The Stourbridge Observer, Cradley Heath, Halesowen & District Chronicle.
Stourbridge, West Midlands, England, 1871-09-16 00:00:00

SAITTPDAY. SEPT. 16, 1871.

A TRIPLE MURDER. —A ',al murder of
three persons— young women, sisttN---bae been not.
mitt.ii in the commune of the Lure, in the arronduna
'lent of Forealtiuier. The murdered per.onm lived in a
farmhouse with their father, anti the murderers in the
revemplislinant of their ob)ect plunder, and to wenn,
themselves, riot content with taking the lives Id their
victims, cut their heads completely off and placed
them between their legs, laid the bodies nide by side,
and covered the whole with a sheet. The father of
the tuifortounte iietims ha I his throat cut, but riot
fatally, by the murderers can ml off 5,000 hams.
Fifteen Piedinontese bils'airei, at work in the leiirlil sxl lime la en al-rented.
It:Not:ANT Citrni2l.ll,:.-- A hilly panic (says
the It, my Poe!) 1.,111.t,, have t4lo.llll“gl.ll.litign, Ird the
minds id the isople in this M-alty for the lest few
days. A strange report was circulated to the effect
that the children attending the nationnl schools to be branded by order of the tlevernincitt, With the
letters %%R. This rumour gained credence among the
humbler claesisti and caused the utmost anxiety and
alarm ninon:: the ',area.: who then
tVere
attending the Listen; el National School. A rush am
immediately made Ly the father's told intithein forth,
school, and despite the remonstvance tdtlio teachers the
children were precipitately hurried away.
M. RlVres CLENeuEn. —lll. Rivet proposes
to instal M. 'riders Or l'i esitleat td Le it,"peildepo fie
three years. Will ally Rivet hold things together in
France for no long ?—Puoich,

„
A iltsnoP IN TKCIUSEBR.—” A Distressed
Churchman -writes: to the /firstioyhant peat
let me give expressions to ray injured feelings which
have sustained a moral shoek. (Tl:unsfayl
coining up Stephenson-place, I meta hisle 91111 t 1,11,1%
Yes, a veritable bishop • hat, apron, mysterious button-
holes, everything en i-C.!;fr, but no breeches or gaiters.
Ile did not belong to these parts- that is a comfort a know all the bishops herealaiuts) but neverthelew it is
portentous that there should be such a bishop anywhere.
Really, if this laxity continue, 1 should nut wander at
disestablishment, or anything."
THE NEW AVT ON COUNTY JUSTICER..--Ey the
Bill of Sir Itioundell Palmer, which has become an Art
ill Parliament, attorneys, Nolieltoll4, HMI proeton,
in
practice Mil MAN become justices of the peace for coin,.
ties. From the passing of the Act the disqualification was removed, and the word " comity" is to include a
riding, or division id a comity, linen:it a separate eon, mission of the peace. The Act is not to wed coroners.

RAILWAY EMPLOYES' HoURS Or LABOUR.—
The question of railway engdoy.is hours of labour is
likely to be brought to an i,:stie ere long. Several
meetings of employ& have recently taken place, and
at a large meeting of the esledoman Rai !Way Con,
tally's servants, held at Tfotherwell, it has been
decided to petition the directors to Peittia the woi king
hours to ten hour; per day. In the event of th,,
directors disregarding the of the men, it is sup-
posed that there will he a oonhalera•l forns,l to make
the Caledonian line the battlefield on which to begin
the oh. at loom movement thr•ughout Scotland.
NATunE's AMIORRENer..—The best person—
indeed, the only person —to fill 31"Ul1111111, Isa Dentist.
—Punch.
THE SIEGE OF PM:N.-111 token of gratitude
of the innuense services rendered by the knalish
to
the French agriculturists by their gratuitous distribu-
tion of wheat, &c., for sowing, among the ruined is,a-
santry, it has been dcti,led by a meeting of the mayors
of the surborban 11i:431,A', of Paris, that a commemora-
tive medal shall be offered to laird Venom, president;
molt,. Messrs. Norcott and Pitman, delegates. Anther
medal will he presented to the Lord Mayor of Loudon,
ill commenmration of the gifts of the Londoners to
Paris after the siege.

REORGANISATION OF TIIE FRENCH ARMY.—
The Patric eVites that the risirganimation iif the French
army is proceeding in a very satisfactory manner.
France now pos,esses las reuiments if infantry of the
taw:, of which only '45 are provisiouaL All are at
their full regulationstrength. nese are, moretiver, four
regin lents fZi mares and three of Algr rian Riflemen re-
cently reciolotituteel in Algeria, to which they belong,
In addition there are two re:dna:lda of Itepublima
Guards, a egimeut of Dendarmerie iii garrison at
Versailles, and 41 Irdtalions of Foot Chassiuni eta.
Done lin various parts of France. Of cavalry there
are IA regiments, including the rhuaseurs d'Afrique
and the Spahis which are specially emplo.yed foe
Algerian service. In csousequenor of the
of the Lancers, seven regiments have been added to the
Dragoons and one each to the iltias,irs and Chasseurs.
The artillery has been largely increaseil and will eiein
take the first rank ill Europe, the Nfrie saya in
nuniben. and excellence. 'There is to be no reduction
in the war las Iget. At preent the army is merell inn
state of transition, and it will not be permanently re-
organized until the new military law has been
passed.

JUSTICE TO CIRLS.—By ttdrocaten of Proms
it rnay he pleaded, in favour of the 1111111i4.40, ‘,f
of the feminine gender to ll4,epital,, 11A 1111.1i121
gtildelitS, that they wonbt lie eertaiu to prove them-
save, admirable Dre,sers.—Puoid.

A Fisii MYSTERY.—A fish mystery (says the
York Trilmne of August 2i) is troubling Council
I gulfs. Sp km Lake, a idaci.l sheet of water near that
city, has never been known to contain fish "to any ex-
tent" until recently, when its waters not only swarmel
with myriads of finny hamsters, but the earrroundiug
shores are alive with fish. They have come in such
enormous numbers that the waves wash theta high
and dry on the shore, where they lie knee-deep, dead
cod putrefyihg. The fish trade in Onutha and Council
!doffs has I some pneHglouz. The fish KOMI to be
greatly astonished at their I:LW SUrrollildilip, 1111.1
stick their head.. hour the water and ~pen their
Wont)s no if they wanted air. A little Loy takes a
fiat boanl and wades into the water, and in ten
minute. throws out as many fish as a waggon eau
carry, varying in weight from two to five pounds.
People who have lived in the beighlsollrla eel for years
,leelare the phenomenon unprecedented, and variou,
will theories are put forth in explanation. The pm-
valeta belief is that the swarm came into the hdie by
a subterranean passage dming a late storm, *bile a
few venerable observers costa-al that the 111h,teati
overflowed its banks and thssaled the lake with catfish
and perch.

" BRuTnims x Twin Boys.
Punch.

FRIENDLY AND DENtFIT BUILDING SOCIETIES.
—The Royal Commissioners have made their first Re.
port, which consists of evidence taken upon the subject
of benefit building societies, the Commissioners se-
serving for the present the olwervations which they have
to make upon it. The chairman, Sir -Stafford North.
cote,. was absent on other public duty in the spring;
on Ins return the inquiry into the friendly societies,
which La I teen suspended, was resumed, and he
addressed a later, at the request of his colleagueo, to the
Home Secretary, on the 3rd of July, stating-that, in
order to make a thorough and searching inquiry, the
Commissioners would need to be invested with powers,
not at present possessed, of compelling the attendance of
witnesses and the production of books and papers, and of
taking evidence in certain cases upon oath. They are
also of opinion that it will be necessary for thou to
have the assistanceof some paid assistant commissioners
to collect infornuition from various quarters, inywitigate
complaints, and obtain evidence. 'FineCommissiouebt
smsgested that they should be all, iwed six assistants in
all, and that two of them should be barristers or solid.
tors accustomed to conduct the examination of wit-
nesses and qualified to sift evidence. The Government
introduced in the House of Lords a Bill amointeiltwo
banisters assistant commissioners, and giving further
;towels to the commissi tttt ens, and assistant commis.
sioners and the Rill passed the I louse of Lords ; but it
came down to the House of Commons in those bat
bad days of hun-y and confusion which closed the Sew
shin, and when the time for considering the Bill in
committee arrived it was withdrawn. -
NEW PROVISION ON "DEALERS IN OLD
METAL"— By the Act for the Prevention t d t'rime, a
provision an to dealers in old metals, including marine-
store dealers, will take effect on the 2nd of November,
Under a penalty of 1:5 no dealer is to buy less than
1161 b. of lead, or less than sfille of copper, brass, tin,
pewter, or German silver. The Eirovnum extends to
whether the metals are new or old, and includex venous
who deal in such articlt-s only or ts Gaiter with isecond•
hand goods or marine stores.
A Horner'. POINY.—Would it be taken u
delicate attention, or the reverse, to offer a Shoemaker
Sherry 'obler -Peach.
TUE New Acr ON PETROLEUM.—One of the
last Acts of the late Session was passed fcr the safe
keeping tif petnilcum and other substances of a like
nature. This statute, which rots-al two Acta and part
of another, is to continue in force till the 15t of
October, 1572. In a schedule annexed directions are
given for testing petroleum to ascertain the tempera-
ture at which it gives off inflammable rapier. Ity
the Act liarlFmr authorities are tii frame and submit to
the Marti of Trade for confinnatho bye ,laws settiships
carrying petroleum, which are to he poblishssl ; and
where any ship or cargo is worn!, landed, or otherwise
dealt with, the owner and master, or the owner td the
cargo, is Vibe liable to a penalty of krAt for each day dor
lug which the emit raventh Id theltymlawat contitined.
The owner or masterof a vessel carrying lnetr ileum is to
give notice to the harbor authority on Atolug the
lace Labs-la are to),' ;Awed on all vessels eoutaining
petroleum. Regulations are to Inc made as to the
storage of petroleum. and, if otherwi, depolited, to
Inc forfeited ?Old 11.1.1tieo to be enforeo I Lit-oats
mai he granted for the keeping of yeti-biome-with an
at peal to the Seendary of State. Any °lnv,- uuthorios
by a local authority may test petroleum in the wanner
prescribed, o ith ii:.tialties for obstracting.the oth,er
ref ”sing the liberty of ti I 'ower is en en bi:earch
for p. trokona, and to se:sii the same it Oa rly
kit. The Act may Inc arldiesl to other ettbels's-t's.
anti scnn,uu y froceedincs are 1., lie taken to tinforce
the provisions for the public safety.
. ;

• - - -
AN OPINioN OF TM: S:lar.r.rs !---Arteinus
Ward's account of his visit to the Shakers isinterest-
ing. Ile records that he KAW Ebler -I.:riah -and him
housekeeper huggin and kissin like vonurf.lerers UI
their gushingest state. SUZ I, My Shaker frictols,
reckon you'd bitter suspend the rules and git married.'
You must exc.. Brother ...I the fella',"
'he's subjeck to fits, and hasn't se-- .t no command over
hisself when he's into 'ski,' Karthile,' Fez I ;
been took that way myself frequent.' You're a man
of sin!' tho ' This is not literal truth, of
' course ; it Is " wri's sarcastie." llnt then the shrewd
as well as witty showman proeo.di : " Your religion
, is small pertatem. You tv,ur long weskits and long
faces, and lead a gtsuny life. No children's prattle is
ever horn around your lwartladuns you air in a
dreary fog all the time, and you treat the jolly ma,
shine o' life as tllo' it was a thief, driving it fruna your
doors by them weskits, and mealbags, and peeooler
noshuns of yourn. The „oils among poi, some of which
air as slick pieces of caliker as I ever sot eyes on, mu
syin to phice their heads aghi ri-mkits Which kiver
honest, manly hearts, w'olle you old heut, fool your-
selves with the idec that tiny air fulfillin' their mislum
here, and air contented. Ilere you air, need up all by
yerselves, talking about the shim f a world you don't
know inthin' f. Meanwhile sod will continners to
resole round on her own axlctres taut in every 24
hours, subjeck to the Constitution of the 'United
States, and is a rem- pleasant place of residence. WS
a unnatial, onreisonable, and dismal life you're
leading."