The Stourbridge Observer, Cradley Heath, Halesowen & District Chronicle.
Stourbridge, West Midlands, England, 1868-03-28 00:00:00

rnE BTOI3III3RIDGE OBSERVER. -

taken. The amount recovered is about one-third the
sum lost (of which £l,OOO was in gold), and as it is pro-
bable that more may be found near the spot police-
offick•s have been stationed to keep a strict watch. •
DEATH OF A Ku-Kt.—The last of the native
kings of the Goulburn died on the first day of the year
(says the Melbourne Argus). King Charley had been
perhaps the most muscular man of his tribe when his
tribe was numerous. Ile was a great peacemaker
among his unruly subjects, and of late years, since
they had got a liking for grog, be had plenty to do in
this respect. All, however, respected him, and yielded
him implicit obedience. He died of old age, being, at
the least, seventy years old. lie had been gradually
wasting away for a month, during which time he was
quite aware of his approaching end. He viewed the
matter quite calmly, expressing a very strong desire to
be buried in a cemetery, and in a coffin. His last
wishes have been carried out, and a subscription is now
being got up to have the grave enclosed with an iron
fence. In a few more years the hI king will have all
his subjects round him, as the tribe is very fast dying
out.

IMPORTANT RELEASE.—About ten years ago Dr.
Monk, of Preston, was tried at the Lancaster Assizes,
before Mr. Baron Martin, for forgery. The amount
If money to which the forgery referred was not very
large, but the high position of. the accused gave it
cotisiderible significance, and at the time created
great excitement throughout North Lancashire. Dr.
Monk had been mayor of Preston. He was also an
alderman and magistrate of the borough, and was in
addition a deputy-lieutenant of the county of Lancaster.
He was sentenced to transportation for life. After the
trial he was removed to one of the Government prisons
in the south of England. A few years ago an effort
was Wads to obtain his release, but without success.
Recently a similar effort was made, and now Dr.
Monk, after ten years' incarceration, has been re-
leased.

DENUNCIATION OF PRESIDENT JOIINSON.—ID
the House of 'Representatives, when the articles of
impeachment were adopted, Mx Stevens commenced
a violent attack upon Mr. Johnson in the following
choice terms of tall talk :

Never was a great malefactor so gently treated as Andrew
Johnson. The people have been unwilling tit blot the records
of this country by weighing his crimes with their shame—
shame for an endurance torso long a time of his great crimes
and misdemeanours. The committee have omitted entirely
his wicked abuse of the patronage of the Government, his
corruption of the voters of the nation by seducing them
with offers of office, and intimidating them with threats of
expulsion, and for the purpose of n eking them abandon
their honest principles, and adopt the bastard policy which
lie had just conceived—a crime more heinous than that
which brought many ancients to the block. To this he stun
prompted by the sanie motive which made the angels fall.

- - -
A Tam TO JERUSALEM.—The English excur-
sionists who left Southampton the early part of last
month arrived at Jerusalem, from Egypt, on the 2nd
inst. They formed a large equestrian body as they
entered the holy city on horseback, with their mounted
dragonman and attendants. They were accompanied
by sumpter mules carrying baggage and equipage for
encampment. The excursionists were led by Captain
Gaze, the projector of the excursion. They encamped
out twice during their journey from Jaffa to Jermia-
len'. Their encampment equipage answers admirably.
The tents are impervious to the weather, the sleeping
apartments are good, and the cooks and purveyors
gave the excursionists sumptuous dinners. A herd of
gazelles which crossed the path of the travellers nearly
furnished them with plenty of venison. The wolf and
hyena were beard during the night in the distance.
The English flag was hoisted over the encampment,
and the latter was guarded at night by watchfires and
armed attendants. The weather was most delightful.

NAVAL ETIQUETTE.—It is said that his Royal
Highness the Duke of Edinburgh, being under the im-
pression that his roving commission relieved him from
the necessity of adhering to the formality of naval
etiquette, and felicitating himself thereon, went on
board in plain clothes to pay the senior officer at the
Cape a visit. Being heartily welcomed by that officer
and invited down to lunch in his cabin, the Prince was
surprised that the officer he had come to visit did not
accompany him below. "Are you not coming, too,
Captain r asked the Prince. "I can't just yet,
your Royal Highness," was the reply. "1 am waiting
to receive the captain of the Galatea." The Prince is
said to have taken the hint in good part, and, returning
to his ship, repeated his visit in the character of
captain of the Galatea. _

IN AN AWKWARD PREDICAMENT !—The Cowl
Journal has the following remarkable story :

A few days ago, a man most respectably dressed applied
at a hotel in the Rue Monfletard, in Paris, for a bedroom for
himself and two little boys, aged respectively ten and twelve
years. Ile gave his name, and stated that he was too fatigued
to go home,. in the neighbourhood of Paris, that night.
The landlord had the room prepared, and bid the gentleman
good night. Suspecting all was not right, the landlord
listened outside thedoor, and SOOII heard a voice solemnly and
emphatically saying, "Children, say your prayers, your last
hour is conic, young lambs; your blood must be shed, lain
going to Itier it up as a sacrifice to the Divinity." The
frightened hotel keeper called a policeman, they burst open
the door, found the two hops on their knees trembling and
crying; their "lather," with an inanenie knife in his hand.
Oa inquiry, the children stated that they did not know the
man ; that he met them in the street, bought theio cakes,
and asked them to accompany him. The man refused to
give any explanation, but lie is undoubtedly a lunatic es-
caped from his friends.

-
one of the ownersbf the vessel, gave a detailed account
.a Mr. Smith's services in. saving the ship and cargo,
and in bringing film safe into port. In the early part
of the %ray/age the vessel encbuntered a gale in the Gulf
of St. Lawrence, and shveral of his crew became dis-
abled through frost bites, and on nearing Cape Race
the vessel lost her rudder. She lay in the trough of
the sea some days until Mr. Smith and his crew rigged
a temporary one. It was again carried away, and
Cautain Smith rigged another. The crew got the deck
load off ; but two or three times more the rudder woe
washed away and replaced, and, notwithstanding that
the crew ran short of provisions, Mr. Smith, with
; their aid, succeeded in bringing his vessel in safety up
! to Newcastle quay.
.

A MENAGERIE ON FIRE.—A travelling mena-
gerie caught fire a few days back while on show in a
public square at Nismes. The animals became mad
with fear, and uttered cries which froze the spectators
with terror. The elephant, among others, inspired
great alarm, it being chained near a boarding which
was in flames. It was, however, extricated, and
followed its keeper quietly to a stable in the neigh-
bourhood. The different animals' cages were at length
detached from each other and removed. At one
moment a false alarm was spread that some of the
animals had got lose, and gave rise to so general a
flight that in an instant the square and adjacent streets
were empty. The fire WAR fortunately got under
without accident, and with little loss.
OUTRAGE AT GIBRALTAR. —A crime was COM-
Mitt ed this morning of a character which, owing to the
good con,hict and di,cipline of the soldiers of this gar-
rinun. has happily been of exceedingly rare occurrence
in Gibraltar (says the Gibraltar Chronicle of March 11).
A private lif the 83rd Regiment, on the Main Guard,
is reported to have deliberately levelled his rifle at and
shot Police Sergeant WalL The ball entered the
lower part of Sergeant Wall's right side, traversed
the muscles for about eight inches, and came out at
the bark, near the spine ; it then passed through the
left thigh of Mr. Pinela, who was near the spot, in-
flicting a severe lacerated wound. Sergeant Wall,
finding himself wounded, and seeing private Patrick
Maith about to charge him with lowered bayonet,
took to flight, followed by his assailant, and after pass-
ing through the coffee-room of the Wellington tavern,
took refuge in the Restaurant at the corner of Market-
lane. The soldier was arrested at the Wellington
by the (mud. Sergeant 'tVall is under treatment at
the civil hospital, and Mr. Pinela, after having his
wound dressed there, has been removed to his own
residence. The wounds of both are pronounced
"severe."

A RELIC OF BYGONE DAYS !—A wheelwright
living near the Bastille has a very extensive collection
of old cars, carts, and chains; many of the vehicles
have seen better days, and sometimes even in their
decay have a kindly purchaser (says the Court Jour-
nal). One of these old coaches, called the Salad Basket,
after having been laid up for years in an out.of.the.way
corner, is likely to see public life again. It has been
bought by the proprietors of Madame Tnssaud's
Exhibition for an additional Chamber of Horrors.
This coach had served for upwards of half a century
to convey criminals from the Palais-de.Justiee to
barriere Saint Jacques, where executions took place.
It conveyed only four passengers—a gendarme, the
executioner, a priest, and k patient. In it were Curl.
veyed the notorious malefactors Fieschi, Aliband,
Lacenaire, and Poulmann. This well.knovrn vehicle,
drawn by an old thin, broken-down horse, with three
broken bells and his guillotine trot, was well known to
the Parisians. It is said that the cousin of Sanson, the
executioner, who is a veterinary surgeon, has the old
horse stuffed. In going to the guillotine this animal
did his best to trot quickly, but after the execution
nothing could make the horse get out of a walking
pace—he persisted in his funeral march, with the
culprit's remains, to the grave.
SIMPLTEs FOR AISYSSINIA.—A letter from
Trieste, in the Wanderer of Vienna, says :

From the measures adopted by the English headquarters
In Abyssinia, a rather long campaign in that country may he
expected. We have in this town an English agent charged
with purchasing provisions for the British army. The flour
bought is packed in long and Parrow cases made for the pur-
pose, each to contain shout fifty pounds weight, in order to
be carried easily on the backs of mules. The same may be
said of hay, which is packed in email bales, for facility of
carriage. The Lloyd's steamer, which is about to leave, will
takeout a complete cargo of provisions, and the vessel which
Is to follow will have a similar charge. An English steamer
has also Just left for Alexandria, deeply laden. Abyssinia
seems likely to become for Trieste what the Cr. Ines, formerly
was. An extraordinary activity prevails in the port, and so
many steam vessels were never before seen here.

rater its birth. An undertaker was called in, who
measured the child, received his fee, and took the body
away. At that time the body was quite free fian
marks of violence. The police surgeon declared that
the rib of the child which was found fractured must
have been broken before death. From the evidence of
the doctor who was present at the birth of the child
the jury inferred that the injuries to the body had
been caused after death, and they returned a verdict
to the effect that the deceased died of convulsions.
The conduct of the undertaker, the coroner said could
not be dealt with by the jury, but nothing could, be
more reprehensible; and the case showed what
facilities such a disgraceful system gave for the dis-
posal of murdered children.

•
ACCIDENT TO A BALLET DANCER.—A serious
accident happened at Day's Concert-hall, Birmingham,
on Friday evening, The performance concludes with
a ballet divertissement, and in one of the scenes, re-
presenting "the Home of the Fairies," a number of
dancers are arranged round the stage while the prin-
cipal performs a pas seat. One of the dancers acci-
dentally touched a lamp with her wand, and the wick
falling upon the dress of another of the dancers, she
was immediately enveloped in flames. She rushed on
and off the stage, but none of the officials rendered
any assistance. A man jumped from the side gallery
On to the stage, and, pulling off his coat, enveloped
the sufferer with it, and extinguished the flames. She
was taken to the Queen's Hospital. Every particle
of clothing was burnt off her. The proprietor has
pieces of baize in water at the wings in order to lie
used in case of accident, but the men whose duty it
was to look after these matters were either absent or
neglected their duty. The unfortunate girl died on
Monday morning.