The Stourbridge Observer, Cradley Heath, Halesowen & District Chronicle.
Stourbridge, West Midlands, England, 1868-12-26 00:00:00

Mimi'minus sittcllitlcnte
ROME, FOREIGN, AND COLONIAL.

THE COST OF THEATRICAL MANAGEMENT.—
A writer in the Daily News gives some details of
theatrical managenient. The expenses of a large first-
class West End London theatre are estimated at from
£420 to £4BO a week. A 9 a rule the receipts are below
the expenses ; the loss is made up by some lucky hit,
when they are largely in excess. Christnia.s is the best
theatriesl season in the year; summer is the worst,
except when it is wet. About £5OO a year is spent on
colours and canvas. The gas bill comes to £3O a week,
but at Christmas the moon generally costa themanager
at least £2O a week on its own account. One of the
difficulties of a manager is getting actresses to play the
parts of women—they all want to show their legs
(usually padded) as fairy princes, and so on. Ballet
girls get about 25a. a week, and the writer vouches for
their morality. The traffic of dramatic authorship
varies very much. " Three or five act plays, when
not paid for by a percentage on profits, usually cost
from £2OO to £3OO, or from £3 to £5 every night they
are acted. The price of a good burlesque varies
from £5O to £l2O. Farces are seldom worth more
than £10." -

A POACHER CAUGHT.—The preserves of Lord
roltimore, near Exeter, have latterly been visited
pretty frequently by a gang of poachers, one of whom
was brought before the county magistrates on Friday.
The man gave the name of John Smith. He was met
by a laffice-constable on the old Tiverton road at three
o'clock in the morning wlth a bag on his back. Think-
ing the leg might contain a sheep, the officer demanded
to know its contents, whereupon the m tri struck him
with a thick cudgel and threatened to run a knife into
him. They had a d.-sperate struggle together, and the
officer got the hest of it. The poacher had in his bag
eighteen rabbits, just caught, nod a good supply of
poaching instruments. A fanner hearing the cries of
the officer, rendered assistance. Smiths house was
searched, and there a gun, powder and shot, and every
reqffisite for poaci.ing were discovered. He Was
sentenced to six weeks' imprisonment with hard labour
and bound over to keep the eace for twelve months
after the aspiration of the sentence.
- - - - •

FATAL Gooonur Nov.—At the Liverpool Assizes
twomen, named Colshaw and Almond, were charged
with having, at Iturscough, on the 27th September,
calmed the death of Henry Ashton, a beerbouse keeper,
On the day in question the prisoners and the deceased
were all drinking freely at the beerhouse of the latter,
and, after some wrestling, the prisoners put the old
man (who was uncle to Culshaw) into an oak chest,
keeping the lid open. Shortly ii ft ers•ards another man
came to the beerbouse, and because he would not pay
for some beer they threw bun also into the chest,
breaking the neck tif the deceased, who was sleeping at
the ti i lie. Th,, prisonen, were orntenced to four months'
imprisonment with hard liIINMIr.
UTILIZING YOUNG Penns —Mr. Gladstone is -
going to raze the yonug Peers, says the SpeePtter.
Lords Camperdown and Morley, hords-m-Waiting,
are to represent departments not represented in the
Upper House, and, as the Daily News cleverly puts it,
to realise the pot's thought, `"Fhey also serve who
only stand and wait." Lord Lansdowne. too, being
too rich to take small pay, is to be an unpaid Lord of
the Treasury. It is very nice, all this, and not unwise,
but what provision is to be made for apprenticing
young Commoners? Ihe Peers have already twenty
years" • pull" upon the COmMOInt, and this arrange-
ment will give them twenty-five.
THE WRECK OF THE GOSSAMER.— k paintul
incident in the loss of the Gaaanter off the South Devon
coast was the drowning of the captain and his wife.
They were newly married. Shouts brought the
captain, Thompson, on deck when the veseel had
missed stays and was nearing Prawle Point. "For
Heaven's sake, where are we !" he exclaimed. To
the last moment he remained with his wife on deck.
One of the crew. an admirable swimmer, begged to be
I allowed to take the lady ashore, but the captain
' declined the offer, and held his wife firmly in his arms.
1 The man who had offered the help swam safely ashore,
and a wave sweeping over the ship washed the captain
and his wife overboard, and they perished within sight
I of each other.