The Stourbridge Observer, Cradley Heath, Halesowen & District Chronicle. — 1870-05-07 (Stourbridge, West Midlands, England)

RINGING THE CEIANGES.—At the Mansion House, in London, James Harvey, 24 year. of age, describing himself as a gentleman, and who first refescd his adilres", was charged, on remand, before the Lord Mayor, with a robbery. About a month ago the psi. Boner, who is a respectably-dressed man, entered the shop of Messrs. Bewley, tobacconists, at 145, Cheepside, and purchased some cigarettes, which came to 51. The assistant, Mr. Eikin, demurred to changing a sovereign, which bad been tendered by the premier, hut eventually handed him ahalf.sovereign, and 'Jr. 7d. The prisoner then said he did not wish to inc tnvenieeee the assistant by taking from him co much of his silver, and proposed to return him the 9.3. 7d. with another , 51.. if he could epare his a half-sovereign instead. The I half -sovereign was at once given to the prisoner, who. without returning the silver, asked that the original sovereign might be handed back to him, he teen placing on the counter one of the half-sovereigns and the silver. Mr. Elkin returned him the sovereign, end being put off his guard by the adroitness of the transaction allowed the praoner to leave the shop. Al,out a week ago he happened to be in another shop of Messrs. Bewley, in the Strand, when the prisimer presented himself there. He immediately recognized himn and caused him to be detained, upon which the prisoner alleged that his object in coming there had been to return the half-sovereign that he had taken away in mistake. He was given into custody, and on the way to the station managed to escape from the policeomn, but was recaptured. At the police station he sold Ie had no intention of doing anything dishonest. II first refused his addrese, but at length gave one so Islington, where he had only been known a few weeks, and where his conduct had been irregular aiol suepicious. The defence was that the prisoner lind taken the half-sovereign from the shire, unci neelously, that he really ietendeo to return it, and that beim; respectably connected, he had no occa-dm to obtain money by such • device. The Lord Mayor said the prisoner had evidently entered the shop for an unlawful purpose, and he sentenced him to elle month's hard labour.  A RAILWAY Mt2IRDER.—A young man named Guillaume Bayon has just been tried by the Cows d'Assizea at Valence for the murder of M. Lubaueki, a merchant at Marseilles. The accused and the dereseed were the sole occupants of a coy* in a rail cay carriage which formed part of a railway train bovine Marseilles on the 16th of March. On the arrival of the train at Vienne, the am* WllOl found to lie unoccupied, but there were evident signs of a f.stful struggle, the cushions and drapery of the carriage bring soaked with blood. Search was made, and the body of M. Lubaneki was found on the line quite dead, and bearing no lest; than 34 wounds inflicted with a darger or knife. The accused was Pl,Oll afterwards captmed, and upon being examined admitted that be had killed M. Loubanski and thrown him from the carriage, from which he himself subsequently leaped when the speed was relaxed on entering the station. Be, however, declared, and this defence was adhered to at the trial, that a quarrel had suddenly sprung up respecting the use of &cushion, and that being struck he had returned the blow, which led to a fierce and, as it proved, a fatal struggle. Although a valise which M. Lubanski bad with him had been opened and the contents removed, the accused denied that he had robbed the de' ceased, but evidence was adduced to prove his previous I bad character, and that he had but recently been die. charged from prilon in Corsica. The joy returned a verdict of guilty witbout extenuating circumstances, and the sentence of death was pronoutaed by the Court.  A