The Stourbridge Observer, Cradley Heath, Halesowen & District Chronicle.
Stourbridge, West Midlands, England, 1887-10-15 00:00:00

SATURDAY, OCT. 15, 1887.

Dr. Dandford Thomas held an inquiry on Saturday at
the Crowndale Hall, St. Pancras, concerning the death
of Bessie smith, aged 24, a single woman, who was
found early on Friday morning with her throat cut in
a kitchen of a house in Clamden•town. Caroline
Greenfield, living in the Kentish. town.road, stated
that the young woman had no relatives. Sim
had lodged with witness four years, and had
been an artists' model. Witness thought she
was a person of weak mind. Lately she gave way to
intemperance, and neglected the child she had. Mr B.
W. Marshall, clerk, stated that be had assisted the
young woman when she was in want of money. no
was not at all surprised to hear that she had taken her
life, as she suffered from melancholia. The witnesa
informed the coroner that he would undertake the care
of the child as well as the funeral expenses. The pary
returned a verdict ;of suicide whilst of unsound mied.
A return relating to the fever epidemic preqented at
the meeting of the Metropolitan Asylums Board on
Saturday showed that during the last fortnight there
had been an increase of 399 patients under treatment
in the hospitals of the Board, the total number of WEB
at the time of the return being 1842, It was reported
that at the several hospitals steps had been taken to
provide extra accommodation to meet any emergency.
Mr. Thos. H. Agnew, a Ballymena merchant, was last
week arrested on a Liverpool steamer when taking Ws
departure for America, on a charge of stealing a
revolvers His luggage was sent back from Liverpool.
and has been examined by the police. It contained
jewellery and other valuable goods, bearing the namem
of Dublin, Belfast, and other firms. Agnew when
about to leave aot himself made a bankrupt. An
official of the Bankruptcy Court has arrived in Be fast
and taken the luggage for the benefit of the creditors.
About six o'clock on Sunday evening a man, named
John Frankish, thirty•four years of age, cornchandler,
residing at Stoke.road, Guildford, was standing on the
platform at the Waterloo Junction, London, and on the
arrival of a passenger train he threw himself in front
of the engine. He was knocked into the 4ft. WCY,
striking his head against the further rails. Being
picked up and aonveyed to St. Tbomaa's Hospital it
was found that he had sustained serious injuries arid
his escape from instantaneous death was considered
miraculous. _

It has been ascertained that the body of poachers
who savagely attacked a party of gamekeepers on the
Longdon Estate, Shrewsbury, early on Friday morning
of last week, consisted of eight med. The four, who
were arrested on suspicion, and who have since been
identified by the gamekeepers as being among the
party, wero brought before the Shrewsbury magistrates
on Saturday, charged with night poaching and vialently
assaulting keepers. The evidence showed that the
prisoners and their companions made a very brutal
attack on the gamekeepers. The poachers were well
armed with thick sticks, and had pockets full of large
sharp edged stones, with which they unmercifully
battered the keepers, rendering two of them insensib'e.
A life and death scuffle ensued, but the poachers at
last got free, one of them having been previously hand-
cuffed by one of the keepers. The prisoners were
remanded, bail being refused.
At a large open-air meeting of Socialists on the
Market-square, at Northampton on Sunday, on the
motion of the chairman, Mr. Robert Reed, it was
decided unanimously to make a public demonstration
on the occasion of the visit of Prince Albert Victor to
the town text week, when his Royal Highness will lay
the foundation. stone of the Jubilee enlargements at the
General Infirmary. It was determined to have a pro-
cession of Socialists, headed by a band, which should
play the Dead March in "Saul." The meeting sub.
scribed for a large black flag it was resolved to procure
with the following inscription in white letters : "Put
not your trust in Princes." The chairman said it was
an insult to the people of the town to bring down a
stripliog like the Prince, and he warned those making
the arrangements for the visit to tell Prince Albert
Victor, even now, not to come. The visit would be
an historical one, end probably it would be the last
time that a Prince in England would leave his home.
At the Newton (Wicklow) Sessions a coachman
named Francis Maher wrs charged with having stolen
jewellery, valued at £2OO, from the residence of his
master, Dr. Stoker, at Delgany. It was stated that the
prisoner offered the jewellery for sale to a jeweller at
Bray for £6O, but the latter, suspecting something
wrong, sent for the police, who arrested Maher. Ile
was committed for trial.
Charles Lailey, District Surveyor to the Acton Local
Board, appeared at the Hammersmith Police.court on
Saturday to answer a summons for maliciously
damaging the greenhouse of Mr. John Hibbert. It
appeared that he had pulled down the greenhouse by
orders of the Local Board, and it was stated that they
had a right to demolish a building not erected in con-
formity with the bye-laws. Mr. Paget said it was es
most highhanded act, and said he would not decide as
to its legality. He refused to allow costs, the summons,
on his advice, being withdrawn.
General Sir Arthur Mitford Becher, K. 0.8. Bengal
Staff Oorps, has died, aged 71, at St. Faith's Mede,
Winchester. He obtained his first commission in June,
1833, was appointed in the year 1838 to the Quarter.
mate er-General's department, and served on the staff
with the headquarters in India, 1833-39. Ho was
present at the siege of Ghumes and the occupation of
Cabul, and in the Sutlej campaign of 1845 46. In 18-19
he received the brevet of lieutenant-colonel for his
services at Moultan and Goojerat. He was quarter.
master of the army from 1852 to 1863, ancl in that
capacity was present with the army headquarters at the
siege of Delhi, &c, in 1857, when he was severely
wounded. He commanded the Sirhind Division
(Bengal) from 1865 to 1869. The late Sir Arthur
obtained the rank of major-general in April, 1861;
lieutenant general in June. 1870; and general in June,
1877; was made a Companion of the Order of the Bath
in 1858; and a Knight Commander of the' Order in
1873.

On Saturditi -evening the w-Tnamill at ratmore
Hgatb, near Bishop's Stortford, was the .14one of an
accident by which the miller, Mr. Julius Holden, lost
his life. Mr. Holden mounted the outside to repair a
defect in the sailing apparatus, although his wife
entreated him to postpone the work asie waVgetting
dusk. While so engaged a pulley which sustained
him gave way, and he vOks preeiVtated to the
ground, a distance of 50 feet. When picked up it was
found he had sustained terrible injuries, and he died
within 15 minutes,

shocking,flomestic tragedy was enacted on Saturday
night at the village of Hay Mills, neat Birmingham.
A gilder, named Mews, and his wife came home in a
state of intoxisation, and wdre heard qUarrellinit.
Shortly afterwards Mrs. Clews went to a heighbout's
house' and said sbe had killed her husband with the
poker, the man being :found dying with Ills head
battered. The woman was apprehended.
A. boy named John Dinah died on Saturday in the
Liverpool Infirtory in consequence of' injuries received
from a bucking pony belonging to. " Mexican" Joe," at
the T.iverpool Exhibition. The pony broke loose,
kicking ft barricadttt6splintere, and the boy was struck
on the head. • '

In the course of an inquiry before Dr. Danford
Thomas, at the tsllpgt `n coroners' court, on Saturday,
a question was raised as to whether a domestic servant
.eculd be compelled to clean windqws from the outside.
The erroner said them was an old Police Act whitth
prohibited tlis and, consequently, if a servant refused
to clean the winclovis from the outside it would not
disentitle her to her wages. In fact, If a private
individual passing through a street .or square saw a
servant cleaning windows from the outside, he could
Jay aat information against the proprietor of the house
and obtain a conviction, Whether the servant was a
willing agent to the cleaning or not.
The Lord Mayor of London, who consented to accept
the custody of the Elcho Challenge Shield, won by the
English match-rifle team at Wimbledon in .Tuly, has
alp agreed to accept charge of the National Challenge
Trophy, won by a team of twenty efficient English
volunteers at the same meeting.
On Saturday evening the following appointments
were notified at the Admiralty : Lieutenants Ernest A.
Martin, to the Leander; Percy S. St. John,itO the
Cormorant; Thomas Brandreth, to the Raven; Arthur
C. Lowry, to the Dreadnonght •, and Charles Chadwick,
to the Mallard.. all re-appointed on promotion (to date
it. inst.) ; Gilbert E. Harrison, to the Bramble; Surgeon
William E. K. Barnes, -to the Assistance, for temporary
service (to date Bth inst.) Mr. 0. F. Dowtiman, to be
surgeon and agent at Burnham, Essex.