precipitated down a slope and
smashed to pieces. One ot the guards of the traink
received fatal injuries, and fourteen of the passengers
all of whom were BeHans, were seriously hurt.
On Saturday afternoon her fvfaieAtY's twin-screw fits-
patch vessel Surprise was launched. from the building
yard of Messrs. Palmer at .Tarrow. She is constructed
entirely of steel, and is 250f1. in length by 31ift. in
breadth, having a depth of hold of 18ift., her mean
Messrs. Palmer, aa
draft being 131 L, and her displacement 1400_ts.lhl
engines have also been made by m
horse-pow,
will work at an indicated pressure of upward a of 3000

iIE.N; 't;'-,tS • i#::,•o ;t1.4.1 irst-,li-s Machinery
Cuttunissi,n.—Box 31, Post
Liverpx)l.

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