The Stourbridge Observer, Cradley Heath, Halesowen & District Chronicle.
Stourbridge, West Midlands, England, 1881-05-28 00:00:00

OLD H.ILL.

THE FALL OF A NAILSHOP —OH Sltlird:)y morn-
ing last the Dietriet Coroner (E. Hooper Esq.)
held an enquiry at the Fox Hunt Inn, Garratt's-
lane, Old Bid, touching the death of Ruth Brookes,
aged one year and nit.e months, the daughter of
John Brookes a furnace labourer, residing in
Waggoa-a'reet, and who was killed on Thursday
by the fall of a chain and nail shop. Evidence was
adduced by deceased's mother to the effect that on
the morning of the date named she had been
woiking in ti.e nail shop, which was in Garrett's-
lane, and hid just left to go and prepare her hus-
band's dinner, when she was startld by a crash,
and returning, found that the shop had :fallen in.
A crowd had collected at the spot, and the deceased
who with an elder sister and others had been
playing about the shop, was being extricated from
b..neath the doorframe and a heap of bricks which
had fallen upon her: When extricated, Mr.
Cioulder, surgeon, who was present, pronounced
her to be dead. It appeared, further, t Irit deceased's
eld,r ,isier, named Susannah was actually in the
shop when ii fell, but only sustained slight injuries
owing to the rafter, from the poation in which they
fell, having formed a protecting screen around her
—The Corner ell, ited from the mother that the
Local Board's Inspector ha I served her or her
husband with a notice to quit the house and nail ,
shop in consequen...c of the dilapidated state it waa
in. They had va,c.ited the house and gone to
live in Waggon-street, but she had continued to go
to the shop to finish some work which she had on
hand, and on this day the children had aecom-
paeled her. The landlord of the premi-,es had aho
given her and her husband notice to quit as they
had not paid any rent for twklve months.—The
Coroner poin'ed out to the mother that she ought
not to have continued working in the shop knowing
it had been condemned by the local authorities,
and said sLe was really the only person responsible
for the death of her child.—A. verdict of " Acci-
dental death" was then returned.
THE VAGARU S OF A DRUNKEN MAN.—At the
Police Court, on-Wednesday, before Messrs. Walker,
C. Holcroft and H. A. Wiggiu, Benjamin Round,
carpenter. Springfield, Rowley, appeared ta answer
a variety of charges, which included being drunk
on lite need premi-,es in the occuprvion of his father,
as-aulting his sister, Mary Davies, wilfully
damaging windows and ale measures, and threat-
ening his mother, Elizabeth Round —On the 19th
inst. defentant, whilst in a state of drunkenness,
drew some ale for himself in his fat!ter's house the
Britannia Inn, and when refused a further supply
smashed the win lows, and otherwise did damage
to the amount of 14s, The assault on his &ster con.
sisted of tearing a quantity of her hair off. He
also threatenel his mwher.—The Bench committed
klefendaet to prison for 28 days, and for the other
offences he was order, d 'o pay the costs, amounting
in the aggregate to V. 12s. 6d., or in default to be
imprisoned for another month. _

WIFE ASSA.vLT BY A TRADESMAN.-Eli Attwood,
greengrocer and provision dealer, Spinner's End,
was char:zed with ”ssaulting his wife, Rebecca
Attwood,—Mr. Homer appearedfor the complainant
and Mr. Shakespeare defended. Complainant
alleged that on the night of the 15th inst., her
husband went home and struck her in the face with
his fist, whilst she was in bed. She got up and he
repeated the b'ows.—T,,e defence was that com-
plainant aggravated the defendant and so caused
bum to assault her.—The Bench, after hearing the
whole of the evidence, intimated that they believed
a trivial assault had been committed, and fined
defendant 2s. Gd. and costs.