The Stourbridge Observer, Cradley Heath, Halesowen & District Chronicle.
Stourbridge, West Midlands, England, 1875-06-12 00:00:00

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NEGLECT OF WM:M.—Samuel Deeley, a farm labourer
was charged with absenting himself from his master's
service, on the 28th tilt. George White farmer proved
that he engaged the defendant to work as a farm labourer
at 10 per year, and to live in the house, on the 13th
April, and that he left him on several occastions, and he
had not been to his work since the 28th ult, and he
claimed 10s. as compensation. Defendant was ordered
to pay 10s. compensation and costs.
A WIFE BEATER.—Williim Rogers was brought up
on a warrant charged with using threatening language on
the 21st January. The evidence went to show that the
defendant had been previously fined £3 and costs, for an
assault upon his wite, and that he was bound over to keep
the peace. and that subsequently she obtained a protec-
tion order ; but the defendant, finding out where she
lived, threatened her on the above date. Complainant,
in answer to the Magistrates, said she did not wish to
press the ease. Defendant was cautioned, and ordered
to find two sureties in £lO each, himself in £2O, to keep
the peace for 12 months. The sureties not being forth-
coming, defendant was committed to Worcester for one
inonth.

AMALGAMATED MEETING OF FRIENDLY

SOCIETIES AT BRIERLEY HILL.

There has been now for some time past a move-
ment going on amongst the various Friendly
Societies of this district, with the object of pro-
testing against some remarks made by Mr. Spooner
whilst giving a decision against some members of
a friendly society at Quarry Bank, for being in a
public-house during prohibited hours; and also,
for the purpose of agitating for an alteration in
the laws regarding Friendly Societies. The case
referred to occurred in February last, and from
the facts it appeared that the individuals fined
were members of a Court of Foresters who had
been assisting at the funeral of one of their de-
ceased brethren, and were having, according to
custom, a little refreshment after the fatigue of
the ceremony. In giving his decision, Mr. Spooner
made some very strong remarks with reference to
the "drinking and guzzling" which, he alleged,
usually took place on such occasions. These re-
marks aroused considerable indignation amongst
the members of the various friendly societies in
this district, as they were felt to be totally un-
called for, and hence the present movement which,
having taken its rise in Cradley Heath, is now
being rapidly diffused over the whole district. At
the meeting at the Bell Hotel, on Monday night
last, Mr. Homer, of Cradley Heath, was elected
chairman, and Mr. Brice, secretary, pg.° tem.
The Chairman, in opening the proceedings, said
he did not know that he had anything fresh to say
on the subject. Those present knew the object of
their meeting there that evening. The movement
had originally emanated from the little town of
Cradley Heath. They had not felt the pressure
that had been brought to bear upon a neighbour-
ing friendly society by the Stipendiary Magis-
trate, but they did not know what might be the
influence of that decision—(hear, hear)—and they
wished to know whether it would not be advisable
to take some measures that might be conducive to
their benefit, and enable them to meet at their
funerals without having to submit to police super-
vision, or other disagreeable consequences. They
(the members of the various friendly societies)
looked upon themselves as a respectable body of
men, having thought for the future, and, there-
fore, making wise provision for it. People who
did not make any provision for old age or sickness
could not be looked upon as very respectable;
consequently, when a body of working men
banded themselves together for the purpose of
making this provision, they felt that they ought
to be treated as respectable men, and not looked
upon as a lot of scamps—(" hear, hear," and ap-
plause). They represented upwards of 5,000
members—he did not know how many more were
represented there that evening—and he had no
doubt their influence would be felt far and wide.
They were somewhat discouraged at their last
meeting, and after some conversation, it was deter-
mined to wait and see what sort of success at-
tended their efforts that evening, before proceed-
ing further in the matter. They had, therefore,
had that meeting called there that evening, so
that they might ascertain the views of the mem-
bers of the different friendly societies in the Bri-
orley Hill district, on the matter, and whether
they thought it was a matter of vital importance
for them to continue to agitate this question. He
considered they had a perfect right, as a respect-
able body of working men, to meet when circum-
stances required to pay the last tribute of esteem
and respecc to members of their societies without
having to be summoned before the Magistrates;
and if they were anything like Englishmen they
would not tamely submit to such injustice and in-
dignity, but would combine together to resist the
powers that be, and do away with such tyranny—
(loud applause). He really thought the laws
on which the Stipendiary acted were a terror to
doers of good works and not to those of evil, and
if they united to agitate for their removal the
stronger would be their power and their influence;
and if they took up the question manfully and
valiantly they should enlist the sympathies of not
only the members of the Brierley Hill friendly
societies, but of men outside the societies—men
of influence and of standing—and then there
could be no two opinions as to the result—(cheers).
A gentleman whom he met a short time ago said
he thought the treatment they had met with was
undeserved, and he thought they ought to have
even-handed justice meted out to them. And,
though they were working men, they knew how
to conduct themselves, and he (the speaker)
thought they ought to be allowed to conduct their
funerals without police supervision or interference.
And he thought it was hard they could not meet
together as a body of respectable men to show res-
pect to those who had been connected with them
for a number of years. If they were not permit-
ted to have a little refreshment it would be im-
possible for them to do this, as many of them had
to attend funerals from a distance, and could not
spare time to do this on any other day than Sun-
day. Then, ministers would not bury but at cer-
tain hours, and it was morally impossible for them
to meet to bestow those marks of respect on their
deceased brethren if the present law was not
altered. It was for them now to say whether they
would rally round the small oak that had, sprung
up at Cradley Heath, and see if they could not
make it a firm oak whose branches should in time
reach the farthest corner of England. He hoped
they would have a perfect unity of purpose am-
ongst them, and thus endeavour to make their in-
fluence felt far and wide, and by that influence
induce those outside to join them in helping for-
ward the good work—(applause). He thought
their next step would be to try to get some clause
or another inserted either in the Friendly Socie-
ties' Act or the Licensed Victuallers' Act that may
enable them to bury their dead in peace and corn.
fort—(cheers). He should be very glad before
any resolution was passed to hear the opinion of
any gentleman present as to whether they had
done right at Cradley Heath, and whether they
thought it would be rigth for them to continue
the agitation; and whether they were willing to
give them their patronage and support if they
continued to carry it on.

_ _
Mr. H. Walters here made a proposition to the
effect that they continue agitating the question,
and expressed a wish to have a meeting as soon as
possible, either in Stourbridge or Dudley.
Mr. Homer said he should like to have an ex-
pression of opinion from some of those present.
Mr. Mantle said the society to which he
belonged held its meetings at the Bell Hotel,
Brierley Hill, and they had delegated him to
attend that meeting; and his society was willing
to assist in defraying any expense that might be
incurred in calling those meetings. He thought the
action of those gentlemen who had taken the lead
in this affair was quite proper, and they thought
the judgment given by Mr. Spooner on the occa-
sion referred to was harsh and arbitrary in the
extreme. Whilst ha was hearing the case he
stated that persons who were convicted of similar
offences should be dealt with summarily and
sharply. Why was this? What was their crime?
Was it because they had been paying the last
tokens of respect to a deceased brother that they
should be thus treated. An article in a local
paper had said the decision was quite right. The
writer of that article, which was in the Brierley
Hill Advertiser, said, .1 We have a good deal of
sympathy with these remarks of the learned
Stipendiary." He (the speaker) did not think
they deserved any sympathy at all—(hear, hear).
If he (the writer of the article referred to) had
any sympathy, he should have had it with the
poor working men who had been fined—(applause).
He (the writer of the aforesaid article) said that
instead of going together to a public-house to
have libations of beer and food, they ought to
have gone home with the beautiful church service
ringing in their ears. He (the speaker) did not
think it was probable that men who had had no-
thing to eat would be likely to devote much time
to the contemplation of the beauties of the
church service. He had been a long time a mem-
ber of friendly societies, and had frequently at-
tended funerals during that time, and he had often
had to go backwards and forwards without having
had anything to eat. He wished to know what
sort of a position were they in to ruminate over
the beautiful service of the Church of England.
As their Chairman had said, they were a respect-
able body of men, and many of their members held
responsible positions in the various works • in the
neighbourhood. How very inconvenient it would
be for such persons as mill rollers to take part in
funerals on week days, for the work would have
to stop; and it was, therefore, much more conve-
nient to have their funerals on Sundays; and he
did not think there should be any restrictions on
them, or that they should be subjected to so much
annoyance and supervision—(applause). It was
rather late to take action in this matter, because
the case was tried in February last, but it was not
too late to get a clause inserted in the Friendly
Societies Act. Mr. Sheridan, their member of
Parliament, had said the people of Brierley Hill
were very contented, for they never had either a
complaint or request to make to him. He thought
they ought to send to him to get a petition presen-
ted to Parliament, with the object of remedying
the present defect in the law. He thought they
had friends who were capable of drawing up such
a petition, and a gentleman whom he know had
told him that he should be happy to do anything
that would forward their cause in any way—(ap.
plause). He considered it a great shame that the
gentleman of that neighbourhood did not join
those Friendly Societies. He thought gentlemen
who were in a higher position than themselves,
and were better educated than they were, ought
to give them their countenance and support, and
thus show that they appreciated their efforts to

render themselves independent of eharity or of
parish relief. He believed there was a cei:ta iu
feeling on the part of some antagonistic to those
below them in the social scale, and he believed
their Stipendiary shared in that feeling—(cheers).
Some years ago there was a poor pauper's funeral
passing down one of the streets of that place, and
a gentlemanl ooked up and said—
" Roll his bones over the stones,
He's only a pauper whom nobody owns."
And he considered the same spirit that animated
that gentleman actuated the conduct of Mr.
Spooner, or else he would not have been so harsh
to them—(great cheering). He assured the chair-
man and those who had taken the matter in hand
that the society to which he (the speaker) be-
longed would give them all the help they could in
this movement, both in money and in every other
way in which it lay in their power tco do so. He
considered that the sooner there was united action
amongst friendly societies the better. The ques-
tion at issue involved two Acts—the Licensed
Victuallers' and the Friendly Societies' Acts—and
the sooner they moved in the matter the better—
(great cheering).
The Chairman asked if there was any other
gentleman who felt disposed to speak on this sub-
ject. They had already had the names of dele-
gates given in representing upwards of 5,000
members. There were representatives there that
evning of members and societies which had not
been represented before, and the secretary would
be glad to add their names to the list.
Delegates representing variousfriendly societies
such as the Foresters, Manchester Unity Order of
Odd Fellows, Free Gardeners, Modern Masons,
&c., &c. One of the delegates who had come to
represented a Foresters' Court at Hartlebury, was
received with great cheering, in recognitioon of
the spirit of his Court in sending a delegate from
such a distance.

A member of the society of Modern Masons, re-
ferring to Mr. Mantle's remarks on the inconveni-
ence of attending funerals on week days, said that
12 men and lads were depending on him, and if
he stayed away they would all have to be idle.
Another Delegate said he fully coincided in the
remarks of Mr. Homer and Mr. Mantle. He was
a representative of an Independent Friendly So-
ciety, the members of which heartily approved of
all that had been done by the promoters of this
movement. Their society met on the previous
Saturday, and the case was stated before the
members and although they did not hold good
with Sunday trading, as regarded public-houses--
(hear, hear)—at the same time let them look at
the case of a man who lived a mile or a mile and
a half from the club house, and, in the first place,
he had to walk that distance to get his hat-band,
then he had to walk a mile to the house from
which the funeral had to start, and then to the
place where the grave was, ir would be very hard
if after that they sould not get any refreshment
(applause). Their society was ready and
willing
to do ;at any time whatever they could for the
benefit of their own and other friendly societies.
Let them unite together in one common bond of
unity," recollecting that the latter was strength,
and then they would be sure to win the day.
The Chairman said he thought now they had
got so far in getting the names of representatives
of other societies, they ought to have it resolution
to the effect that they continue this agitation. If
the gentleman who had made a proposition to that
effect a short time previously would renew it now
he should be pleased. They would also have to
have a resolution as to where the next meeting
should be held, and whether it should be an-
nounced by small bills or advertisements.

Mr. Walter's proposition was then renewed, and,
having been seconded by Mr. Lewis. it was put to
the meeting, and carried unanimously.
The Chairman said that up to the present time
they had been going on in a very irregular man-
ner, as they did not know what sort of support
tkey should get. He thought from the number of
representatives they had there that night, Brier-
ley Hill could not do less than appoint a secretary
or treasurer, and get into something like ship
shape form. He thought that meeting would give
a mighty impetus to the movement. He supposed
nobody would object to Cradley Heath being the
starting point in it, and the others would have to
be auxiliaries. They had met with some opposi-
tion. That night was to decide the struggle as to
whether the movement should live or die, and he
thought it would live—(applause). They could
appoint a committee of management and a secre-
tary, with whom the friends of the movement
in ihat place could communicate, and then they
should have an opportunity of knowing how affairs
were going on. They hoped before long to have
a mass meeting, where their friends would come
up in thousands and tens of thousands, and they
should exert such a mighty influence as it would
be impossible for their enemies to resist—(great
cheering).
Mr. Jay proposed, and Mr. Poole seconded, that
a secretary be elected for Brierley Hill.
The motion was then put to the meeting, and it
was carried unanimously.
Mr. Brice then said he thouglit Mr. Rock should
be the pincipal secretory for the movement, and
that they should appoint a secretary for the Brier.
by Hill district, and that at the next place which
took up the movement there should be another
secretary appointed for that also. He should like
to see a resolution passed deciding where the next
meeting was ter be held, and wished,to know where
the mass meeting should be held. They must be
as expeditious as possible, as they wanted to get it
inserted in the Friendly Societies' Act, and thought
there was no doubt about these clubs being soon
in a position to show the world that they would
not submit to the dictation of Mr. Isaac Spooner
in this matter—(applause).
Mr. Mantle then proposed that Mr. Brice be the
secretary for the Brierley Hill district. The lat-
ter, however, declined, on the ground that he had
not spare time sufficient on his hands to enable
him to undertake it.

Mr. Judson proposed that Mr. T. H. Smith be
appointed to the office, and Mr. Jay moved as an
amendment that Mr. Enoch Shakespeare be the
secretary. On being put to the meeting, there
was a large majority in favour of Mr. Smith, and
he was,, consequently, declared elected.
On the proposition of Mr. Aston, it was decided
to hold the next meeting at the Vine Hotel, Stour-
bridge, on Monday evening next.
M. Holyoake said with reference to Mr. Man-
tle's remarks on the feeling that some of those
above them displayed towards working men, he
thought that men of standing often acted towards
the latter, on the same principle that actuated the
policeman in a case that was heard at Old Hill a
few days ago. The policeman stood watching for
23 minutes on purpose to entrap the man, instead
of cautioning him, and the presiding Magistrates
therefore, dismissed the case. If Mr. Spooner had
acted in the same way that Mr. Hingley had done,
they should not have had occasion to hold that
meeting—(applause).
Mr. Mantle said there was a time, and that not
long ago, when everybody was clamouring for sti-
pendiaries all throughout the district, but he
thought from the judgments that had been given
of late by the Stipendiary, they ought to be thank-
ful they had local magistrates, who understood
the business of the district better than stipendia-
ries. As a rule, too, their judgments were tem-
pered with mercy, and that was wanted in this
district—(applause).
• • -

The ususai -votes of thanks, terminated the pro-
ceedings.

BROMSGROVE.

MURDEROUS ASSAULT.—At the Petty Sessions,
on Tuesday, before Captain Benrne, and Messrs. R.
Smallwood and A. Ryland, George Franks, a young
man, was brought up in custody, on remaed, charged
with assaulting George Boswell, at Stoke Prior, on
the 29th of May. Mr. Cheston, Birmingham, de-
fended.—Complainant stated that about ten o'clock
on the night of Saturday, the 29th of May, he was
coming from the Ewe and Lamb public-house, with
some ale in a jar, and had got about 100 yards down
the lane when he heard something in the hedge, and
prisoner came out, and, as soon as he turned his
head, came at him with a stick, struckihim on the
right temple, knocking him down. While he was
down prisoner kicked him twice in the face, and he
went senseless. When he recovered his senses his
eyes were swollen, and he was perfectly blind, and
was feeling his way down the lane by the hedge
when he received another heavy blow, which again
knocked him senseless. He recovered again, and
was feeling his way as before, when he was knocked
down senseless again, and when he came to himself
he was near the millpond, and William Lacey took
him home,—ln reply to Mr. Cheston, he admitted
having knocked prisoner down two or three times on
the previous Thursday, when prisoner came to his
house and "challenged him out," but denied fight-
ing with prisoner on the Saturday night.--The
Bench sentenced prisoner to two months' hard labour,
with further impriSonment for three weeks if the
costs (268. 6d.) are not paid.
_

COMMITTAL FOR PERJURY. - William Rea, on
remand, was charged with having committed perjury
in the Court on the 25th of May, in falsely swearing,
in a case Superintendent Tyler agginst Josiah Bai!ey,
that himself and others were not playing at" bumble
puppy" in Bailey's house, for ale or money, on tht.
3rd of May.—Mr. H. Wright, clerk, to Messrs.
Scott and Horton, justices' clerk, and Mr. C. Evans,
reporter, proved that prisoner swore they were not
playing for ale or money, the latter producing his
notes taken at the hearing. Williatn Albutt and
William Roberts stated that they were present at
Bailey's on the 2rd of May, and played at "bumble
puppy " with prisoner and others for quarts of ale,
each of them losing and having to pay. Prisoner

made no defenee. but sskP4l the Beneli to be
saying be wa,; 14,41 int. it by the other witnesses.
enmrnitte. to Woreester A:seizes fur trial. Tile
Bench agreed to take bail, prisoner in .CO., 101 l Pi")
sureties of £25. each.