The Stourbridge Observer, Cradley Heath, Halesowen & District Chronicle. — 1872-11-30 (Stourbridge, West Midlands, England)

SUDDEN RETRIBUTION.—" A very remarkable coincidence., says the Ballarat Courier, "In which some perceive the hand of a retributive Providence, happened last week to a miner engaged in one of the quartz mines near Bnninyong. This man, while self ering under some real or imaginary wrong from one of his mates, gave expression to his feelings in a torrent of abuse, and concluded by wishing the drive would fall and smother the object of his fury. The words were scarcely uttered when a lump of earth, which, as described by his mates, was large enough to crush a horse, fell from between the cappiecer on to the shoulder -A the author of the imprecation, crushing him to the ground, neck and heels together. He was quickly extricated from his position, when it was found , that no bones were broken. The man had received a flesh wound near the small of the back, which had saturated his clothes and tilled his boots with blood Although he is able to move sbout he is still very weak."  THE DIFFICULTLEE IN THE WAY !—ln a letter to The Times—in replying to a previous one by "The Son of a Wiltshire Labourer "—Mr. Richard Jeffries remarks It is the labourer himself who will not rise. In a vilimm with which I am acquainted great efforts have been made by a farmer awl a gentleman living near to provide proper school instruction for the children. One labourer was asked why he did not send his children to school Ile replied, "Because he could not afford it." "But," said the farmer, "it is only threepence altogether." "Oil, ; he could not afford it." The farmer explained to him that the object was to stroll a School Board, which, in other places, had the power to fine for not sending children to school. "No, he could not afford it." The farmer's books show that this labourer, his wife, sad two children received 235. 6tl. per week, his cottage rent free, and a very Isrge garden at a low rent. Yet he could not afford the 3J. a week which would enable his children ultimately to take a better position in the world! The same farmer, who is a liberal and large-minded man, has endeavoured. without success, to introduce the practice of paying in cash instead of beer, and also the system of payment for overtime. The men say no, they would rather not. "In wet weather," they Bay we do no work, but you pay us and if we weeks little Inter in harvest, it only makes it fair." They would not take money instead of beer 1,1 another case which came wider my personal obstrvation in the middle of last summer, a farmer announced his intention of paying in cash iustead of allowing beer. In the very press of the haymaking. with acres upon acres of grass spoiling, his men, one and all, struck work because he would not give them beer, and went over to a neighbour's held adjacent, and worked for him for nothlog bat their share in the beer! A TALE OF Holoton.—ln the little town of Minnelinsk, in Russia, there lived a miller with his family. A few weeks ago three 'Tartars surprised the miller, his wife, and a young girl whilst they were asleep. The malefactors, after finding them, subjected the miller and his wife to the most cruel tortures until they told them the place where the money and other valuables were, The monsters then I killed the poor miller and his wife with their axis!. 1 sparing the young girl, who had to witness the fearful scene. After they had packed the goods th. murderers sat down to prepare tea in a Russian self-boiling tea-kettle (called samovar), and whilst doing so one of the ruffians, feeling annoyed by the lamentations of the poor girl, poured seething hot water over her. Meanwhile the son, a sturdy young peasant, returned home from • neighbouring village, and whilst crossing the garden stumbled against the corpses of his parents, which had been thrown out by the aasatiAlUS, and perceiving them through the window, Le at once resolved to avenge the monstrous deed. He therefore went to fetch a crowbar from the shed next to the Mill, , and thus armed stood before the door waiting for the malefasten to come out. The darkness of the night favoured his undertaking. Two of the murderers were , killed outright by one vigorous blow. The third Tartar tried to resist, but the miller's son stunned and than , killed him. The recovery of the poor little girl is , despaired of.