The Stourbridge Observer, Cradley Heath, Halesowen & District Chronicle.
Stourbridge, West Midlands, England, 1887-09-10 00:00:00

FANATICISM AT BRIGHTON.

Considerable interest was manifested at Brighton
on Monday in a case at the police-court in which a
member of the Army of the Lord (a peculiar sect,
who have for a long time carried on their services at
the Assembly Hall, in Edward-street), calling himself
" Elisha " was summoned for assaulting a clerk
named William Henry North, of 33, Cologne-road,
Wandsworth, who has been staying in Brighton a
short time. Of late, several persons, including Mr.
Bradlaugh, the well-known evangelist, have com-
plained of being assaulted at the hall, but no sum-
monses had been taken out, as the injured parties
were unable to identify their assailants. Mr. North,
however, as soon as he was assaulted, called in police
assistance, and so was able to identify the defendant,
whose real name is Walter Knott. That name,
though, be told complainant was dead, and the Lord
had given him his new name of " Elisha." The evi-
dence in regard to the assault was that Mr. North went
to the Asseoobly Hall, and after he had been sitting
there about an hour listening quietly to the service, a
woman, supposed to be "under the power of the
spirit," danced down the room and told some young
men to go out, as they were full of devils. Turning
to complainant she said he was very full of devils,
and that he was a traitor and a spy. She accord-
ingly ordered him to go out, and on his inquiring the
reason two members of the army said, "Because the
Lord has commanded it." He then started to leave
the hall, but on his turning round to remonstrate
with a man for putting his hand on his shoulder,
" Elisha " rushed forward, and seizing him by the neck
and under his legs, threw him into the corridor out-
side of the hall, where another member of the army Pi°
knocked him against the wall and struck him et
several times on the head. The facts of the le
case were corroborated by policemen. The defen-
dant called'no witnesses, and only said in defence that =
he used no unnecessary violence. This statement
was received with loud hisses from the public in
court, the army being an unpopular body in the -
town. The Bench said it seemed to them that the
defendant had acted with great haste and most an-
necessary violence, and they fined him 40s. and costs,
or 14 days' hard labour. The sentence was received
with loud applause. " Elisha "declined to pay the fine.
At the conclusion of the case another man obtained
a summons against "Isaac," another member of the
army, who, it was stated, struck the applicant on the -
cheat when he tried to get into the ball; whilst an,
aged man complained that immorality was practised
at the hall, and that his daughter had been up to the
place. He added that iron bars and a net and a
"fellow in red" had been put at the gate to prevent
him from entering the place. It may be mentioned
that several proa.inent members of the army were in
court, and when they left they were freely hooted at
by a large concourse of people, and mud and stones
were thrown at them. On Sunday, too, there were
disturbances outside the hall owing to persons being
refused admittance, and stones and other missiles
were thrown at the building.

About tiU sheep nelonging to Mr. Pain, farmer, of
Frilsham, Berke, have died within the last few days,
and it is believed that poisoning is the cause. A
number of other sheep on the same farm are in a bad
state.

Toe annual Tweed Commissioners' meeting was held
at Berwick on Monday. Sir William Crossman (chait-
man) said it was not likely that any legislation affect.
big the Tweed would be passed this or next year.
Since 1880 the diseased fish taken out of the river had
weighed 327 tons, and would have been worth £45,000
if in a healthy condition. The annu Al tax of 20 per
cent. was imposed.

The expenses incurred by Mr. Evelyn Ashley. the
unsuccessful Unionist candidate at the recent election
in the Bridgeton Division of Glasgow, were on Monday
lodged at £754 16.8 d. Thedetails are: returning officer's
fee, £111; the candidate's personal expenses, t3';
agent's and clerks' fees, £192; punting, £248; postal
and telegrams, £49; halls and committee rooms, £5B;
miscellaneous, £52; disputed claim, £l5.
The Earl of Lonsdale has announced s reduction of
15 per cent, in the rents of his large farms in the
North-West of England, to be in force for the next
three years.
At West Bromwich, on Monday, John Amos Cowles,
of the Twelve Bells and William Oox, of the Lodge
Tavern, West Bromwich, were each fined £25 for
defrauding the Revenue by adding sugar to some
ale, thereby altering the gravity four degrees. The
amount to which the Excise would be defrauded was
about 6d. in each case. It was stated that the sugar
was added to produce a good head.
On Monday morning a man named William Ward,
son of a grocer, while bathing at .Roker, Sunderland,
got out of his depth, and being carried away by the
tide, was drowned. The body was recovered an hour
after the occurrence. A publican of Waterford, named
Britton, was drowned while bathing in Tramore Bay
on Sunday evening. The hody was recovered by some
fellow battters, but efforts to.. restore animation
were, without effect. A. private of the BordevitiVi-
ment, just drafted to Alderney, while bathing on
Saturday, was drowned. The deceased and two com-
rades, it is stated, broke out of barracks to go bathing.
A farm labourer, named James hummerstone, 59
years of age, was knocked down and killed by a goods
train on Monday morning when passing over a level
crossing on the Great Northern Railway, near Hefting-
fordbury Station. He was crossing from one field to
another with a plough and pair of horses when a train
came suddenly around a curve and ran over him. He
was terribly injured, and died directly afterwards. The
horsea..escape_d unhurt.