The Stourbridge Observer, Cradley Heath, Halesowen & District Chronicle.
Stourbridge, West Midlands, England, 1881-02-12 00:00:00

THE STOTTRBRIDGE OBSERVER.

by the side of the door with something in his hand
by the side of his trousers. Prisoner said "don't go
yet" He told him he should go, and was getting off
the step when he received a blow on the bead and
fell. His cap was knocked off. He stooped down
to pick it up. He told him he was no man to serve
a fellow like that. Prisoner then struck him again
on the head. He asked him to let him have Hs hat.
Mrs. Law shouted "let the man have his hat and go
about his business," He then stood up. Prisoner
was making another blow at him. He put his arm
up to save the blow and the blow cut his arm. He
thought at the time it was a sword, Prisoner then
caught hold of him by the collar. He could not tell
how many blows he received, but had two cuts on
' the left sue of his head, one on the right
and one on the crown, one on the arm, and
several bruses on the body. He cried out
murder when he got away and went home.
Cross-examined: The struggle lasted about five
minutes. Did not strike prisoner. James Dock,
skin worker, said he recollected the 28th ult. Heard
a disturbance near the Vauxhall. He saw the two
men struggling on the ground. \"‘ Law was
on the top of prosecutor. He heard one shout
murder. Mrs. Law was standing by and she told
him to go and fetch the police as there would be
murder done by one or other. He went to the
, police-station and Police sergeant Herman ac-
companied him back to the place again and found
that both men had gone away. He went into the
Vauxhall Inn, and prismiericame in a short time after
wards and said to the police "Am I to be served
like this in my own house, I will shew you the
weapon that I keep for protecting myself in my
own house," and shewed him a large knife, which
had blood on it. The policeman asked him if he
hit the man with that, and he said he had, and
should use it again. John McDonald, labourer, re-
siding in Stourbriclge, said he was passing along
Foster Street and heard a disturbance near the
Vauxhall Inn. He went to see:who it was, and saw
Law and Gibbons standing up honing each oth.tr.
He saw Law strike Gibbons twice with something
about as long as his arm He could not say what
kind of weapon it was. Police-sergeant Herman
said from information received he went to the
Vauxall Inn about 7 o'clock. He went into the

house and prisoner cull° in Bhortly afterwards and
told him what had happened. He said the man
came and asked for a bottle of ginger beer. He
stood against the counter and he looked drowsy. as
if going to sleep. He told him he had better drink
up and The man began to quarrel with him, and
he said he would put him out. He said he would

pull his b-liver out if he attempted. He told
his wife to fetch a policeman and his wife went out

of the house. As-he was still abusive he put him
out and when he got outside the door he knocked
his wife down. lie said he did not know the MAU.
He (witness) then asked him if he had marked him
and asked what he struck him with. He said he
would show him and took him to another part of
the house and showed him the knife produced.
Police-constable Webb said he went to the hou,e of
Gibbons and saw him lying on a sofa He went to
the Vauxhall and took poss..s.qon of the knife.
Poice sergeant Jones said he charged prisoner with
cutting and wounding John Gibbons on the hold
and wrist with the knife, having the knife in his
hand. He said he had done it in self defence. He
-,truck him first and also knocked his wife down.
Dr. Eagar said that on time 28th ult. he went to see
Gibbons aal examined him. Then: were two long
cuts on the head about four in:hes long, reaching
down to the bone and two little cuts on the side of
the head, and oue deep cut across the wrist separ-
ating-the muscles and just missing the pulse. The
wounds were such as would be caused by a
knife. Cross—examined - Do not think the injury to
the wrist will be permanent. Prisoner was com-
mitted to take his trial at the next Worcester Ses-
sions, bail being accepted himself in £lOO and two
sureties in £5O.
DRUNK AND REFUSING TO QUIT.—John Gibbons
Ras charged with being drunk and refusing to
quit the Vauxhall Inn, on the 28th ult. Defendant
was further charged with assaulting Lucy Law on
the same (Lite. Defendant was further cha• geci
with assaulting William Frederick Law on the
same date. Mr. Waldron prosecuted, and Mr.
Wyndham defended. George Smart, Lucy Law,
and W. F. Law, were called to prove that defendant
was drunk, and assaulted Mr. and Mrs. Law. For
the defence Police-sergeant Jones and Police-con-
stable Webb swore that at 20 minutes past seven
o'clock Gibbons was quite sober, and the Bench
dismissed all three summonses.
COAL STEALING.—John Thomas Southall was
charged with stealing, on the 29th ult, a load of
coal, the property of Messrs. Harper and Moore.—
Mr. Perry prosecuted and Mr. Waldron defended
—lt appeared that prisoner, who is a carter, was
engaged to take a load a coal to Mr. Joseph
Moore's at Pedniore, but did not deliver it, which
weighed lton 2cwt. Mr. Waldron, for the &fence
contended that the coal was delivered and put into
a pig stye, and that the prisoner's father had often
delivered coal without seeing any of the servants.
The Bench imposed a fine of 30/.—Ann Hill (25).
and Samuel Mason (13), were charged with steal-
ing, on the 3rd inst. a quantity of coal the. pro-
perty of Messrs. King and Co. John Bird proved
the case. Hill was fined 5s and Mason is.
STEALING CHEESE.—Arthur Bashford was
charged with stealing a quantity of cheese the
property of William Penn f the Lye. Susannah
Penr proved the case. Police-constable Jewsen
proved apprehending prisoner. Fined is; in de-
fault 7 days.
BOARD OF GUARDIANS.—ThI weekly meeting
this Board was held yesterday, Mr. Raybould
in the chair. There were also present Messrs.
Hingley, Giles, Mills, Lavender, Taylor, Kelly,
Pargeter, H. Billingham, and Browning,
Achnitted into the house during the week 22 ;
horn 1 ; discharged 11 ; dead 4 ; remaining in
the house 600 ; corresponding period last year
472. Outdoor relief, Kingswinford district,
.a 9 2s sfd ; Stourbridge district £37 9s id;
Halesowen district £l9 us 10d ; non-resident
63 4d. Total 496 Os 7i-d,'against £74 16s id.
At a sanitary meeting held afterwards it was re-
ported that the death-rate for Worcestershire
was 26 per thousand per annum, and that of
Staffordshire 25.

Waverley.
Boy-in-Blue beat Turpin.
The HIGH GROVE STAKES, for eight puppies, at
£3 103. each; winner £lB, second £6.
I.
Mr. G. Ainge's County Court (late Buttercup)
bi at Mr. T. E. Fiske's Fitz Friar.

Mr. Tom Jones's Jack Jumper (late Woden)
beat Mr. J. Fereday's Hussar. _ _ _

Mr. W. Lamb's Lustre best Mr. T. H. Cross us
Belle Isle.
Mr. F. Wadams's Wilful beat Mr. J. Timmins us
Bedsle,

Jack Jumper beat County Lustre beat wilful.
Court.

Lustre beat Jack Jumper.

B 111 ERLE Y HILL.

TACKLING THE WRONG MAN.—At the Police
Court, on Monday, before F. Evers, and 3. K.
Harrison, Esqs., Jame s Henry Harford (34), a tramp,
was brought up on a charge of vagrancy and solicit-
ing alms on the highway.—About a quarter-past
eleven o'clock on Friday night the prisoner stoiped
an ironworker named Cornelius Thomas on the
canel bridge, at Brettell Lane, and asked him fer a
halfpenny. Upon Thompson telling him that he
had no money for him the prisoner announced his
intention of throwing him over the bridge. A
struggjnsued, in which the prisoner was worsted,
and berug secured, was handed over to the pollee.
—The Bench sent him to gaol for one mouth, with ;
hard labour,
ALLEGED THEFT OF AN ULSTER—EIiza 00l
(16), a domestic servant, of the Lye, was charged
with the theft of an ulster cloak, the property of
Elizabeth Round, of the Lye.—Mr Addison de
fended.—lt was alleged that pri,oner stole tile
garment from the house of the prosecutrix whilst
there on an eri and, It was not, however, mistied
until several days afterwards, and was subsequently
found pledged at the pawnshop kept by a Mrs.
Moody, at Brierlry Hill. The pawnbroker and
her assistant both positively identified the prisoner
as the girl who pledged the cloak, but 1, r the
defence witnesses were called who swore tha-, the
prisoner was at home when the stolen article was,
pledgcd.—Mr. Morgan, station master at the Lye
also gave the accused a good character.—The
Bench gave the prisoner the beneLt of the doubt
and discharged her.
COAL STEALING. Emmanuel Evans, miner,
Gornal Wood, was fined 10-. and costs for stealing
coal from No 56 pit in the Old Park Colliery, be-
longing to the Earl of Dudley,on the 12th of January

CONSERVATIVE MEETING AT OLD HILL,
A meeting of the Old Hill and Cradley Heath
Conservative Associations, was held in the Trinity
School Room, Old Hill, on Monday evening.
There was a large attendance of the members of
these branches, among whom were Mr. B. Priest,
Mr. Willetts, Mr. J. Plant (jun.), Mr. J. Plant
(sear.), Mr. T. Priest, Mr. J. Priest, Mr. J. Rock,
and Mi. E. Shaw (secretary). Mr. R. Underwood
was voted to the chair.
The Chairman briefly opened the meeting by
saying that they had been called together to listen
to adui esses from Mr. J. M. Brindley and Mr. W.
Barton. of Birmingham. on questions of home and
foreign po.itics. He congratulated the meeting on
the hopeful position of the party, and said he
trusted that those present would use every en-
deavour to extend the organization of the party—
(applause).
Mr. W. Barton, who was heartily cheered, said
that those present had had many difficulties to cora
tend.with during the past year—difficulties which he
hoped would not occur again—but when the next
time came to contest the borough of Dudley they
.vould have a more satisfactory result. (Hear,
hear). it seemed that it was the hope that the
dissolution of the present Parliament would come
If it did come, they would be called • upon to do
their duty upon constitutional principles—(Ap—
plause). He spoke of-the difficulties of the Govein-
went as being very great, both with regard to the
position of atiairs at home and abroad. He should
deal with two points, leaving his friend Mr. Brind-
le), to dial with two other points. He should take
the position of affairs at home with regard to Ire-
land, and the positicu abroad with regard to the
Greek Question. He then proceeded at some
length to deal with the various phases of the Irish
difficulty, and showed that the tenant farmers in
Ireland enjoyed far greater privileges than their
Engiish bretheren. He, c.Judenmed strongly tie
action of the Laud League and its champions in
the House of Commons, and attributed delay in
adopting protective measures to the influence of
the two Birmingham representatives in the Cabinet
—men who sought under a specious oratory to
hide their shortcomings as statesmen—(applause).
He al,o dealt at some length with the Greek
Question.
Mr. J. M. Brindley delivered an address on the
"Russian advance in Central Asia." He detailed
the surcessive conuests of Russia during the past
fifty pars, and showed how rapid the advance In
been E ;wards our Eastern Dominions, tnd the real
cause for alarm which exieted at the present
moment. He asked if it were possible, as Russian
diplomatists would have us believe, that such
gigan'ic enterprises, undertaken at such a cost,
and carried out under so many difficulties and
dangers, could be believed to have been initia,ed
only
purpese of subjugating a few wander.
rtribes or depriving them of their horses
yTfaorrt
at he
or cattle, their only wealth ?—(applause). But a
few clays ago the last barrier between Russi 1. and
our Eastern Empire had fallen. The valiant Tekke-
Turcomans, a lace fatuous in the world's history
for their bravery, had been defeated stubbornly
defending their poor possessions against the grey.
coated legions of the Czar. Skobeloff was within
easy distance of Merve and Herat, and a Liberal
Government looked upon the situation with care-
lessness, if not with approval ! (" Shame"). He
b li-ved the prize Russia sought lay beyond the
mountains of Afghanistan. The rich and fertile
plains, the historic cities cf India, the open sea
which lay beyond, a possession always coveted, for
nature in her northern,home had shut her up from
this vast advantage—(applause). The speaker
strongly censured the action of the Government in
giving up Candahar. He believed the voice of the
nation would be heard in tones of indignation be-
fore this rash and foolish action could be carried
into effect—(applause). If a Liberal Cabinet
attempted to tamper with the safety of the Empire
the people would be true to the trust committed to
them by the valour and the policy of those who
had in the past fougnt or thought for England, her
commerce, and the advance of the civilisation which
accompanied her progress—(cheers)
A hearty vote of thanks to Messrs. Barton and
Brindley for their addresses, proposed by Mr.
Underwood and seconded by Mr. James Plant, was
carried with loud cheers.
A vote of thanks to the Chairman, which wae
proposed by Mr. J. Plait (jun ) and seconded by
Mr. B. Pries, terminated the proceedings.