The Stourbridge Observer, Cradley Heath, Halesowen & District Chronicle.
Stourbridge, West Midlands, England, 1887-03-19 00:00:00

EPITOME OF NEWS,

BRITISH AND FOREIGN.

The Queen has contributed the sum of £2OO to the
Special Fund now being raised by the Corporation of
the Sons of the Clergy for the relief of the present
distress amongst the clergy in connection with glebe
and ti:,he. The fund already amounts to nearly
£lO,OOO.
Lydia Theary, a girl of 13, was brought up at the
London Guildhall Justice-room on Saturday, charged
with attempting to commit suicide. She &rated that
she had cleaned a room, and was having her tea, when
her mother came in, took the tea away, and threw it
over the room. Thereupon the girl tried to hang her-
self, and her mother found her hanging and sent her
to the hospital. The girl was remanded to the work-
house.
At a fire which broke out on Saturday morning in A
house at Shadwell, let out in tenements, two women
were burned to death.
Judgment was delivered on Saturday in the appeal
brought by the Rev. 0. J. Reichel from the decision of
Mr. Justice North, refusing to restrain the Bishop of
Oxford from acting upon the plaintiff's resignation of
the vicarage of Sparsholt, which he desired to revoke.
Lords Justices Cotton, Lindley, and Lopes dismissed
the appeal with costs.
The trial of the action brought by the captain of the
ship Thirlmere, whose name is Smith, against Mr.
Labouebere, for libel contained in an article in
"Truth," headed "A Floating Grog-shop," concluded
on Saturday, the jury awarding the plaintiff £4OO
damages' for which amount Mr. Justice Denman gave
judginent.
The Italian Parliament was prorogued on Saturday,
and the announcement in the Chamber led to an ex-
traordinary scene of disorder.
The attempt to suppress betting men was not
successful at Auteuil Races on Sunday, although the
Police Commissary interfered. The only result hitherto
attained has been to abolish the stand.
The Prince of Wales on Saturday visited Kennington
Oval to witness two football matches in aid of the funds
of the Imperial Institute—Middlesex v. Lancashire and
the Corinthians v. Preston North End. There were some
twelve thousand spectators.
At the annual festival of the London Orphan
Asylnm, with which the Royal Family have been
closely connected since its institution reventy-four
years ago, the Prince of Wales presided on Saturday.
In response to his appeal for aid, a sum of five thou-
sand pounds was subscribed in the room.
Sir George Trevelvan, in a letter received at Kendal,
states he holds to what he said as a Unionist Liberal at
Hawick last summer, and adds: "I have never said a
word or done an action that can be tortured into
belying it. My view on the relations which ought to
exist between Great Britain and Ireland are the same
as they were, and I believe those views to be reconeil-
able with the views of the majority of the Liberal
Party."
A conference of gentlemen and ladies interested in
the extension of University Teaching will be held in
Oxford on Wednesday and Thursday, April 20th and
21st. The Bishop of London will take the chair at the
first, and Dr. Percival at the second meeting of the
Conference, which will be brought to a close by a lun-
cheon in Bal'iol College Hall, at which the Matter of
Bailiel will preside.
Sir Michael Hicks-Beach returned to 11. Dowing-
street, on Saturday afternoon, from Basingstoke (pre-
, paratory to his departure for Germany) after a week's
I absence from town. His health is stated to have much
improved and his sight is better, the dimness from
which he suffered having proved only temporary in its
character. _ _ _

The Queen has approved the appointment of Major
and Lientenant-Oolonel M. S. Bell, V.C., RE., to be
an Aide de Camp to her Majesty, with the brevet rank
of Colonel. Her Majesty has also approved the
appointment of Colonel J. Goldie to be an Assistant
Adjutant and Quartermaster General._
At Portsmouth on Saturday Henry Samuel Stallard,
57, a labourer, was charged with attempting to murder
his wife. The parties had been married for nearly forty
years. On the 10th inst. the prosectitrix summoned
the prisoner, who had deserted her, before the magis-
trate, and obtained a maintenance order. On her return
home the prisoner threatened he would do for her, and
went away. Returning next morning, and saying that
he had come to finish up, he procured the iron handle
of a fire-shovel, with which be struck her twice on the
forehead. Then, repeating his threat to "do for her,"
be dealt her a severe blow on the head with the
weapon, inflicting a contused wound. A severe struggle
ensued, during which the prisoner struck her with his
fist, and pushed his knees into her side while she was
on the floor. The prisoner was remanded.
At Chester on Saturday the Duke of Westminster.,
In' the presence of the Duchess, the Bishop of Chester
the Mayor of Chester' and most of the medical men and
leading citizens of the city and county, presented
Dr. Waters, of Chester, with his portrait, by Mr. Frank
Holl, and a cheque for £298, in recognition of his public
and private worth. Dr. Waters is one of only four
recipients of the gold medal of the British Medical
Association, given for distinguished services. In his
case it was presented for his long-continued and self-
denying services in the cause of medical reform.
Early on Saturday morning a goods train from
Glasgow came into collision with a mineral train on a
branch single line of the North British Railway, near
Lenzie Station. One stoker was killed instantaneously
and several others were injured, and had there been
any passengers the results would have been most
disastrous. Both locomotives were damaged seriously,
and many waggons were utterly smashed. The collision
is said to have been due to a misunderstanding in sig-
nalling.
At St. John the Baptist's Church, Liverpool, on
Sunday, the Vicar, the Rev. Mr. Herring, walked into
the church bearing a lighted taper, and lighted the two
candles on the Communion table. The churchwardens
rose from their seats, and stepping over the rails blow
out the candles and retired. Shortly afterwards the
curate struck a match and relighted the candles, which
were again extinguished by the wardens. The service
then proceeded without further interruption.
Just after morning service at the Congregational
Chapel at Wimborne, on Sunday, smoke was seen
issuing from the windows and roof in great quantities,
and shortly afterwards flames burst forth. The fire
brigade was soon on the spot. but before the flames
could be gut under the galleries and a portion of the
roof was destroyed. The organ was seriously damaged.
The origin of the fire is supposed to be the overheating
of a flue used for warming the chapel.
Information was received at Newcastleean-Tyne on
Saturday that the London Committee of the Amalga-
mated Society of Engineers have intimated to the
members of the Society that they cannot be members
of the National Labour Federation and retain their
membership of the Engineers' Society. This decision
will be appealed against at the General Council of the
Engineers' Society, as a large number of members have
already joined the National Labour Federation.
At Leicester on Saturday three men, named Thomas
Pearson, William Wright, both of Manchester, and
Henry Bentley, of Bradford, were charged with card,.
@harping on the Midland Railway. Detective Harrison
saw the men enter a carriage where was a young gentle-
man. The detective entered also, and daring the
journey from Derby to Leicester, the young man was
duped of over £7. The men were each sentenced to
three months' hard labour.
The first consignment of Portuguese oysters received
this season has just been laid upon the grounds of the
Whitstable Oyster Fishery for fattening. Great prea
paiations have been made for the receipt and deposit
of the millions of French oysters which are to be laid
on these grounds daring the spring. More favourable
weather, however, is required to make the operations a
success.
A meeting was held at Grimsby on Tuesday to cars
eider the advisability of establishing a marine fish
hatchery and aquarium in connection with the National
Fish Culture Association. It wall reported that Sir
Edward Watkin, on behalf of the Railway Company,
had offered a piece of land at Oleethorpes and a donation
toware's the buildings. Mr. Oldham Chambers the
Fecretary to the National Society, explained the objects
of the proposal, and stated that Grimsby had been
approved over other ports on the east coast as best
adapted for a fish-hatching institution. A resolution
app-oviug the proposal was adopted.
Admiral Field, M.P., and Viscountess Hampden took
part on Tuesday in a meeting of the Eastbourne Branch
of the Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals.
Mr. Shenstone, High Sheriff of Sussex, wrote declining
all further support of the society, because he bad been
convicted and fined, and had received letters expressing
indignation from all parts of the country. lie coul d
not countenance a society the officers of which showed
more zeal than judgment. Miss Hall, the local secre-
tary, said she hoped the fact that Mr. ShenBtoio was
convicted, although he was Sigh Sheriff, would prove
that the society worked irrespective of persons.
The South Staffordshire coroner resumed the in-
quiry on Tuesday respecting the death of Savah
Painter, a domestic servant, who had been found
poisoned. Medical evidence showed that the deceased
cyanide of potassium. She was
near her confinement.
, had been poisoned by The police stated that the de-
'
' ceased had no acquaintance, and no information could
be obtained where the Poison was purchased. The
coroner said the avidence was far from satisfactory.
The jury returned a verdict of "Suicide during tem-
porary insanity,' and directed the police to make fur-
ther inquiries respecting the poison.
A notorious coiner, named William Day, alias Read,
alias Croft, alias Smallwood, was charged at Leiceater
on Tuesday with uttering two counterfeit sovereigns.
The coins were remarkably good imitations, and were
only detected on presentation at the bank. When
apprehended the prisoner had 14 counterfeit florins in
his possession. He has undergone sentences of five
and seven years' penal servitude, convictions being re-
corded at Birmingham, Warwick, Banbury, and other
places. He was committed for trial.
At the Chester Board of Guardians on Tuesday, the
clerk read the following letter: "No. 1914, Private
William Hall, C. O. Company, North Staffordshire
P.egiment, Whittington Heath Barracks, Lichfield. I
write a few lines to you, if you will take it into con-
sideration, I would like you gentlemen to put me in
public print, as I want to get married. I would like
to Fettle down in life, and would make a good husband,
as lam in possession of £5OO. It would not make any
difference to me if she was a widow. If she would
send her photograph, and she suited me, I. would send
her mine.
I think of going into business in the dairy
line. I would have no objection if she is no older than
35. My age is 39.—1 remain, yours. Wm. HALL." The
Board came to the conclusion that they were unable
to help the applicant to the selection of a wife.
At Wednesbury, on Tuesday afternoon, Charles
Cartwright, traveller, of Sheffield, was committed for
trial for stealing hinges, valued at £5, the property of
his employers, Messrs. Field and Johnson. The
prisoner pleaded for forgiveness, and the prosecutor
continued to employ him. A few days afterwards the
prisoner despatched goods to various towns, but-stopped
delivery at railway stations, and then appropriated the
goods to his own use He subsequently absconded, and
was arrested at Sheffield.
The Board of Trade inquiry into the circumstances
connected with the alleged running down of the fishing
boat Annie, of Portsoy, by the steam trawler, St.
Clement, of Aberdeen, concluded on Tuesday. The
court held that the master was in default, and that the
mate was not le default. The master's certificate was
suspeived for nine months. The mate'a humane con-
duct was commended.