The Stourbridge Observer, Cradley Heath, Halesowen & District Chronicle.
Stourbridge, West Midlands, England, 1881-07-02 00:00:00

OLD HILL.

DRUNKENNESS.—At the Police Court on Wednes-
day, bef, re Messrs. H. Howard, H. T. Hickman,
and H. A. Wiggan S mud l Barnsley and Solomon
Davies, of Blackheath, were fined, the former
5s an.O. costs, and the latter lOs and costs, for l,eing
drunk and disorderly. Police-constable Lightfoot
proved the case.—James Poole. rivet maker, a
Blackheath, was charged with being drunk and
disorderly on the 23rd ult. Polee-constable Light-
foot provad that defend Ant was drunk and using
bad language in Halesowen Street, Blackheath.
Defendant was fined is and costs, with the alter-
native of 7 days' imprisonment.
BREACH OF THE PEACE.—John Thompson, rivet
maker, of Blackheath, was summoned; for com-
mittincela breach of the peace by fighting. De-
fendant was bound over to keep the peace, in his
own rcognisanes of £5, for three months.
FRIUDULENTLII REMOVING GOODS Hezekiah
Allport, miner, of Old Hill, was charged with
fraudulently removing goods to avoid a distres
for rent' on the 18th ult.—He was the tenant of
i a Mr. Green and owed thelsum of ,E 5 3s. for rent.
! A notice was served upon the defendant to pay up
the rent, and give up possession, by Mr. Marsh,
of Cnerry Orchard, Ola Hill, who was aeting as an
agent for Mr. Green. The notice expired on the
20th ult, but the defendant removed his goods,
which were worth, according to Mr Marsh's state-
ment, about £2 ss.—Defendant's plea was that
Marsh told him to take the goods, and did not: say
he was to pay the money first. He also said that
the how,e was not tenantable.—The Bench male
;an order for the defendant to pay double the
amount of the value of the goods he removed.

COAL STEALING.—Tamer Oliver and Hannah
Cashmore, both ofporsty Hill, were charged with
stealing coal, the property of Messrs. Swindell and
Collis, colliery proprietors, Old Hill.—On the 21st
ult, Police-constable Lightfoot was watching on
the prosecutors premises for about ten minutes.
About 5.40. in the evening he saw the defendants
on the pit m-un.d. He caught 'Davies on the
About 50 yards from the mound he caught Cash-
more, who had got a similar quantity of coal in a
bag.—Mr. Turner, in the employ of prosecutors,
stated that hitherto the prosecutors had asked th,,
Bench to deal leniently with the coal stealers; but
in this ease they should leave it in the hands of the
magistrates to deal with them as they thought
proper, as their leniency did not seem to have any
effect.—Defendants were each fined 10e including
costs.

STEALING AND RECEIVING COAL.—Enoch Reid,
carter, living at Quarry Bank, was chargtd with
stealing a quantity of coal, the property of Thomas
Henry Astley, & Co., colliery owners, Old Hill, on
the 20th ult. Thomas Harris, shopk, epee, of
Hal s.Aven Road, Old Hill, was charged with re-
c,ivinz the same knowing it to have been stolen.—
Mr. Cooksey defended. Police-constable R-iwo
said that at 12.20. on the 23r1 tilt he was in Water-
fall Lane, Oad Hill, in plain clothes, and saw the
prisoner Reid take 4 lamps of coal, about 20Ths-
w,ight off the cart he was in charge of, beionging
t, the prosecutors, and put it into the b :ck yard
of Harri-. He thou saw INN-is take the coal
away into a hrewhouse. He followed Harris and
saw him standing against the coal in the brewhouse
Harris then denied knowing anything about the
coal. Harris's bends were black with coal dust at
the time. He reported what he had seen to Mr.
Astley who gave the prisoner into his custody.
He then charged Reid with stealing the c )al and
he replied that he kneo: he had done wrong and
would bite to beg the pardon of the Company. He
ift r wards charged Harris with receiving it know-
ing it to have been stolen and he denied having any
knowledge of it.—Mr. Astley, of the company of
Riddings Colliery, Old Hill, said he saw the coal,
and the .policeman told him what he had seen the

defendants do and he gave t'lc-m- into cus,ody on
the advice of the officrir. Ile did not wish to press
the case aldalß-1d ha I previously borne a very good
eliar.lcter and he was wiling to take him into his
employ agdin. By the C erk: He had received
complaints of the coal being short weight. Mr.
Cooksey addressed the Bench on behalf of the de-
fendants and on behalf of I arris be cont,nded
that he was not in the house when the coal was put
in the yard and that there was no case against him.
With regard to Read he as':ed the Bench to de4l
leniently as they could with him.—The Bench dis-
charged Harris, but fined Read 203.inc:uding coats;
or one month, telling him if it had not been for his
employers giving him a good character they should
have sent him to prison.
SCHOOL BoARD PROSECUTIONS. The forowing
persons were summoned for neglecting to send their
children to school and fined the sums following
their names :—Thomas Portman, Lomey Town, 5s ;
Thos. Stevens, New Town Lane, Cradley Heath. 2s
6d ; Alfred Hughes, Powke Lane, se; John
Osborne, Oldbury Road, 51; Edward Bateman,
xtosm, °Es; J osepti Anam4, Village, 5 ; Thos,
Manfield, Rowley Village, 54 ; Mr. \V. Hodgetts,
school attendance officer for the Rowley School
Board proved the ease,.
STEALING AND RECEIVING A MONEY WIDE lt.-
Arthur Stokes (9), of High Street, Cradley HP-u°,
was charged with wealinz an order for pay-ant of
money, the property of Rowland Priest 4hopke,per,
of High Street, Cradley Heath, 0. the 9,h ult
Hannah Stokes, the moths.- at the boy, was then
charged with receiving the same knowing it to have
been stolen.—The wife of prosecutor said that she
obtained a Post Office Order on the 9th ult., for
£2 15s 3d. and was going to send it to wiliiam
Lowe, Longton, she placed it on the counter in her
shop, in au envelope with two bills, about 6.40.
About five minutes afterwards sh,-; missed ik. The

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boy came in the shop during that time begging,
S next saw the order on Slurday last when itwas
shown to her by Mr. Whitley.—Robert Whitley,
post mas'er, Cradley Heath, said that he issued the
order to Mrs. Priest on the 9th ult. He next saw
it on Saturday evening last, when it was brought
to the office by the woman about 6.30. On beitig
asked where it came from she replied that a Mrs
Priest, who used to live next d.3or to her at (-radley
Forge, and who was confine I and could not conic
out, gave it to her boy to give her to bring to the
office to receive payment for it. II! then sent for
Mrs. Priest and the woman was given in charge.
Knowing the order was stolen he stopped payment
ot it.—Police-constable Mountford, stationed at
Cradley Heath, said he went to the Post Offiee and
Mr. Whitley t-ld him that the prisoner had
brought a post office order which had ben stolen
from the shop of Mrs. Priest some time ago. He
asked her where she had it from and she replied
that her little boy gave it to her, and that a boy
who lived at Cradley Forge had given it to him.
He went to the boy's home and asked the boy if he
had given his mother any paper. He said he had
not, but had given a piece of papsr to his sister,
which he had picked up that had no writing on it.
lie (witness) then showed him the ceder and he
said that he picked it upon the door step. The
boy afterwards told him that he took an envelope
off the counter and thought it would be about three
weeks ago He also a Lid that he had hidden it:before
giving it to his mother —The Bench asked the boy
if he took the other and he said that he thought it
was a lucky bag.—Both of the prisoners pleaded
guilty. and the boy was ordered to have 12 strokes
with the birch rod. The mother was committed to
prison for one month.