The Stourbridge Observer, Cradley Heath, Halesowen & District Chronicle.
Stourbridge, West Midlands, England, 1881-11-05 00:00:00

SATURDAY, NOVEKBER 5, 1881.

t lye of one month's bard labour.
THE ALLEGED PRIZE FIGHT.-4ftMeS Riley,
labourer, of Stourbri'lge. and Benjamin Gordon,
miner, of the Lye, were charged with committing
a breac:a of the peace by fighting, on the 9th ult.,
at A.mblecote.—George Gilbert, signalman on the
Great Western Railway, near the engine shed
junction, stated that at 5.40. in the morning he
sa er a number of men pass his box and go into a
field belonging to Mr. Hall. Shortly afterwards
he heard a noise and went out of his box and
heard a cry of "Go into it." When the men
separated a portion went towards the Lye and
a portion towards Stourbridge. He could not
identify any of the men.--Mr. King (magistrates
clerk) informed the Bench that the ease had been
twice adjourned. There was no doubt, whatever,
that there was adi sgraeeful row between the de-
fendants, but the police had been unable to pro-
cure any evidence to bring it home to them.—De-
fendants were bound over to keep the peace and to
appear when called upon.
STEALING TAME PREASANTEI.David Edmunds
(21), glass blower, and Thomas Southall, moulder,
both of Wordsley, were charged with stealing two
tame pheasants, on the 20th ult., at Kinver, the
value of ..t2 10s.—Mr. Waldron prosecuted and in
opening the case said that in this case the charge
was a most serious one although it only assumed
the charge of stealing two tame pheasants. It ap-
peared that his client, Mr. Thomas England, was a
, large breeder and keeper of pheasants. He had a
j large garden, all walled in, and inside that gar-
den lie had a large pheasantry. It appeared that
1 on the night of the 30th ult. there were 160 hens
I and 80 cocks in that pheasantry. About a quarter
past twelve o'clock a noise was heard in the
pheasantry and Mr. England got up with his sons
and went there. They found the man Edmunds
inside the pheasantry, and Southall partially in-
side. They were taken into custody, and the two
pheasants produced, which were found dead in the
pheasantry, were handed over to Police-sergeant
Head. He submitted that it was really a very
serious case of burglary and asked the Court to
inflict such a punishment as would deter people
from attempting such an offenre in future.—Thos.
England. spade and shovel manufactuer, Hyde
House, Kiuver, said that he had a large pheasantry
at his house, which was walled round with a wall
81t. high on one side and 10ft, high on the other
side. On the night of the 30th ult there were 160
hens and 80 cocks inside the pheasantry, all tame
pheasants. During the late gale there was a portion
of the wall blown down and he had to have it built
up with loose bricks and he surmised that must
have been the place where the men got through.
He heard a noise in the garden and went to his bed-
room window and heard birds flying. He went to
the pheasantry about twelve o'clock and took a
double-barrel gun with him and his two sons.
They found Southall half way in the pheasantry
and " collared " him. He asked Southall what
brought him there and he replied that he had lost
his way. He called his son Thomas and gave him
the gun. He then saw Edwards attempting to get
out of the pen and he (witness) said that if he did
come out he would knock him down. He raised an
alarm and his workmen came to his assistance.
They topic the two defendants into his house and
he sent for the police-officer. When he had given
the men into custody he went and examined the
pen and found two dead pheasants. He also found
that three hen pheasants had been removed out of
one pen into another. By the Bench: He found
the two dead pheasants in the same pen as the men
were in.—The defendants pleaded guiltyiand were
each sentenced to two months' hard labcur.

disorderly at Windmill End, on the 29th tilt
Edward Smith, horse driver, of New Town, was
also fined is and costs for being drunk in High
Street, Cradley Heath, on the 29th nit, Police-
constable Tytherley proved the case.
NEGLECT or Woux.—David Gadd, rivet maker,
of Blackheath, was summoned by Mr. Parsons,
of Blackheath, to recover from him the sum of
7s 6d, for loss sustained by his neglecting to work.
It appeared that the defendant gave the complain-
ant 14 days' notice to leave his employ but failed
to work it out, whereby the complainant sustained
a loss, which he estimated at 7s 6d. Defendant
was ordered to pay the amount claimed and the
costs.—James Woodall and Joseph Whitten, chain.
makers, of Old Hill, were summoned for neglect of
work. Josiah Nock, chain manufacturer, claimed
lOs from each of the men for loss he bad sustained
by their neglect. They were ordered to pay the
amounts claimed and the costs.

OBSCENE LANQUAGE.—JuIia Shelley and Eliza-
beth Griffiths, both of the New Road, Tividale,
were each fined 5s and costs, with the alternative
of 14 days' imprisonment, for using obscene
language, on the 29th ult.