The Stourbridge Observer, Cradley Heath, Halesowen & District Chronicle. — 1869-07-31 (Stourbridge, West Midlands, England)

LONGEVITY IN DERBYSHIRE. The ancien family of Radford, of Smalley, near Derby, is at the present moment more remarkable for the bogey of its living members than, perhaps, any family in England. Six children of Mr. John Radford, who died in 1834, aged 88, are now living—four ems and two daughters; their respective ages being 93, 87, 85, 84, 81, 78. and the suns total of their ages is 508, giving a'aive 84 years to each. In addition may be mentioned that two years ago, John Radford, of Smalley, the late head of the family, died at the age of 87. Scour or A BROKEN Lao.— At the Birkenhead police-court, on Tuesday, astonishment was caused by four policemen assisting an old woman, whose name was given as Mary Jones, into the dock. It was stated that she was suffering from a broken leg, and had only been discharged from the workhouse at Tranniere on Monday. Mr. Hereby, the bridewell keeper, said the old woman was given into his charge about ten o'clock on Monday night to take care of for the night, as she had one of her legs broken. He sent for Mr. M'Nerney, the relieving-officer, but when he came the old woman said nobody should touch her but Dr. Lambert, who had attended her while she was an inmate of the borough hospital. Mr. 141.'Nerney gave her an order for the workhouse, but she said she would rather go to the gaol than go there. While the parley was going on she hopped off on one leg to a public-house close to, where she remained until midnight, and then came to the police-office again. On examination, her leg was found to have been properly bandaged as if done by a professional person, but there were now evidences of a fresh fracture. In reply to the magistrates, the old woman said that she had that morning walked from Dacre•hill near Rock Ferry, to the court, a distance of three miles, and fallen down a step at the Town-hall and broken her leg a second time. The reason she did not go to the workhouse was because else c add not walk up there. "But," one of the magistrates remarked, "you could walk to the public-house to get drink." The bench ordered her to be disckarged from custody, and taken to the borough hospitaL ANUTHER MURDER !—A shocking murder has taken place at the village of Leadgate, in Northumberland.i The murderer s a miner, named Joseph Whitfield, and the: victim his youngest daughter, a child seven years old. Fur the last few months Whitfield had been confined to his bed and unable to work, his wife having during that time gone out to wash in order to earn a little money. During the absence of his wife and the other children, he cut the youngest girl's throat, when she was asleep in bed." He said, ''l cannot help it ; she has only gone to heaven a little before us." He was at once taken into custody and conveyed to the lock-up at Consett. Whitfield has always been a respectable and peaceable man, and it is supposed that he was labouring under temporary insanity, brought on by sickness and poverty.  had burst; a third hypothesis was that on the approaching fete day of the Emperor an ancient custom was to be revived of letting the public fountains flow with wine, and that a few casks bad been poured into the conduits as an experiment. The mystery wassoon k x• plained. Several casks of a dye called orehall had been left by the canal where the La Villette reservoir receives its supply, and ore of them baying been upset and fractured, the stuff inside had fallen out and found its way into the water. The dye is said to be harniles,