The Stourbridge Observer, Cradley Heath, Halesowen & District Chronicle.
Stourbridge, West Midlands, England, 1888-01-14 00:00:00

EPITOME OF NEWS,

The vicar and churchwardens of Leyland parish
church wished to erect a chancel screen, surmounted
by a crucifix, flanked by figures of the Blessed Virgin
and St. John in the parish church. The Chancellor of
the diocese has effected a compromise, and granted a
faculty for a design which substitutes a simple wooden
cross, with figures of two angels for the crucifix and the
figures of the Virgin and St. John.
The Baptists of Wales possess 701 chapels which
provide accommodation for 240,902 persons. The
number of communicants is stated at 75,443. There
are in connection with the chapels 8535 Sunday-school
teachers and 77,817 scholars. The ordained pastors
number 367. These figures do not include the conexional
strength in Monmouthshire, where alone there are 103
churches, with a membership of 12,595.
Mr. Edison keeps 400 electric lights burning all
night about his house and grounds at Llewellyn Park,
New Jersey, where he frequently sits till dawn experi-
menting in his favourite line.
The Royal Society of British Artists have granted the
use of their rooms for the exhibition of the works
contributed by artists in aid of the Sweny Relief
Fund.

Cardiff people are pleasurably excited over a scheme
to erect no less than 11 cotton-mills in the suburbs of
the town, which they estimate would employ from 2000
to 3000 persons.
A woman recently died at Liverpool Workhouse from
a veritable "broken heart," that organ having been
found ruptured from the lower point upwards, and from
purely natural causes. The heart has been preserved for
scientific purposes.
After all the circumstantial statements we have had,
it is now said that there is no truth in the statement
that the Duke of Norfolk is about to proceed to Rome
as the bearer of a further communication to the Pope.
A military society is to be formed at Aldershot,
which will give officers of experience and knowledge
an opportunity of expressing their views on current
military topics.
A gentleman in Kent has started an "Industrial
Inebriate Farm," to be a refuge for the drink-smitten
who desire to reform.
There is now not a single vacant farm in Cheshire.
For a farm which recently became vacant there wera
30
Letters from the Central African Bishop Sogaro,
dated in November last, state that eight priests and
nuns detained in Omdurman, opposite Khartoum, were
still alive at the time he wrote. They were, however,
in a deplorable condition.
At Rome it is reported that a concession for a period
of 15 years has been made by the Italian Government
to Spain of the territory on the Bay of Assab, between
Ras Garibal and Ras Marcana, including a roadstead
capable of admitting three large vessels.
Six bodies from the wreck of the Alfred D. Snow,
which went ashore in Waterford Harbour, have been
washed ashore at Arthurstown. One of them is that
of the master's son, a youth 16 years old. Captain
Willey's remains have been embalmed and enclosed in
a leaden coffin, and are being sent to Queenstown for
transmission to his friends at Thomaston, Maine,
United States. Twenty - nine persons altogether
perished with the ill-fated vessel.
John Bunyan's birthplace, Elstow, has just had its
church enriched by a stained glass window represent-
ing Faith, Hope, and Charity, and special services
were held on Monday in connection with the opening.
There were already four stained glass windovis in this
church, including two illustrating the "Pilgrim's Pro-
gress" and the "Holy War," the latter being pre-
sented to the parish on Sept. 20, 1885. The new
window—a small one completing the east end series
—forms the Jubilee Memorial for Elstow ; and the
opening services were attended by large numbers of
visitors.
A meeting of the Executive Committee of the Ulster
Loyalist Anti-Repeal Union was held at Belfast on
Monday. Resolutions were adopted recording the
approval of the action of Mr. Balfour and the Go-
vernment in their firm and judicious application of
the law for the suppression of outrage and intimidation
in Ireland; condemning in the strongest manner the
encouragement afforded to lawlessness by certain Eng-
lish members of Parliament in Ireland, and regarding
their action as unpatriotic wicked, and a positive evil to
the best interests of Ireland and the Empire ; expressing
satisfaction that law and order have been vindicated,
and renewing their protest against the proposal to
establish a statutory Parliament in Ireland.
Mr. P. Chasemore Gates, Q.C., the Recorder, on
Monday held the Brighton Borough Quarter Sessions,
at which Eustace Henry Strickland, 22, pleaded guilty
to attempting to commit suicide by shooting himself
with a loaded pistol in a train on Nov. 16. His counsel
stated that he had been in Lewes Gaol for six weeks,
and had now repented of what he had done. His friends
were willing to take care of him. The judge said that,
under the circumstances the prisoner might be bound
over in the sum of £5O to come up for judgment when
called upon.—Daniel Murrell Johnson, manager to the
Bodega Company, was sentenced to 12 months' im-
prisonment for embezzlement. It was stated that the
prisoner had been in the service of the company from a
boy, and in 1885 was appointed manager of their branch
in Brighton. Since then he is alleged to have robbed
the company of a considerable sum. The excuse he
gave was that he had been betting and lost heavily.

Mr. Bradlatigh has written to the papers, stating
chat it is not true that in the declaration or statement
of cla;-11 just delivered in the case of "Peters v. Brad-
laugh," Mr. Peters avers that Lord Salisbury has
never sent him any cheque in his life and that he has
never received money in any way directly or indirectly
from his lordship. There is (says Mr. Bradlaugh)
nothing to this effect, or in any way like it, alleged in
the statement of claim.
John Mann, a Parcel Post driver in the service of
the General Post Office, was charged at the London
Guildhall Justice-room on Saturday with causing an
obstruction fo traffic in the City. Mr. Alderman
Tyler fined the man 2s. whereupon the supervisor of
the Post Office asked that the alderman would recon-
sider his-decision, as the case was, very important for
that department. The magistrate replied that neither
the Post Office vans nor any others must be permitted
to obstruct traffic, but he dismissed the summons on a
promise that the public service should be incommoded
as little as possible.
A solicitor named Hutchings, who has been three
times Mayor of Devonport, was convicted on Saturday
at the local sessions of having obtained money by
fraud. He was sentenced to twelve months' imprison-
ment without hard labour.

Nevada City is to have an electric light tower 100 ft
high. with four 2000-candle-power

aIA 1-Q•44

woMM

At Brighton, on Tuesday, a man named Isaac Turner
was turamitted for trial at the assizes, charged with
libelling a Brighton detective named Longley. The
evidence was that the defendant drove about the town
in a cart on which was a placard with the words "De-
tective Longley is the companion of thieves." It was
also stated that the defendant addressed a crowd of
people, denouncing Longley. The Chief Constable and
the Watch Committee stated that Longley had been 13
years in the force, and had an unblemished character.
Defendant admitted the placard, and said he could
prove the truth of the statements. The stipendiary
said he could not call witnesses there to prove their
truth.

A sequel to a singular incident which occurred at
Nottingham Station came to light on Tuesday. Awoman
who gave the name of Dickson was on Monday evening
found at Nottingham Station with an infant in a hamper
addressed to Ripon. She was detained by the police,
but, on her explaining that she had no intention of
deserting the child, she was released, and entered a
train for Leicester. When the train reached Leicester
the baby was again found in the hamper, the mother
having alighted at some station en route, and aban-
doned it.

The Bradford Town Council was asked at Tuesday's
meeting to order the payment of the quarterly precept
of the School Board for £9500. The sum demanded is
equal to a rate of 10d. in the pound. Great opposition
was raised to the passing of the precept, and a most
exciting and stormy scene resulted from the Town
Clerk advising the Mayor to refuse to put any amend-
ments, on the ground that the Council had no alterna-
tive, and were simply making themselves ridiculous.
Eventually the resolution was negatived by a large
majority.
At a meeting of the Dover Corporation on Tuesday,
it was agreed to make a representation to the Committee
of Officers who will consider the plans for the Easter
Monday Volunteer Field-day, to the effect that the
Corporation and town generally are prepared to co-
operate with the military authorities in providing not
only the ground on which a field-day could be held,
but all necessary local accommodation other than that
afforded by the military for the comfort of the volun-
teers.
An inquest was held in Southwark on Tuesday on the
body of Fanny Adlen, aged 69, a member of the sect
called "Peculiar People." It is forbidden by the
tenets of this community to call in medical aid, and
although the deceased has been ill for several weeks no
doctor was consulted. At the request of the jury, the
coroner severely censured one of the elders of the sect,
and urged him to abandon the iniquitous practice of
relying solely on the laying on of hands in cases of
sickness.

Sales were conducted on Tuesday on five farms in the
parish of Whitford, Fintshire for tithes due to the Ec-
clesiastical Commissioners and to the Clergy Defence
Association. The emergency men, solicitors, and
appraisers were guarded by fifty constables, drafted
from Flintshire, Denbigshire, and Carnarvonshire, and
also by a troop of the 13th Hussars, under the com-
mand of Captain Williams and Lieutenants Grant and
Neville, by order of the Home Office. The chief con-
stables of Flintshire and Denbighshire were also pre-
sent. The Irish emergency men were attired in dis-
tinctive uniform, and brought a number of vehicles to
cart away the haystacks distrained upon should the
farmers decline to become purchasers. The proceed-
ings, however, passed off very quietly, the hay being
bought in. As a protest against the low o.ppraisements
the owners paid £l9l to cover £l5B tithe due. Mr.
T. Ellis, M.P., attended, and strongly denounced the
sales.

—A
—movement is on foot for the development of an
important British industry which deserves every en-
couragement, the quarrying and manufacture of
gypsum into a cement which will serve all the purpoves
of the now largely-imported plaster of Paris, besides
being usable under conditions of great exposure to fire
and severe weather. It is stated that there are over
60 million tons of the raw material on the seaboat
about Whitehaven, the 'getting" and preparing of
which for builders' use might well occupy hundreds of
the unemployed.
The Council of the National Rifle Association have
decided that the annual prize meeting for this year
shall commence at Wimbledon on Monday, July 9, and
continue as usual till the end of the following week.
We regret to announce the death of Mr. William
Cole Beasley, Q.C., of the North-Eastern Circuit, and
late Recorder of Hull, which took place on Tuesday
morning, at his residence in London. The deceased
gentleman, who was the eldest son of Captain Beasley,
of Surfieet, Lincoln, was born in July, 1816, and was
educated at Lincoln College, Oxford, where he
graduated M.A. in 1838. He was called to the Bar at
the Inner Temple in 1853, was elected a Bencher of
his Inn in 1876, and was created a Queen's Counsel in
1880. He was appointed Recorder of Warwick in July,
1874, and in the following December he was transferred
to the Recordership of Hull, which post he continued
to hold until a few weeks ago, when he resigned on
account of failing health. Mr. Beasley also held the
appointment of senior counsel to her Majesty's Customs,
and was previously, from 1859 to 1877, one of the
counsel to the Treasury at the Central Criminal Court,
and before that had been one of the counsel to the
Board of Trade. The learned gentleman had given up
practice for some time past.
Mr. R. G. Webster, M.P., addressed a Conservative
meeting in St. George's, Hanover-square, on Tuesday
night, on the subject of metropolitan government, con-
tending that the whole of London should be divided
into areas containing not less than 100,000 inhabitants,
each having an elective council, and that over these
there should be a central council consisting of mem-
bers nominated by the local bodies.
At the annual meeting of the Royal Humane Society,
on Tuesday, the Stanhope Gold Medal for the most
meritorious case of saving life from drowning durieg
the year was awarded to Mr. Hedley Hill. He rescued
a girl who, in the darkness of the night, by mistake
walked into the River Avon, at Bristol. The Duke of
Cambridge's Silver Medal for proficiency in swimming
was obtained by a student of the Royal Naval School.
Mr. Ritchie, the President of the Local Government
Board, on Tuesday, received a deputation from the
Lambeth Board of Guardians, who pleaded for some
mitigation in the punishment of their relieving officer,
he having, by order of the Board, been called on to send
in his resignation in consequence of alleged negligence.
He had failed to visit an aged couple who were in receipt
of outdoor relief, and who at last died of starvation.
The right hon. gentleman commented in terms of in-
dignation on the inadequacy of the allowance granted
to the old people-3s. 6d. a week, out of which they
had to pay 2s. for rent—and, as to the officer, observed
that if the penalty was great so also was the offence.
However, he promised to consider what had been urged
in his behalf, and he only hoped that neither in Lambeth
nor elsewhere would the public sense be shocked again
by such an occurrence.
A further private examination in the affairs of Messrs
Greenway, late bankers of Warwick and Leamington,
took place on Thesday, before the Registrar of the
Warwick County Court. Mr. Joseph Shaw, formerly
manager of Mr. Kelynge Greenway, Halloughton dairy
farm, was questioned very closely with regard to
general matters connected therewith, and next came
Mr. Cowper, of Leamington, owner of an Australian
bill for £l2OO, who said that when he lodged the bill
at the Leamington branch of the bank he gave no
specific instructions concerning it. Mr. Clarke was
again examined particularly as to his personal connec-
tion with the Kenilworth tannery, and produced a
number of books showing the position of the concern
from time to time. In the course of the day several
large packages of goods, which were despatched from
Halloughton Hall between the period of the bank
stoppage and the filing of the bankrupt's petition, were
received at Warwick, and taken possession of by Major
Fosberry, the trustee of the bankrupts' estate.
At Birmingham, on Tuesday, Mr. Alfred Peel, whole-
sale jeweller, was summoned, under the Merchandise
Marks Act, for having applied a false trade description
to some trinkets purchased from him by another firm
of jewellers in November. The trinkets were described
by the defendant as composed of silver to the extent of
800 parts in a 1000; whereas their quality turned out,
on assay, to be considerably below this standard. The
defence was that the defendant supplied the goods
under the belief that they were of the quality he repre-
sented them to be, and that, making due allowance
for the solder used in making up the articles, the
quality was not materially deficient, which it must be
for an offence under the Act to be made out. Further,
an objection was raised that an invoice, which was the
"trade description" that the prosecution argued to be
false, was not a trade description applied to the goods
within the meaning of the Act. The magistrate
decided against the defendant on both these points,
and fined him 20s. The case will be taken to a higher
Court.
The pastorate of Regent's-park Baptist Chinch has
been accepted by the Rev. F. B. Meyer, 8.A., of
Leicester.

A burglary has just been effected at Easney Park,
Ware, the residence of Mr. Thomas Fowell Buxton.
The police report it to have taken place in the " usual "
manner. Two ladders fastened together reached the
bedroom window: the doors and gates were tied up on
the outside, and " jemmies " were used. The booty
carried off included a gold watch, gold locket set with
onyx stones and enamelled, gold brooch set with
garnets, plain gold brooch, round silver brooch embossed
and studs en suite, and a purse containing £4 10s. A
reward of £2O has been offered.
The present is the fiftieth Congress of the United
States.
The Empress of Austria's health still requires great
care. _ _

General Kamler, formerly Commander of the Ponti-
fical Army, is dead.
Mr. Whittier received more than 500 letters on his
80th birthday.
In Sydney there are said to be 3000 habitual and
hopeless drunkards.
A Kerry correspondent writes that Colonel Peyton,
who has for the last 13 years rented some 60,000 acres
of shooting in Kerry, was out shooting in the neigh-
bourhood of Waterville a few days ago, when he was
attacked by a man with a spade, who struck at him in
the most ferocious manner. The colonel parried the
blows with his gun, being reluctant to fire, and event-
ually succeeded in making his way to the road and
getting rid of his assailant. The colonel was only
enabled to gain the road by retirinff facing the man,
and with his gun held within a yartf of the man's head.
Three days I der, on another portion of his shooting.
the colonel's keeper came upon two men with blackened
faces, who were poaching, and on warning them off the
ground was fired at by one of them at a distance of
between 40 and 50 yards. A number of pellets entered
the man's coat and one penetrated the eyelid, and it is
feared the man may lose his sight.
Dr. Willey, Medical Officer of the Sheffield Borough
Hospital, reports to his Committee that 176 cases of
small-pox were admitted to the hospital in December,
42 of which were unvaccinated. One hundred and
thirty-six remained in from the previous month, making
the total number of cases treated in the month 312. There
were 30 deaths-18 of them occurred among the unvac-
cinated, and 12 among adults who had not been vac-
cinated since infancy. The average age of the latter
persons was 35. Only three of them were under 30,
indicating that fatalities among those vaccinated in
infancy occur only as adult life is reached, and as the
original protection is gradually lost. During the
month 117 convalescents were sent to Totley from the
hospital, and 123 were discharged from that institution
well. Altogether 1.56 patients recovered, and •left tha
two hospitals well, and 136 remain under treatment.
„ ." d -
- • .

The crew of the Norwegian barque Kate, which was
wrecked on the county Down coast, say that after they
had saved a quantity of their effects, clothing, &c., a
band of people collected and stole the greater part of
them. The sailors were absolutely powerless, and un-
able to offer any real resistance to the people, who ran
off with the spoil.
Some letters from Dhuleep Singh to a French Comte
have been published, declaring himself a devoted subject
of the Czar of Russia, and the future deliverer of India
from British oppression. He bases his hopes on a
prophecy written in the year 1725 by the last religious
teacher of the Sikhs.
W. Wells, huntsman to Mr. H. Gosling, M.P.H.,
was dangerously injured in the humting field on Satur-
day at Hatfield Forest, where his horse threw him into
the water at the bottom of a ditch, rolled on him, and
in recovering itself violently kicked him in the region
of the heart, fracturing two ribs. Wells was found
totally unconscious, concussion of the brain having
taken place.
The members of the Tuam National League have
called upon Colonel Nolan, M.P., in his capacity of
Justice of the Peace, to immediately visit the political
prisoners in Galway Gaol, and report upon their treat-
ment.

The Florence magistrate who seized documents atthe
French Consulate is to be removed to another post in
sign of disgrace. This decision has been officially com-
municated to the French Government.
The Rebeccaites of this generation are milder-mannered
men. Toll-gates in Monmouthshire have been generally
abolished, but there is one solitary relic of the old
impost left—at Sirhowy. But the people of Tredegar
intend to remove it quietly, if they can. One of their
number has driven through and refused to pay the toll.
So now there is nothing for it but an appeal to that
"last dread arbitrament "—the law.

By the extension of the Canadian Pacific Railway
trains now pass through Canada for Boston, opening
up the quickest freight and passenger route from the
Mississippi to Great Britain.
John Clarricoats, clerk, pleaded guilty at the Central
Criminal Court, on Monday, to having forged bills of
exchange in the name of his employers, Messrs. Cope-
stake and Company, City merchants. His defalcations
exceeded £16,000. Ile was sentenced to seven years'
penal servitude.
Albert Harding was again before the Marylebone
magistrate, on Monday, charged with breaking into a
house at Kilburn, stealing property worth £lO, and
assaulting the detective who captured him. A formal
remand was granted, and it was intimated that on the
next examination the prisoner would be committed for
trial.

Monday being the anniversary of the death of King
Victor Emmanuel, the King and Queen of Italy and
the other members of the Royal Family risited the
tomb of the deceased monarch in the Pantheon at
Rome. After their Majesties had left, a popular mani-
festation of an imposing kind took place; the Com-
munal Junta and a number of popular and political
associations arriving in procession with banners and
bands, and placing splendid funeral wreaths on the
tomb. The commemoration of the anniversary, which
has also been observed in all the principal towns, is
regarded this year as possessing especial significance,
the popular demonstrations in honour of -the founder
of United Italy being construed as the reply of the
Italian nation to the Papal Jubilee. Many Liberal
associations and deputations from the provinces went
to the Quirinal in the course of the afternoon to offer
their sahitations to King Humbert.

During the Parliamentary recess additional accommo-
dation, in the form of private rooms for Cabinet
Ministers, has been provided at the House of Com-
mons. The private cloister set apart for the carriages
of members has also been provided with an iron and
glass half roof running the entire length of the cor-
ridor. This will be found of much benefit in wet
weather. It has not been found necessary to do any-
thing involving a great outlay of money upon the
House itself, but the continuations of the new drainage
works are being proceeded with. These, however, will
be suspended shortly, to be resumed after next ses-
sion, when it is hoped this costly undertaking may be
brought to a conclusion. A considerable advance has
been made with the interesting work known as the
restoration of Westminster Hall. The plans of the
architect have provided for a scheme of useful rooms,
one of which, of considerable size, will be specially
adapted for Grand Committees and extra-Parliamentary
gatherings.
On Monday evening a tea, followed by a public meet-
ing, was held at the Metropolitan Tabernacle to welcome
Mr. Spurgeon on his return from Mentone, and to cele-
brate the publication of his two thousandth sermon.
The meeting was addressed by Mr. Spurgeon, Mr.
James Spurgeon, Dr. Sinclair Patterson, the Rev. Mr.
Stolt, and other gentlemen.
Under the Merchandise Marks Act quantities of
imported hardware, clocks, toys, yarns, gloves, hats,
tobacco, condensed milk, and other articles have been
detained at the Port of London and at the outports,
especially Hull, in order that the opinion of the Corn-
ru6sioners may be taken as to their marks and brands.
M. Waddington, French Ambassador in London,
presided at the annual conference of the National
Society of French Professors in England, held on Mon-
day in the rooms of the Society of Arts, and in the
course of a speech stated that the French Minister of
Public Instruction had placed two gold medals at the
disposal of the society to be competed for one by boys
and the other by girls. A letter was read from Lord
Lytton wishing the Association success. On Tuesday
the society was received at the University of
Cambridge.
A despatch from Freetown, Sierra Leone, dated
Saturday, says that the main body of the Yonnie expe-
ditionary force, under Colonel Sir Francis de Winton,
returned there on the 22nd ult., after having destroyed
the principal war towns in the Yonnie country and
taken Bey Simerah, the King of Massimerah, and
several Yonnie chiefs prisoners for complicity in the
raids made by the natives. A detachment of troops has
been left at Atrobari, and some native police at Mama-
liggy, and they will remain at those places until con-
fidence has been restored. The flying column, under
Major Pigot, returned here on the 2nd inst. with several
prisoners of importance. The pursuit of Rondoh
Rongoh and Kallawah still continues. Sir Francis de
Winton has imposed fines amounting to over £4OO on
the chiefs implicated in the recent raids.
Letters received from the British Channel Squadron
at Lisbon show that serious affrays took place during
Christmas leave between our sailors and the Lisbon
police. The disturbances appear to have arisen
through one of the Blue-jackets knocking down a
Portuguese waiter, who, he complained, had insulted
and swindled him. The saloon-keeper telephoned for
the police, who soon arrived in considerable numbers,
and without more ado attacked our seamen with drawn
swords, 'striking right and left. The Blue-jackets
pluckily defended themselves, and also in turn assailed
the foemen. Taking off their jackets and rolling them
round the left arm they presented a shield against the
swords of the police, while the tars hit out desperately
with the right hand. It was the men of the Sultan
and Agincourt principally who were thus engaged, and
they knocked down the police in considerable numbers.
On the following day the police, without any provoca-
tion, renewed the onslaught, and several men were in-
jured. A large number of arrests were made.