The Stourbridge Observer, Cradley Heath, Halesowen & District Chronicle.
Stourbridge, West Midlands, England, 1874-02-28 00:00:00

BOARD OF GUARDIAN i.

The weekly meeting of this Board was hetd
yesterday; Mr. Billinghain in the chair. There
were also present :—Messrs. Hall, Barker, Guest
Raybould, Fiddiu, Homer, Wood, Giles,
and "'askew. The minutes of the last meeting
were read and confirmed. Admitted into the
house during the week, 8; discharged, 18;
born, 1; dead, 0; remaining 351. Correspond.
log week last year, 400. Out-door reliefe,
Kingswinford distirct £25 15s. Od ; Stourbridge
district, £l6 19s 0.1 ; Halesowen district, £l7
175 94; non-resident paupers, 76 641 total, £9O
19s ; against £64 7s 94 last year.

THE LATE CHARGE OF OBTAINING A COAT BY
FALSE Pak:TEI.IOEB.—M the Worcester Sessions,
on Monday last, before Mr. It. liairingtou,
Arthur Evers 05), engine-fitter, was indicted for
obtaining on the 29th December last, a coat, by
false pretences. value ..t2 58, of Mr. Robert
Thompson, tailor and draper, Hagley-street, and
acquitted.
PLEADED GUILTY.—George Minett (21), lab-
ourer, three months' hard labour, for stealing
six sovereigns and a bag, the pr iperty of Jere-
miah Laister, at tipper Swinford, on January
11th.

NIGHT POACHING—At the Public Office, on
Wednesday, before Messrs. J. C. A. Scutt and
R. L. Freer, William Slater and Thomas Price
were charged with night poaching on Earl Dud-
ley's land at Malley at three a.m. on Tuesday.
Simnel Monk, gamekeeper to Lord Dudley, said
he found the prisoners in a field of his lordship's
tilxng up a net set for game. They had a lur-
cher dog eith them, and there were four other
nets set. He caught hole of Price, and swatch.
man named Thompson seized Slater, who had a
stone in his hand, with which he struck him in
the face. Price also had stones in his hand, and
SOLOS in his pockets.—The Bench committed the
prisoners for six weeks, aud ordered them to
fin I sureties for twelve months.

CHURCHILL COURT FARM SALE—The late Mr.
Pirmstones costly and celebrated Stock of Shrop-
shire Sheep, have been distributed under the
hammer of that weU known champion of the
Shropshires Mr. G. W. Preece when, extraordin-
ary prices were realized. On Tuesday, the 17th
instant, the Implements, Hot es, Cattle ite., were
disposed of under the hammer of Mr. Wooldridge,
of the firm of Oates, Perrens and Wooldridge,
the local auctioneers with like success. Amongst
the prices realized by the horses were the follow-
ing :—Brown draught mare "Snip"' £64; Brown
draught mare "Darling" in foal, £6O; a four year
old cart mare, £55; a young gilding "Rascal" £6O;
a four year old cart 14 hands mare, £4l; the
brougham horse, made £75. Other horses were
sold at proportionable prices. The cattle and
other stock were equally well sold according to
their merits. There was a very huge attendance
and the sale realized a good round sum. The
estate has already been disposed of under the
hammer of Mr. Wooldridge, at respectalde figure
of £93 per acre.
THE, GAR COMPANY.—The annual statement of
accounts of the Gas Company have been presented
in accordance with law, to the .`qourbridge Com-
missioners, but are so complex in their nature
as to battle persons with the keenest perception.
rho sales effected during the tear amount to
1,224 495. ; stock on the lstJanuary, 1873,
£676 13s. Bd. ; 314 December, £1,225 is. sd.
After an enumeration of the working expenses,
the following three items are given :—Average
lots not exceeding actual amount of loss after
4djustment, 4518 Is. 7.1. ; dividend paid for half.
year ended anth June, £1,006 ss. 64. ; bif nee.
£519 53. 31. The ha:atice shown in capital at -
count amounts to £679 173. 4d. D; would cer-
tainly pr >ye a boon to the inhabitants if the Gab
Company would provide better means of purify-
ing their gas, for often the light produced is not
equal to a common decimal candle.

-Cmozos Rmonto.--01 the 23rd inst there were
rung at St. James's Church, Wollaston, 720 changes
of Grandsire 2diuor, by the St. Jamei's Society of
Change Ringers. The band was stationed as fol-
lows i—Treble, G. Ralione ; End, C. Chapman; 3rd,
G. Howells; 4th, W. Pugh; sth, H. Dakin ; tenor,
J. Coaker. The above was conducted by William
Pugh.

READING AT THE UNION HALL.-MT. Scottkave
his second reading at the Union Hall, on Wednes-
day evening last. The subject was Shakspeare's
"Tempest." There was a rather larger audience
than on the previous occasion, and Mr. Scott's
reading of the play also exhibited a marked im.
provement in some particulars on his first effort,
of the previous Wednesday evening.
DRUNK AND DISORDEELY.-At the Police Court,
yesterday, before Mr. B. Littlewood, George
Heading was charged with being drunk and dis.
orderley, at Oldswinford, on the 21st inst. Police-
constable Willetts proved the case. Ordered to
paj, costs.

DEBERTER.—CharIes Woodward was charged
with desertinerom his regiment. Police-sergeant
Walters, of Brierley Hill, proved apprehending
the defendant, who pleaded guilty. Defendant
was committed to Stafford to await an escort.
STRALtriu A DUCK—Before Messrs. Littlewood
and Scott, Samuel Roberts was charged with
steaiing a tame duck, on the 23rd lust, the pro-
perty of Millward Oliver, at Hagley. Prosecutor
said he missed a duck on the above date about 6
o'clock. From information he received he went in
search of it and found it lying under a hedge. It
was dead. He watched there with two men named
Harris and Walters. Whilst they were waiting,
three men came up. Defendant was one of them.
One went and picked the duck up. Witness got
over the hedge and the men ran away, but pri-
soner was caught by Walters, Harris and Walters
also gave evidence. Paisoner was sentenced to
one month's imprisonment.