biglam/hmd_newspapers huggingface dataset:
The Stourbridge Observer, Cradley Heath, Halesowen & District Chronicle.
Stourbridge, West Midlands, England, 1873-04-12

OLD HILL.

ASSAULT Cass.—At the Petty Sessions, held on Wed.
nesday, before Messrs. F. L. Smith and P. W. O. Burrs,
Joseph Cole was charged with assaulting Hannah Mogg,
on the 6th inst. Defendant was further charged with
asmulting a little boy named Joseph Hogg. Complain-
ant said she met the defendant and asked him why he
laid been beating her little boy, when defendant struck
her several times. Fined is and costs. The Cale against
Joseph Mugg was dismissed.
ANUS/lea All•ULT.—Josbnik Adams was charged by
Hannah Adams, with assaulting her on the 4th inst.
Complainant said that defendant is her brother-in-law,
! and as she was taking her husband's dinner met the
' defendant who struck hers blow on the head. Astir.
were other summonses arising out of the same Callea,
and the summonses issued at Halesowen, the elsn was
adjourned until nest Tuesday.
BaUT•L AeSAULT UPON • MOTBZIL—Joseph Taylor,
(19), was charged with an aggravated assault upon Eliza-
beth Priest, his mother. Complainant's eyes were
shockingly bruised, but she did not wish to press the
case. Inspector Price said that defendant in January
Last was lined 20s for assaulting his sister, and had •
month in default. The Bench said they could not
allow the cams to be made up, and ordered defendant to
nod two surtiee in DI, and himself in £lO, to keep the
Peace for twelve months.

DRUNK AND RlOTol34.—WillilM ChOtWiDI and Thomas
Hadley, were charged with being drunk and disorderly,
on the sth inst. The ease was proved, and defendants
fined ls and costa.

CH•ROR AGAINST • TRAVELLER. JAMBI Foster,
traveller. was charged with frandently obtaining by false
pretences certain EERIE of money and goods, on the 4th,
the property of Joseph Stokes, of Rowley. Mr. Addiscui
defended. Prosecutor said he kept a licensed victualler's
house. About half.put twelve, prisoner came to him and
said he was requested by the Licensed Victuallers'
hesociation to call upon him to 'ell tea. Told the
Stourbridge, West Midlands, England, 1873-04-12

THE SCANDAL AT ST. CYR.
(From the Pall Mall Gamete.)

One of those noisy scandals pretty common in French
military schools has just occurred at St. Cyr, and
drawn down eorse sharp criticisms from the Parisian
press on the management of that rather over-vauntgd,
yet very important, institution. A senior cadet, hold.
log sergeant's rank, having fault to find with a junior.
reported him in the usual way, and gut him punished.
The junior contended, however, that his offence was
one which had mithing to do with school discipline.
He denied the right of tho sergeant to take any
cognizsnceof it, and his view was endorsed by all the
other cadet., who unanimously sent the sergeant to
Coventry. Enraged at this, the sergeant, while drilling
a squad of juniors next day, showed much greater
severity than seems to be usual, He, in fact, bullied
his squad, and en exasperated one of the number that
the latter stepped out of the ranks and insulted him.
The sergeant-cadet declined to make • formal report
of this matter, but applied to the governor of the
school for leave to fight a duel with his antagonist,
offering, if necessary, to resign his stripe' in order to
be on • footing of equality with him. The governor
refused the permission, but summoned a court of in.
quiry, who reported that the sergeant " had Feliaved
in every way as • MAD of honour," and recommended
that his insulter should be severely punished. The
same evening • number of cadets, headed by the
junior, whom the court had censured, went to the ser-
geant's dormitory, scattered his regimentals, " lim-
bered" his cot, poured oil over his papers, and wound
up by tossing him in a blanket. Of course, the ser-
geant reported this, and a new court was summoned.
It began by expelling the junior who had stepped out
of the ranks and then acted as ringleader in the aseault
on the sergeant, and decreed that if ten of the others
who had joined in this assault did not give themselves
up by noon the next day, lots would be drawn by the
whole school, and four move cadets expelled. On
hewing his sentence the junior who was actually ex-
' pelled rushed to his room and trWd to commit
Stourbridge, West Midlands, England, 1873-04-12

THE CENTENARY OF JOHN HOWARD.

It may not be generally remembered that exactly •
hundred years have passed since John Howard, of
Cardington, then High Sheriff of Bedfordshire, first
made hie name known to the world as a practical
philanthropist. That loathsome and fatal malady,
long known in England and elsewhere as the "Gsol
Distemper," and appearing tinder other forms as "The
Sickness, f the House," ant '' Parish Infection
of the Bills of l'ili.rtalitv," was still at home in the
prisons of England in 1773, when John Howard took
official cognizance of it, and obtained statistics and
a diognosis of the disease. These he brought under
the notice of the House of Commons, whom he com-
pelled by the force of his own high character and of es-
tablished facts to take the question of the condition of
our gaols seriously in hand. He had seen the interior
of more than one prison on the Continent, and, finding
that it was part of his duty as High Sheriff to "
sport the prisons and bridewells," he resolved that he
would do his work thoroughly. The result was that
at the close of his shrievalty he had brought together
such a mass of materials in illustration of the abuses
connected with prison alauagement that, on presenting
them to the House of Commons, he received a public
vote of thanks, and had the satisfaction of seeing two
Acts of Parliament promptly passed—the one for the
relief of prisoners who should be acquitted in respect
of their fee., and the other for the preservation if the
health of prisoners and the suppression of the 'gaol
distemper." This last-named Act proved almost ail
effective as it was intended to be by its author and
originator; and, consequently, during the last hundred
year. our Judges and juries have never had to lament
a "Black Assize," such VI that at Oxford in 1577.
John Howard, am is well known, visited in later life
most of the prisons and lazaretto, on the Continent;
and a monument in St. Paul's Cathedral records his
death in Southern Russia, while engaged in the same
Food work, towards the close of the last century. It
is stated, also, that it is in contemplation among some
of the gentry to commemorate in a still more public
manner the hundredth anniversary of that shrievalty
which proved such a turning-point in our prison sys-
tem° ; and Dr. Guy, P 1.5., has put forth a proposal
to erect • statue in John Howard's honour on the
Thames Embankment, or in some other open and fre-
quented spot in the metropolis.
Stourbridge, West Midlands, England, 1873-04-12

TAIA.

Tue
RICENT STABBINO CASE.—it the Worcester
Sessions, on Tuesday, Zechariah Mall (52), nailer, was
arraigned on a charge of unlawfully and maliciously
wounding Charles Richard Pardoe with a knife, on the
2titli. I kebruary, at the Lye. Mr. Godson prosecuted.
Mr. Jell defended the prisoner.—After briefly elating the
facts of hie ease, Mr. Godson celled Charles Richard
P.irdoe, who stated that he was butcher, carrying on
business at the Lye. On the day in question he went to
the prisoner's shop for the purpose of buying some
iagguts. After witness had asked for the faggots the
prisoner said, Get out of my shop you .catuP• The
prisoner then went round the counter, picked up a
hutcher's knife,
etngli• Wttnnvs was perlectly swber, lib lodged at Mrs.
and then thrust it into his (witness's)
rayior's, and aises he was wounded byathe prisoner he
Write v`tity• Dr. Freer subsequently attended
l was
endedhimin.
thy Mr. Jell I never touched any meat h
the I".""nefe shop. Previous to my entering the
ahoy I had been drinking at several public.
""e"°• "hu Henry Perdue saw the prosecutor on the
"7 t" el""hon, when he was perfectly sober.—Dr. Freer
etated tukt twe wound winch the proetcutor received
utak" have ended rather seriously. M mantises
.as to
character were produced.—The jury found the prisoner
Wah a reeinumendatruu to Mercy. Sentenced to
vtv eslehdar months' imprisonment with hard labour.