The Stourbridge Observer, Cradley Heath, Halesowen & District Chronicle.
Stourbridge, West Midlands, England, 1873-09-06 00:00:00

tje(*touqribge 012scruer.

SATURDAY, SEPTEMBER 6, 1678.

CURRENT TOPICS.

The famous Newmarket jockey, Thomas French,
died on Saturday •last. He was only 29 years o
age. Most of our sporting readers will know bin
best from the fact of his having ridden the Dori..
winners Kingemft and Favonms. He also suc-
ceeded in getting placed second in the same rac,
on two other occasions, namely, on Christina
Carol and Savernake. It was thought by some, a..
the time, that he ought to have won on the last
named animal, and consequently the owner, the
Marquis of Ailesbury, gave the mount on Savernake
in the Leger to Chaloner ; but after a magnificent
struggle between the latter and Custan :e,on Lord
Lyon the form of the same two animals in the
Derby was confirmed to a " T," as Lord Lyon
, again beat Savernake by exactly the same dis-
tance— half-a-head that he beat him in the
Derby. The deceased jockey was an accomplisheo
horseman, with a perfect seat, and won sevens
other important races besides those already men-
, tio..ed. He attend 4 the recent Brighton race,,
and though too unwell to ride took -kart in s
I cricket match. On Tuesday, after his he had L.
some days been despaired ot, ia ecaith so nuue..
improved that it was expected he w..nikl be Able h
ride Lord l'ahnouth's colt Andred in the St.
Leger, but on Friday there was a relapse, from
which he never rallied. Pulmonary apoplexy wa,
followed by bleeding of the lungs to which he ha.
been subject. His last mount was on Maid ot
Perth in the Corinthian Ilandipap at Goodwood.
He rarely used the whip, and his seat was a pattern
for jockeys. His integrity was unimpeachable,
and his lithe form will be greatly missed at th,
next meeting.

Our "guardians of the peace "—policemen--
have at times rather eccentric notions as to what
constitntes the legititnate manner of performing
their functions. One of their body named Tittertou,
stationed at Essington, was fined at the Wolver-
hampton Police Court, on Monday last, for aisatilt-
ing Henry Payne, foreman at the Darlaston Iron
and Steel Company's Works, Essington Wood, on
the 25th ult. It appeared from the evidence that
Payne was fetching some bottled allowance beer
for the workmen, when he was accosted by the
defendant, who, after seizing one of the bottles,
retired a few yards and shied it at Payne, and it
struck him on the for head. For the defence it
was alleged that the assault was the result or
accident, and that the officer threw thel,ottle bacl
for Payne to catch. By the way of teaching him
to take more accurate aim in future when throw-
ing bottles at persons for them to catch, without
first having made inquiries as to their expertness
in the art, the Magistrate ordered him to pay a
fine of XI, together with costs.

Mr. Bushby, stipendiary, of the Worship Street
Police Court, has announced his intention of " put-
ting down" assaults upon policemen; and, from
his first experiment under that resolution, there
seems to be every reason to believe him to be in
earnest. The " example" was one William Ern-
steff,•aged 40, described as a labourer, living in
James-street, Haggerston, who was charged with
being drunk, wilfully damaging a truck and up-
setting some milk, and further with assaulting
fourpllice-constables,and damaging their uniform.
Upon being proved guilty, Mr. Bushby sentenced
defendant to 16 months' bard labour, being four
months for each assault on the constables, and
fi.i d him 10s and 44 damage to the milk, or an
additional term of 14 days. The sentence, it is
said, created profound astonishment.

Coal has once more been advanced in the
Soinevet fields, although the colliers during the
past six months have not been fully employed, and
the slackness of trade has been evidenced by the
accumulation of thousands of tons of coal at every
pit. All classes of coal have been raised by the
owners throughout the fields to the extent of 2s
per ton. With reference to the rise in the price
of South Yorkshire coal, which took effect on
Monday, it appears that the advance is not uni-
versal, al'hough pretty general. The large pro-
prietors have put up the pri-e of best coal to 27s
lid, and oth.-us tn 255, whilst a leading flrin'of
coalowuer4 quote as under :—Picked coal, 239;
best Silkstone, 20s; screened nuts, 15s; seconds,