The Stourbridge Observer, Cradley Heath, Halesowen & District Chronicle.
Stourbridge, West Midlands, England, 1869-03-20 00:00:00

CRUELTY TO ANIMALS.

The following singular case was heard Indere the magis-
trates at Ripen on Friday Mat :
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A farmer named Waddington, residing at Melmerby,
w is charged with causing to be cruelly ill-treated cer-
tain anitnals, to wit, twenty sheep, on the 17th ult.,
at Azerley. The proceedings were instituted by the
officers of the Royal Society for the Prevention of
Cruelty to Animals, under the 12th and 13th Viet.,
cap. 92, section 2, and the case was conducted by Mr.
Colam. solicitor and secretary to the society. The
facts of the case are these :
The defendant has a farm at Azerley, and also one
at Melmerliy, where he resides, the two places being
ten miles apart. At the close of the year he took
24$ sheep to the farm at Azerley, and turned them
into the grass land, which was very bare of herbage.
The man in charge had very great difficulty in keeping
them within the limits of defendant's land, the ani-
mals going in search of the food which they could not
obtain at home. Defendant was informed by his servant
that the sheep were being hungered. and that other
food onght to be provided, and he told his man to give
them some hay which bad been burnt, but this they
would not touch. He was also told to give them some
new hay, and this they would not eat, the reason as- 1
Isigned by the man being that they wanted something
to qualify it. This was told to the defendant, who
t romised to send some cotton cake, but it did mit come.
There was an oatstack, but it was forbidden. The
sheep began to die, and some were skinned and sent
to Melmerby for domestic purposes, and others given
to the pigs. The man became disgusted, and left de-
fendant's service. The attention of the police was
called to the state of the sheep, and on the place being
: visited on the 13th February, by Mr. Inspector Boshier,
of the West Riding Constabulary, he found the car-
cases and entrails of some of the animals in a state of
putrefaction, and a magistrate's order was procured to
bury them.
Defendant said the sheep hail been neglected, but
the lads should have buried them. On the 17th, Mr.
Smith, an officer of the society, Mr. Mitchell, veteri-
nary surgeon, of Leeds, and Mr. Inspector Boshier,
visited the farm, and in the stack yard they found
' about twenty sheep, all in a debilitated state. There
I were about twenty animals in a field which was quite
bare of paws, there being no signs of any provender,
except what appeared to be the burnt bottom of a ,
stack of hay. The whole of the animals were in a
debilitated and diseased condition. Defendant was
there at the time, and admitted the sheep had had a
short supply of food, but had hay to eat as long as it
lasted, but it had been done long since. Ile expressed
a hope that there would not be anything more said
about it, as he would rather give .£lO9 then the matter
should be en posed.
The magistrates inflicted a penalty of 50s. for ea la
of the twenty sheep, which, together with the costs,
would amount to £55 Bs. 4d. ; in default of payment to
be comuhtted to the House of Correction at Wakefield
for two months hard labous for each animal, making
a total terns of forty months.

A COMPLIMENT FROM THE BENCH.
At the Stafford Assizes a young married woman
from Tuustall, named Fanny Mills, whose hus-
band is a collier, was arraigned with a child
in her arms, and charged with having attempted
to murder it. The facts were that on Sunday
afternoon, the 30th of August last, prisoner went
to a neighbour, of whom she asked a drink of beer,
which she got and drank, saving that "it would be
the last that she should have given to her." Carrying
, the child in her arms, and leading another by the hand,
she went to a large p,s,l of deep water, where two boys
were at play. On the margin of the pool she sat and
served, and then sent one of the boys back to her
neighbour with a parcel containing some of the child's
clothing. l'resently mother and children were seen
struggling together in the water. An alarm was raised,
and a young collier—a well-built fellow named Clay—
ran to the water, and, leaping in, swam ti the mother
and child, caught hold of each, and attempted to bring
them together to shire ; but they all three sunk, and
he had to leave the mether whilst he saved the child.
Whilst returning and swimming for the mother he
saw, for the first time, the second and older child
coming up to the surface. This child, too, he took to
shore, and a third time plunged in. The woman lie
now got out, but with immense difficulty, for he was
extremely exhausted; and the mother and children
were so nearly lifeless that they were discoloured, and
the woman remained ten days in the care of a
surgeon.
The Judge, addressing Clay, who was well dressed,
said—All I can say is, I regret it is not in my power
to reward 2, ou. I don't know if you are in a condition
, to require it. If you are I should be very, very sorry
• to find that nothing can be done to reward you.
, The witness said he should like some recognition of
' what he had done, for he newly lost his own life, and
there were plenty of other men on the bank who did
nothing for the drowning people.
The bJudge said that as the witness desired some