The Stourbridge Observer, Cradley Heath, Halesowen & District Chronicle.
Stourbridge, West Midlands, England, 1872-05-25 00:00:00

THEFT OF JEWELLERY.

At the Middlesex Sessions, Henry NiIITVIY, aged 35, has
been indicted for stealing two gold watches. two gold chains,
two gold rings, twenty-two pearls, two opal stones, and
divers other articles, value £lOO and upwards, the property
of Captain Henry Cavendish Angelo. -
The prosecutor in this case was a captain in the
army, hat been a great traveller in Africa, and had
been in the service of the Iman of Muscat. Some
years ago be formed the acquaintance, of Mrs.
Murray, who passed as a widow lady of property living
in Great Comm-street, Russel-square, and the intimacy
continued until the death of the prosecutor's
' wife. In October last the prisoner became an in-
mate of Mrs. Murray's house, and ultimately she
acknowledged him as her husband, mail as such he was
introduced to Captain Angelo. In January last the
prosecutor was changing his residence, and accepted the
proffered services of the pritoner in packing and
arranging his effects. For about a fortnight the prose-
cutor lodged at Mrs. Murray's house until his new resi-
dence was ready for him, and before doing so he
delivered into the prisoner's hands for safe cus-
tody a dressing-case containing some valuable articles
of jewellery, and a number of foreign decora-
tions which hail been presented to Captain Angelo
for his military and diplomatic services abroad.
The prisoner saw the prosecutor place some of
these articles in the dressing-case, which was fastened
by a lock, and secured by a cord tied with a
reefer's knot. When the dressing-case was returned
to Captain Angelo about a fortnight afterwards be ob-
served that the cord was no longer seemed by the same
description of knot, but he paid no particular attention
to this fact. He then placed the dressing-case in a
chest in which was kept his plate and other valuable
property, the key of which he always carried
about him. In the early part of March, Captain
Angelo hail occasion tee go to the dressing-case, when
he found the lock broken, and all the articles of
any value removed. He immediately went to the
prisoner, who advised the issuing of handbills offering
a reward of £2O for the recovery of the missing articles.
This was accordingly done, and persons having in-
formation to give upon the subject were referred to
the prisoner. In the meantime the police were in-
formed of the loss, and the prisoner was taken into
custody. In his bed room was found a silver pencil-
ease which the prosecutor identified as being among
the contents of the dressing-ease. A subsequent visit
was paid to the house, and a rough opal, a curious
Indian gold ring, and other articles of small intrinsic
value were found and also identified by the prosecutor
as his property. None of the more valuable articles
have been recovered.
The Judge summed up the evidencP, and after a
short consultation, the Jury returned a verdict of
Guilty, the foreman expressing their opinion that the
prosecutor WAS greatly to blame, and showed great
want of foresight, in not examining the box when he
received it from the prisoner.
It having been proved that Murray was a ticket-of
leave-man, he was sentenced to ten years' penal Berri-
, tude.

la.

THE LONDON COACHMAKERS AND
THE NINE HOURS MOVEMENT.
On Friday evening an aggregate meeting of the
operatives engaged in the various branches of the
coachinaking trade of London was held at St. James's-
hall, in furtherence of the Nine Hours Movement
The large hall was crowded to excess.
The Earl of Shaftesbury had been announced to pre-
side, but having to leave town suddenly, he sent &letter
of apology, in which he wished every success to
the Nine Hours movement. In the absence of
his lordship, Mr. Franklin. the chairman of the
Coachmakers Nine Hours League, occupied the chair.
Mr. Brown, the secretary, then detailed the army.
stances which MO led to the formation of the league
and the calling of the present meeting. He also read
letters from Mr. S. Morley, M. P., Mr. P. H. Taylor,
M.P., Mr. T. Hughes, MP., Professor Fawcett,
M.P., and other gentlemen, cordially approving of the
movement.
The Chairman then briefly addressed the meeting
and said the movement was receiving the support not
only of the society, but of the non-society men, and it
only required united action to obtain the object of the
meeting.
Mr. Asplin then moved the following resolution:—'
That in the opinion of this meeting it Is desirable that
the working hours in the coach trade in London, should be
reduced to 54 per week, a boon which is now enjoyed Icy
almost every trade in the United Kingdom."
He said that a reduction in the present hours of
labour was necessary, both in an educational and in a
sanitary point of view. He drew a graphic description
of the unhealthy and unwholesome workshops in which
the men now passed from ten to twelve and fourteen
hours per day, and said it was quite time that the
reduction to nine hours per day was carried into effect
(Cheers.)
Mr. Bonner seconded the resolution, which was
carried unanimously.
Mr. Reanely moved the following resolution :
" That this meeting desires the committes if the London
Coifed Coach Makers' Nine Hours League to draw up a
memorial tube presented to the employers, praying for the
adoption of those hours, with a request that a rep y he given
on or before this day month and that the movement become
general from the Let of July next."
lie thought no employer could take offence at the
above resolutions. It was respectfully worded, and
there was no threat contained in it. He hoped the
employers would treat the men in the same spirit cf
conciliation.
Mr. R. Lander seconded the resolution, which was
also carried.
Mr. Hills then moved
"That in the opinion of this meeting it is desirable that
the arrancement of the hours he left to the empb.yer and the
men in each establishment, with the one exception that the
shops be universally closed at one o'clock on Saturdays."
Mr. Costello seconded the resolution, which was
agreed to.
A resolution was also adopted upon the motion of
Mr. Balcomb, seconded by Mr. Read, pledging the
meeting to support the league in all its movements to
gain the object in view.

ARTISTS' GENERAL BENEVOLENT i
INSTITUTION. i
1
The annual dinner of this Institution took place on 1 .
Saturday evening at Willis's Rooms, London, the '
Marquis of Lorne presiding. The company, number. !
ing more than 200, included Sir Francis Grant,
P.R.A. ; Sir William Boxall, R.A. • Sir Henry
Holland, Mr. J. S. Henry, M.P. ; Mr. Heugh,
Mr. John Fowler, Mr. John Penn, Mr. Alfred Clint,
P.S.B.A. ; Mr. George Godwin, Mr. Prescott Hewett,
Mr. Alfred Elmore, RA. ' • Mr. W. P. Frith, RA. ;
Mr. F. Leighton RA. ; Mr. G. E. Street, R.A. ; Mr.
P. H. Calderon, R.A. ; Mr. Henry Weekes, R.A. ;
Mr. T. Faed, R. A.; Mr. It. Ansdell, R A.; Mr. J.
Tenniell, Sir J. Gilbert, Mr. Edmund Yates, dr. P.
C. Hardwick. Mr. J. E. Millais, RA. ; Mr. H.
O'Neil, A.R.A. ; Mr. Gustav Hirsch, Mr. F. W. May-
nard, Mr. A. W. Hunt, Mr. Val Pnnsep, &c.
It appears that lathe management of this institution
relief is extended to distressed meritorious artists,
whether subscribers to its funds or not, as well as to
their widows Bud orphans, merit and d.stress alone
coast iti iting a claim; the names of persons thus relieved
not being promulgated. The institution being princi-
pally dependent upon voluntary subscriptions to meet
its yearly expenditure, the council appeal for assistance
to all I.vers of art, and also to those of the profession
who regard with sympathy the distresses of their less
fortunate brethren. Eighty-seven applicants were
relieved during 1871, the sum of £1,595, in grants vary-
ing from £lO to £6O. The working expenses of the
year amounted to 2'21. 0 7s. X From the establish-
ment of the institution M IEI4, to January, 1872,
2,769 donations have been granted, in sums amounting
in the aggregate to £37,743.
After the usual loyal and national toasts,
The Chairman gave "Success to the Artists' General
Benevolent Institution." He remarked that that
ehmity was born at the beginning of a century which
Perhaps had excelled every previous one in its appre-
ciation of art, and one consequence of that had been
is great rise in the prices of modem pictures.
There was a great contrast between these days and
those when Correggio was allowed to live in penury,
or when in later times, Rembrandt died insolvent;
' but this: difference of circumstances only made the
' necessity of help yet stronger, for there was much
more temptation now to enter the profession than
, formerly. Great artists got large sums, it was true,
t but the struggling men were far more numerous than

before, and as the run was made upon those who had
acquired great names, the number of those who could
not get on, and who, with their belongings, fell into dis-
tress, was very great. A large class of persons were
now devoted to art as a profession. Many among
them might not have been fortunate enough to strike
the right vein at once in the field of the popular taste.
They might have failed to hit on the idea that. em-
bodied in painting, might have raised their names on
to the first step necessary to attain that position which
enables a man to catch the eye of the public. This
must first be done before the picture would sell well,
or the name got known (hear, hear)—just as
it you were au author, you must get noticed
' for having wiitten something worth reading before
you could rise above the dead level of others,
or get your works bought and read. Some had
never done what would set them on a pedestal.
Others bad male a some, but the name had been sun-
denly left to live only in fame. Its possessor hail been
carried off, and the hand that worked so effectually for
the family could now no longer turn into gold the
aspects of that busy life around them which the hus-
band and father used to watch and pourtray, but which
now flowed on, bringing with it care and distress and
penury to his wife and children. The artist, overtaken
by illness, could not work as he used, and he was,
perhaps, used harshly—
When closed at last the attentive eyes,
That saw the manner in the face
'

of the rough world, which became even rougher the
more need there was of its tenderness. There were
many Fad cases of that kind, and it was greatly to the
honour of artists that they did snow, as was exemplified
by that charity, compassion for those who fell by the
way, or were not able to endure the march in which
others were successful. Among those who had
liberally contributed to that charity was Mr. Chantrey,
and since his death Mrs. Chantrey had subscribed
for twenty years, having given in all £587. (Cheers.)
The pupil room of the old masters gave them
many opportunities of doing kindnesses to young
men, but none of them, he dare say, ever did
such wholesale kindness as the modern masters
who contributed and took pains with the working
of the charity. That society helped carefully
and judiciously. Every case of relief afforded to an
artist in distress, whether from sickness or some other
cause, was vouched for by the Committee, and a sum
handed over to enable him to tide over the evil hour.
Widows and orphans were also assisted, and if that
society hal existed, Hogartlis widow might never have
been obliged to sell toe print s which were the last re-
membrances of her husband. Not long since, he was
told, there was a case of an artist dying in such
wretched circumstances that there was net a stick of
furniture in his house except the bed on which the
dead body had been laid out, and yet this man had
a family of several children, the eldest girl being
just grown up at the time of her father's death.
Another case that might be mentioned as illus-
trating the working of the society was that of
a sculptor, who lust the use of his eyesight for a
time, and had to be helped, and was efficiently helped,
with a handsome sum from the funds of this society.
There was such great need for an orphan fund, that
last year immense efforts were made, and all available
revenues turned in that direction; but one result was
that all savings had disappeared. Everything that
could be done had been done to save all unnecessary
working expenses, and the whole machinery of the
charity only cost I:170, which showed almost un-
paralleled good management, for the outlay in dona-
tions was at the same time £1,595. (Cheers.) But
little aid could be got from the public. Let them
remedy this as best they could this year, and set an
example tube followed in other years. (Cheers.)
The toast was very warmly received, as was also the
toast of "The Royal Academy," which the chairman
described as having been formed out of a chaos of small
rival cliques, but as now constituting an earthly para-
dise to which all painters wished to go. Sir F. Grant
responded to the toast, and proposed "The Health of
Sir J. Gilbert," who, on rising to reply, was greeted
with loud cheese.
Mr. Hardwick, the treasurer, afterwards read a list
of subscriptions, amounting in all to £2,552. He men-
tioned that the chairman was a subscriber to the
amount of £25, and that a friend to whom the institu-
tion was already greatly indebted had promised a do-
nation of £5OO.