The Stourbridge Observer, Cradley Heath, Halesowen & District Chronicle. — 1887-02-19 (Stourbridge, West Midlands, England)

EPITOME OF NEWS.  BRITISH AND FOREIGN.  Lieutenant-colonel Robert Watson, commanding the Worcester Regiment, has been authorised to contradict the report with respect to the finding of the military court of inquiry into the fatal gas explosion at Portsmouth, which gained currency in the garrison, so far as it referted to Captain and Quartermaster Brogden, to whom no blame is attached.  A communication has been received from the Home Secretary, stating that after careful consideration he is unable to discover any reasons for advising her Majesty to interfere with the due course of the law in the case of Thomas Bloaham, now under sentence of death for wife murder at Leicester. Bloaham is suspected of being concerned in the murder of a gamekeeper some years ago at Wistow, in a poaching affray. On Saturday a large gathering of ladies and gentlemen assembled in the Theatre Royal, Leigh, to witness the presentation of illuminated addresses to eighty-nine persons who had formed the exploring party after the great colliery explosion at Bedford in August last. The chairman of the Local Board pet:aided. and be was sup• ported by the clergy, ministers, and gentry of the distrkt. The proceedings were characterised by great enthusiasm.  On Saturday morning the Cleveland steel workers' strike terminated. A deputation of the men attended at the emplo}ers' offices, Middlesbrough, and agreed to accept the employers' terms, viz., an advance of 21- per cent, for eight a eeks, by which time a basis for a sliding scale will have been arranged. On Saturday, before the county magistrates at Windsor, Albert M'Kenzie was charged with obtaining charitable contributions under false pretences. The prisoner, who had peen arrested for similar offences in Windsor Great Park, had also visited several magistrates, asl,ing for money to purchase some necessary articles, as he had a certificate stating that he was a Et patient for an eye hospital. He was fined 17s. 6d., or in default 14 days' hard labour. On Saturday Mr. A. Braxton Hicks was informed of the death of Joha Owbal, aged 33 years, engineer on boa d the steam-tug Richmond, stationed off Kingston Bridge. On the night f the 9th inst. the deceased was seen in company- with some other men drinking in a public-house in the town, and he then had £4O in gold in his possession. On the following afternoon found oon his body was found in the Thames and only £l3 was nod upon him. In the Queen's Bench Division the case of "The ,2ueen v. Geneseianntedrootsht eorfs,m" ar.ripsianlgmoeur tinotstohmeeswalheaof the reversionary p-operty at Sydney, ended on Tuesday in the lord (Thief Justice directing the jury to find a verdkt of not guilty. This having been done, the defendants were discharged. A Convention of delegates from temperance organisations in ail parts of the country was held on Tuesday under the auQpices of the United Kingdom Alliance at Ese!er Hall, Sir W. Lawson the President of the Alliance, in the chair. On the motion of Mr. John. sten, M.P , a resolution was carried deelnring it to be the duty of the Government to introduce without delay, and of Parliammt to pass, a bill giving to localiVes a direct veto on the liquor traffic. A memorial to the Marquis of Salisbury in favour of the Local Optiou B 11 was agreed to.  In the -Lower House of the Hungarian Diet th 3 Government Bill granting 7,460,000 florins for military expenses was referred on Tuesday to a committee. In the Lower House of the Austrian Reichsrath a bill was introduced authorising a credit of 12,000,000 florins for the came purpose. Lord Wolseley distributed prizes at the Royal Mill ary Acad( my, Woolwich, on Tuesday, c.nd after. wards addresa.d the cadets.