The Stourbridge Observer, Cradley Heath, Halesowen & District Chronicle.
Stourbridge, West Midlands, England, 1876-03-25 00:00:00

S1&T111111AY, ILA1(1

BRIERLEY RILL.
DarrNE AND DISORDERLY —At the Police Court, on
Monday, before Messrs. J. Ho'croft and F. Evers,.
Reuben Charles was charged with being drunk and dis-
orderly, on the 19th inst.—Police•constables Hollins and
Payne proved the case. Fined 10s and costs.—Jacob
Williams was charged with being drunk and disorderly in
High-street, on the 19th inst.—Police-constable Payne
proved the case. Fined 2s 6d and costs.—William Giles
was charged with being drunk and incapable, on the
19th inst. The case was proved, and defendant was

fined 2s 6,1 and Costs.
VAGRANCY.—WiIIiam Shaw was charged with being I
found on prmises belonging to Earl Dudley. Evidence
went to show that the defendat was in the habit of sleep-
in outhouses and had been previously convicted. He
was found in an ash-pit at a colliery on the 10th inst.
Sentenced to 11 days' imprisonment
DRUNK AND RIOTOUS.—Oeorge Hodgetts, collier, was
charged with being drunk and riotous, on the 11th inst.
—Superintendent Hollins proved the case. Defendant
pleaded guilty. Four previous convictions were proved
by Police-sergeant Mills. Fined 10s and costs; in
default 14 days hard labour.
Cat:T.llON 10 SWEARERS.—SaTaIIeI Clarke, a carter was
charged with using obscene language, on the 6th inst, at
Brierley Hill.—Police-constable Payne proved the case
and was corroborated by Mr. S. Inaull. Defendant
pleaded guilty. Fined 5s and costs.
DRUNK AND REVCSING TO QUlT.—James Southall WAS
charged with being drunk, on the 13th inst. Defendant
was further charged with refusing to quit the Brick
makers Arms, Pensnett. John Jeffries, landlord, said
that the defendant came into his house drunk, and he
refused to go out and he sent for the police when defend-
ant struck him..—Police-conetable Keenan gave corrobo-
rative. Fined 108 and costs for refusing to quit.
EXCISE PROSECUTION.—Wi'Iiam Hand was summoned
by J. F. Otter, supervisor, for having in his possession
on the 2lth January, a gnu without a license.—John
Lewis said that he saw the defendant at Bromley Lodge,
and he had a gun in his possession and siw him shoot
a foul belonging to Mr. Smith.—Mr. Addison lor the
defence, contended that the witness was mistaken in the
man.—Mr. Otter said that the defendant had rendered
himself liable to a penalty of £lO. Defendant was fined
£2 10s the mitigated penalty, and the Bench refused to
recommend a further reduction on the application of Mr.
Addison.
CHARGE OF PERJURY AGAINST A POLICEMAW.—THE
JUDGE AND THE WOLVERHAMPTON STIPENDIARY.—At
the Staffordshire Lent Asssizes, on Saturday, before Mr.
Justice
_Field, Robert Holland (27), on bail, labourer,
was arrsigned for having committed wilful and corrupt
perjury, at Wolverhampton, on the 29th December.
Mr. Green was for the prosecution, and Mr. Underhill
for the defence.—lt appeared from Mr. Green's opening
Speech that until recently the prisoner hid been a police-
constable at Wolverhanap'on. He lolg el with another
pslice-constable narred Satchwell. In December, 1874,
the prisoner, in the absence of Satchwell, se tuced his
daughter, and in Septerster last she gave birth to a
child. Satchweit's daughter took proceedings against
the prisoner for an affiliation order. During the hearing
before Mr. Isaac Spooner, The Stipendiary, the prisoner
male a statement to this effect I have seen Satch-
well and his daughter several times in bed together in the
beginning of December. It was in the daytime, Satch-
well was undressed, and his clothes were on a chair at
the side of the bed."—Mr. W. Green, Clerk to the
Stipendiary, was called. He said that on the 9th of
December last proceedings took place before the
Stipendiaary, and prisoner was called as a witness. and
media the statement referred to. The Stipendiary made I
no order, but decided to await the result of the present
trial.—ln cross-examination by Mr. Underhill, witness
said he had taken a copy of the Stipendiary's notes, but
he was afraid they would not be able to make much out
of them. Some of them were quite uniutelligible.—His
Lordship said he did not quite understand what they
were trying. It appeared to him they were really trying
an affiliation order.—Mr. Underhill said that that was
the ease. They were trying the question as to whether
the defendant was liable to an affiliation order, and that
seemed uuju it to him, as he was not in a position to give
evidence himself.—His Lordship said it was tantamount
to turning the Court into a mere machine for settling
questions that ought to be decided by magistrates. He
would consult his brother Amphlett on the question
His Lordship then retired for a short time, and on re-
turning iuto Court said he had consulted with his brother
Amplalett.aud he concurred with him (Mr. Justice Field)
in thinking that it was a matter in his discre-
ton whether the trial ought to proceed or
not. 'He should exercise that discretion wisely, he
thought, by not permittireg it to proceed any further.
He a ished it to be very clearly understood that the law
hid prov tied that certain cases—inquiries of a conflict-
ing cl, ssription—wheu the evidence was contradictory,
sh :uld be decided by judges in whom the law placed
c nfidence. In the present case the Stipen liary, finding
tae evidence contradictory, had decided upoa sending
Vie prisoner for trial to the Assizes on an indictment
f petjurv. It appeared to him (his Lordship) that if
teat course we. e to be adopted it would result in a great
a meant of trouhle sad mischief, for whenever meek-
trstes disagreed, or found the evidence contradictory,
they would be send the case to be tried at the Assizes.
Et seem d to him that the ends of justice wsulet be better
arr.ved at if cases were settled at once in the ordinary
Courts. The course he should direct would be to let the de-
fendant cw. on bail again and let the indictment stand over
until the next Assizes —Mr. 'Underhill said that in that
case it wou.d be a great hardship upon the prisoner, who
had been suspended since the present proceedings com-
menced.—His Lordship said he had nothing t. do with
that. He could not do any more. He could not direct
the jury to return a verdict of not guilty. The prieoner
most cuter into the same bail, and the indictment would
therefore stand over until the npxt
ASSAULT CASE.—Abraham Purchase was chirgel with
assailing Lewis Sprosson, on the 10-h inst. Complain-
ant is a gamekeeper to the EA 1 of Dudley and resides at
ashwood. He met the defendant who struck and kicked
urn, and defendant was tined 40s and costs; in default
two mouths.
COAL STEALING.—Richari Atkins was aharged with
stealing a quantity of coal, the property of Joseph Mills
[he case was proved by Simeon Mille and Eli Roberts,
and defendant was sent to pris in for 7 d lye.

boTxhese.,.
dHefeeiscaie 4whasis
tbhaantk
cboomok
iie.
plainant owed him £75. The Bench ordered defendant
!afausiefo itoe
ogfiv
to give up the boxes.
CHARGE OF STEALING A PAIR (IF TROINERS.—AIfrea
Williams was charged with linitonsiy sti:!iling, on the
tehe uphox the
es.
10th inst. one pair of trousers, the lirii2.mly of Ii chard
Gormery. Proseent r sari »4-Hag', y and on
the above date he had a pair of tr,ins rs hanging ou a
line. They were safe at four o'clock and he missed them
about five. The trousers produced wi-re his property.—
William Gray, of Brierley Hill said he remembered the
10th inst. Prisoner showed him a pair of trousers in
the Market Hall and he offered witness three half pence
to pawn them. The trou,ers produced are the same, and
he pledged them for 2s 6d and gave the prisoner the
money.—Samuel Clarke, of Brierley Hill, said that on
the 12th bast, the prisoner came to him and asked him
to buy a pawn ticket for a pair of trousers, and he gave
the prisoner a shilling for the ticket and fetched them
out of pledge. —Police-serge tnt Laviu proved apprehend-
ing the prisoner on the 21st inst, at Brierley Hill.
Prtsoner said he did not take them off the line, but found
them by the hedge side and picked them up. Prisoner
was committed to take his trial at the next Worcester
Sessions.

ASSAULT ON A CLERGYMAN AND HIS SERVANT.

The Rev. I. Woodhard, of Beldroughton, was driving
borne on Saturday night when he was us stilted; by
Thomas Sale, a man belonging to the neighbourhood,
and who has not long completed a long term df imprison-
ment for a trade outrage. Mr. Wo Allard was iu a 1)w
piny cnrriage, and fortunat-ly was accompanied by his
servant, James King. As he was on his way, Sale, who
was pas,ing along 0 e road, came behind the carriage,
aid seized it. He is a strong, tall fe 1)w. and hell on 0
it, and King turning rimed, asked him what he wanted.
He, at the saute time identified the man by a lantern.
the light of which he turned upon him. Sa'e struck
King in the back, and afterwar,ls assaulted Mr. Woodhard.
King and Mr. Woodnard jumped from the carriage, and
the latter held the pally, while King seiz ;o1 Sale, with
whom he had a strong tussle. Sale is much the bigger
man, tut King overpowered him, and when they were
both down he got npplrrnoit. Sale thin cried to another
man to come to his help, and King jumped to his feet
to prevent being taken by supriae. Mr. \Voodbarcl
drove on to the Belbroughton pelice-station, and re-
turned in a few minutes with Poli.le constable Payne.
Sale had ran off, but Payne soon met with him, and he
was at the time laying in the road pretending to be help-
lessly drunk. The touch of the handcuffs galvanised
him into activity, and he resisted all in his power, but
Payne was quite his match, and eventually he was
lodged in Belbroughton police-statioo. On Monday he
was taken before Messrs. C. P. Noel and R. L. Freer, at
Stourbridge, and was sentenced to one month's hard
labour, without the option of a tine.