The Stourbridge Observer, Cradley Heath, Halesowen & District Chronicle.
Stourbridge, West Midlands, England, 1876-05-06 00:00:00

TM/ STOURBRIDGE OBSERVER

science and the fine arts need the mutual help which to-day holyday. I had an agreeable evening in the black country,
we wish for them. (Hear, hear.) And so in their work as Tuesday, but returned to town principally at the instance of
educators. They address different portions of the mind, o al affair. I could hardly enjoy a trip with this
ard without the influence of both the mind is not half taught Se - ging over me. I had hoped for a letter Sat. I
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but in their teaching they may meet at one high end. 'Thely, s po there will be no delivery to-morrew (6lond ) morn.
study nature from different and distant points of view, yet In,: y I shall have an answer by early Tues. morn? I 1
133 th may gather and display the evidences of the tame t he £5O note carefully addressed to 59 is quite safe. '
truth, for surely the principle of beauty which the artist eca t% trust to the theory of probabilities. If you reply
seeks and the principle of order which the man of science' Tues. early, I might get off to Wales Tuesday afternoon. I,
searches out are equally and alike the issue of Divine law Of course, will furnish you with my address there, and be
maintaining all things in mutual fitness. (Cheers.) Our corn- happy still to answer any letters from you. I expect to be
mon hope, then, may be that the arts and sciences may absent six or seven days, then to return to the private hotel ,
always be so allied in work, that they may constantly, more . where I remain. It occurs to me should you desire to change
clearly, and more fully learn and teach the lesson which is place of letter receiving, there is the poste restante at the
charmingly illustrated around us to night, that in the truth G. P. 0 and at Charing-cross. You Gould have an assumed
is truest beauty. (Loud cheers. name on the envelope I send you giving name and place and
The President having given "The Health of the where from expected ; you immediately are handed a letter.
Lehralletyh_eorruesesei
jcptaecid packet ready, and will send it
Lord Mayor Mayor and the ancient Corporation of the Citi. _ f your next. What a pleasing change
of London," the Lord Mayor replied. the weather has assumed.
Among the other toasts was " The Guests," to which ; ' 'Believe use, my dear Sir, very cordially,
the Lord Chancellor responded. , e ,_ . "W. K. V.
The Lord Chief Justice was prevented from attend-- 1 Mr. Poland said there was also a copy of the Globe
ing the banquet by an attack of bronchitis, which has , newspaper lying at the office, addressed to the same
confined him at home for several days. initials, and cos, taining inside a written intimation
i that the Post-office order from M. V. should be sent
se_ I at once, the next Monday being "Bank Holyday "
(Easter Monday). These communications would speak
for themselves, and besides there was the fact that the
solicitor for Mrs. Sines load called and endeavoured to
get possession of these documents, which were very
fortunately detained at the Post Office.
Mr. Francis: Am I to understand that you charge
the defendant with conspiring to commit a murder?
Mr. Poland: I charge them with a conspiracy to
take a human life, and I shall be very glad if they
can explain away the evidence which leads to this con-
e _
elusion. . , i
Inspector Clark, of Scotland-yard, produced the
letters and envelopes referred to and read by Mr.
Poland, and received from the Post Office authorities.
They were opened and read in his presence at the
Treasury, by order of the Secretary of State and the
letters were all in the same handwriting as Aletise pro-
duced at the last examination, and addressed to the
office in Junction-road.
Mr. M.'Call said that surely there must be some
strict proof of the handwriting before they could be
used against his client. The opinion of a police officer
was not enengh.
Mr. Vaughan: The handwriting was identified by
'the prisoner's 'employer.
Cross-examined by Mr. Francis: I first received
the letters from Sergeant Butcher on Wednesday last,
and have mede no inquiry of any medical man or of
the persons living in the house relative to the state-
ments made by the defendant, Mrs. Since, aft to her
being ill, weak, and' subject to very severe pains. I
have• made inquiries respecting the family will of her
husband's late father, but not about any will of her
own. A copy of that will has been obtained and is in
court.
By Mr. M'Call : I found no drugs at Mrs. Smee's
lodgings. There were some at Vance's lodgings.
Mr. Mainwaring, surgeon, deposed to the letters and
i
envelopes produced being n 'Vance's handwriting,
although some of them were more carelessly written
than the letters produced at the last examination.
Cross-examined: The prisoner entered my employ-
ment about the 28th of August last, and remained
about ten days with me. I had seen him before. He
kept a book and assisted in the general practice.
William Jenkins, clerk at the Post Office receiving-
house in Kentish•town-road, identified Mrs. Smee as
the lady who called about a dozen or a score of times
for letters. She first called in February last. He did
not remember what letters she inquired for on her
first visit, but latterly she asked for letters addressed
to the initials "Q. W." and "M. 8.," her last visit
being about a fortnight or three weeks ago. (Letters
produced and identified.) The last letter and news-
paper both remained uncalled for about a fortnight,
and were delivered up to the officers last Saturday.
They were called for by a gentleman whom he now
saw in court. The postmaster refused to give them to
him.
Mr. Vaughan: Who is the gentleman who called
for the letters?
The Usher said it was Mr. Payne, now sitting at
the solicitor's table.
Mr. Vaughan: Let that be taken down.
Mr. Francis: Why were not the letters given up
to the gentleman who called for them?
Witness: I cannot say. Mrs. Smee first called for
letters addressed to "Q. W."
Mr. Francis: You said just now that that you did
not remember what letters she asked for on her first
visit to your office.
Witness: I know that she asked for letters addressed
to "Q. W." She last called on the 6th of April. I
will swear that she received more than four letters—
and repeat that she called a dozen times, if not more.
My attention was first called to this about feur days
after her last visit by a police officer.
Sergeant Manton, of the Detective Force, Scotland-
yard, said: I received instructions to watch the Post-
office in Junction-road, Kentish-town, kept by Mr.
Haines. I commenced watching on the let of April,
and saw the defendant Smee go in and leave the office.
I followed her to 48, Crowndalcroad, Camden-town.
On the way she called at the Kentish-town-road office
and reseived three letters. I watched the house. On
the 4th I saw her go by tram, and followed her to the
Junction-road office, where she received a letter. I
followed her to the Kentish-town-road office again,
and she there received two letters. I spoke to the
postmaster. She returned to Crowndale-road. The
next morning I followed her to the Post-office in
Eversholt-street, where a form for a Post-office order
was afterwards shown me. (The one made out by the
prisoner Smee in favour of Vance.) I afterwards with
.Mr. Clark apprehended Vance. He said nothing on
his way to the station. i
Crcss examined : All these transactions were done
in the daylight with many people about at the time.
Mary Keeley, wife of the landlord of the "Bell
Hotel,' 59, Easton-road, deposed that the prisoner
Vaece lodged there. He went first in August and re-
mained till December. He returned about February
and remained till March. He came again in April.
He was respected by every one who came to the place.
They knew that he was a medical gentleman. The
kind of envelope produced was used by the customers.
Witness never saw Mrs. Since.
Mrs. M. H. Thornton, examined: I and my hus-
band occupy the house at 48, Crowndale-road. We let
lodgings. Mrs. Sines, the defendant, and her husband
,came to us in November last. Afterwards a little boy
'Of about 8 lived with them, and Mrs. Smee's sister
,visited them. Mr. Since left to go abroad about two
months ago. Mrs. Smee remained with us until she
was taken into custody. I know nothing of the de-
fendant Vance. I never heard his name or that of any
one named Quarll. Mrs. Smee had three cats, but no
dog. I was not aware that she had more than two
cats until I went into her room last week. She had
none until I gave her a kitten, and the second she said
she was keeping for a friend. The second one was ill
soon after she had it. I did not see it when it was ill.
We keep no servants, and she had none. She occu-
pied the second floor, and answered the bell for that
floor herself.
Cross-examined: I believe that Mr. Smee holds a
respectable position which compels him to go abroad.
I know that he has returned now in consequence of
the position in which his wife is now placed. Mrs.
Smee often appeared to suffer from weakness, and
complained of pains. I did not often go to her apart-
ments. The third cat was too young to have been
there long. It is quite a kitten. I complained of her
having so many cats. I have not noticed that she has
suffered from depression of spirits. Miss Smee was
with her occasionally when her husband was away.,
Very few people visited them except two aunts and
the sister. She was never out at nights.
Re-examined: She complained of rheumatism. She
never had a doctor, or was laid up for more than one
day. She went out most days, and once to a concert.
-The little boy is at school in the country. I generally
smoked her meals.
By Mr. Vaughan: I never observed any defect in
her walking, or any indication of her !suffering from
rheumatism.
By Mr. Poland: They had two eitting-rooms and a
bed-room, and their furniture was their own. ,
Richard Marshall, clerk in the advertising depart-
ment of the Devitt/ Telegraph; deposed that on the 16th
of February last 4s. was paid for the advertisement
produced, and it appeared on the 18th of the 'seine
month. It was addressed :—" To medical assistants,
well up in chymietry and in need of money," and
offered a liberal reward for professional assistance to a.
gentleman engaged in an interesting experiment.
"Q. Me, P. 0., Junction-road."
Mathew Hare, 20, Denbigh-place, Pimlico, em-
ployed in the Civil Service, deposed that the landlady
of the house had been away about 12 months and he
had managed for her in her absence. He did not know
any one of the name of Smee or Vance—the names
mentioned on the Post-office Order produced, in which
the above address was given. The landlady's name
was Hodge, and she returned home about the Bth of
April. .
Mr. Poland said he would now ask for a remand.
The will of the late Mr. Since was in court if the
learned counsel for the defence wished it produced;
but it did not at present have any bearing on the case.
Mr. Francis resisted the application for a remand on
the ground that the proesTlgion had had ample time
to get further evidence.
Mr. Vaughan considered that every opportunity
should be afforded the prosecution for the fullest in-
vestigation of the case; and personally he should be
glad to have 80M9 evidence as to the nature of the
drugs sent by Vance.
Mr. Francis then applied for the admission of the
defendant Mrs. Smee to bail. Her husband had re-
turned from abroad and would be naturally her
guardian, and really the evidence adduced so far did
not support the ' serious character of the charge as
opened by Mr. Poland. Indeed, he believed the magis-
trate had consented at one time to take bail, although
he altered his decision afterwards.
Mr. Vaughan was of opinion that the letters pro.
duced that day very materilly strengthened the case
for the prosecution and it was not one in which, upon
reflection, he should be justified in accepting bail. He
certainly consented on the last occasion; but after the
examination he felt that it was an error on his part to
have don e so, and he withdrew his consent before the
day closed. .
The prisoners were then remanded for a week.

'4444.4464 j

Y 5

'"PARXER v, THE SOUTH-EASTERN

RAILWAY COMPANY."
' • On Mttn,la'y,The above cause Was before Lord Chief justice
'Coleridge,' Mr. justice Brett, and Mr. Justice Lindley. It
-was an action tried before Baron+Pollock during last sittings,
wheuthe jury found a verdict for the plaintiff for £24 12s.
- The 'action was brought tr) recover the value of a
paroel above £lO in value deposited in the defEndanfs
cloak-room at Charing. cross, and for which at the
time, the plaintiff having paid 2d.' he received in re-
turn a printed ticket. The receipt of the portmanteau
and its loss were admitted by the defendants, but they
resisted the action on, the ground that upon the face of
the ticket, at the botto;n, were printed the words "Sea
back," and that Upin the back certain conditions
'tato, printed?-one.,oF Which, wow-that- the company
would not be responsible for the loss of any package
exceeding £lO. They also relied upon a placard
fixed in the cloak r.'om, which set forth the same limi-
tation of their liability. The plaintiff, in cross-exami-
nation, said that he looked upon the ticket as a mere
receipt, and that he knew nothing of its contents, and
the jury, in answer to two questions left them by the
learned Judge, found that this was true, and that the

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