The Stourbridge Observer, Cradley Heath, Halesowen & District Chronicle.
Stourbridge, West Midlands, England, 1868-12-05 00:00:00

alisallnroits
HOME, FOREIGN, AND COLONIAL.

AcqUITTED ON THE GROUND OF INSANITY.—
At the Warwick assizes on Tuesday, William Kemp,
brickmaker, was tried for the murder of his son, a
lad aged 16. The case was one of the most heart-rending
description. The father had suffered from sunstroke
and VRA labouring under great mental depression
arising from the ill-success of a contract he had entered
into to make a quantity of ,drajn pipes, and had de-
termined to ran away. He (sicked up a few things,
and on leaving the room a Satanic suggeston passed
into his mind to kill his son (to whom he was greatly
attached and who slept with him) and thus KM: hint
front all such future troubles. He found a razor and
inflicted a wound on the poor boy's throat, when seeing
what he had done he rushed to the bed-room of another
I Sun, and told him what had happened. The deceased
begged that no attempt might be made to stop the
bleeding, as he knew he was going to heaven, but if
such an attempt had been made it must have been
futile. Evidence was given as to the state of the
prisoner's mind, and the jury acquitted him on the
ground of insanity.
NOTHING LIKE BOUNCE.—" It is calculated
that 1,00,000 copies of the Address [of the Protestant
Association to the Electors of the United Kingdom]
have been circulated and read by between 5,000,000
and 10,000,000 people."—ls not this wonderful calcu-
lation rather an abuse of round numbers? Ti be sure
5,000,001 may be said to be between five and ten

Tint VOICE OF CONECIENCE.—Some years
since, two brothers residing in Paris congratulated
themselves one fine morning on having made 2,500
francs by a sudden rise in some stock which they had
ordered their broker to purchase for them, but on
seeing him he said it was very strange, he was very
sorry, but he had forgott-n to buy it ; one brother
continued his speculations until losing all his money,
he left France and has not been heard of, the other
wisely paid attention to his business and left stock
speculating alone. Recently the broker waited on
him and said, "Some years since you ordered me to
buy stock which I told you I forgot to do. It was
not true. I bought it and gave the benefit to a better
customer. I have since been very fortunate and de-
sire to repay the amount with interest, 4,000 francs."
The gentleman said that "One-half belongs to thy
brother, and he, having left a wife and two daughters,
I should like the money given to them," and it was
done. _ _ _

.....
THE TRIAL OF MR. JEFFERSON DAVIS.—A
telegram, dated New York, Nov. 30, ways :

Advices from Richmond state that the counsel for Mr.
Jetlemin Davis will move a rule that the indictment for
high treason which is now pending against him, on account
of the port he took in the rebellion, be imahed, as the only
punishment for rebellion prescribed by the 14th amendment
in the Act of Congress is disfranchisement. Chief Justice
Chase will hear the arguments on this point on Thursday
next

AN ELErrioN Iscincyr.—Among the numbers
who polled at Bandon (says a Cork paper) on Friday
was a simple Carbery man who, it appears, had never
before recorded his vote, and had been moved out of
his political sluggishness only by ardour in the cause
of Messrs. Downing and Barry. Sadly perplexed
how to act, he crushed his way to a booth, and seeing
a number of people with a portentous display of pens,
ink, and paper, announced his name and purpose. A
wag standing by, for the. joke's sake, attempted to in.
duce him to vote for Messrs. Barry and Boyle, whereat
the sturdy elector Hew into such a passion that when
the formal question was put to him he could only
repeat in a soliloquy of indignation, "Barry and
Boyle i say/i." This repeated several times was duly
recorded as his vote, and when Denis grew sufficiently
collected to learn he had made a mistake beyond
correction, he rent the air with lamentations, and
knocked down the man who misled him.

BRINGING IN A VOTER.—One of the physicians
of Burlington, Vermont, driving into town election
morning, was met by a friend, who hailed him with
the question if he had voted. "Not yet," said the
doctor; "but I have been out all night after a voter.
got him safe, too." "When will he vote'" "Oh,
about twentrone years from now."
MORE MARTTES.—The fires of Smithfield
appear to be lighted again. In the midst id the
festivity which prevailed at the opening of the Metro-
politan Market in that historical quarter, poor Mr.
F oraee Jones, the architect, and Messrs. Browne and
Robinson, the builders, all of whom deserved a
happier fate, were—toasted. —Punch.
A STRANGE DREAM.—The Alb iiry Banner
gives the following It will be remembered that a
man named William Piall was accidentally drowned
in the Murray at Thologolong a month or two ago.
His body was not recovered at the time, but what is
left if it appears to have been found on Wednesday,
the 9th instant, when the river had fallen after the
recent rise of its waters. The body was found lying upon
a log in such a position :IS to indicate that it had been
floated there by the late rise in the river. The follow-
ing singular circumstances connected with the finding
of the body has been communicated to us by Alt.
North, the magistrate who held the inquiry over the
body:

Some time after the man Plait had been drowned, a
boundary rider on the station, named Greenwood. dreamt
that he was fishing in the Ilurray, and that the deceased
appear,d to him mi the bank of the river ant asked him
what he was doing there. Greenwood, in his dream, replied
• Oh. I am fishing for your body, as I hear you are drovmed.
• V 4.11 nved'ut, look there,' said the shade of the drowned
man,'cry body is lying on you loa,' at the same time point-
ing towards the place where the body has now been reeovereo.
Greenwood Gad his dream to several person sortie time before
tile body was found: the story was laughed at, hut neverthe-
less a search was made round the spot indicated by Gretn-
tvottoi, and the body has been found there."

SCENE IN A CANADIAN THEATRE. —A ludicrous
incident occurred at the theatre on Saturday night
(says a Toronto paper). A soldier, on whom the good
intenti, me of the Saturday night liquor law had evi-
dently been thrown away, became excited during the
rendition of the play, the "Lancashire Lass," and
made several times for the stage, where he wanted to
collar the representative of Robert Welkin', whom he
evidently consideren the greatest villain 'mining. Ile
WAN several times pulled down into the pit trim,
between the footlights ; but eventnall3, to re,tore the
tranquillity of the audience, had to be carried out of
the house.
EtAterfox Fecr.—All the waiters at the Trafal-
gar voted for Mr. lladstone, in the hope that if he
sat for t;reenwich, he would lighten their labours at
the Ministerial dinner by reducing it to Three Courses.
—Pencil.
THE JEWELS OF TILE DUCHESS DE NiORNY.—

The sale of the Duchess de Morny's jewels—a pro-
ceeding required, it appears, for the divison of the pro-
perty left by her late husband—was held at the Hotel
des Ventes, Paris, on Saturday, and the day before,

in the presence of a great concourse of spectators.
diamond necklace, composed of 23 stones, brought
104,000 f.; 13 diamond pendants, 38.000 E; three large
and very fine brilliants, 42,000 f., 38,000 f. and 24,000 f.;
a suite of turquoises and diamonds, 33,000 f.; a bricelet
of diamonds and three sapphires. 13,300 f.; a brooch,
consisting of a largeemerahl, surrounded with brilliants,
15,500 f.; three Ahem smaller, 19,ii001.; six pendants of
different sizes, 27,000 f. The amount produced by the
two days' sale was about 550,000 f.
A FUNEREAL DUEL.—A duel with nnbated
foils took place on Saturday in the wood of Vilsinet
between M. C an officer in an infantry regiment
in garrison at Paris, and Viscount de l'o•tkigon. The
combat had lasted scarcely a minute when the former
gentleman received a wound in the arm, which was
completely pierced, and the seconds put an end to the
affair. The two adversaries then shook hands and
returned to Paris. The cause of the encounter was an
altercation which took phice in front of the church of
the Trinity on the occasion of liossini's funeral.
FATAL ACCIDENT TO A PRIEST. A sad acci-
dent has just occurred at Aix-la-Chapelle. Two
priests of Verniers, M. Thomasse and M. Boden,
were crossing from one side of the station to the
other, when the first-named slipped on one f the rails
and fell. His companion stooped to assist him but
stumbled also, and before the latter could get up a
truck, which was being chanted by an engine, passed
over his body, cutting him completely in two. His
death was of course instantaneous. M. Thomasse
was able to rise and jiunp out of the way without
being hurt.

PARLIAMENTARY VETERAN.—Very few of the
veterans who sat in the House of Commons through
the 36 years of the first reformed Parliament will be
found in their old places on the 10th of December.
They are Mr. Briscoe, Lord Ernest Bruce, Mr. Corry,
Mr. Denison, General Forester, Colonel French, Mr.
Gladstone, Sir G. Grey, Sir .1. Hannter, Sir W. Hutt,
Sir J. Johnstone, Mr. Lefroy, Colonel Wilson Patten,
Mr. C. R. Talbot, Mr. Trail, and Sir Harry Verney.
Those who have retired from Parliamentary life or been
defeated in the elections are Mr. H. B Baring, Sir H.
Barron, Colonel Biddulph, Mr. Brocklehunit, Major
Cumming Bruce, Sir R. Bulkeley, Mr. W. Ewart, Mr.
Gaskell, Lord Hotham, Mr. Ingham, General Peel,
Mr. Roebuck, Mr. J. Abel Smith, Sir W. Verner, and
Colonel Peers Williams.

ACTA OF COURTEST.—Disappointment teaches
useful lessons—politeness, for instance. How many
rejected candiilatei during the last fortnight have
been bowing to the decision of the Electors !—Punch.

Dorm BETWEEN JOURNALISTS.—Last Saturday
a hostile meeting took place near Paris between M. de
Heekeren, and M. Rogat, the latter a writer in the
Rrensment, and better known under the name of
I.:orielle, as correspondent of the Nord. The place of
meeting was the Isle of Croissy. The seconds of the
first-named gentleman were M. Henri de Vivien, a
military officer, and M. Alfonso, while M. Begot's
friends were M. Paul de Cassagnac and M. Bertrand,
of the Nord. M. Heekeren was wounded in the
shoulder, but the combat continued until his adversary
was pierced in the abdomen, when the duel ceased. It
lasted only four minutes.
RITUALIST " SISTERS" is AMERICA—The
Episcopalian says: "The freshest novelty in the
leading Ritualist chapel up town in New York is the
organisation of a society of young ladies called 'the
Sisters of St. --.' On Sunday morning they are
all dressed In white, with a large cross imprinted on
their garments in front, and coming into the chapel
with folded hands and downcast eyes—just like a pro-
cession of nuns, when one of their number is going to
take the white veil, They then all kneel down one
behind the other, in front of the altar or chancel, and
say a silent prayer, after which, with the usual genu-
flexion, they proceed to their seats. The work of the
Sisters on week-days is to minister to the wants of
the poor, and to perform such other acts of charity
and benevolence under the direction of their rector,
or ' father , as occasion may require. Before Christ-
mas and Easter, rumour has it, we shall have divers
other ecclesiastical theatricals of a not dissimilar
character."

REDUNDANCY OF "Jaw."—The &Ownlay Re-
view pities poor Mr. Grenfell who fared worse than
the nursery hero, for he shot at a pigeon and missed
the crow, while Mr. Gladstone, in his twelve
Lancashire speeches, fairly preached himself out if
his Lancashire seat. Mr. Gladstone bee uttered, se