The Stourbridge Observer, Cradley Heath, Halesowen & District Chronicle.
Stourbridge, West Midlands, England, 1872-07-13 00:00:00

Alisallantous lintettiguitt,

HOME, FOREIGN, AND COLONIAL.

ANOTHER SCENE IN A CHURCH.---The Bishop
of Winchester has inhibited the Rev. Mr. Wilkins, of
Swanmore Isle of Wight, for kissing his stole in the
pulpit of St. Michael's Church, Southampton, on the
occasion of the re-opening a few days since, and his
lordship has also called upon the Rev. F. M. Gregory,
the vicar, to offer explanations as regards the use of
incense and the performance of other practices contrary
to the Rubric on the same occasion. There was another
scene at the church on Sunday evening. The Rev.
Herbert Smith, who publicly protested at the opening
festival against what he had seen, had taken his
seat in the centre aisle, and on the entrance of the
vicar he rose and sail he felt it to be his bounden duty
to expose him." What," said Mr. Smith, "is to be
done with you who set at defiance the authority of the
bishop and churchwardens ? People ought to leave
the church." The rimr endeavoured to remove Mr.
Smith, but he, notwithstanding a great disparity of
age between the two, resisted stoutly and a policeman
Iwas st,!l for and e. " Youa"lsaid the rev, gentle-
i man,
.; directlY!' and he then the Terclane
Ally you

MR. RUSKIN • AND THE VIITETLINE. - MT.
Ruskin must have been in an unhappy frame of mind
on the 2'3rd of June, when he wrote the following lines
from Venice, for publica.ion in the current number of
"Fors Clavigera ' "I can't write this morning,
because of the accursed whistling of the dirty steam
engine of the omnibus for Lido, waiting at the Quay
of the Ducal Palace for the dirty population of Venice,
which is now neither fish nor flesh, neither noble nor
fisherman—cannot afford to be rowed, nor has strength
nor sense enough to row itself; but smokes and spits
up and down the plazetta all day, and gets itself
dragged by a screaming kettle to Lido next morning,
to sea-bathe itself into capacity for more tobacco.
This miacruble mob, whieh has not brains enough to
know so much as what o'clock it is, Or sense enough
as much aa to go aboard a boat without being whistled
for like doe, choking the sweet sea air with pitch-
black smoke, and tilling it with entisely devilish noise,
which no properly bred human being could endure
within a quarter of a mile of them--that so they may
be sufficiently assisted and persuaded to embark, for
, the washing of themselves, at the Palace Quay."
A LADY PAROCHIAL INSPECTOR.—A subject
I that is likely to awaken a good deal of interest in circles
where women's rights are discussed is at present under
public colaideration in the euunty of Orkney, and has
already been matter for remark in the House of Com-
mons. On the death of the late inspector of poor for
the parish of Stronmese the Parochial Board met and
unanimously appointed the daughter of the late in-
spector, who had been de facto the inspector during her
lather's illness, to the vacant office. The appointment
WAS duly intimated to the Board of supervision at
Edinburgh, who deelared Miss Corsten ineligible, and
dismissed her. Against this decision the local Board
appealed, and directed the attention of the Edinburgh
Board to the fact that by the interpretation clause of
the Poor Law Act the word " man " includes both
sexes. The Board, however, insisted on obedience to
their decision and called on the Stromness Board to
appoint a suitable inspector. They accordingly met
on Friday, and after full consideration, unanimously
appointed the same lady, calling on the Edinburgh
Board to show the clause in the Act which disqualifies
her. The matter thus rests.

DEATH FROM SUFFOCATION.— On Friday morn-
ing, in last week, two men, named George Burges and
William Iles, two boiler makers, who were working at
Messrs. Batler and Co.'s tar and resin distillery, at
Crew's-bole, Bristol, met with their death in a some-
what singular way. They were engaged in repairing
the interior of a resin still, and had been working in
the vessel for six days, but on Friday morning they
did not make their appearance at the usual hour for
breakfast. Search was made for them, and the two
unfortunate men were discovered sitting on the bottom
of the still, apparently asleep, but quite dead. A
candle was burning near them at the time, and no
noxious vapour was pereeptible In the still at the time
they were found. An inquest was held on the bodies
on Saturday, when medical evidence was given that the
poor fellows had died from suffocation, but caused by a
somewhat singular condition of the atmosphere of the
shed in which the still was situate. It seemed that the
temperature on the top of the vessel was very high-
-103 degrees Fahrenheit—while upon the ground it was
only 78 degrees, and inside thy still It stood at 84
degrees. The consequence of this state of things was
that there was no circulation of the atmosphere, for
the air in the still being of more specific gravity than
that above, did not rise through the man-hole of the
vessel, and the air near the ground being heavier still
could not ascend through the aperture in the bottom
of the still. The air within becoming gradually charged
with carbonic acid gas, exhaled from the lungs of the
two unfortunate men, they Were suffocated thereby.
The jury returned a verdict in accordance with the
medical evidence.

GUNPOWDER IGNITED BY THE SDN'S RAYS,
—On Tuesday evening an explosion, which happily
wanot accompanied with its usual grim companion,
death, occurred in Lichfield-street, Birmingham. A
sun-finisher, named \Yadkin, was employed in extract-
ing powder and shot frotn a qtantity of old "Spencer
repeating cartridges," which had been in his possession
for along period. He performed the operation in a
garret, which was used an a workshop. The powder
of about 50 or 60 of the cartridgas was put into a
basin, which was placed on a table opposite the
window. Walton was standing near this basin, en-
gaged with the cartridges, when the sun, which had
been rather powerful during the day, and, although
evening, was then reflecting its rays into the room,
ignited the powder, anit it consequently exploded.
Warton wits severely burnt on his face and arms, and
was conveyed to the General Hospital. Fortunately,
there was not a large quantity of powder in the basin,
or the consequences might have been more serious.
Beyond a few panes of gam being blown out, am! the
coiling of the room being discoloured and damaged.
little or no injury was done.
THE "CLAIMANT" AT TOE EAST-END OF
LONi3ON.—Oh Saturday a meeting was held in a field
adjoining the Glengall road, Isle of Dogs, under the
auspices of the Poplar arid Isle of Dogs' Fichborne
Defence Fund Committee, for the purpose of support-
ing the Claimant in his forthcoming trial. The
Claimant, wis, WEES aTemn ph :lied by Mr. On .1 .w,
and Mr. Whalley, 111. P., was met at Aldgate by his
Eaat-end friends, and accompanied by two bands' was
conveyed it a carriage drawn by a pair of grey horses
to the place of meeting, where the chair WAS taken by
Mr. Ilipperson. There were between 2,000 and 3,000
persons present. Miss Blackburn, a little girl of some
Rix or seven years old, presented a bouquet of flowers
"to Sir R. Tichborne, as a small token of esteem from a
few lady admirers in the Isle of Dogs." The meeting
having beets Addressed by the Claimant, Mr. Onslow,
and Serjeant Kennedy, of the Carbineers, who said he
recognised the Claimant as Roger Tichborne, the fd-
living resolution was tmaniul lu.ly adopted I—" That
this meeting is of opinion that the Claimant is Roger
Charles Doughty Tichborne, and ix of opinion that the
counsel connected with this case had not done their
.duty." A resolution was also agreed to disapproving
the spending the public money on behalf of the prose-
cution. The pro_eedings termiaated with the usual
vote of thanks to the chairman. IThe "Claimant,"
accompanied by Mr. Whalley, M.P., reached New-
castle on Monday afternoon, when he WAS cheered by
thousands of people, vie, crowded the railway station
and neighbouring streets, and the pressure was so
meat that damage was done to the carriage and other
property.

A 6/ ESTiON OF GREAT IMPORTANCE.—In the

- --- --
Court-of Queen's Bench the c Anse of "Best r. Slap"
has been tried, and was an action of a novel cha-
racter which involved a question of considerable
importance to both lodging-house keepers and people
seeaing ehano of air for invalid members of
their families. The plaintiff was a lodging-house
keeper, residing at Eastbourne, and his house was
managed by his wife. The defendant resided in London.
It appeared that certain members of the defendant's
family were suffering from scarlet fever, and he took
lodgings in the plaintiff's house without stating that
fact. After the family were in occupation the plaintiff's
wife and three of their children were taken id of scarlet
fever, and two of the children died. This action was
brought to recover compensation in damages for the
cape-flee the plaintiff had been put to in medical atten-
dance, &e., and the cost of the funerals of the two
children, as well as for loss sustained by him in his
business as a lodging-house keeper from the fact of its
being known that scarlet fever had been in the house.
When the action was brought the defendant demurred
to the declaration, but on argument the Court held
that the action would lie. The Jury ultimately re-
turned a verdict for the plaintiff—Damages £l2O, with
leave to move on bothsides.

CONSUMPTION OF VITALS.— Here, at Mid-
summer, are coals at from twenty-eight to thirty
shillings a ton ! Is it not time tor us to consider how
much longer we can continue to light the world with
gas, supply the world's steam engines with fuel, and
at the same time afford domestic fires? M. Thiers
proposes to denounce the Commercial Treaty with
England. Might not we as well begin to think of
denouncing the exportation of coals?—Punch.

A SCENE AT A LONDON POLICE-COURT.—At
the Bow-street Police court, Charles Bentley and Ann
Perry were charged with violently assaulting Jane
Stanley, a ballet girl. The prosecutrix had given evi-
dence in a charge of felony preferred against the male
prisoner's brother, who was remanded for a week.
Both the prisoners had threatened the prosecutrix
before the case was beard, Perry declaring that
" she would take her natural life" if she appeared
in court as a witness. At the close of the ex-
animation the prisoners waited outside, and Miss
Stanley hail searcely gone five yards from the steps
of the court when the female prisoner rushed noon her,
dragged her down by the hair of the head to the pave.
scent, while the prisoner Bentley, calling the witness "a
false-swearer," kicked her three times in the face
and body, and was in the act of kicking her again
in the most savage manner, when he was pounced upon
by the police and prevented doing further mischief.
An elderly woman was also bruised in the attempt
to save the prosecutrix, whose face was sadly dis-
figured by the assault upon her. Three witnesses
to the assault tv, re examined, and the only defence
set up by Bentley was that he was at times very
excitable, owing to a sun-stroke which he once
had, and that he was sometimes dangerous to
himself and others in consequence. The Magis-
trate said that both the prig ners had previously threat-
ened the young woman with violence, by way of in-
tinklating her and preventing her from performing a
public duty, and the assaults which followed were the
result, therefore, of a deliberate design. This was a
very serious offenoe, deserving the most serious punish-
ment. The plea set up by the male prisoner was inad-
missible, for he was perfectly conscious of what he
was doing on Saturday, having evidently concerted
with his paramour to commit the assault; and if he had
succeeded in kicking the prosecutrix a fourth time, in
the cowardly manner described by one of the police-
constables who witnessed the attack, it was impossible
to say what might have been the result. The prisoner
Bentley was then committed to four mouths' hard
labour, and ordered to find one surety in £5 to keep the
peace fora further period of six months, at the expira-
tion of his term of imprisonment. The other prisoner,
Perry, was committed for two months.

CHARGE OF ASSAULT. —On Saturday, at the
Brentford Petty Sessions, Mr. Augustus Mayhew, the
author, residing at Twickenham, was summoned by a
woman named Eliza Davis, the holder of a pedlar's
certificate, for an assault committed on the rith June.
Complainant said she was a licensed hawker, and went
to the defendant's house to offer some flowerstands for
sale. The defendant came to the door and said "Be
off; you base no business here, annoying people."
She said she had a right to come, and held a protection
(meaning her certificate) in her pocket. He then
took hold of her and threw her down in the road.
Mr. Mayhew, in his defence, admitted taking the com-
plainant up in his arms and carrying her to the road-
way. having been deeply provoked. He had pre-
Yionely answered her three times, and she refused to
take "No " for an &nester. She said she could come as
often as she pleased with her certificate. Defendant
also complained of the number of times a day he was
interrupted in his studies by persons calling at his
house, and said he had as many as 38 persons in oneday.
He now produced a list, which read thus :—" Rags or
bones," Crockery,'" Sixpence a peck, peas," Fine
young rabbits," "Roots All a.lolowing, all a-growing,"
"C, ochet, mats, slippers, writing paper," &c. The
Ch -man here stated that the Bench being satisfied
‘4nybewhad twednounnecessaryviolence, diemiraed
mk mucous, mai he cautaceuel the complainant.

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RATHER A Comma bowx.—The Boston Tra-
veller of the 20th printed an awful account of how the
Hon. Theophilus Burr was knocked down in North.
square by a man with sislung-shot or sand-bag. Com-
ments were added upcn the safety o life in Boston
and the elllcienq of the police. The Boston Herold of
the next day had the following damper s—'• An inves-
tigation into the reported attempt to rob the lion.
Theophilus Burr shows that he was accidentally struck
on the head by a loaf of bread with which two boys
were pias ing, and that no attempt was made at rub-
bery." Rather a coming down, that !
How (IF YOU HAVE IMAGINATION) You CAN
KEEP COOL TIIIS WEATHEIL—Iee the thermometer.
Punch.

A HEARTLERS BIGAMIST. —At the Central
(lricuinal Court, in Loinioh, datnes Wilcock, aged 31,
ha a pleaded guilty to two charges of bigamy. Tha
following are the particulars of the ease:— .

Mr Straight, who appeared for the prosecutl m, stated
that this was a Very aggravated case The prisoner was a
telegraph clerk, and was married first In Ineff. Stbsennently
Ire made the aceualtitamn of a respectable young woman,
whom he married, and whom he induced to accompany him
to Jamaica, and she had had one child by him. Ile returned
from Jamaica in about twelve months, and he next paid
his addresses to the niece of a clergyman, who hail an
i11..1110 of £4O in her own right. Ile asked her to marry
him, and stated that he had an appointment at Cal-
cutta, and that be was raising money to take him there
on his annuity of £7O a year. which he received from the
Post-office on the transfer of the telegraphs to that depart-
ment. The young lady refused to marry him unless some of
his relatives were present at the ceremony, and the prisoner
induced a 3 oung man to represent himself as his brother, but
after the marriage the young man informed the bride of the
deception, and the uncle at whose house the ceremony had
taken place followed them to the station and took his niece
from under the charge of the prisoner. To enable him to
carry out the third marriage the prisoner had borrowed £1.5
under false pretences from the second wife's brother —The
Recorder said he agreed with the learned counsel that it was
a singularly. aggravated case, and sentenced the prisoner to
' seven years penal servitude.
THE WHISKY PREFERRED !—A veteran who
has fought for his country on many a bliody field in
one of our Highland regiments, and had almost lost
the use of his eye-sight on the burning sands of Egypt,
was induced by his friends some time since to apply to
a humus eye doctor. Like many of his class, the
worthy old soldier dearly loved his glass, and on apply-
ing to the man of me&eine was informed that his
sight would soon be restored, only that he must not
drink any more whisky, otherwise the cure would not
avail. The soldier, orpensioner, was silent a moment,
and then quietly remarked, " Wee!, wed, sir, an' that
be the price of the cure, I'll just be daein without it ; I
am floe gaun to lose the me o' the wa's for the sake o'
the windows."

FAILURE IN THE FRUIT ORCHARLS IN TEE
SOUTH.—The apple orchar is and fruit gardens in
Surrey and adjoining counties present an unfavourable
appearance this summer. Many apple trees are quite
without fruit, and others will produce a short crop.
Pears make a better show, although the crops are
partial. Currents are remarkably scarce, especially
red and white, and many cottagers and small fruit
growers will sustain a considerable b.ss by the failure
of their crops. Damson trees at present look prumi,-
bag for a yield of fruit; and there is a good show for
cobnuts and filberts, but the fruit crops in general in
the southern counties, are greatly below a fair average
cr.'''. The wild brambles have bloomed will for a crop
of blackberries.

A hATER Oie Inn toiw.—A most extra-
ordinary scene occurred in the police-colift of Mornant,
Rhone, on Friday in last week. The proceedings
were about to commence when a man named Bittaud,
a locksmith, srablerly presented a revolver at the head
of M. Metayer.Descombes, inayet ef the town, and
tired. The intended victim had seen the moVement,
turned the weapon aside, and escaped with a slight
wound on the little finger. The assailant was imme-
diately seized, and upon him was found a second
revolver, a pistol loaded to the muzzle, and a large
knife, recently sharpened. When taken to the station
he coolly declared that he entertaintd a deep hatted of
all administrators of justice in general, and particu-
larly of the mayor.
HIBERNIAN HIBERNATION. According to
Lord kim'serley, Fenifsnievo is now in a state of sus-
pended animation. Would it were squelched, entiiely,
the reptile. An Irishman might ray that the Iris!:
Snake was only Scotched ; but let us not, even in
teen, word, insult a loyal and reasonable people.
Punch.

FATAL EXPLOSION ijD Filist.—A dreadful ex-
plosion odcurred on Tuesday afterrmon at Tradiston
Flour Mills in Glasgow, situated on It 2 totth banh of
the Clyde, and occupied by Messrs. Muir and Sons.
At the time the accident happened the works weie in
full operation. About 20 persons were engaged in the
mills, and about 30 in the buildings connected with
them. At first it woo supposed that the terdlers had
given way, but subsequent inquiry allotted that the
disaster had arisen in connection with some portioh of
the machinery—probably thi toill stones. which were
of great power, and liable to explosion trom excessive
friction. The concussion was so great that the front
and back walls of the grain nail were completely
blown nut, anti the interior was reduced to a heap of
stones and metal. A h"rsp yolto To a lorry in the
street was killed, and one cab horse teith its driver
made a miraculous escape. A dreadful fire followed
the explosion. The damage done to the buildings and
the stock is estimated at fully I:70,000, and is covered
by insaranct. Twelve persons are known to have
been more or less maimed; 10 others—nine men, three
boys, and one girl—are missing, and ate believed to
have lost their lives.
A HINT TO AUTHORS AND OTHEM—M. de
Villemessant, the editor of Figaro, relates an anecdote
of a distinguished orator which reminds us of MoliCre
reading his play* to his old servant, and a somewhat
similar custom adopted by Sir Walter Scott Berry,
used, also, to say that, when he was addressing the
Chamber, instead of seeking to make an impression on
deputies, and endeavouring to gather the effect of his
oratory by studying the faces of his colleagues, he was
in the habit of searching out the least intelligent per-
son in the tribunes, and watching to see if he com-
prehended him. and he was only satisfied when he had
created an impression on this unpromising subject.
A celebrated actor used to follow the same plan ; he
would also select sfilile particular persons in boxes or
stalls and exert his talents to make them laugh or weep.