The Stourbridge Observer, Cradley Heath, Halesowen & District Chronicle.
Stourbridge, West Midlands, England, 1875-05-15 00:00:00

SATURDAY, MAY 15, 1875.

Dr. J. F. Weatherhead, surgeon at Kew-bridge,who
had been called to the house of the prisoner, said he
found the son standing in the front room, with three
small wounds on the back of his head bleeding very
slightly. He got s 41,ter and washed the head,
and clipped Vie g the skin blackened, he
probed the wound, and to the best of his belief de-
tected three bullets, one in each wound. They were
in a sort of triangle about the size of a man's hand.
On the left cheekbone there was a small cut, and the
same side of the face was bruised. On examining the
prisoner, he found a cut on his forehead, which the pri-
soner said occurred in a struggle iu which he fell
through the fence. Witness found the pistol on the
mantelshelf, and asked him if he had had it long. He
replied, "Many years." Being asked by witness when
it was last charged, he made no reply. Again, being
asked how many bullets were in it, he made no
answer. Witness sent the son to the West Hammer-
smith Hospital. Asked where the chopper was, he
replied in the wash-house, and there it was found. The
wounds were not in themselves dangerous, except
the event of 'erysipelas supervening. Before seeing
prisoner, he had received an account from the son of
the occurrence. The prisoner seemed to be suffering
from coming paralysis of the brain. His manner was
—unnaturally calm under the circumstances; he had
a child-like expression of face, and his eyes were hot,
and seemed chronically inflamed. On being spoken
to, his lips trembled and his speech halted, those being
characteristic symptoms of general paralysis. He had
a shuffling, staggering gait, tending still more to con-
firm witness's impression. He seemed to have no idea.
whatever of the gravity of the offence he had com-
mitted, and on being told he would be taken to prison,
he asked for his spectacles, so that he might read there.
Witness saw him afterwards the-same morning at the
Hammersmith Police-court. He then seemed like a
man in a dream. The opinion witness formed was that
he was affected with general paralysis.,
Replying to the Judge, witness said he had no rea-
son to think those appearances were assumed. Wit-
ness had not seen him since until Wednesday and
Thursday in this week. The expression of his face
was then still the same.
Cross-examined by Mr. Daniel, witness said he had
had nearly four years' professional experience of
insanity in the City of London Asylum, where he had
many cases of the general paralysis of the insane under
his charge. The symptoms he had seen in those cases
entirely coincided with those he had observed in the
prisoner. His bodily condition would lead witness to
believe his mental state was affected. He had found
persons so affected to be subject to illusions, and to
have intense dislike towards members of their family,
without any apparent ground. The earliest age of
general paralysis he had seen was 28; the oldest 68.
Speaking from his own experience the average time of
its manifastaticn was between 30 and 45.
By the Judge.—He bad known such delusions
manifest themselves suddenly and in acts of violence.
Mr. T. Gunter Alderton, House-Surgeon at the
West London Hospital, Hammersmith, under whose
charge the prosecutor was placed after the assault,
said the wounds of themselves collectively were ex-
tremely dangerous at the time. He saw the two lead
pellets produced extracted from two of the wounds.
He examined the prosecutor's head on the previous
day, and had no doubt there was another pellet beneath
the scalp. Notwithstanding that, he thought he was
free from danger now.
John Sicamore, a smith, living at Kew, was called,
and shown the pistol, which he said the prisoner had
left with him about a month before the affair in ques-
tion, to have the top barrel taken.out. For that pur-
pose witness had to put it in a vice. He oiled the
screw, and returned the pistol to the prisoner, who
waited while he was so occupied. The pistol was a
muzzle loader. The other two barrels could have been
loaded and discharged before witness had it.
This was the case for the prosecution.
Mr. Daniel, for the defence, said he doubted whether
there ever had before been such a case in the whole
history of crime, and he thought the jury, under the
circumstances, might well discharge their duty by re-
turning a verdict of the minor offence of unlawfully
wounding. Moreover, he submitted that at the time
of the outrage the prisoner was not morally responsible
for his actions. According to the best. authorities, a
man might be suffering from a disease of the kind
with which the prisoner appeared to have been
afflicted, and show no sign of it until an occasion
called it forth. Mr. Daniel dwelt on the circum-
stances that the prisoner could have had no
adequate motive to raise his hand against his own son,
with whom he had always before lived on terms of
affection. He thought the conclusion to which the
jury would arrive would be that at the time the pri-
soner committed the offence he was not morally re-
sponsible tor his actions. They might .all the more
safely arrive at such a verdict, he thought, seeing that
in all probability the trial would terminate in his being
secluded from the outside world for the remainder of
his days.
Mr. Justice Archibald, after referring to the painful
nature of the case, told the jury that, assuming the
prisoner was responsible for what he did, the law pre-
sumed that a man intended the natural consequences
of his act, and was aware of the quality of it. They
could not have a doubt that, if he was so responsible,
the wounds were inflicted with intent to murder. That
being so, the main question was whether he was res-
ponsible for what he did; for in the eye of the law
every man was presumed to be sane until the contrary
was proved and it was not for a jury to cast about
for motives in such a case. With those preliminary.
remarks, the learned Judge recapitulated the circum-
stances, and the jury retired, returning shortly after-
wards a verdict of Not Guilty on the ground of in-
sanity.
Mr. Justice Archibald thereupon directed the pri-
soner to be detained in strict custody during her
Majesty's pleasure.
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HOME, FOREIGN, AND COLONIAL.

MORE CENTENARIANS.—Mr. TholnaS
writing 'wider datei Instituto Educativo
nale, Padova, Italy, May 6, sends us ( The -2114"
following account which he has translated fretf,y,
Conte Cavour :—" In Turin there still lives in 0.01,
stitution of S. Calvario a certain Margaret Ses/1,00
who has attained the age of 105 years. She 91,;ted
Christmas-day, 1770. She is the widow of a Py'ser
the Royal Palace, who saw no fewer than four
reigns pass before his door. He entered the,...7
service under the reign of Vittorio Emanuele,tlyY
continued during the reigns of Carlo Felitt
iS
Alberto, and Vittorio Etnanuele It. Marg.4o
full possession of all her mental faculties. •°`'
she has lost her teeth she still masticates eicee;lp;c;
well. She walks erectly and rapidly and is ar re
e 1
Their Highnesses the Dukes Of ,Creliooo
Carignan° the Mayor, and many of the cbio, hoilt
interest themselves in 'the old lady, and assisb
quently materially." ht CAl,ll)'
CHACTIN POUR SOl."—Mamma e? 1,
"Now, Miriam, say Grace. "—Miriam (who, f°l. of° tr,
Misconduct, has been deprived of Pudding). _ANL
they have Received, let them be Truly Th
Punch. - •
10
FATAL BOAT ACCIDENT.—A sad a0.,-
happened at Jersey to a party of six persons lor„jc4
ing excursion. It appears that .at four
Thursday morning, in last week, the Ow-, cfd
Trial left with a party comprising CaptaV irge
Croix, Captain Leßas, Mr. Balleine, Mr. 14
Mr. Le Montais, aral his son, a young xnall'Or4ll4"
purposed going to the Minquier Rocks, about 03 fi
south-west of St. Aubin, a spot much frentenieot
fishermen. The weather was fine on th'
but during the day the wind rose, and there
heavy squalls. They did not return in the
but as it was supposed they might have talceil,olivo
on the rocks, where there are some fisherraento
no great anxiety was felt. On Friday they i*
seen and a number of persons including rtti
the missing men, remained on the cliffs a fol
Their vigil was, however unrewarded ; ttn.feo
daylight came the boat and the party were Poe
for lost. It is said that the boat was not in 100,,i
condition, and would be much too heavill sor
compete with any sea. It is supposed
tb
down in one of the squalls on Thursday eveliii)* t
thafi
NATIONAL PECULIARITIES.—It iS
Englishmen fights best when full, a French:,
ing, and a Dutchman drunk; aPrussian,
_„„`'
add, with a pipe of "requisitioned" tobann 07,
mouth. Herodotus tells us of a wise cuat°7ols
the Persians; when a question of State WI? Ord
bated they got drunk and gave their 0011
the encouraging influence of the wine; nellibear
they considere the subject when sober, and
d
pared their judgments.—BeNravia. . be 9
USE OF COLOUR. —Yonder is a
chaffinch ; he was very glad to come to my
every day, during all the weary winter, to beg
of bread. He forgets that now, or thin ,1°03(0107
that I do not know him in his spring sill.' A 0,0,9
and golden-braided coat and vest. But "ijoirt?
still believe—simple though the belief raa/AoPoo
the same Being who gave life and motion to wi11,04
beetle which is now making its way to th?theto
pinnacle of my note-book as proud as a boY 11,101101,0 V
kite, to try its wings for the first time, tiPPe 41
grateful finch's feathers with crimson, whit 0
f„'
in order to make him more attractive " PO
dowdy thing of a wife, who has been so bnil'o3,4
morning building her nest on the silver birclltoevo
ing to find lichens to match the colour et,cll,,i
For Mrs. Finch is a nervous, timid littleccepri[lo
had no thoughts of marrying at all, and in„,gM4l
have preferred to remain single and iv°ll be',/
remained had she not been a female ,1:410or"'
female how could she resist that splendia
Live Stock Journal and Fancier's Gazette. of tY
A NEW FLEA.—At a recent meetinrgorpro
Brighton Natural History Society the hcal°o9oo,4
tary exhibited a flea, new in science, whickeolj
Ceylon, and was ranked by Professor Wes% 07
the chigoes. Its chief peculiarity .15 thatil,. to'
itself to the eyes and necks of domestic foci oti,
respects it resembles the chigo, but &ea:It:0o:
itself in the body of the animal to wble'eice9f
itself, in other respects its habits are more de °of
the common flea. Having regard to its 1314//i/0
the name proposed for it is Sarcopsyllus AA
—Live Stock Journal and Fancier's GOzette*
A SCENE IN A COI7RT OF JUSTIO' tbe Coti
grave incident occurred a few days since in ~tsie,
of Appeal at Nancy. A Man named Sudrico rote?
to ten years' imprisonment, was being Or of of
of court, when, suddenly,. be pulled out 0%.1.1031,
a large stone' weighing more than a pou'',,iic
it with great force at M. Chatillon,.the Pl'vrafoll,„
tor, who fortunately, was not struck. Tnef
immediAely sentenced to a further terra °9l,
to be added to the former. This individnad
condemned seven times for theft; has
years' confinement.
SIR THOMAS WATSON ON VIViSEO4
current number of the Contemporary Reviefitelly,
short article by Sir Thomas Watson, WILI
temperate and judicial tone which might aPop
ts
pected from his pen. Sir Thomas
discuss the whole question, but contents, It Ole
endeavouring to calm the disquietude whetb 14ti
by showing that vivisection might be u° We-44
and mercifully practised within certain atr(,
under certain conditions. To justify such e/erctfljr°,
however, there must be some definite obl a
.1
that shall hold out some reasonable hoPe.ts tloti;
rof resulting benefit. Sir Thomas conel"iiit4
one is justified in making any painful exPe
a living creature who does not possess el e 044
ment, intelligence, and previous knowlefolfoufw
to render the experiment successful and„d, 13,°'
that experiments are not to be repone e",
mercifully conducted, nor is an animal
prived of life for the purpose of illustrat'easemot
is already established, or merely to aPPAI
tural curiosity of students, and that it is °
to settle once for all a disputed point of
010
that a single repetition of experiments ray,e/' t '
ably he allowed. The remainder of the 13,11100,
tion is taken up with a popular elueinib gi
planation of certain nervous phenoni'"
by the light of well known physiological iss6
A CLINCHER. &Abject of dis6lllol°lo
• t
"Women's Rights."—Youthful Enthustas DO Jo,
all the talk to himself). And not tio
established my position on an unassaua,i
thoroughly refuted by anticipatANl Teal,"
argument you might have brought to
side of the
.question, I will say good-tYNoer-
Catch a train! "—Punch. etir
•, A e
WANTING- WORK,— It is Arausinbe
see a man going about, as sa.many eretiV,
he "wants something to d0,".-asid can',".„ l_jfj
real meaning of that is that he means Proo)
For in this world there is muchlls'Dsr°
labourers, and those who really bear tile,.
so much more than they can endure that
stantly on the look-out for men to villv'o7ol
delegate a part of their work. And W Y 30(11.th
stantly find that of all things the, Ord
most difficult to discovew a)a, ybesif who io
such a delegation and conscientiously -SCL'Ap. tA34l'
When a man can readily be fotuid horfe to.t
my horse, to brush my clothes, or to cle.,7tero
;then I shall believe that thera are ra,ere
willing to undertake• and do honestlY no 3
ikabove that ia-Elignity, and consequentlYae4
Until then I shall venture to think I n°,l,st tij
it is that one part of mankind complain w-oftgie,
get work done, the other part that theY ewlio 401
L_ to do. It is that the former want men, ttet
themselves to the work, and that the ~ ted
reward of the work to be given to theinr, co.hY'e
give themselves to it. If we could 0514.,' v
agreement upon that it would solve n3,,V7r
culties of this nether planet.—YanitY -ea' 01
A
BEWARE THE GRASS. —The J'
Al
you will hear most this month is 3 'W., 0,13
wide—is over the pet household and ''cleo 3'
and Ayrshire which has been so well
the dark months, and which, just to nP, ofi
milk, has been indulged in a fret bite jotbeli°ol
dock. She calves safely, a beauty! ailreiff
inspect with delight I She drinks her poo
her mash, and in forty-eight hours is -03
inflammation, arising from milk fever, t`r fo
rally happens to a cow with her thircV,A,,ol
Take warning then, and you will than*,,eitivdc
calving let your cows walk and work for
the barest pasture, and wait until at leas'', too
the new arrival, before you advance tbTbeo,ol
food. Once over the border you can feed er•eet
please, and they will reward you vir",P.
syllabub. But, beforehand, beware'
Pit
Journal and Fancier's Gazette.
EXHIBITION OF RED INDIANS.
set 30 years ago by Mr. Catlin is about
on a larger and more complete scat,
ment of the United States. The
Interior proposes, according to the 1
to make the Philadelphia Centeni
1876 an occasion for a complete exh
manners, atnon
includerps, oofan
snt
hdoef
rdwecustomswparreelalsinenndgotsiaf,
httitehohnceehsiße
,amseei di: I h
mthedweise;
,in the preparation of food, dress,
religion and funeral ceremonies, in
amusements, and is to consist, in
of everything in use among
present time. The department .
illustrating the life of the inhabita
now occupying the Continent, sucfi
ancient graves, mounds, shell-heaps,
In order to carry out this object, a
prepared by the Commissioner of In
a detailed list of articles desired, .tw
together with a circular of instruci
be sent to each Indian agent thror
and it is hoped that the collection
• and ready for forwarding. to Wnsbii
October.— Pall Mall Gazette. .
PRESENTATION TO THE DUKE
EDINBURGH.—On Tuesday afternor
of London presented -to their Re
Duke and Duchess of Edinburgh
the value of 3,000 guineas, consis•
centre-piece and candelabra of
regird to the profession of his Rs
the act that the Duchess descent
of the,Russian navy, it has been
to give the entire design a merit;
service consists of a long plateau,--
piece, representing " the triumph
the Sea. ' At the base are Tritons
side the Royal arms of England, ol
Russia., and separated by swans,
Russia typical of marriage. On
plateau are four groups of Tritons.
two larger groups indicative of galleyel"
presentations of the two great rivers--rof
the Neva. In the galleys are fl'gure_,e/oiv_
Great and Peter the Great. The arn''',o-
London and St. Petersburgh are 81°,°,:i 111
the design which has been woolly'
Garrard amid Co,

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