The Stourbridge Observer, Cradley Heath, Halesowen & District Chronicle.
Stourbridge, West Midlands, England, 1880-06-26 00:00:00

BRIERLEY HILT.

COAL STEALING.--At the Police Court, on Mon-
day, before Mersrs. G. K. Harrison and L. Freer,
Rhoda Beckb.,y and Samuel Lester (14), were
charged with stealing a quantity of coal, the pro-
perty of the Earl of Dudley. James Taylor
proved that the prisoners were taking coal iron).
No. 25, Wallows Colliery. Prisoners were fined ;,-?s
each ; in default 7 days. Benjamin Wooton,
Walter Smith, William Baker, William Brown,
James Walters, and John Woodhall were charged
with stealing coal the property of the Earl of Dudley,
ou the 9th inst. A witne,s named Greenfield, an
engine winder, in the employ of.the Earl of Dudley
proved the case. A previous conviction being
proved against Wooten and Baker they were fined
los 61 each ;in default 14 days. The othei pri-
soners were lined 5s each; in default 7 days.—
Elizabeth Bush (60), Emma Passmore (16), Emma
Aatpass (23), and Ann Elizabeth Passmora (20),
were charged with Aealing coal the property of the
Earl of Dudley, on the 15th inst. Additional-con-
stable Taylor and another witness named Humphries
proved that prisoner's were takire4- coal from 25,
Wallows Colliery. Bleit was fined ss, the other
prisoners, against whom previou, convictlons were
proved, were tined lOs each.
WILFUL DAMAGE.—William Westwood, labourer,
of Coseley, Was charged with damaging a birch tree
the property of the Earl of Dudley, on the 7th inst.
John Bowen, gamekeeper, said that he saw the de-
fendant cut a pole off a birch tree in Himley Wood
and iake it away. The damage done rX a Is.
PIGLos STEALING
LI,•;;21) da, wasthted s lal .L:0 tS aufl the datultg.,
,:as Wordsw,,rt!., gar-
deuer, of Kinver, was charged with. stealing /0
pigeons the prop;rty of John Gimbert. Prosecutor
said that between the 9th andlOth mats he had lost lo
pigeons. He had seen some pigeons in the possession.

of Thomas Wordsworth which were his property.
Thomas Wordsworth was called and said that he
_

bought the pigeons which prosecutor identified as
his property, from prisoner. Prisoner was re-
manded for a week, bail being accepted.
ASSAULT CASE. John Broughton, Edward
Broughton, and George Broughton, three young
men living at Potter's Cross, Kinver, was charged
with assaulting Robert Blis,, of Kinver, on the Bth
inst. Mr. Waldron appeared for complainant and
Mr. Clulow for the defendants. Complainant, who
is an agent for the Singer Sewing Machine Company,
said he was returning from Stourbridge to Kinver
and when he get toia Potter's Cross heZsaw three
men. One of them said to him "Good night moon-
light When he had got a little way past
the men two of the defendants, George and John
rushed A him and struck him in the face. They
knocked him down and whilst he was on the ground
they began to kick him and beat him. Complain-
ant got up age:in aid asked defendants to leave him
alone. He went a short way towards his home and
the defendants went up to him again and com-
menced to kick him. Complainant then drew a
life preserver which he had with him and used it.
He shouted murder several times, The defendant
Edward caught hold of his hand and held him and
",Let him have it, Jack." Camplainant then
got away and went home. He went the same night
to Police-sergeant Stevenson and toca him to the
place where bthe affray took place. Their attention
was drawn to a house where there was a light, and
there saw a basin standing on the table with blood
and water in it. Complainant's wife said that when
her husband came home on the night in question he
was bleeding from the mouth and nose. Police-
sergeant Steveson said the complainant pointed out
to him the place where the affray took place. They
went into a house that was near awl there saw the
defendants and complainant said they were the men
that had assaulted him. This ended the ease for
the prosecution.—Mr. Clulow then brought a cross-
summons against Robert Bliss, charging him with
a-saulting George and John Broughton The first
witness called was Edward Broughton who said he
. lived at Pott,r's Cross. On the night in questi.)n
he was in his home going to bed. He had his boots
and jacket off. He heard some one groaning out-
side. He went outside and at the bottom of the
entry saw somebody lying in the road and went to
pick him up and found it was his brother John. He
then gave him o his mother, who had run out on
hearing the disturbance. He saw Bliss with a s iek
in his hand with which he was going to strike his
brotr.er George, and he caught hold of it. He
loosed again on defendant promising not to strike
him. He went away from him and went up the
entry. When he went into the house, both his
brcthers were bleeding very much. George Brough-
ton was next called and said that on the night in
question he was returning from The Hyde, and
when near his 1-r me saw Bliss and said "Good
night, Hr. Moonlight." He did not know bet that
was his proper name. Bliss replied to him that he
had something in his pocket that would settle them.
' Miss first struck his brother John and then struck
witness, Joha Broughton said that Bliss struck
him and knocked him down insensible. Harriet
Watkins and Mary Corfield said that 6Bliss struck
the complainants. The Bench retired to consider
their verdict and on returning into court said they
had given the case a careful consideration and had
decided to dismiss both the summonses.
FURIOUS DRIVING.— William Worral, butcher, of
Kin g-swinford, was fined 103 and costs for furiously
driving a horse, in Fenton Street, Brierley Hill, on
the 9th inst. Police-constable Lafford proved the
case.
HIGHWAY OFFENCE.—John Guest, of Broclimoor,
and Geoffery Late, of Pensnett, were fined 2s 6d
each and costs, for allowing horses to stray iii the
highway.
A BOY DROWNED WHILST BATHING.—On Wed-
nesday afternoon a boy named Thomas Oakley,
aged 10 yea's, the son of Richard Oakley, horse-
delver, residing at No 5, Talbot Street, Brierley
Hill, left home in company with his brothers, a boy
named Thomas Kirkham, and another boy, to go
and bathe in the canal at the Nine Locks. Oakley
got into the wa'er at the fifth lock, and immediately
sank and was drowned. His body was recovered
about an hour afterwardsby two men named Job
Whittaker and Job Grice, both of Potter-street,
Brierley Hill. An inquest will be held.
SUPPOSED CASE OF RATTENING.—= -What is sup-
posed to be a case of rattening has taken place
near to Brierley Hill. A man named Thomas
Jones, of Saltwell's Coppice, and who is an invalid,
has a nailshop in which his wife works as a nail-
maker. On Tuesday night last, some person or
persons at present unknown, after effectlng an en-
trance to the nailshop by knocking several bricks
out of the wall, cut the forge bellows into about
13 pieces, rendering it utterly tteless. The police
have been commuhicated with.
COAL STEALING.—At the Police Court, on Thurs-
day, before W. F. F. Boughey, Esq., Stipendiary,
Elizabeth Price and Mary Ann Daly, Bank Street,
and Matilda Trueman, Cottage Street, were chaiged
with stealing coal from the Earl of Dudley'c Race-
course Colliery. Police-constable Luff proved the
offence which wasa:>n the 19th. Daly, who has pre-
Tiously been fined and imprisoned was now fined 208
and costs. or 21 days' imprisonment in default.
Price and Trueman were each fined lOs and costs,
or in default 14 days' imprisonment.
EITHER A MADMAN OR AN ANlMAL.—Edward
Thomas Reynolds, labourer, Church-street, Pensnett
who appeared in the dock attired only in a blood-
stained shirt and a pair of trousers, was ordered to
pay 2s 7d amount of damage by trespass, Gel amount
of damage to a fence, and the costs, with the alter-
native of 14 days' imprisonment with hard labour,
for doing wilful damage to a fence belonging to H.
Hubbald, of Tansey Green. On the 13tti inst., de-
fendant was found up a tree on complainant's pro-
perty, and chased, with the result that in his flight
he knocked down a fence, and ran through a fiela of
mowing grass, doing damage to the a moan t
named. Prisoner was further charged with steal-
ing a shirt the property of his mother, Mary Rey-
nolds ; also with assaulting her ; and there was
another charge against him of assaulting Additional-
constable Taylor. It appeared that on Thursday
morning prisoner took the shirt which he was
charged with s.ealing out, a the house. It belonged
to his brother, ,:nd upon his mother trying to take
it from him he struck her several violent blows.
Additional-constable Taylor, who was passing,
interfered, and was attacked by prisoner .who struck,
kicked, and bit him i on various parts ot his body.
He also similarly served those who assisted Taylor
in arreding him. Ultimately prisoner's legs were
strapped, and he was removed to ,he police station
in a cart. A long list of previous convictions were
now recorded against him. The Stipeniary, address-
ing prisoner, said he was either a madman or an ani
mat He (Mr. Boughey) could not conceive that
there would be found a man like him. He sen-
tenced him to three months' hard labour for the
assault on his mother, and a further term of three
mouths with hard labour, for assautting the addi-
tional constable.