The Stourbridge Observer, Cradley Heath, Halesowen & District Chronicle.
Stourbridge, West Midlands, England, 1888-01-28 00:00:00

"THE RESULT OF PLAY."

A. terrible result it is! When will young gentle-
men and others learn to be careful in the use of fire-
arms? An old single-barrelled muzzle-loading gun•
was lying in a stable at Widlington Rectory. Thither -
a youth, named Taylor, a guest at the Rectory, went
on Wednesday. The gardener and his son were
working at the time. Taylor took up the gun, sup-
posing it was not loaded, and aimed playfully at the
gardrner, firing off a percussion cap. He fired five
caps in succession, and then, placing a sixth on the
nipple, aimed at the gardener's. son. He pulled the
trigger, a loud explosion ensued, and young Farnham
lay dead on the ground, shot through the left.temple.
Taylor is greatly distressed at the result of his play)
and the coroner's jury returned a verdict of. "Acci-
dental death. . • '
abaliTIMA
HARD lines—Steel rails.
MAGNETIST : "Yes, waiter, I am a magnetist ;
.would you like to see me tip the table ?" Waiter:
"No, sah; but if it's all de same to you, sah, yer
might tp de waiter, sah."
YOUNG writer: "What do you think of the poetry
I turn out, sir ?" Old writer :,".Think you serve it
just right, sir."
A FRIEND of ours frequently uses the slang expres.
sion" broke me all Up."
..
.Ikily little. girl had 'never-
. heard it until the other evening. She looked very
worried for a quite a while, when with rather a tearful
expression shainqUired, " Mamma, cauldr. F.-- get
himself mended aden."

Efr

.- . ,
• • •

THE AGITATION IN IRELAND.

In several towns throughout Ireland demonstrations
to celebrate the release of Mr. William O'Brien, M.P.,
were held on Saturday night, and so high and ex-
citedly did the feelings of the populace run that in
many instances serious disturbance was with diffi-
culty averted. In Killarney a life-sized effigy of Mr.
Balfour was paraded in the streets, caricatures from
Nationalist publications being affixed to the dummy.
The attention of District Inspector Creane having been
called to this, he ordered the seizure of the figure, and
this order was carried out by a large force of con-
stables, amidst deafening cheers for Mr. O'Brien and
groans for Mr. Balfour. Inspector Creane then in-
structed his men to charge the crowd, which num-
bered some thousands of persons. This order,
however, was immediately countermanded by
Mr. M'Dermott, R.M. The greatest excitement pre-
vailed, and the military were kept under orders all
night. The local Municipal Council intend to take
into serious consideration the conduct of Inspector
Creane in giving the order to charge the crowd. At
Kilrush a general illumination was carried out, the
streets were thronged with people, and the police
paraded the thoroughfares in great force all night.
Tar-barrels were set ablaze in various parts of the
town, many of these being seized by the constables,
who also quenched some bonfires. During the night
the notice issued by Colonel Turner proclaiming a pro-
posed Nationalist gathering was publicly burned
amidst great cheering. At Kilkee some rioting
took place, the police being followed to their bar-
racks by an angry crowd, who threw stones at
the constables, one of whom, it is said, was
badly hurt. The town of Ennis was brightly
illuminated, but no bands played in the streets, and
the night passed without disturbance. The police
scattered a few bonfires. The surrounding hills were
ablaze with bonfires and beacon lights. A large
demonstration was held at Lismore, when resolutions
were passed congratulating Mr. O'Brien, and ex-
pressing confidence in the Irish Parliamentary party.
On Fort Westmoreland, a small island in Cork
Harbour, solely occupied by soldiers of the garrison
established there, two large tar-barrels were set blazing
in prominent positions. These attracted great attention,
and the subject was much discussed in public circles.
The liberation of Mr. O'Brien caused great excite-
ment in Galway. Large bodies of police were placed
upon guard at the gaol, and the labourers' band was
prevented from playing in the streets. The members
of the bind embarked in boats on the river, which
runs at the rear of the prison, and played Nationalist
airs by torchlight. The blue jackets and marines
stretched ropes across all passages leading to the
prison, and while doing so were hissed and groaned at
as renegade Irishmen by a mob of considerable size.
A demonstration to celebrate the release of Mr.
O'Brien took place in Beady, near Armagh, on Satur-
day evening. Huge bonfires were lighted in some of
the streets, round which hundreds of people gathered,
hurrahing and cheering for Mr. O'Brien and other
Nationalists, whilst they groaned for Mr. Balfour and
certain officials. A torchlight procession headed by a
band marched through the town, but did not approach
the Protestant quarter. Some stones were thrown,
and a police-sergeant was struck by one, but no
serious injury was inflicted.
Mr. Thomas Byrne, vice-president of the Ballinasloe
branch of the Irish National League, was arrested at
his residence, Ballinasloe, on Saturday, under the
Crimes Act. The arrest has created considerable
surprise. Later particulars show that Mr. Byrne was
arrested at about two o'clock in the morning, for
having on Jan. 1, at Four Roads, Co. Roscommon, in
conjunction with Mr. J. P. Hayclon, editor of the
West Meath Examiner, incited the tenants on the
estate of Mr. Percy M‘Gann to abstain from paying
rent. Mr. Byrne was removed to Athlone, the head-
quarters of the divisional magistrate, under a strong
police escort. After a delay of some hours Mr Beckett,
R.M., arrived. District Inspector Shaw applied for a
remand, and Mr. Byrne was accordingly remanded on
bail.

Mr. IV. J. Lane, M.P., was on Monday transferred
from Cork to Tullamore Gaol, where he arrived by the
1.4 p.m. train, in charge of a dozen constables. His
arrival caused no excitement. He was at once con-
veyed to the prison and handed over to the governor.
Mr. Lane was dressed in the prison garb.
The trial of the Rev. Thomas Bourke, parish priest.
and the Rev. Patrick Francis, Catholic curate, for
having, on Nov. 15, at Bilcolgan, in the county of
Galway, taken part in an unlawful assembly,
opened on Monday morning at Ardrahan, county
Galway. District-Inspector Morrison prosecuted.
There were twelve other prisoners charged
with the same offence. The cases were
heard before Mr. W. J. Paul, R.M., and Colonel
M. Tuite, R.M. Mr. W. S. Bird, instructed by Mr.
James Blake, Crown Prosecutor, Galway, conducted
the prosecution ; and the clerical defendants were de-
fended by Mr. Matthew Bodkin. Mr. Bird, in opening
the ease for the Crown, stated that he would prove
that the defendants had incited numbers of people to
bring stones to a part of the road, on the property of
Mr. William St. George, and erect there a hut for a
man named Grealy, who had been several times
evicted, and who had, together with his wife, been
imprisoned for having taken forcible possession. They
were to be released from Galway Gaol that day. Mr.
St. George, jun., was subsequently under examination.
A large force of police had been drafted into the dis-
trict, but everything remained quiet.
Mr. Balfeur and the Under-Secretary, Sir West
Ridgeway, on Monday afternoon had a protracted
consultation at Dublin Castle with the divisional
magistrates from various parts of Ireland with re-
ference to the state of their districts. Amongst those
in attendance were Colonel Turner, Mr. Byrne, and
Captain Stacke.
Intelligence from Falcarragh, co. Donegal, is to the
effect that the excitement there is intense. Numbers
of people from Cloughaneely and Gvveedore, armed
with revolvers and bludgeons, are guarding the resi-
dence of the Rev. Mr. Stephens, Roman
,Catholic
curate, for whose arrest warrants are said to have
been issued. Ballyoonnel House, the residence of
Mr. Olpherts, the landlord whose tenants are alleged
to have been incited by the Rev. Father M‘Fadden
not to pay their rents, is guarded night and day by a
large force of police.
Mr. J. H. Cox, M.P. for East Clare, was arrested in
London on Monday afternoon by Detective Littlechild,
of Scotland-yard. He was walking into the Golden
Cross Hotel, Charing-cross, in company with Mr. J.
Deasy, M.P., when Mr. Littlechild walked up and,
touching him on the shoulder, asked, "Are you Mr.
Cox ? " Mr. Cox replied in the affirmative, and Mr.
Littlechilcl then informed him that he had a
warrant under the Crimes Act for his arrest.
Mr. Cox, who offered not the slightest ob-
jection to being taken into custody, said he
intended going back to Ireland to be arrested. He
then accompanied Mr. Littlechild to Scotland-yard,
and was subsequently formally charged. The Press
Association says: "On inquiry at Scotland-yard, we
were informed that Mr. Cox was arrested for an
offence under the Crimes Act, on a warrant signed
by an Irish resident magistrate and endorsed by
an English magistrate. This raises an entirely
new departure under the Crimes Act. It
had hitherto been understood that the Act
applied only to Ireland, and that Irish members who
succeeded in escaping from Ireland to England were
free from arrest. This seems to have been the opinion
of the Irish members themselves, several of whom
have exercised con liderable ingenuity in evading the
police and coming to England. Mr. Cox himself
recently crossed to England, after having conducted
some negotiations for tenants under the Plan of
Campaign. He returned to Ireland to carry out the
business, and again succeeded in coming to London
without attracting notice. A few evenings ago the
Press Association reported his arrival in the metro-
polis."

On Tuesday morning at half-past six o'clock Mr.
Cox, M.P., arrived at Dublin, accompanied by In-
spector Littlechild and another officer of the detective
department from Scotland-yard. At Kingstown the
officers were joined by two of the Dublin force, and
at Westland-row Terminus there was a strong body
of constables; but there was no attempt at a demon-
stration. Mrs. Cox was allowed a brief interview
with her husband, who was shortly driven off in a
carriage which the police had in waiting. Mr. Cox
was subsequently visited by his brother, Dr. Cox, a
physician practising in Dublin, and was then driven
to the Broadstone Station, whence he proceeded by
the morning mail train for Ennis, in custody,. On his
journey from Dublin Mr. Cox was received with
great enthusiasm. At Athenry a brass band as-
sembled at the railway station, and were engaged in
playing national airs, when they were attacked by the
police and driven out of the station.. Other people
were ordered away, and there was for the moment
danger of a serious conflict. By the efforts of the
Very Rev. Canon Thomas and his curate, the Rev. F.
Colgan, however, most of the people were induced to
retire. Just as the train conveying Mr. Cox was
steaming out of the station, it was found that all the
empty carriages had been'occupied By the bandsmen,
and as the train could not be stopped the musicians
travelled to the next station, serenading the prisoner
all the Way. It is stated that several persons were
injured by•the policemen's batons, and that a woman
was knocked down on the railway platform and badly
trampled on. Mr. Cox arrived at Ennis on Tuesday
afternoon. Re was at once taken before a magistrate
and remanded, bail being refused. Great excitement
prevailed in the town, but order was preserved by a
large force of military and police.
A young man named Timothy Healy, who had been
undergoing a short term of imprisonment in Tralee
Gaol for an offence under the Crimes Act, v, as
liberated on Tuesday. A number of people, with
bands, assembled at the gates of the prison to wel-
come him. A large force of police, however, appeared,
and amid much excitement drove the people back to -
the town.
An important prosecution under a statute of Edward
111. was heard on Tuesday at Ennis. Patrick
Loughery, Thomas O'Connor, and Michael Dillon
were charged with having entered a " No-rent " com-
bination upon the properties of Ballyhine and Buna-
how, . and , to prevent large grazing farms at .
Cappanapasta and Lacarden from being taken. ,Ser-
geant Cornelius O'Brien deposed that from time 'to
time threatening notices had been posted up in +the .
localities in connection with the farms, and thfit
combination had "tieen. formed to subdivide 't ern
among certain members of the so-called brotherhood

On the 13th ult. le house of a herd named Fergus
M•Guane, upon the Cappanapasta Farm, was visited,
and M‘Guane warned against herding for a Mr.
Mahon, of Ennis, should he take this farm; a
threatening letter to a similar effect having been a
short time previously received by Mr. Mahon, while
at the same time the walls upon the farm were
knocked down. On the 16th ult., while witness was
at the house of M‘Guane, inquiring as to this matter,
a crowd collected of over 300 men on foot and 30 on
horseback with dogs, and traversed the whole of the
two farms, among the more prominent amongst them
being Patrick Loughery, Thomas O'Connor, and
Michael Dillon. The prisoners were sent to gaol for
14 days.
In consequence of the civilians who reside on the
Government Island of Fort Westmoreland, in Queens-
town Harbour, manifesting their joy at Mr. O'Brien's
release by lighting tar barrels, the General command-
ing the Cork military district served notices on every
resident civilian to quit the island. The first eviction,
that of a man with wife and family, was carried out
on- Tuesday.