The Stourbridge Observer, Cradley Heath, Halesowen & District Chronicle.
Stourbridge, West Midlands, England, 1881-06-11 00:00:00

KIN VER.

WIDOW'R .111,11. Lonez.—On Monday last, the
membc.rs of the 'Widows Help Lodge, hell at the
White Hart Inn, walked in procession t, Kinver
Church, headed by the WhiAii,gton Brags Baud,
twelve in number, and a splendid bnnner very
suitable for the occasion, on the one side being
printed in life like form and size, the " Good
Samaritan" and emblazoned in gilt letters " We
assist our distressed brethren," on the opposite side
was the "Widows and Orphans," and above was
printed the golden rule " Let brotherly love con-
Cnue." On arriving at the church an excellent
sermon was pre.iched by the vicar, the Rev. J.
Hodgson, who took for his text, part of the 14 and
15 verses of the 3rd chapter of Paul's Epistle to the
"Of whom the whole family, in Heaven
anv ea:•th is named." Divine service being over,
the procession marched through the town and back
to the club house, where an excellent dinner was
served up by the host. After doing justice to the
inner man and the cloth being withdrawn, Mr. G.
Williams was voted to the chair anl at once called
upon the secretnry to read the report, which was as
follows :—Banking account. £6OO Os 6d ; Invested
in mortgage, £350; Interest due, £9; In treasurer's ,
hands, £l3 8s 40; Total, £972 14s ; making
an increase for the year of £2B 9s 10d, which called
for loud applause on all sides. The band then
struck up with the "Hallelujah Chorus" which was
rendered very efficiently. The society consisted of
45 members, all good upon the books. A fine
?pplrtunity now presents itself for young men to
join. The usual leyal toasts were given, and a
very convivial evening was spent, each one return-
ing to his home none the worse for his day's
enjoyment.

BRIERLEY HILL.

At the Police Court, on Monday, beforo Messrs
H. Smith, and T. Wilkes Webb, Thomas Reynolds,
(20), ironworker, Lower Church-street, Pensnett,
and William Knight, (20), labourer, were chat ged
with breaking into and entering a dwelling hou.e
in the occupation of John Smith, at Wall Heath.—
On the 20. h ult. Mrs. Smith left home about eight
o'clock in the morning, and about two hours later
the prisoners were identified as being two men who
were s. en loitering about the louse. When Mrs.
Smith returned about one o'clock she found that
the house had been broken into and a clock, a watch
chain, and several other at ticles stolen. The watch
chain and a handkerchief were found in the posses-
sion of a blind man at Old Hi t, to w om the
prisoners had sold them, and the lock was found at
the shop of Mr. Mitchell, pawnbroken, ‘Volver-
hampton, who could not, howev,:i ideuity either
of the prisoners as the persons who pawned it.
Both prisoners were committed for trial on this
charge, and also upon a second charge of stealing a
quantity of timber, the rop,rty of Messrs. Mills
mud company. Coliiery proprietors, near Brierley
Hill.

HALESOWES.

PROPOSED PRINIITIVB MRTH 'MIST COLLEOE.-011
Monday, the ceremony of laying the foundation
stones of the pr posed Bourne CAlege, connected
with the Primitive Methodist h .dy at Quinton,
Halt,sowerh took pla,:e in the pres.2n:e of a la ge
assembly. The college is intended for the training
of the sons of ministers o: the et ct and of laymen,
its object belig similar to that of the Soring Hill
College, Birwinghaxa. and its conduct will be very
relict) on the lines of that institu, ion. The selection
of a site was most judicious. l'h, building when
completed, wsll acconanandate 120 scholars; that
portion of it now in course of erec ion will acconio-
date SO. Queen Anne style of architecture has
been decided upon. The walls will have brick
facings, with stone ;ind brick dressings. The con-
tractor is Mr. E. Walton, Smethwich, and the cost
of the building ~,, ill be £3,700. Messrs. D. Smith and
Son, Bonnet's Hill, Birmingham, whose designs
, ere selected in competition, will superintend the
erection. The stones were laid by Mrs. W. Arundel,
Mrs. E. Cross, Mr. John Lambert, Master H. T.
Nott, Master F. G. Cross, M,,ster G. S. Barford,
Master R. C. D. Knapp, and Master S. Furgue..n.—
The Rev. T. Middleton read a long statement
descrip, ive of the objk cts of the proposed college,
and the means which had led to the adoption of the
scheme, showing that it was undertaken by a
limited company with a Board of Directors at the
head of which was Mr. James Nott.—Addresses
were delivered by several ministers connected with
the denomination. _ _

BREAKING INTO A COLLIERY OFFICE.—James Hill,
- -

(36), collier, Blackheath, and Thomas Copson, (26),
labourer, Blackheath, ivtre brought up in custody,
the former on remand, and charged with burglar.
busty entering the office f the Cakernore Colliery
Company, situate near to Rowley railway sta,tinn,
and stealing therefrom an iron safe containing .212
Os 7d in cash, three £3.0 Bank of England notes,
and four cheques of tne value of £22 4s 4d —The
evidence of the various witnesses was to the effect

thet ou the night of the 27V1 ult. a clerk of the
.olliery, named Samuel Foulkes, locked up the
office, and then left secure in the iron safe therein
cheques, notes, and hard cast arn-un,ing in the
aggregate to £B5 Os 3d. The next morning a
witness named John Allsopp, who happened to be
passing the office discovered that it was open, and
subAequently a closer exa,minatioo by
showed that the door had been split open and the
brickwork around the safe removed. The sale
itself was found in a field hard by, with the tuttom
battered in, evidently with an jr u ruil which lay
near to it. The whole of the c ,ntents of the safe
had been removed, be the three £lO notes and the
cheque for £22 4s 4d, togethei with sundry papers
and books, had been left behind in the,-field by ttie
theives. Maria Bird, of Causeway Green, and
Charles Harper, a farmer, of Cakemore, boto spoke
to seeing the pris iners going in company in the
direction of the colliery, the former at half-past
seven o'clock and the later at about nine o'clock,
on the night of the robbery; and Poliee.conw able
Knowles gave e%idence as to fivaing certain clog
mat ka at the scene if the robbery, whicn caused him
to. arrest Hill whoi.. clogs exactly corre-ponded
with the clogmarlis found. When charpd he
denied being absent from home on the night in
question. In his house was found a chisel, which
fitted into indentations made on the ,filoe door
frame and other parts of the office. Cop-on was
arrested bywrolice constable Cooper, of the Stafford-
shire constabulary. He denied all knowledge of
the robbery, but almitted that he went with Hill
that night for a walk, and returned home at nine
o'clock.—The pri oners, who made no defence, were
committed for trial to the Sessions.
ASSAULT —William Tnrberville (29), labourer.
Severn Stoke, for being drunk and disorderly, and
unprovokedly assaulting Henry Rudge,
lialesowen, on the 3rd inst., was sentenced to two
consecutive terms of 14 days' hard labour.