The Stourbridge Observer, Cradley Heath, Halesowen & District Chronicle.
Stourbridge, West Midlands, England, 1868-10-24 00:00:00

"EVERY BULLET HAS ITS BILLET."

At Portal, a woman named Champion, was standing
in her back kitchen, the door of which was open, when
she suddenly found herself shot in the thigh, the rifle
bullet striking the copper behind her. On finding her-
self wounded she at once went out of the house and
informed two carpenters who happened to be at work
at some bosses near, of what had occurred, adding, on
their expressing doubt as to her statement, that she
' was quite sure she had been shot, as she felt the bulltt
' pass through her thigh. As no person had been seen
I near with a gun, search was made in all directions to
' ascertain if ally person had been using firearms, but to
no purpose, as a careful examination of the adjacent
fields failed to clear up the mystery. In the meantime
Mrs. Champion became faint from loss of blood, and
on a surgeon arriving, he ascertained that she had been
shot through the thigh, as stated, the flattened bullet,
which fortunately escaped the bone, being picked
up close to the copper which it had struck.
Not the slightest clue could be obtained as to the
person, who fired the gun, while to render the matter
still more inexplicable, no one in the neighlumrhood
could recollect having heard the report of firearms
about at the time Mrs. Champion was wounded. On
the following day, however, the mystery was cleared
up, and the cause of the unfortunate occurrence ascer-
tained. It would seem that a member of the Volun-
teer Rifle Corps in Bochester, was on Saturday after-
noon practising target firing at the range on Deice
Farm, Maidstoue-road, and was in the act of doing
something to his rifle, which was loaded, when, his
tingera being smeared with oil, the hammer slipped
from them, the rifle exploding in the air. It would
now appear that it was this very bullet which occa-
sioned the accident, the ball on leaving the rifle taking
a curve over Cookham-hill, and falling at Borstal, a
mile and a half distant, when it entered the open door,
, and struck Mrs. Champion under the circumstances
, related. Immediately on hearing of the accident on
, Sunday, Mr. Dutton felt that it was the stray ball
' from his rifle which had caused it, and stated what he
, knew of the circumstances. Mrs. Champion is pro-
r gressing very satisfactorily.

DR. GIPTHRIE ON THE WORKING
CLASSES.
Dr. Guthrie was present at a soiree given on Friday to the
workpesiple of Mes:rs. tiourlay, shipbuilders, Dundee, on the
occasion of the launch of a large ship. The rev, doctor made
a speech in which he said:—
We have seen many changes my fellow-workmen.
You and I were once separated by our different rela-
tions in life, but the Befonn Bill is passed. We are
all in the same boat now, and we must live on the best
terms with each other, and must seek each other's
good, and help each other, and try to do good to each
other, end live on kindly, brotherly, affectionate,
open, frank, loving terms with each other. I rejoice
that the people have got the franchise. I have mingled
much with the work jug-classes, and I have told
the higher orders that if they knew the working
people AS well as I did they would entertain no jealousy
towards them. And I have told the working men that
it would be better for them if they knew the upper
classes a.s well as I did. lam glad to see the day when
honest industry has been raised to its right position in
the ciamtry, and when no man who does not happen
to be rich is denied the pritileges of a British citizen
and a British Christian. I am now apprqaching the
three score and ten years that are the common
boundary of life, and anring that time I have seen
great changes. Take Dundee, for example. Fifty-
two years ago I came, a boy passing on my way to
Eilinlonsgh to the College, from my native town of
Breehin. My fat her was in con& irtal de and ri spectable
ciremmtnneya ii ow 110 yon think I travelled I
reached Forfar by the coach, but there was nothing
lietween Fi.rfar anal Dundee but a carrier's cart, and
I was fain to travel Iry it. I went through Fife, and I
paid more for going through Fife on the top of a
coach than I would pay now for going almost from
Edinburgh to Inverness. Every man 110 W has a vovered
carriage, and although be may not have coats of anus
te, lon the outside, he is comfortable within. A t the
tunerals in those Ilays the men's coats were of as ninny
eidonrs no Jseeph's coat, and now I do not know a
working man who does not have as good a black c tat
as I have myself. When I was a boy, in the tt wn of
Brechin there were only two ~,1.111 watches, and they
were a wonder in the place. Now I fancy there are
hundreds. Every working man has a watch, and even
my own servants produce their watches, to say nothing
of their parasols. I could give hundreds of illustra-
tions. The working 1111111. R condition since I was a have
is twice or three times isa good as it was then, and I
rejoice at it. I rejoice that political imwer is no longer
monopolised by a few classes, but has been given to
the people, intrusted to their hands, and they. I am
confident, will not abuse it. 'rhey say there is a new
element, and they say that new brooms sweep clean.
:to much the better will it be, for there are many c
webs to be swept away. I entertain the expectation
that in the hands of the working men this new element
of power will sweep away abuses, the growth of ages,
which other classes have an interest in maintaining,
but the working men have none.