The Stourbridge Observer, Cradley Heath, Halesowen & District Chronicle.
Stourbridge, West Midlands, England, 1884-09-27 00:00:00

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HOME, FOREIGN, AND COLONIAL.

THE EARTHQUAKE IN AMERICA.—A Reuter's tele-
gram, dated New York, Sept. 20, says: The earthquake
was felt at many points in Indiana, Ohio, Michigan,
lowa, and Ontario, and in some parts of Kentucky.
The shock was also perceptible at Detroit, Oincinnatti,
and at Fortwayne, Indiana. No damage was done.
The shock was very slizht at Cincinnati and Fort-
wayne.

THE GERMAN NAVY.—In the German navy there is
much activity just now. The corvette Gneiseneau is
under orders to make ready to go to West Africa on
the sth of October, but the Moltke is not going there.
The Prince Adalbert, which is used for training naval
cadets, has been ordered back from China, and will
come by way of the Pacific, showing the German flag
on the West Coast of America. The corvettes Bis-
marck, Olga, and Ariadne are now being made ready to
reach the West African station before the end of the
present year.
FALL OF A PLATFORM AT A POLITICAL MEETING.—
During a franchise demonstration at Anstruther. Fife-
shire, on Friday night, great consternation.was caused
by the collapse of the platform, on which was the Hon.
Preston Bruce, M.P., Mr. Williamson,
M.P., and
upwards of 100 persons. Mr. Williamson shouted to
the people in front of the platform to remain in their
positions, and fortunately they obeyed, or there might
have been a serious disaster. When the debris had
been removed it was found that there had been some
wonderful escapes, and that no one had been seriously
hurt.

SATURDAY, SEPT. 27, IEB4

CASE OF WIFE MURDER AT WALSALL.—At Walsall,
or_ Monday, Isaac Bailey, shopkeeper, was committed
for trial at the assizes charged with the murder of his
wife. The post-mortem examination showed that death
was the result of effusion of blood on the brain, caused
by a blow from the prisoner, who had been Irritated by
his wife's drunkenness and violent behaviour.

TRADE MARKS IN SERVIA.—A new law for the pro--
tection of trade marks has been promulgated in Servia.
By the Anglo-Servian treaty of commerce, 7th February,-
1880, Article 9, British subjects are entitled to rights
in relation to trade marks similar to those enjoyed by
nati ;es of Servia. Servia is also one of the signatories
of the International Convention for the Protection of
Industrial Property, 20th of March, 1883. In older to
obtain the benefit of the new law the owner of a trade
mark should deposit three copies of the mark of the
Belgrade Court of Commerce within one year from the
19th of July, 1884.
REMARKABLE OUTRAGE NEAR DUNFERMLINE. A
Dunfermline correspondent of a contemporary reports-
that at an parly hour on Monday morning William
Allan and his two sans, mine's, forced their way into a
cottage in a remote mining village named Hill of Beath,
and dragging a miner, named George Smart, his wife,
and two sons out of bed, maltreated them with pokers.
They afterwards tore up all the bed clothes and broke -
all the furniture in the house, leaving the elder Smart
insensible in a pool of blood. The three assailants have
been apprehended by the county police.
THE SECITLARISATION OF EDITCATION.—The Roman,
Catholic Bishop of Leeds, speaking at Sheffield on
Monday, said that Catholics were determined not to be
content until they had secured parental and civil rights •
in their public elementary schools. The Catholic
bishops of England were persuaded that unless their
present efforts were vigorously opposed the advocates
of secular education would not rest until they had
stamped out all efforts of maintaining Voluntary and
religious education. Cardinal Manning was thoroughly
in sympathy with the Catholics in their educational
grievances' and a great meeting on the subject would ,
be held at Leeds this month.

TIIE ABORIGINES OF NEW SOUTH WALES. The
aborigines of New South Wales, who, at the commence- -
ment of the present century, were to be found in all
parts of the colony, frequently constituting a source of
danger to the settlers, are slowly but surely dying out,
their number at the present time not exceeding 6000
men, women, and children. They are a very harmless
class, rarely to be met with in Sydmey, being found
principally on the reserves, some 3500 acres in extent,
set apart for their use in various districts by the
Colonial Government, or in the more remote parts of
the colony. The pictures of colonial life in which
settlers are represented as being attacked by crowds of
savage blacks are purely imaginary, so far as New.
South Wales is concerned, the whole of the aborigines
in that colony being under the care of a board estab-
lished for their protection, and by whom they are
periodically supplied, vhen necessary, with food and
clothing.
SHOCKING ACCIDENT TO A BICYCLIST.—A bicyclist'
named James Heard, of Harley-villa, Victoria-park-
road, South Hackney, London, was on Monday after-
noon crossing a bridge over the River Lea at Waltham
Abbey when his bicycle swerved, and he was thrown
beneath the wheels of a timber waggon, which was
passing at the time. The front wheels paGsed over his
chest, and he was so seriously injured that his death-
ensued within a few minutes.

HURRICANE AT GENOA.—A Reuter's telegram states
that a violent hurricane passed over Genoa on Monday.
A kiosk in the I),•izza Corvetto, used for the sale of
newspapers, was lifted from the ground by the force of
the wind. Two persons were in the kio§k at the
time.

SHOCKING DISCOVERY.—On Monday afternoon a.
shocking discovery was made near Waterloo-road,.
London. Entering a house in Webber-row, a boy found
an old man and an old woman dead, the former lying
partially on a bed, the latter in a sitting posture. It
was subsequently found that they had been dead several
days.
DISCOVERY OF DISSECTED BONES.—On Monday after-
noon, about four p.m., while some men were digging to
discover the whereabouts of a drain in one of the rail-
way arches, St. Thomas's-street, Southwark, they came
across a quantity of skulls and bones. Several of the
skulls had been sawn through in a very skilful manner,
and the appearance of many of the hip and thigh bones
indicated that they had been operated upon for dissect-
ing purposes. Before the demolitions for the London,.
Brighton, and South Coast Railway there was a street
known as Webb-street, and in it was a large building ins
which dissection was carried on.

RIFLE ACCIDENT.—On Saturday night two privates
n the Middlesex regiment, stationed at Dover, were
playing with a loaded rifle when it exploded and
seriously injured one of them. The accident occurred
in the barrack-room at Fort Burgoyne, and caused con-
siderable alarm until the precise nature of the occur-
rence was ascertained. The rifle was loaded with blank
cartridge, but some portion of it seems to have escaped
from the rifle, for the man was struck in the neck and
several places on the face. He lost a great quantity of
blood, and as soon as his wounds could be temporarily
bandaged he was removed on a stretcher to the Western
Heights Hospital.
RICHER THAN VANDERBILT.—An American paper
says that "Lord Rupertswood, of Victoria, is reported
to be richer than W. H. Vanderbilt. He is worth more,
than 0,000,000, and his wealth is rapidly increasing..
He inherited a great estate from his father, including
millions of cattle and sheep in Australia. His residence
in Melbourne is said to be the most magnificent in the
world. It costs £800,000." "Lord Rupertswood" is
Sir William John Clarke of Rupertswood, the first
resident Australian baronet, whose father started as a
cattle dealer in Tasmania, then bought largely in Vic-
toria, and made great sums by advances on station pro-
perty to needy squatters.
THE FRENCH WORKING CLASSES.—Mr. SpUller, the
President of the Commission of Forty-four appointed
to make an investigation into the condition of the
working classes, has prepared his report, and it will be,
submitted to the Chamber on its re-assembling. The
document is very elaborate and exhaustive, and cannot
fail to be of great value and interest to all who are con-
cerned in social questions. It shows that collectivist
doctrines are professed by only a very few of the work-
ing classes of France, and revolutionary socialism ig
advocated in but nine of the depositions recorded.
Uniformity of wages in all countries, the abolition of
the International, the intervention of the State between
capital and labour, and the establishment of a thorough.
system of technical education are among the reforms.
demanded by the deponents.
SIR STAFFORD NORTHCOTE'S SCOTCH TOUR.—In
letter dated Hopetoun House, South Queensferry, 19th
inst., Sir Stafford Northcote writes: "My dear Lord
Hapetoun,—Before I leave your hospitable roof you
must allow me to thank you heartily for your personal
kindness, and for the great pains you have taken in all
the arrangements connected with our recent meetings..
May I ask you to convey my best acknowledgments to.
Mr. Pitman, Mr. Bruce, Mr. Adair, Mr. Clark, and the
other friends who have given themselves so much
trouble, but who will, I am convinced, feel themselves
repaid by the complete success of the proceedings? I
confidently hope that your exertions will have not only
achieved a success of the moment, but also encouraged
and strengthened the Conservatives of the city and
neighbourhood in their struggle on behalf of our
common cause.—Believe me, yours very faithfully,
STAFFORD H. NORTHCOTE."
DESPERATE POACHING AFFRAY.—At the Shire
Nottingham, on Saturday, before the Duke of St.
Albans and other magistrates, two men named William
Frogg and Frederick Hall were charged with being
concerned in a poaching affray on the estate of Colonel
Seely, M.P., of Sherwood Lodge, near Nottingham.
Four gamekeepers and watchers in the employment of
Colonel Seely when out watching early on Thursday
morning came upon a gang of seven or eight poachers
engaged in taking game with nets. The keepers
attempted to make an arrest, and a desperate encounter
ensued. The poachers used bludgeons and Stones •
freely, and two of the keepers, named College and
Riley were stabbed, it is supposed with the iron pegs
used by the poachers for fixing their nets. One of the
poachers named Edward Anthony also received serious
injuries, and was secured by the keepers. He was
afterwards taken to the General Hospital at Notting-
ham. The solicitor who appeared for the prosecution,
said that the keeper, College, had rezeived stabs in the-
neck and leg and was unable to appear, and he asked
for a remand. The prisoners were accordingly remanded.
to the gaol for a week