Stockton Herald, South Durham and Cleveland Advertiser. — 1864-01-22 (Stockton-on-Tees, Cleveland, England)

THE VICTORIA CROSS.—The Gazette of Tuesday night notifies the conferring of the Victoria Cross upon two soldiers in connection with the New Zealand war. One was Serjeant M`Kenna, of the 65th Regiment, who, when all the commissioned officers of his small detachinent were killed or wounded by the fire of the enemy, assumed the command, broke through a greatly superior force of the enemy, and brought off the survivors with little further loss. Mr M•Kenna has also been promoted to the rank of an ensign for the same gallant action. The other decoration was conferred on Lance Corpural Ryan, of the Same regiment, who, with two privates- watched over and ultimately brought in the body of the late Capt. Smith, who was mortally wounded in the affair. The two privates have also been recommended for the decoration. A verdict of wilful murder under very singular circumstances was returned by a coroner's jury in the east of London. sne time last spring a man went into a small shop in Bethnal-green, kept by a Mrs Moore, and picked her pocket. She discovered her loss, and grappled with the thief, on which he seized her by the throat and nearly choked her. By leaving his great coat and muffler in her hands, he finally made his escape. The woman lingered for nine or ten months, and died on Monday week. It was clearly proved that her death was caused by the garr: iding, on which the jury returned a verdict of wilful murder against some person unknown, and recommended that a reward should bcoffered for his apprehension. A CURIOSITY lIUNTER.WC had the curiosity the other day to make a note of the articles attached to a lady's dress, the fringe of which was admirably adapted for a "snapper up of trifles." It was before the late fall of snow, and the walking was dry. We mention a few :—A cooper's shaving. Item—a dead mouse. .Item —a half-consumed cigar. Item—a Wisp of straw, with a conglomerate of street filth. Item —an "old sojer," not a veteran of the Potomac army, but a second hand quid. Item—a quantity of street droppings. Item—the heel of an old toot. how long would a man stand such nonsense as this ? lie would stop at the first door sill, (tilt knife, and rip off the skirt up to his knees,—Nior ,I,r/.. paper. EXTRAORDINARY CAPTURE OF THIEVES AT RrutttiilAt._-ur several weeks past the tradesmen of Ruttier taut have suffered severely from petty depredations, and all attenipts to discover the delinquents have been unavailing. Silk handkerchiefs, gun -caps, caps, serifs, oranges, figs, mouse trap:, brass taps—anything that was par table—was can ied off as opportunity offered. On Wednesday afternoon, two boys were pointed out to the police letthig "ir gun-caps, and as air, rut six pounds' worth had been stolen front one ship, he took the boys into custody. Information was subsequently obtained. and by ten e'clock twenty-two boys, whose ages varied from six to fourteen years, had been captured by the p dice. They fornied as motley a group its is often seen, and seemed quite unconscious of the disgraceful position in which they hail placed themselves. A quantity. of the missing property was found at thc homes of the prisoners. TuE