The Stourbridge Observer, Cradley Heath, Halesowen & District Chronicle.
Stourbridge, West Midlands, England, 1872-06-22 00:00:00

HEWITT v. the LONDON, BRIGHTON, and

SOUTH COAST RAILWAY.

- - -
The above cause has been tried in the Curt of Common
Plea, and was an action, brought by the plaintiff, a builder
at Catetham. to neater damages for the loss of lils ton,
shout 13 years old, whit was killed through the negligence of
the company's servants. The case was a very novel one, in-
asmuch as the action was not be ought ender Lord Campbell's
Act, bat on the common law right of a master to see For the
loss of the services of one of his strvants occasioned by the
wriaigful act of ant titer person.
It appeared that in Feb. last the plaintiff was sentby
his father with a horse and cart to the Caterliant of ,ItlC-
tion Station, where there VMS a truck of bricks belong-
ing to him, to fetch a load. The truck was about half
full. at al the lad had been into the truck and Wall getting
out when some other tiucks were driven down the
siding by a blow from an engine and bumped again t the
truck Vie lad WM getting out of, the buffer of which
struck the lad's leg and broke it. The lad was re-
moved to the hospital, and died in two days afterwards.
There was no warning given of the trucks coming down
the siding. The evidence of the lad being employed
as a servant by his father was that he kept the men's
time, and was employed with the horse and cart to do
jobs for him. The counsel agreed that the verdict
should be for 10 guineas if the plaintiff was entitled to
maintain the action,
Mr. Joyce submitted that the action was not main-
tainable, but that the company might have been fixed
with a deodand.
His Lordship said, although he did not remember a
similar action, yet he saw no reason why, on principle,
the action might not be maintained if the jury thought
the lad was employed by the father in the nature of a
servant, and that he WWI not guilty of negligence,
and that the company were.
The jury said that they were of opinion in favour of
the plaintiff on three pi iinto.
Verdict for the plaintiff for ten guineas.
Ilis lordship said he would give Mr. Joyce leave to
move in arreet of judgment, but not to disturb the
findings of the jury.

SUICIDE OF A FRENCH REFUGEE.
In London, on Monday, Dr. Lankester, the coroner
for Central Middlesex, held an inquest on the body of
Hippoly te Jeurand, aged 45 years, a Frenchman, hold-
ing a medical diploma, who committed suicide in a
cell at George-street Police-station.
The evidence of M. N. Roussell. Dr. Louis Var-
gas, and others, showed that for some years the
deceased had been in practice at a small village near
Paris. In the time of the Commune he was attached
to a battalion of their Guards, after which he WM
a colleague of M. Roussel!. A fortnight ago he
came to England, and acted as assistant to M. Louit
Vargan, of Soho. On Wednesday, in last week he
dined with M. Roussell, to whom he remarked th .t lie
was tired of his life, and should some day commit
suicide, showing a small phial (similar to that seen in
his hand when in the police cell). He left his friend's
house about eight o'clock in the evening, and about
half-past twelve the following morning he was given
into the custody of Police-constable ShaW for assaulting
two women in Church-lane, St. Giles's. Hewas taken to
George-street Police-station and charged. The station
sergeant, noticing he was excited, had him examined by
Dr. Ward, who saw nothing unusual inhis manner. He
was therefore placed in a cell by himself, but not being
charged with felony was notsearehed. During the night
he was visited at frequent intervals, and at six o'clock Mr.
Crook, the inspector, went to his cell and found him
on the bench asleep. About half an hour afterwards a
knocking was heard, and Inspector Crook, having
been informed by the constable in reserve that he
had desired to be allowed to send a message to a
friend, again proceeded to the cell with a pencil and
some paper. He found the deceased standing close
ti the door, with a determined look, and hold- I
ing a small bottle in his hand. He stepped back-
wards, and before the inspector could seize him, he had
poured the contents down his throat. Pr. Ward was
again sent for, but his services were too hits .death
having been instantaneous. On the cell seat was his bat,
in which was a slip of paper, on winch was written in
Fund) "Address my money to M. La llochais, No 1,
Rue Montmartre, Paris, also my clothes ; there are
more at Mr. Fargean, stationer, in London, and at the
laundress, who lives at Mr. Blanchard, stationers in
street."
Mr, Ward, M.R.C.S., said the cause of death was
poisoning by pressic acid. Witness had examined the
contents (a few dropsj of the bottle taken from de-
ceased in his cell by the police-ins-pector, and forgid it
was a French preparation (aside cyanbydrique), nTteen
times stronger than the naval English prussic acid.
In reply to the Coroner, it was stated by some friends
that the deceased had not been sent over here by the
present Government of France, but bad come of his
own accord. A considerable eum of foreign and English
coin was found on his person after death. A verdict of
"Suicide while in a state of unsound mind" was re-
turned.

THE FETERE OF LAKE ERlE.—American
papers predict that Lake Eric will in time dry up and
become the home of a teeming population. Carefral
surveys have shown that Lake Michigan bas an average
depth of 1,800 feet. Lake Superior of 900 feet, and
Lake Ontario of 500 feet ; Lake Erie only 120 feet,
which is said to be constantly decreasing The bottom
of the Lake is quite level, and composed of soft clay
This clay is constantly a,ccumuLtting, from sedimeat
car: led down by tributary streams. The south shore
composed of easily disintegrating blue, gray, and olive
shoals, and gray sand stone. The western and northern
cossta are made up of limestone of the Helderbeg group,
which quickly yields to the action of the waves. Con.
ta silently both shores constantly are contributing to
till up the lied of the lake. The work is not rapid, but
it d said to be as sure as fate.

MISS RYE AND "CHILD EMIGRATION.'
Well-wfshers to the cause of true progress will be !
glad to learn that Miss Rye, who interested
herself loug
herself in the em ration of women to the colonies, con-
tinues her exertions to rescue street children from the
evil influences which surround them. At the close of
the American war a Mr. van Meter carried some city
Arabs from New York to the far West, where some
well-disposed persons gave them employment. It was
' estimated that ov, 2,000 children were saved in
this way from misery and r.le -radation. Miss Rye,
having observed the workilig of the system, de-
termined to do the same for the gutter children of
London and other crowded places in England, thus an-
ticipating in some measure the aim of the Education
Act of IS7O. Fl-soothe firstshe confined her attention
to child. en of her on sex, boys being better provided
for in the way of Home and Reformatory
.accommoda-
thm, and having greater facilities for earni ig a liveli-
hood than girls. The necessary. sum raise I, Miss Rye
addressed herself to her self-imposed
More than two years have elapsed since then, and
more than 600 orphan or deserted children have been
rescued from an ii regular vagabond life fed, clothed,
trained, and taken to Canada, where a house had been
purchased for the purpose. Almost very one of these I
children has obtained a comfortable horns in the
Dominion, and, thaok to Miss Rye, they appear to
give satisfaction. But the demand for servants from
Miss Rye's Home far exceeds the supply ; over 900
persons, it is stated are looking forward to the arrival
of other emigrants. That the ehildren are well treated
and happy may be seen from a little pamphlet, en-
titled "'What the people Say About the Children, and
What the Children Say About llamado."
Through the liberality of a friend to the charity',
who placed £3OO at her disposal, Miss Rye has
opened a Home at Avenue-house, High-street, Peck-
ham, London, where ten children, lately taken from
the streets, ate now being fed, clothed, and prepared
for a better course of life in the New World. Their
ages range fmm eight to 13. Such a charity is cer-
tainly deserving of support.