biglam/hmd_newspapers huggingface dataset:
The Stourbridge Observer, Cradley Heath, Halesowen & District Chronicle.
Stourbridge, West Midlands, England, 1866-12-22

--
THE AMERICAN CRIMINAL SURRATT.

VALSTIA, Duo. 16.
An American sloop of war has arrived here, bound
to Alrzandria, to receive the supposed culprit Surratt. The reason why that person was not arrested at Malta
was total absence of evidence.

-----
The American correspondent of the Daily /Cows M writing
Upon the above subject, says
John Surratt, one of the Inspected ass/mains of hlr.
Lincoln, and wiggle mother was hanged for it, has
• been captured in Egypt, after making his escape fr
custody in Rome, where he was recognised whild
serving in the Pope's guard. It is generally honeyed.
• and has been believed from the besinning, that this
jn.n know more of the plot and had more to do with
or gloating it than any of those who were tried and
c.,nvicted„ It was believed, too, that had he
chosen to come forward and surrender himself,
he might have thrown each light on his mother's
connexion with the plot its to exonerate her from
all knowing complicity in it ; but he choose to
let fir meet her fwe. What gives him Inlet
iuterest in the eyes of the public is the belief,
which, whether ill or well founded, is widely spread,
thAt he is the link throngh whom the conspirators were
e.dinected with the Richmond govertiment It does.
no doubt, on groolldw, Isere] rather absurd to
that -croon Davie was privy to Mr. Lie-
''‘incl 'ie years illation. One would think him far too
iihrewd a man, to say •he least, to give any wont..-
.Mee to such an enterprise or to stittrwe that lie or
-him cause could be henetiri-4. directiy c intlirrotiy
1., Violent death of the Norlll,l1ny
to-re are men of stiinding mini hlcAtiou here.
Mr Bouts ofbise.eachueette, who aro PortsdA4Y

g.n,ral
J.-c'

'.•/Gaii:

'it
Stourbridge, West Midlands, England, 1866-12-22

HOPING AGAINST HOPE.

More than half the bonzes in Hoyle %fill, very many In
Ardslsy, and perhaps still more In Barnsley, show by the
down drawn blinds that they are become hon4es of grievous
m-urniyg for the lost Yet the look of the mining rilesns
is cheerfulness itself to what it will be When the pit la again
penetrated, and mute to acre up the 270 Corpses now Itti g
there entombed in It: for many wives, desperately clinging
to hope, will refuse till then really to helleve that they are
widows, many mothers th•t they are childless, many chil
(leen that they are orphans The recovery of a living man
from the pit yeederosy morning lends credit 0 the forlorn
hope that somewhere In the myriad workings of the mine
the loved hushand, or sot', or lather, may he hillet, away,
waiting to greet the exploring lamps A few oat. will,
It la too coon lently to he I. are C, dispel all these hopes,
either hy the bringing forth of the dead bodies, or he the
fl 'Wing of the pit to extinguish the raging flames, if flames
there be, below.
Stourbridge, West Midlands, England, 1866-12-22

Mk.

For Good, Cheap, and Useful Articles in
GLASS, CHINA. &EARTHENWARE,

J. PY. ^RDIIIII7'B9
t7O, 111 UI snaEr. sroutuuttix:E.

A large. . :ttul beautiful amortment of Artie!
411it1011.. I 0 'ori+toi ior .Ve I ill; "
Stourbridge, West Midlands, England, 1866-12-22

sati.fied that Davis woo an accomplice in Mr: _
coin's murder, and that this government knows be
was, but withholds the proofs, to avoid having to go to
extremitiem with Davis, Of course of the soundness
.ir urisoundrisee of this view I can form no opinion.
But I csn say with c,,aintv ti at the isipolar suspi-
cion of Davis has • basis, which, whether solloient or
not, cannot be treated lightly. The Confederate
archives have been in the poesession of the Federal
government ever since Lee's sorremier. They are
stored in Ford's old thea.re in Washington, and have
been placed in charge of D. Leiber, the Professor of
Pdlitical Ethic. in Colombia College—a man known
all over Europe as one of the ablest publiciete of our
time, and whose standing here, not se a politician,
hot as scholar and a gentleman, is of the very highest.
He ham been for over • year engaged in the examine-
tinn of these C.lnfederate documents, and has dis-
covered, and holds, not one, or two, or three, but
several were, addressed to Mr. Davis. by persons in
various parts of the Confederacy, soldiers as well sae
oitizens, offering to assassinate Mr Lincoln and other
Northern officials, in some cases OM, at • time, in
others wholesale. These paper's, instead of being
thrown into the fire, were endorsed in Mr. DWVIM'P
handwriting, and actually referred for consideration
r. 0 one of the secretaries,
Stourbridge, West Midlands, England, 1866-12-22

Oh I have ou heard the glorious news
Of OAKES'S fannins Boots and Shoes?
Which sir all over tie country used,
So famed are the Boots of Oakes's.
Short Bouts, 7w 6.1.
They're good and cheap and very strong,
And saituble for end young;
il.ides they'll laid near twice rs long,
Will the Boots lustre bought at Oakes's.
Lace-ups, Ts 6.1.
They are the beet that you can buy.
They cannot rip. and you wny—
They are screwed together. a. you cosy rely
On the rivetted Boots of °ekes's.
Elactics, 74 61.
They bare one fault, and that Is true,
Bat that's 'pleat hint. and not 'getout you;
They last too long, indeed they do,
Do these fatuous Boobs of Oakes's.
Bluehen, 4s.
One thousand's worth he has on hand
To sod the very great demand ;
VDT the very best Boots In the lend
Ladies' and tietetleotro's JAW+ Mode to Order,

REMEMBER-W. OAKES,
63, 10k1-6MIGET,

Are those that come from Oakeem.
Women's, Is 11j&
anmmer stock's his usual make,
, ~1,. trona epper break!
Sur,. I .11,4 i.tulo they take
To preserve the good Dune of Oakee'a.

Women's, fle 64.
The workman, too. in aware' plain,
(In the t. .gue of each Bad marks his same,
That the (salty men mar beer the blame.
And DO longer work for Oakes's
Women's, 4.64.
Rot this we say, in tenth and pride,
Our workmen are all no well tried,
Both home and out door can be relied,
Or they'd not be employed by Oakes's.
Women't very beat, 6s 64.
•
With finch advantage none can deny
That competition we can defy;
fln prey OCT Boot, and Shoes come buy
At the Cheapest shoe Matt, Oakes'..
Children'., 844.
' Repairs neatly executed ow the shortest sutica.
Stourbridge, West Midlands, England, 1866-12-22

IMPORTAN7'

WSANDLAND'S STEAM RENOVATOR for
• Cleaniug Gentlenon'a Cl.dhes iil the Lateat
and Rest Plan yet adopted, girth every liL .ide, the ay-
pe Lraaea of New.
WASANDLAND.
DYER, cLEANER, AND FEATHER DRESSER,
Stone Eiret! Dudley.

N.B.—Lace, Net, and Muslin Curtains Cleaned quit
qual to New.

IMPORTANT NOTICE TO THE PUBLIC.

DR. KIRK

1:1 AN:;lN4:3lwrieiturrnit:fl.pfdroarrtt?.nU,
iintro of
ri
Lis &At Patiente. and the Public in voters], thst he is
folly qualified by law to Pi artier, and also to ,that his
Patients, and that be may be CONSULTXD en all
Diseases daily ethic residence,

111011•11TBEET, riti LYE.

ADVICE Fllllll.

WHOLESALE & RETAIL TOBACCO

WAREHOUSE,

FIVE WAYS, CEADLEY HEATH.

T. voszErc, PR.PRLETOR.

II . R 0 It Y_,

CIICKETERS7AR, ,JCIIIGH STREET

STOU lIBRI DOE.

D ale, in Wilma onil Spirituous Ligors, Tobacco .id
Cigars of VIM-class quality.

DISCOUNT OVIICES. VICAU ST.. DUDLEY.

if RA D E BIL IF" DISCOUNTED

LOANS GRANTED,
Repayable h; loatabncabi, on rep.onal or other Lego
&cunt

WILLIAM HARRISON, JUL

nousanctioss tos icily 00WIdesotial.

PUBLIC NOTICE.

HAGLEY-FITREET, HALICSOWEN, WORCUSTERSHITLIL.
SAMUEL SALT and SONS, the duly ep•
pointed Town and Country CRUMB, BILL-
POSTERS, AUCTIONEERS, POltTlatij, azu, /to.,
Stourbridge, West Midlands, England, 1866-12-22

16,

citourtribg 0125trinr.

SATURDAY, DECEMBER 22, MG.

CHRISTMAS.

There are some people in the world who have
a marvellous facility for grumbling, and who,
amongst other sources of discontent, growl at
Christmas coming in the darkest and dreariest
time of the year. To them the merry party is
quite spoilt by the home journey, and they think
it would be much better if Christmas came in
the swimmer time. To our minds, however, it
is just because Christmas comes at such adult
and dreary time of the year that we think it is
so enjoyable. We will not argue the matter with
the grumblers. We are, in fact, in no humour
to argue anything, nor if we must confess it, are
we particularly noxious about any public event
whatever, important howsoever it may be. We
don't care for speculations on the ensuing ses-
sion; for the moment we rid ourselves of fears
as to Fenianism in Ireland; we care little how
the Alabama claim may be settled hoping,
nevertheless, that they may be settled somehow;
mid we do not feel inclined to worry ourselves
about the position of the Pope, or the future of
Rome. For is not Christmas close upon us?
And we hereby promise our editorial indulgence
and pardon to any waits who may chance t. dis-
turb our slumbers, or to the carollers who may,
be it even a foggy voice, troll out—

Rejoice, our Saviour, be was born,
On Christmas day, in the morning.
And why should not people rejoice at this festive
season ? It is a fact which all the logicians of
Oxford and Cambridge cannot explain away, that
Christmas comes but once a year but it does
come once, and if it is a sad heart that never
juices, let this be the season.
Christmas comes to us this time when the
country generally has no reason to be sad. We
are at peace with all the world, and we are pros-
perous at home. We have had our troubles this
year—our financial catastrophes, and our politi-
cal and social grievances; but we think that on
the whole the year has been a tolerably proper-
ous one. The old year is, in fact, drawiug near
to its last days calmly and peacefully, and we
have abundant canoe to be grateful for our
national and social mercies; and we think we
may well act in the spirit of the Elizabethiaui
songster :

At Christmas be merry and thankfal withal,
And feast our pour neighbours, the great with the small.
And for ourselves, we heartily wish to all our
readers " A Merry Christmas, and a Happy New
Year."
Stourbridge, West Midlands, England, 1866-12-22

RECEIPTS.

Receipt for the payment of 132 or upwards ld.
(Persons receiving the money to pay the duty.)
Bankers' Cheques ld.
Scrip certificates for shares in any Company, not
transferable by Deed
Penalty for giving a receipt without a Stamp, £lO under
£100; and 1,20 above that sum.
The person giving the receipt shall, before the instrument
be delivered out of his hand., obliterate the Stamp by
writing his Name or Initials in such a manner as to show
clearly and distinctly that such stamp has been made
use of. Neglecting this, he will be liable to a penalty
of £lO.

Letters acknowledging the safe arrival of Bills of Ex-
change, &c., and other securities for money. are no longer
exempt from the Stamp Act, but must have • Stamp
affixed.
Penalty for committing frauds in the use of adhesive
stamps, r2O.

Cluny iitaiionerp for int pillion,

AT W. FORREST'S, CRADLEY hFATH.

_
1F yon want PRINTING done well, go to W.
-L FORUM'S.
-
IF you want BOOKBINDING done well, go to W.
rnEREST.S.
IF
you want PICTURE FRAMING done well, go to
W. FoRREST.S.
I F you want MOURNING CARDS, go to W.
/ ORRIST.S.
_
OR
Cheap Paper, Envelopes. Meinorunclunnt, Club
12 Books, School Books, Purses, Pocket Books. Pens.
Pencils, Slates, &c., go to

W. FORREST.
BOOKSELLER AND STATIONER,

HIGH STREET, (*HADLEY HEATH.

Se?rompers and Perineumls supplied to order.

clp
Stourbridge, West Midlands, England, 1866-12-22

THE COLLIERY EXPLOSION NEAS
BOLTON.

On Saturday an inquest was opened at Little Halton,
near Bolton, Lancashire, ou the bodies of five colliers
who had died from injuries caused by an explosion of
fire damp at the Bank Collieries, Little Hutton. Six
men were working in the part of the mine .wlpsre the
explosion took place, viz. Peter, John, and William
Swindel, brothers; Emmanuel Hodgkins, James
Grundy, and Levi Rashton, and as four of these hare
since died and the two others 1M very ill, nothing
definite has been learnt as to the cause of dhe ignition
of the gas. The explosion was heard for some &mance.
A number or men at the bottom of the shalt, who were
waiting their tarn to ascend, were more or lees burnt ;
I while another' set of colliers, employed in amore remote
I pan of the workings, narrowly escini ed sufftxation
from the after damp and bad to acramale tor their
lives over the hod:ear:l their injured fellows, whom they
co ula not assist and who could renuer them no assistance.
Peter sad John Swindel sustained the most severe
injuries, and death resulted in the fir.% case on Wed-
nesday and in the second on Thursday morning. The
first was a warned man, 26 }ears of age, with three
children; his brother was 21, and unmarried. On Fri-
day three more deaths occurred, the names of the
deceased being James Grundy, aged 21, the eon of the

av;rl-iiho hTid been marrie-d-abottt—ee
week.; Levi Rushton. who was to have been marrieo
at Ctirilitmai., and who is also a you. g man ; and John
Glynn, a lad of Farnworth. Willian, Swindel, the
bro+h=r f 'he two first mentioned decemied, is hanging
tweet, life and death; is very serlimell
hurt S 10011 named Southern sustained a fracture of
the Anil, and'smito 18 or 20 others have been anoq
severe!), hurt, and it is (rived that the lot of the killed
may unhappily be still further increased.

At the inquest, which wan opened on Saturday, no
evidence, betond the feet that two lamps had been
found with th-ir tops off, WM given to throw light on
the causes of the accident, none of the men working iii
the place at the time of the expliaion being able to
appear. The inquePt wag adjourned to a future day.
Stourbridge, West Midlands, England, 1866-12-22

TRIAL FOR WIFE MURDER.

At this Warwick Amiges on Friday, Wm. Smith, a
sceneaddlter, was sentenced to ten years' penal servi-
tude for the murder of his wife at Birmingham, in
August last. His wife had formed a criminal intimacy
with a fellow-workman of Smith's, one Langley. For
this man Eizabetb Smith deserted her husband ; she
repented, and he took her back again. Again she ran
away to Langley, who was at Liverpool, carrying
her husband's wages with her, and money got by pas n-
tog goods. On arriving at Liverpool she found
Langley dead of a debauch. Therefore, Mrs. Sinita
went back to her husband. saying, •• I own that I
have been a bad woman, but if you will forgive me I
will be as good a wife to you as ever I was.' The re-
porter tells us that then Smith took one of his child.
ren on his knee, and said, "You see what I haws g it
here ; I will forgive you for the sake of the children."
They then shook hands and were reconciled. Recon-
ciliation in the rank of life in which Smith lives is
generally ratified by "something to drink." Next
night, husband and wife came home late, bath "slight-
ly under the influence of liquor" The woman wanted
a fresh supply, but the husband opposed her wish, and
begged the lodgers in the house not to (etch any.
Thereupon she burst into fury, "knocked the furni-
ture about," and began to taunt her husband about
Langley. Calling him by the vilest names she cried,
"If Langley had lived, I should never have come
back to you, Bill Smith, I didn't intend to live with
you. Before another hour I will be away from your
roof." "Don't speak of Langley," he answered ;
"it makes me sweat to hear his name." The woman
then got up, and spitting in her husband's face, said.
" The man I love his dead, and I bate the breath f
you!" Smith then rushed at the vile creature and
stabbed her in the throat with a pocket knife. She
died immediately ; and for killing her the wretched
man is sentenced to suffer ten years' penal servitude.
In passing sentence, his lordship (Mr Justice Bylrs)
intimated that an application for a remission of a por-
tion of the sentence might not be altogether useless.