The Birkenhead News and Wirral General Advertiser. — 1888-06-13 (Birkenhead, Merseyside, England)

APPLY TO ALEX. BLEAKLEY & SON BUILDERS & CONTRACTORS. 43, CLAUGHTON-ROAD, BIRKENHEAD.  WEDNESDAY, JUNE 13, 1888.  Ma. W. ili—,Snirru, in the House of Commons on Monday evening, announ. ced, in reply to a question put by Mr. Caine, that the Government had decided to proceed with the compensation clauses of the Local Government Bill. The declaration was, however, made with a certain amount of ambiguity, so that it is possible the Government will retrace its ill-advised steps even at the eleventh hour. No doubt, it will be largely influenced by the result of the Ayr election. Seemingly it is prepared to set its sails to catch any breeze. It may be very fond of the publicans, but if it thought it could best serve its own interests by sacrificing the publicans, the publicans would, we believe, be sacrificed without a moment's consideration. It is, therefore, most desirable th.t thnaa who °bier+. tn th•lerPatiOn of a gigantic vested interest at the elspeuse of the nation should continue to make their voices heard. In any case, the latter will prevail in the long run, because their cause is a just one. Indeed, the Government will simply seal its own doom if it presses forward its iniquitous proposals in their present form.  [Since the above was put into tpye, Mr. Ritchie has definitely announe,ed the abandonment of the licensing clauses of the Local Government Bill. What now becomes of Mr. Smith'sdeclaration? But it would be idle to expect consistency from Her Majesty's present Min. Were, who do not seem to know their I own minds two days together.]  THANKS mainly to Mr. 11, B. Moore, Major Barker, and General Hamley, poor Travis, who was wrongly convicted and sentenced to death for the murder of Mrs. Mclntyre, at Rock Ferry, some time ago, has been set at liberty. It is not necessary for us to enquire how his  innocence has been demonstrated to the Home Office. It is sikfficient for us to know that that feat has been accomplished. This is evident on the surface of the case, for the Home Office would not have ventured to set Travis at liberty had it not been convinced that there had been a grievous miscarriage of justice. Those who knew most about the matter never believed in his guilt. How, then, was it that he was convicted? I The answer to this question is a simple  one—because the train of circumstantial evidence against him, as presented to the judge and jury at Chester, seemed to be complete. It was so complete that the convict would undoubtedly have been hanged bat for the strenuous exertions that were put forth and the representations that were made on his behalf by Mr. Moore, his solicitor, who secured the intervention of Sir W. Foster, M.P., and other influential men, and has ever since kept a watchful eye on the interests of his hapless client. All this must give rise to reflections of a very disquieting character, for it shows how easily innocent men may suffer wrongfully, notwithstanding all the safeguards provided by the law. However, it is at least matter for congratulation that Travis has been tardily released from a doom perhaps worse than death and restored to the world.  Now that Jackson, the Stringeways murderer, has been caught let us hope that we shall hear very little more about him. Evidently, be is a vulgar and hardened criminal of the worst type. He was caught at Bradford, on Sunday night, while endeavouring to commit a burglary. Since his escape from the gaol at Manchester he has broken into  THE  several places, and during his leisure moments he has amused himself by drinking and singing in public-houses. He now Aeclares that he did not mean to kill the unfortunate warder whom he knocked on the head with the hammer, ' and that he was horrified when he learnt that he had done so. Probably his story as to this is true; we do not suppose that he is quite so bad as he has been represented, or that there is no good in him. But he is one of the individuals about whom it is well to talk as little as possible, and the less there is said about his " adventures " the better will it be for the public morals.