The Stourbridge Observer, Cradley Heath, Halesowen & District Chronicle.
Stourbridge, West Midlands, England, 1881-01-08 00:00:00

BRIERLEY HILL.

DRUNKENNEss.—At the P :lies Cou:t, on Mon-
day, before .211escs. 11. Hall and T. W. Webb,
Williaen Hawth rn labourer, was tined 2s (id ane
coats, for being drunk and disorderly in the high-
way, on the 24th ult. Police-constable Enoch
proved the ease.—Joseph Pitt, was also fined 2s 6d
and costs fur a similar offence, on the 18th ult.
ALLEGED ASLAULT. Edwin Stear, of Wont-
bourne, was charged with as,aulting Rieeard
Rogers, on the 28t17 ult.—Mr. Rhodes defended.—
Complain aat said that on the night ii question he
went to Mr. Stear's house, in. Company with two
other men, carol singonge As they were going back
again down the drivu lie met the defendant, who
shut et him and sail afterwards ` Y 7.1--cowards
,top and have ir." .Ho shot with a revolver. He
was tun or twelva yards from Mai. Something
crazed his clink bet fie could not say what it was.
Four slices were fired.—Benjamin Cartwright gave
similar evidence.—Mr. Rhodes contended that the
pistol was fired merely to frighten the men and not
to hur. them, because the day previous a number
of men had been at the house and had supplied
themselves with whi,key and also asssulted the de- :
fendant's father, who had sent for defendant to
protect the property,—A coachman named Lewis
said that Rogers and Cartwright were amongst the
men that were at the house on the 27th and
who got into the house and supplied themselves
with a quantity of whiskey. On Tuesday Mr,
Stear, senior, sent him (witness) for his son (the
defendant) to take care of the place because he
was ill About five o'clock on the 28th u:t be saw
13 or 11 men tear the front de ~a• of the house, and
they were kneeking at t. e doo He wen c!,and told
! def, iilant about it and he went te the back -d.ior of
the heuse and said he would frighn them. He
firA two shots. He stood in the back yard. H .
• no le•tir any s:ngineat all.—T -4i) Ben 11 e cre
of o;iihi 0 that the gun was not fir6el with an
I hostile intent and dismissed the summons.

GAME TREIPASS. - Joseph Hand, maltster, was
cir,rged with trespassing in se:irch-of game on the
4th nit, and als', with a similar offence on the 1
:r. pros 4:u•.-Li and Mr. 17a dron de-
fcmd&l.—Juinei Uaswell, labourer, residing near
11Ivrf Lane, eaicl thet on the 4tll ult. )tp wee etand.

ing in the garden near his house about one o'clock
in the day. He saw Mr. Hand, who "as in a dog
cart, go up the lane in company with two ladies
and a gdatleman. He saw him turn down the Four
Ashes road towards Bridgnorth. He went down
that road for about 150 yards and then turned back
again to Mori' Lane and pulled the horse and trap
under the hedge. Defendant had a dog with him,
which he hied on into a nel, t called" Gilberts Cross
Field." He saw him hie the dog on three or four
times A boy named William Griffin was with him
at :be time, The dog was in the field about five
minutes. Mr. Hand drove on towards Bridgnorth
and the dog followed him. Witness in his chief
examination said it was a kind of a lurcher dog that
was in the field but as Mr. 'A- aldron producing the
dog he said it was a kind of a shtep dog.—William
Scriven, shoemaker, also living at Morf Lane gave
similar evidence.—The second charge was then pro-
ceeded with. James Caswell being sworn said that
on the 11th he was standing in his garden. Be-
tween two and three o'clock he saw Mr Hand come
up Morf Lane iron the direction of Werisley.
Defendant turned into the Four Ashes Road. De-
feudaut was tieing in the same trap as on the
previous SeturJav and one gentleman and a boy
was with him. Defendant also had the same dog
with him. He stopped near the field called "Gil-
berts Cross Field," and hied the dog into it. The
dog chased a hare for about five minutes. After
the dog left the hare it went down to the gate and
followed Mr. Hand—Mr. Scriven said he was
celled out of his workshop by last witne:s and saw
Mr. Hand hie the dog on into the field. The dog
went into the field and turned a hare four times.
A boy named Sanders shouted at the dog and the
do k then left the hare. Defendant then drove off
towards Bridgeorth, the doe. following bim.—Frank
Sanders, labourer, in the employ of Lard Stamford
said that on the 11th ult, he saw the dog running
a hare, for about five minutes. He shouted to the
dog and it then went off into Morf Lane —Mr.
Waldron for the defence, called Samuel Lowe, Miss
Muckley, Miss Walker, and another Miss Walker,
who said that on the 4th ult they were going down
Mod Lana and the dog was running with the
trap ran into the field speken off. They did not
take any notice of it as the dog was in the habit of
going through that field for the nearest way. Teey
on that day had to turn back again for the purpose
of picking up another dog that had got out of the
trap witeout being noticed; they denied altog then
that defendant ever ,topped the trap at all on the
11th ult. They also;positively swore ti et Mr.
Hand never did anything to induce the dog to go
into the field.—The Bench,after some consultation,
remarked that there was a doubt in their mieds
and dismissed the summonses.

OnirraucTlON, Samuel Green, Walter Perry,
Joseph Gill, Jasper Hill, Willi m Hulls, Steven
Stout. Benjamin Stout, and John Holloway were
tined 5s eacO, including costs, for obstructing the
highway at lirierley Hill, on the 17th ult.—lt
appeared from the evidence of Police-constable
Eden that the whole of the defendants were " snow
balling."

ALLEGED VIOLENT ASSAULT BY" A PUBLICAN.—
At the Polio Court, on Thurs lay, hilere W. F. F,
Bou-they, Esq Stipendiary, Thomas l'ansey. land-
lord of the Lion Inn, High Street, Brierley
was charged with assaulting John Price, a collier,
of Delphi Mr. Waldron appeared for the comptiii,
ant, and Mr. Holberton for the defendant. Com-
plainant 's statement was that on Monday, the 27th
ult.he went to defendant's house in midday, and
remained there unto six o'clock, spending the whole
of his money in the interval Wnen h s funds be-
came exausted he asked the defendant to give him
a "pint of fourpenny," but as his request wai te-
tus d he asked to be trusted for a pint. lie alle,zed
t at the defendant thee sti uck him a blow in the
face and took up a plate with which he struck him
a blow upon his temple, which knocked him down
and rendered him insensible, the plate being
broken by the force of the blow ; and a witness ot
complainant's stated that the latter was afterwaids
thrown out of the house by the defendant. In cross-
examination complainant admitted that tenpence
represented "the whole of his money," that he had
more than once been convicted of drunkenness and
disorderly conduct, and that his state oa the date
in question was "half-and-11Z." Police-superin-
tendent Woollaston described the co:nplainant
condition immediately after the assault as being

"like as if he had,haci his head dipped in a bucket oTt
blood" and Dr. Ashmead, who attended to coin
plainant's injuries, said an artery was severed, and
if the wound had not been promptly attended to it
might have resulted in the man bleeding to death.
A cross-summons charged Price with assaulting
Tansey. The latter was sworn, and gave evidiance
to the effect that it being Boxing Day his customers
had been having a small treat; that afterwards
Price become abusive, refused to leave when re-
quested, and, witness thinking that by Price leaning
over the counter he was going to strike him, lifted
up the plate and pushed it forward and thus acci-
dentally caused Price's injuries. Several witnesses
were called to corrroborate his statement, and it was
stated that the pate was broken by falling upon
the nutn. The o:lpoucliayy,After lioLtriiig the xx Dole
of the evidence, fined Tansey ss. and costs, and
dismissed the summons against Price.
SUDDEN DEATILs.—On Saturday last, a woman,
named Mary Brown, aged 47, was round lying in a
dying condition in her kitchen at Quarry Bank.
When found she appeared t•.) be in a fit from which
she never recovered. The woman was a very
healthy peas :n and had never complaine I of ill-
health. Henry Potts, aged six weeks, of No. 3,
Bank-street, Brierley Hill, was found dead by its
mother on Saturday moraing last, having been put
to bed in its usual health the previous night.

ALLEGED MURDER AT BRIERLEY HILL.

At Brierley Hill Police Court, on MondAy, before
H. Hall and C. W. Webb, Esq., Rowland Cart-
wright, 20, retort maker, Ravensditch, near Brierley
Hill, was charged with causing the death of Ellen
Skidmore, a girl 17 years of ago, described as a
domestic servant, and who resided with her step-
father. Charles Jones, at Bank-street, Brierley Hill,
Evidence was only taken sufficiently to justify a
remand.

Police-constable Wetton said that whilst on duty
at 12.45 a.m. on the 2nd inst., in Mill-street,
Brierley Hill, he saw the prisoner and the de3e2sed
together quarreling. Deceased pointed to the pri-
soner and said, " lie has been keeping company
with me for some time, and has got me into trouble
and now wants to go with someone else." The
pris otter, addressing the deceased as a cat, an I re-
peatedly using objectioaable adjectives, told her to
go and down herself, adding that "if she went
alter him he would give her something for her
trouVe." Healo taid, " Before I would be tied
to you I would sooner be tied to a cart-tail and well
flogged to death. I,will have a bit of rope put here
(putting his hand to his neck) for you, you cat. I
will give you ss. if you will drown yourself." The
deceased replied, "I am a credit to you," to which
Cartwright retorted with "YOU are a fine credit to
anyone." The officer as,) alit gee that he said to
her" I am going this way, and if you follow
me I will give you something tor your trouble,"
again repeating his remark about the bit or rope
and pushing the deceased from him telling her t go
home, She rtplied "I am going w'aere you go,"
anti they both went down Mill-street toget:ler,
Cartwright still threatening the deceased as they
went ataig the ‘treet. Wines i told the prisoner
to use better language in the street, and he repled
" I'll go and she will --well not follow me." She
again said "I am going wheie you go."—Nothing
more appears to have been seen of the theeabed
until about seven o'clock ou Sunday mcrninotY, when
her dead body was found in the canal. Ihe pri-
was remanded for a week.

o'clock on Sunday morning started to go home to- '
gether. Witness saw no more of them that night.
Deceased's eyes looked swollen; as if she had been
crying, when she entered the house. On Sunday
afternoon, as witness was going to her mother's,
she was asked if she had heard about a person be-
ing drowned, but witness was afraid of going to
make enquiries for fear she should recognise de-
ceased as her sister. Supposing Cartwright and
the deceased to have gone straight home from wit-
ness's house, their road would Lave been along
Albion-street but nowhere near to the canal.—By
the Coroner : When deceased entered witness's
hons 3 she did not app ,ar to be suffering from aly
blow or injury. She asked witness to be allowed
to stly at her house that night, but did not say
why she wished to stay, She asked to be allowed
the night with Cartwright. Both made this re-
quest, Cartwright saying when he lay upon the
sofa that he was not going any further, Witness
refused to allow them to stay. They had stayed at
witne-s's house on Christmas Eve, and, with the
other members of witness's family, sat up together
' all night.—By the Foreman: They lefr my house
about half-past six on Christmas moining.—By the
Corner: Had never known deceased's mind :to be
affected, or heard k,f hr attempting to destroy her
life. The witness was much afiee?.i whilst giving
her evidence.

_
David Harris, blast furnacema,n,
Brierley Hill, deposed that, as he and another man
were returning from work at the Level New Iron-
works about half-past seven o'clock .on Sunday
morning along the towing path of the Birmingham
Canal, he found the hat and handkerchief produced
lying, as he described, on the towing path, ',,about
two feet from the water's edge. The stains, of
what now looked like blood, were upon the hand-
kerchief when witness found them, (Tile handker
chi f was tied in a knot at one end to the elastic of the
hat). Witness, on making the discovery, called up
some boatpeople out of a boat which was m !or, d
about three yards from where he found the things.
He saw a track of feet hAvine• slipped down into the
water. The canal had walled sides. There w-re
feotprints which looked like those of a woma
feet. 11..! could see no mark of a man's foot. There
was no appearance of a body having been dragged
alone, in the mud. There was no snow upon the
ground. Win se went and (*Ave informatien
the pelice, and accompanied them to the TA and
saw the deceased's body found, It was taken out
o: the middle of the canal by Pol;ce-coust,ible Eden
right opposite to where the hat and, handkerchief
were toned.

Deceased's sister here identified the hat and
handkerchief as belonging to the deceased, and
said when Cartwright struck her on Saturday night
she wiped the side of her face with the han•itlicr-
chief. Her face was not, however, bleeding at the
time. The handkerchief was not then attached to
the hat.

Police-con-table John Thomas Eden, stationed at
Brierley Hill, said on fiundav morning he recovo:ed
the decetteed's body with a drag from the water-
pound above the top lock of the canal at the Nine
Locks. Wituess dragged from eiget o'cloce to
twenty minutes past. Deceased eppared fully
dre sod with tho exception of her hat. Her jacket
was unbuttoned at tie two bottom button. In
her possession were a pair of kid gloves, and two
keys. The body did not appear to be quite cold,
and after its removal was partly warm. It would
not be over a quarter of a mile from where the
body was found to the house of deceased's sister.
At this stage, the Coroner said it was quite plain
that there was a quarrel of some sort between Cal t-
wriget and the deceased, and he did not think the
jury would be doing right, where a p. rim was
found dead under such circumstances, in returning a
verdict without knowing the exact e.tuse of deata—
whether it arose from drowning or whether there
wos violence used, He propo,ed to adjoern the
_inquiry for a few days to allow a post-mortem
examination of the body to be made, and to enable
the person who occupied the boat which was
moored all night near to the sp3t, where the deceaeed
was found to be present and give evidence.—The
inquest was then adjourned until Friday, when it
was resumed and further adjourned untill Monday
next.