The Stourbridge Observer, Cradley Heath, Halesowen & District Chronicle.
Stourbridge, West Midlands, England, 1873-03-08 00:00:00

In consequence of the high price of iron, a well.known
fir.n of Dundee shipowners has beea compelled to die.
pelage with the services of 150 wilkmen.

SINGULAR CHARGE OF SHOOTING.
--
Caroline Nash, 23, spinster, has been tried at Hertford, on
a charge of feloniously shooting at George nummtrland,
with latent to murder him. By other count. of the indict-
ment the prisoner was charged with shooting at the same
person with Intent to do him grievous bodily harm and to
maim and disable him.

The prisoner, who is a good looking girl, had been
eleven times summarily convicted of different offences,
such as assaults, petty larceny, an also poaching, it being
stated that the woe a remarkably good shot, and kept a
gun in the house wht re she resided with her mother,
at a place called Harmer green, in the vicinity of
Welwyn. They occupied one of three cottages',
the property of a woman named Darnell, who
retd led in the same neighbourhood, and it would
seem that the prisoner entertained an idea that she and
her mother were entitled to the property, and that
Mr,. Darnell had no right to it. The centre cottage
had been for some time shut up and on the 17th of
December Mrs. Darnell went to Harmer-green, accom
panied by her brother-in-law and some other persons,
and also the prosecutor, who is a conatable of the
Herta Constabulary, for the purpose of opening and
taking possession of the vacant dwelling. Vhen they
arrived the j risoner and her mother were outside their
cottage, and the moment the prisoner saw Mrs. Dar-
nell approaching, guessing her object, she exclaimed
that she would go and get her gun and "do for them,"
and ran into her cottage. The mother followed,
and, thinking that the prisoner intended to bring out
the gun and commit some act of violence, she shut
the door, hoping by this means to keep her in-
side and prevent mischief. The prisoner, however,
hakother intentions, for she fastened the door inside
to prevent any one from interfering with her, and then
proceeded deliberately to force out several bricks from
the party wall, and thus made a hole four or five
inches square, through which she pointed the muzzle of
the gun into the front room of the empty cottage.
After a short time bad elapsed the door of the empty
cottage was forced open; and, upon Mrs. Darnell and
the others entering the room they observed the muzzle
of the gun pointed through the hole at them, and
the prisoner, who was in a very excited state,
threatened that if they did not quit the pla,e
instantly she would shoot them. Mrs. Darnell and her
brother-in-law at once turned on one side out of the
range of the gun, and the prosecutor, who was standing
near the door of the cottages, called out to the pri-
soner, "k en would not shoot me, would you ? " The
prisoner r‘plied, " Yes ; I would shoot you or any
other— who comes in here!" And a'most at the
sameinstant she discharged the gun at him. Forte'.
'lately, he was standing in such a position that be did
not receive the full charge; but many of the shots en.

tered hie penon and hie clothes, and thsdoor nersrwhich
he was standing was riddled. The prosecutor fell to '
the ground, but luckily escaped without receistag any '
serious injury. After she had fired the gun the pri-
soner was heard to reload and ram down the charge,
and she again repeated her threat to shoot any person
who approached the place. Subsequently Mr. Hunt,
superintendent of the constabulary, amved, and be
asked the prisoner to open the door of the cottage and
let him in, at the same time inquiring whether she was
aware that she had shot the constable. She replied
that she knew she had, but she refused to open the
door, and still repeated her threats. After some time,
however, she allowed the superintendent to enter,
and he took the gun away from her and discharged it,
and the prisoner was then taken into custody.
Mr. Woollett, in his alilress to the jury on behalf
of the prisoner, endeavoured to show that her only
object was to frighten the party, and endeavour to in-
duce them to desist horn taking forcible possession of
the cottage, and that she had no intention to do the
constable any injury.
The jury, without any hesitation, found the prisoner
guilty of shooting at the prosecutor with intent to do
him grievous bodily harm.
Mr. Justice Brett then sentenced the prisoner to be
kept in penal servitude for five years.

BREACH OF PROMISE—DAMAGES £2OO.
The cause of "flail o Taylor " has been tried at Oxford,
and was an action for breach of promise of marriage.
According to the counsel's statement of the came, the
plaintiff was a spinster about thirty yr. ars old, living
with her mother, a farmer's widow, at Grimsbury ;
and the defendant wee • young tenant farmer, of the
same age, and of a poetical turn of mind, at Shipston•
on.Stour. In the latter part of 1867 the parties met
and made acquaintance at a penny reading; an attach.
mint sprang up between them, which ripened into an
engagement in January of the following year. Ihe
defendant wrote to the plaintiff in the warmest terms,
assuring her that '' he was an isolated being, and felt
himself a lonely wanderer over the face of nature ;
he now for the first time found himself a miserable
man.'

Mr. Huddleston remarked that every man was mise-
rable till he married.

Hie Lordship said Mr. Iluddleston was a leading
authority on the subject; in fact, he was the most
recent case. . . .

In another letter of the defendauee came the fol-
lowing poetical effusion

"Remember me, my dearest Nellie,
"In love remember me,
" For till this fleeting life shall end
"I will remember thee.
'lee loved thee short, I've loved thee much,
" And till this frame shall be
"Laid In the silence of the grave
"I will remember thee

'Forget thee, Sooner shah the waves
Forget and leave the sea,
"Sooner the stars forget to shine,
Than thou forgot shall be
" From your deeply-attached Jot,."
Unfortunately, before the defendant's frame had
been laid in the silence of the grave or the stars had
forgotten to shine, he was exposed to the dangerous
attractions of a cousin, and though, as Mr. Iludelleston
assured the Court, he still well remembered the plain.
tiff, he inadvertently married the Main.
After amusing speeches from the counsel on both
side., a verdict for the plaintiff was taken by consent
for RM.