The Stourbridge Observer, Cradley Heath, Halesowen & District Chronicle.
Stourbridge, West Midlands, England, 1868-10-17 00:00:00

MYSTERIOUS DEATH.

A shocking discovery was snails in Leamington at
an early hour on Monday morning. Isaac Edwin
Court, a watchmaker, in Satchwell-street, having
been missing for several days, and his wife having
made contradictory statements as to what had become
of him, Inspector Horsmill, of the Leamington police
force, proceedeal to the house to institute inquiries. Mrs.
Court told him that her husband had gone away, and she
could not learn anything respecting him although she had
written to many of his friends in Birmingham. Horswill,
however, insisted on searching the premises, and on
going into the cellar he found the deceased lying dead
at the bottom of the stairs, down which he had ap-
parently fallen with great force head first, as the skull
was broken in, and portions of the brains were
scattered about the floor. Decomposition had already
commenced, and Mr. Marriott, surgeon, who was
called in, was of opinion that Ile had been dead several
days.
It appears that on Thursday night in last week.
Court and his wife, who were both intemperate, re-
turned home drunk, and about 1 o'clock the next
morning a neighbour heard a heavy fall as of some one
tumbling downstairs, and since that time the deceased
has never been seen alive. When the police discovered
the body, Mrs. Court said her husband fell down the
stairs on Friday morning, and that she knew he was
lying dead there, but that the occurrence was purely
accidental. The police, however, took her into cus-
tody until the circumstances connected with the
case have been fully investigated. She is about
thirty-five years of age, and is well connected.
The police have locked up the house and taken
possession of the premises.
It is stated that Mrs. Court has made several con-
tradictory statements as to what had become of her
husband, and that when a neighbour, named Daily,
was looking about the house for him, she said it was no
use going into the cellar, as she knew he was not there.
The deceased formerly held a very respectable position
in the town. He had an excellent business, and owned
property in one of the principal streets.
The inquest was opened on Tuesday, and adjourned.
The evidence showed that Court was drunk when lie
fell, and that 11Irs. Court has been drinking ever since.
It does not appear that there was any quarrel between
them.

. . . . . . . . . . . .
Presently there WAS a peal of bells from the church steeples,
arid the arrival of rum's trim was announced. 'riteGeneral
threw himself into the saddle, with a numerous suite and
turned his horse's head towards US ; but then the whole mass
of his 200,000 welcomers moved forwards, determined not
only to accompany bat to precede him. Then it was that the
mighty squeeze began to be seem—the flowing of the life-blood
of Madrid from its many arteries Wits heart. First came the
great nigh of the irregulars, old and young, men, women,
children, and, alas ! infants In arms, pressing forward,
onward, upward, a compact MASA, heillilleil ill, wedged
in on all sides, helpless sad breathlesss, hopelessly inert and
passive.
Front the windows of the hotel where I was I could survey
nearly the whole length of the Alcala and Geronimo streets,
the Puerta del Sol, and the Caller: Mayor anti del Arena], far
away to their furthest end. As far as eye could reach the
throng was unbroken; it heaved lip and down, borne by in-
visible forces, packed till it appeared impervious, yet visibly
thickening with the thmsands upon thousands that crushed
In upon it. It was only when it seemed that nothing but
artillery could have opened a breach into it that the head of
the procession came up. It was enough to make a man dis-
credit the theory of the impenetrability of bodies, for an
avenue was actually broken open is that dense motley array.
It was not with sat deep shrieks of agony, without much
I ending of women, anti apparent slanghter of the innocents,
that the feat was accomplished : RIM if any one were at this
moment to tell me that scores of victims were immolated to
the stolid carelessness of those whose business it should have
been to manage so difficult a pageantry, I should neither
have the means to disprove nor the inclination to discredit
the statement. No fatal accident, however, lam harpy to
say, came under my immediate observation. It is said that
there is a Providence that takes care of drunken people, and
we may hope that its protection equally extends to a popu-
lation run Iliad Wiill joy.
The proceasien came up, and it toiled on and struggled on
for two hours. They were the same bands, with the same
flags and streamers, the same variety of quaint costumes
which we had seen setting out singly, and which we now
saw coming back in what attempted to be a close and con-
tinuous line ; the same students with Riego's Hymn, the
same Frenchmen with their " alarseillaise," the Susie Italians
with their Donna Caritea, the same Catalans with their red
caps, the same sailors with their blue jackets, the sante array
of citizen bayonets, headed by the same officers, rough riders
mounted on rougher steeds. line new sight there was—a huge
car, drawn by four grays, made in the shape of a huge boat,
all decked with greett rushes, surmounted by a tall mast with
the national oaours, and with a whole crew of navy officers
on board, preceded, followed, and flanked on both sides by
marines. That boat, we were to " pretend," as children say,
was the heroic frigate Villa de Madrid, and on a large board REVOLTING CASE OF CRUELTY
hangieg at the mast it bore the popular name of l'opete.
In the wake of the mammoth boat appeared the various TO A CHILD.
municipal and other commissions anti deputations : anti,
thrally, towards five OV,Ckt mind cheers that rent the air, On Monday last the following most painful case of
showers of laurel-wreaths, "'twiddles, and every variety of cruelty to a child was inquired into at the Cirencester
Sowers, lost a flight of dmes fluttering in a panic as they Petty Sessions before a full bench of magistrates :
were released from imprisonment, Prim, mounted on a
handsome bay, ma& his appearance under the triumphal A man named George Bramble, living at Cuckertan, near
arch tif the Cult de Alcala. His progress was at the rate of Cirencester, was charged with cruelly ill-treating Ids son-la-
law, Henry Moulton, aged 11 years The case was brought
less than a mile an hour; he lifted his kepi to right and le( t
towards the windows from which numberless whit h against the prisoner by the Cirencester Board of Guardians,
, e and-
kerchiefs were waving ; but, even in the midst of all the and Mr. Cooke, clerk to the Board, conducted the prose-
exultation of what was to him "the proudest day of his life," cation.
there appeared concern for the sufferers in the crowd, for The boy was carried into court and placed nun chair,
the women and children bent on pressing forward to the where lie sat during the hearing of the case, giving his en-
f rout rank :it any cost, yet falling thickly to the ground 1:1 deuce very eleacll'• The unfortunate Imy had been suffering
immiltent danger from the tread of an many men Rll4 the for a long time past with stone in the bladder, and in the latter
was sent to Glocester Infirmary. where he remained
tramp of so many horses. It was five o'clock as Prim made Ills Pact of 1867
appearance. In his rear an undistinguishable throng followed, some three months, but was retire-d without any operation
reaching far away, aria filling the whole broad avenue down to having been performed upon him, although he was better in
the line it the distaut trees of the Matto. In front health. On his return from the infirmary he went to live with
of him was a still deeper throng, choking up tire Puerta del his father-in-law. From the (toy's disease he was naturally not
Sal—a black mass of heads, with no other break than that of cleanly in his habits, and for this lie was most abominably
the two Vandal: s, the white gauze-like jets of which caught treated from about February till August of this year, when
the rays of the setting sun, and were slightly tipped with the Mr. Hodges, M.P., the pariah doctor, hearing of the case,
rainbow. Beyond, the throng swarmed far away bite the went to where the boy lived, and found him in a most awful
Mayor anti Arenal streets, all gay with crowded balconies, all condition. lie was a mere skeleton, Rail covered with filth ;
lined with spectators on the roofs, above and behind which the seat of his troasers was rotted away, and maggots were
the day was closing—the glorious autumn day, gorgeous with crawling about them. on the bed where lie slept, which was
the deep sunset hues struggling through clouds—the clouds only sonic super-phosphate bags on a drat! mattress, were
if a deep blue tint, so blending with the summits of the also maggots, anti the bed, if it may be at, called, presented
011311.1rama Mountains AS to make one almost undistingulshs : a most revolting appearance; words would hardly describe
able MASS with them. Upon combig out into the Puerta del I it, —more like tho slush which runs rime a dunghill than
Sol, la ini made the round of the lletel de Paris. and, finding anything else. The smell arising from it was unbearable.
the Calle de Geronimo comparatively free, he dashed down at 1 A sail aecount of the boy's sufferings was revealed. Besides
a hand gallop, followed by Ids clattering retinue, as far as . suffering excruciating pant from histlisease he was very often
the Congreso, or House of Deputies, where the Junta a waited I flogged with a heavy Strap, and occasionally when he had
him. He then rode rip aaain to the Puerta del Sol, and no clothes on; for ti;, consecutive nights lie was made to
alighted at the Palacio de la llobemacion. where he appeared I sleep in a pig-stye, lying on wet straw, without his clothes,
at the balcony with :Serrano and a whole staff of other 1 which his inhuman father-Is-law had made him take off, but
Generals behind him, and addressed the multitude, recom- allowed lam to lie on them, basing lultlil"C to cover him
mectlieg order and concord, and giving a practical confute. but his shirt, which was cut off round the middle. Another
tion to the report of niisuntlerstamlings between himself and time he was held down for half an hour in a pan of cold
Serrano by giving the Marshal a warm embrace, which water in the garden.
elicited a thunder of popular applame. From being in a dirty state, which the miserable boy could
Prism's last ride for the day a-as only across the square to not help, his thighs were raw, and several times stinging
the hotel. On the stairca,e and lanoline' he received the nettles ware put into his trousers, he having to wear them
embracc sof his f fiends' and stood up anions them, showing for upwards of half an hour Ills nose was often rubbed in
himself once more at the balcony, not In the least distressed his own feces till it bled. lie had saffered severely from a
by the I llorioliS tiakal he had gone through ; beaming with kick which his step-father had once given him in the sanest
field, and which caused blood to flow, the boy being at the
joy and triumph, yet cool anti collected; with tlic same dark
and somewhat earthy complexion, hot in the least thrahed : time quite ill and totally mifit for work. His fool was only
the mine broad face, high cheekbones, end deep eyes; the dry I tread and water, the older children in the family having
same easy urbinity and cordiality, and that same evenness butter, lard, cheese, and sometimes meat with their bread.
When he first came from the infirmary he Was treated in a
of temper which eminently totalities him for the control of
himself and others, hotter manner as regarded his food. Twice he was pulled
Prim's head-quarters are at the Hotel de Paris out of bed at night and thrashed.
After he hail spoken to the crowd from the window, The prisoner for the defence saki he had beaten the
the following incident occurred : boy for telling lies, but had not done him any bodily '
GENERAL PRIM AND THE ENGLIaII GIRL. harm; when he put him into the water in the garden .
SOMA scorner two of persons not immediately connected it was merely to wash him. The Bench sentenced
with the staff of the general had accompanied him into the him to four months' imprisonment with hard labour,
drawing-room ; and, after his return to the balcony, several and remarked they never heard a worse case for in-
ladies and gentlemen were presented to him and shook him
by the hand, or embraced him in the continental fashion. .
stead of nursing the poor little invalid he 111,1 done
could t kill Fru
g e cot o i 1 .
Among them were about a dnzen English, including a charm. Shortly after the boy was found in such a deplorable
ing litttle girl, just blooming into her teens, one of those everything h
graceful little maidens state, he was taken to the workhouse, where he has
who combine the modesty of the daisy
with the beauty of the rose. She, among others, was pre. been properly cared for, and the operation of lithotonay
seated to Prim, and while the gallant general gazed, half has been skillfully performed on him by Mr. Hodges,
kindly, half admiringly, into her fair young face, some one
moment thu t ould he F a assisted by other medical men. Since the time the
h suggmteil tlia he
ero appeared to Msh mid thembrace r.e
propriety of fll.
snot a step. A slight in weight It at
boy has been in the workhouse he has almost douldeil
tpears that the mother of the boy had
laush warm bron ed Ids zed cheek arid forcheml, but, imme.
dilitelY recOvertaiS himself, he scooped gracefully hawprd piut 1104 Watered, as she was afraid of her hutaad.