The Stourbridge Observer, Cradley Heath, Halesowen & District Chronicle.
Stourbridge, West Midlands, England, 1887-02-19 00:00:00

EPITOME OF NEWS.

BRITISH AND FOREIGN.

Lieutenant-colonel Robert Watson, commanding the
Worcester Regiment, has been authorised to contradict
the report with respect to the finding of the military
court of inquiry into the fatal gas explosion at Ports-
mouth, which gained currency in the garrison, so far as
it referted to Captain and Quartermaster Brogden, to
whom no blame is attached.

A communication has been received from the Home
Secretary, stating that after careful consideration he is
unable to discover any reasons for advising her Majesty
to interfere with the due course of the law in the case
of Thomas Bloaham, now under sentence of death for
wife murder at Leicester. Bloaham is suspected of
being concerned in the murder of a gamekeeper some
years ago at Wistow, in a poaching affray.
On Saturday a large gathering of ladies and gentle-
men assembled in the Theatre Royal, Leigh, to witness
the presentation of illuminated addresses to eighty-nine
persons who had formed the exploring party after the
great colliery explosion at Bedford in August last. The
chairman of the Local Board pet:aided. and be was sup•
ported by the clergy, ministers, and gentry of the
distrkt. The proceedings were characterised by great
enthusiasm.

On Saturday morning the Cleveland steel workers'
strike terminated. A deputation of the men attended
at the emplo}ers' offices, Middlesbrough, and agreed to
accept the employers' terms, viz., an advance of 21- per
cent, for eight a eeks, by which time a basis for a sliding
scale will have been arranged.
On Saturday, before the county magistrates at
Windsor, Albert M'Kenzie was charged with obtaining
charitable contributions under false pretences. The
prisoner, who had peen arrested for similar offences in
Windsor Great Park, had also visited several magis-
trates, asl,ing for money to purchase some necessary
articles, as he had a certificate stating that he was a Et
patient for an eye hospital. He was fined 17s. 6d., or
in default 14 days' hard labour.
On Saturday Mr. A. Braxton Hicks was informed of
the death of Joha Owbal, aged 33 years, engineer on
boa d the steam-tug Richmond, stationed off Kingston
Bridge. On the night f the 9th inst. the deceased
was seen in company- with some other men drinking in
a public-house in the town, and he then had £4O in
gold in his possession. On the following afternoon
found
oon his
body was found in the Thames and only £l3 was nod
upon him.
In the Queen's Bench Division the case of "The
,2ueen v. Geneseianntedrootsht eorfs,m" ar.ripsianlgmoeur tinotstohmeeswalheaof
the reversionary
p-operty at Sydney, ended on Tuesday in the lord
(Thief Justice directing the jury to find a verdkt of not
guilty. This having been done, the defendants were
discharged.
A Convention of delegates from temperance organisa-
tions in ail parts of the country was held on Tuesday
under the auQpices of the United Kingdom Alliance at
Ese!er Hall, Sir W. Lawson the President of the
Alliance, in the chair. On the motion of Mr. John.
sten, M.P , a resolution was carried deelnring it to be
the duty of the Government to introduce without
delay, and of Parliammt to pass, a bill giving to locali-
Ves a direct veto on the liquor traffic. A memorial to
the Marquis of Salisbury in favour of the Local Optiou
B 11 was agreed to.

In the -Lower House of the Hungarian Diet th 3
Government Bill granting 7,460,000 florins for military
expenses was referred on Tuesday to a committee. In
the Lower House of the Austrian Reichsrath a bill was
introduced authorising a credit of 12,000,000 florins for
the came purpose.
Lord Wolseley distributed prizes at the Royal
Mill ary Acad( my, Woolwich, on Tuesday, c.nd after.
wards addresa.d the cadets.