The Stourbridge Observer, Cradley Heath, Halesowen & District Chronicle.
Stourbridge, West Midlands, England, 1872-04-20 00:00:00

night.'

Mistt tianeons

HOME, FOREIGN, AND COLONIAL.

SUICIDE IN AN OVZIf.—A slngular cue of
suicide has occured in the commune of Gans, near
13.mits. Catharine Viganx, wife ot a small cultivator,
who had for some time been troubled with religious
monomania, labouring under the delusion that she was
continually followed by the devil, determined to kill
herself. Xirelling a fire in a large oven, such as is used
in country places, the woman crept into it, and there
remained till .he was discovered, burned to a cinder.
On a chair by the mouth of the oven she had placed a
a rosary, a ciucifix, and a vase of holy water. The
deceased was sixty-four years of age._

•
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Mg. JOHN BRIGHT AND THE VT:CHY OF LAN-

c,j4t .—Wedneekiav's Manchester Guardian says :
" We believe there is no prospect of Mr. John lb ight
accepting the vacant Chancellorship of the Duchy of
Lancaster. His refusal does not arise from any mis-
givings on the score of present health, or from a want
of harmony with the present NI inistry, either in their
policy or the couduet of public business, but may more
certaioly be attributed to the right hon. gentleman's
disinclination to accept office unless he eau bear his
full share in its burdens and its duties. However
much reason there may be for believing that Mr.
Bright's health is restored, we believe that Mr. Bright
himself does not at present feel justified in doing any-
thing which may risk the recurrence of his recent
illness."
•

THE AMERICAN CONSTITUTION.—MaI-a-propos
of the Alabama Claims, Mrs. Malaprop remarked that
she had no patience with these over-reaching Yankees,
they were so tinscrophulous.— Punch.
r AUSTRALIAN MRAT.—The Rev. H. Collis, of

Maidstone, writes : -
"As a clergyman with a parish chiefly inhabited by
working people, will you allow me to say that the chief oh-
jecti'n to the preserved meat froin Australia is it is over-
cooked? If .y nicti.o,l c-old be devned of bringing the
meat over Vi this country underdone it would soon become
with all classes acceptable."
THUNDERSTORM IN SCOTLAND.—OII Iferiday
evening in last week several loud peals of thunder and
vivid flashes of lightning visited Aberdeenshire. The
dwelling-house of Mr. Black, farmer, Smithy Croft,
parish of Bourtie, was struck by lightning. Three of
the inmates were severely injured, and the others had
narrow escapee. Mrs. Black, while in the kitchen with
a child in her arms, was severely injured about the head
and back, and is still almost blind. The child escaped
unhurt. Alexander, aged 6, son of Mr. Black, was at
the same time struck, his clothes were torn into shreds,
and he sustained considerable bodily injury. Margaret
Pine, domestic servant, aged 16, was similarly injured.
A newspaper which Mr. Black was reading was carried
out at the window, while he himself escaped. Several
of the otherinmates were temporarily stunned. The
east gable of the house was knocked down, the windows
were smashed, the plaster and part of rooting destroyed,
the doors shattered, and the kitchen grate and alabatone
sunk steeply in the floor.
PRINCE BIsMARCK AND THE FRENCH. —The
Birmingham Poet says that a private telegram has been
received in London from a gentleman holding a dis-
tinguished position in Berlin. It states that Prince
Bismarck has not yet given any official notice to M.
Thiers of his displeasure in the manner in which the
French nation is evidently preparing, for a gigantic
atruggle with Germany. at an early date. It is la-sieved
in Prussian military circles that the first step of the
Chancellor would be to send a large army into the
occupied departments of France as a warning of some-
thing more serious to follow.
THE Sc BITANCE OF SOLDIERSHIF.—There
may, perhaps, be some room for improvement in the
military efficiency of our Volunteers. 'l'he one thing,
however, of all things most needful to place them any-
where nearly on a level, in point of soldiership, with
the troops of the Line, would probably he pronounced
by some of their professional critics, if those gallant
officers would speak their minds, to be Pipeclay.
Punch.
AN EXTRAORDINARY OCCURRENCE.—A COM-
munication from Kiel says :—" The town is in con-
sternation. Two young men from the school of marine,
midshipmen, as they are called here, have just caused
a tremendous scandal. During the night of the 22nd
March, the Emperor's birthday, they were at a music-
hall, where they met two young persons belonging to
respectable families, MM. Vogt and Esselgroth. Some
words arose, and one of the naval cadets etalibeii M.
Vogt, and then took to flight. M. Eseelgroth chased
hint with a view to hand him over to the police, when, in
a retired spot, the midshipman turned and struck his
pursuer With a poinard. 11th victims died the next
day. The emotion is indescribable. But one opinion
prevails here relative to the license of these naval
students; they set the example of all sort.sof disorders."
DEATH IN A RAILWAY C ARMAGH. —A painful
sensation was caused at London-bridge Railway
Station, on Wednesday morning, on the arrival of the
9.30 train from Greenwich, by the removal from one of
the third-class carriages of the body of an elderly
man who expired on the journey from Greenwich to
Spa-road. It appeals that shortly after the train
started from Deptford the deceased man was seen to
fall forward, and with a deep groan expired. The man
was unknown to any of his fellow-passengers.
THE PENSION TO LADY MAYO.—The Madras
A Memnon says
The pension proposed to be given to Lan Mayo is generally
ermsniered, In this country, to be too Mile. A feeling of
generodty is evidently abroad with refers.e to this matter,
:OM a parsimonious dealing with it will be sure to meet
with condemnation. A sum of £2O WO down and a penslon
of 5'1,.00 a year is not considered liberal or handsome treat-
ment of her ladyship, and everybody thinks she ought to he
treated both liberally and handsomely. The late lord Mayo,
it is lino. Is, was far from affluent, and it is therefore the
inore necessary that due provision should be made for his
widow.

DENUNCIATION OF THE ILLINOIS LIQUOR LAW.
—A correspondent of the Tribune, writing from Chicago
on the 28th ult., says that a State Conve II tion of bre seers,
distillers, and saloon-keepera, was held in that city
during the preceding week. They denounced the law
regulating the sale of intoxicating liquors ; formed a
State organisation to test its constitutionality and make
it a political issue in the next campaign ; denounced
the men who voted for the law, and tried to frighten
them into repealing or modifying it by resolving to
support no man for office who would not obey their
commands. While they were in session, a petition
signed by 1, 045 convicts in the State Peniten t iary, against
any change in the law, was presented to the Senate, over
one-half of the unfortunate petitioners alleging that
their crimes were the direct remit of intoxicating
liquors. Though coming from men of no standing M
the community, and under duress, the document had
int weight. The Convention did not accomplish any-
thing ; and that it failed to intimidate the Legislature
may be judged from the fact that a test vote on a Bill
to repeal the law and submit it to the people was laid
upon the table by an emphatic vote of 4to 1. An
attempt will undoubtedly be made to compel the Re
publican State Convention to repudiate or indorse the
law and place the onus, one way or the other, on the
party. While politicians in the cities may be disposed
to temporime, the sturdy farmers will not budge an inch.
The state of Illinois. WI a whole, is sober and temperate,
and will give the law a fair triaL
OUR FRUIT PRaIiTECTS.—Land and Water
says :
A few weeks back there was a very good show of blossom
for cherries apricots, peaches, nectarines, pears, and plums.
The season was unusually early, and the trees burst into a re-
splendent mass of blossom with a rapidity rarely equalled in
past years, the effect of the mild weather which prevailed at
the commencement of March. But a change has come over
the face of nature -cold, cutting winds by day, and keen,
aharp, stinging frosts by night, have worked havoc among the
bloesems, and burnt, blistered petals tell sand tale of blighted
hopes to the gardener. The change which, let us hope, has
now set in may not have come too late however, in SUMO
instances. Apples are at least safe as yet!, and the late pears,
as well as cherries, plums, and other fruit trees, which were
not too forward.
A 000 D STORY OF JAY GOULD.—Hard beset
by the band who broke up the Erie Ring—invested,
nit in his last ditch, but in his Mat room—Mr. Gould,
like a good :eneral on the verge of defeat, deliberated
on the situation, and sought a mode of snatching
auccess out of disaster. He looked straight into the
facts, and his keen insight and long exile; truce enabled
him to perceive that only one of two things could
happen, that there was no middle course, that he must
either win or lose the battle All depended on his
estimate of the inane, and he arrived at the conclusion
that Jay Gould would lose. Did he despair? Not a
whit. He foresaw an advantage even in defeat. His
argument was, that his expulsion from office would
Fiend up the value of the Erie shares; and he resolved
to profit by the fix in which he had been placed.
Making nit his mind to speculate on therise, he secretly
bought all the stock he could obtain, and having
secured big market, he resigned. Pinang of victory were
Mug ; Mr. Gould took hist seat meekly SA a mere
director; the Erie Stock did rise ; and thee Mr. Gould
sold out. His profit on the smart transaction is said
to have been two millions of dollars !
Fin, MR. FEROUSSON !—The Misses Kirling-
ton have discontinued Th4Times. 1 hey could no longer
allow a paper to enter their doers which devoted a con-
sideraNe portion of its space to an article with such an
objectionable title as "Rude Stone Monuments."
—Pet rich.
LAND ACT IN IILSTER.—A Belfast COT-
respondent states that a awe of considerable in-
port 'nee was heard at the Dungannon Land Sessions
on Saturday ; the claim wan made by Samuel Burns,
tenant of the lands of Gortshalgair' against the Earl
of Itanfurly. He claimed 1.700 for tenant right on the
expiry of the lease, and his contention was that he
had a right to do an just as if he wee only a tenant
from year to year ' • for the landlord it was Vllltelided
that the tenant-right custom which might hold good in
the case of yearly tenants, did not apply at the ex-
piration of a lease. The chairman, Sir Francis Brady,
held that the custom at the end of a lease was un-
affected by the lease if existing at the time the lease
was granted. Be gave a decree for £:300.
A CHILD KILLED BY AN ELEPHANT. —A boy
of 13, named Stanton. has been killeir by an elephant
at Hanley. Messrs. Rostock and Worubwelrs Mena-
gerie arrived at that town on Saturday, and among
the animals was an elephant, which was taken to an
inn stable. A number of children gathered in the inn.
yard, and amused themselves by giving the elephant
nuts, and other things. Some of them are said to have
given it stones, at which the animal wag so irritated,
that he seized the deceased child with his trunk, and
raised him to his mouth ; a keeper seeing what was oc-
curring, called out, and the animal dropped the chil I.
He was picked up and at once taken ton doctor, and
although every effort was made to reetore him, he died
on Monday night from wounds in the head and severe
internal injuries.

SUICIDE or AN AccrsEß.—A charge was
lately brought against the convent of Salute-Giacieuse,
at Carcassonne (Aube), by the father of one of the in-
mates, who did not hesitate to make the most dreadful
accusation against the clergy. The tribunal decided
that there was no evidence whatever to support such
statements. The affair has just received an unexpected
termination, as the father of the c...mplainutit has
poisoned himself. The Francais states that a search
made by the authorities in the house of the deceased,
disc .vered a dociunebt signed by him, and thus
worded :—" Narbonne, 5.6 April. 9h. evening. I put
in end torny life voluntarily." The authenticity of the
writing hail bean reecepaieed by all the lunar.

PEN. 1 ,

SPUTTERINGS FROM "JUDY'S"
• WgllD4 O worco.ll BIANDINII —lt Is not every tight-
rope dancer who eau keep hie balancer-el labibenkeee.

Ikingaign—Pickpockets.
THE real Shooting Season—Sprbig•time.
CI:ImM —Though some of the theatres have empty bores
every night, all the stiOls in Covent Garden are swaged
in
advance for months to come; i.e., tie stalls in the market
?RAPE Muli.—A great many Germans last year learnt the
art ot French polishing.
OFFICIAL—iIIs NI blisters won't take their whitebait
dinner this year After all, the proper thing for a Minister
Is plaice.
WHAT is "parlour lightening "I—Wait till you have the
brokers in ; then you will
THE POE-hater must be a vegetable teetotaler.
Trig Land of Cane—The place where sugar comes from.
GOING On CIITUit —Taking a turn on the treadmill.
A TICEET-OF.LEAVE.—A pawnbroker's duplicate.
WHEN a young wife began her housekeepiog hook with
"Gave a beggar • penny," she rightly said that charity began
• tome.
FISH is very dear just now. in the winter time you have
only to g on the ice, and you can have a skate for nothing.
Tate Cry of Celestial flypocrites—Canton !
Wool, Nymphs—ladiee-sehool boarders.
FASHIONABLE
•Itltelliga DOC—Golden hair has gone out it
S now worn plaited.
A SEAFARING gentleman, visiting the Crystal Palace on
Good Friday, observed that the Aquarium had a very fishy
appearance, and that it looked highly tin-isheil, though Its
dimensions are certainly somewhat curtailed, owing, no
doubt, to the dog-lint. —Jude.