The Atherstone Times. — 1879-08-23 (Atherstone, Warwickshire, England)

HORST.—At the Southern Pat'y Sessions on Monday, before Sir George Shuck. burgh, and M-. Muntz, George Prestitige, farmer and desler. of Priors Hardwicke, was summoned for cruelly illireating a horse by beating it on the 2nd intr.—The information was laid by Mr. D:vid Jones, officer of the Leamington Society for the Prevention of Croelty to Animals.— Two men named Go,rxo Checkley and Joseph Smith, rave evidence. They stated that on the night in qu.stion thy svt..re returnine, from work to Leamington, and when near Of con saw the defendant thrashing the horse about the neck and face with a plough spud. an instrument devribed as having an iron head something like a spade, and a vrocal,n shaft as thick 59 El man', urns. They remonstrated with him and he ran away. They went ap to the horse and offered it some hay, but it W.ti in such a state of exhaustion as to be unable to t a'. and walk. It was described as a perfect skeleton. They came to Leamington and gave in. formation to Mr. Jones who went to see the animal, but when he got there it was dead.—Defencian: said it only wasted some teeth drawing to make it eat. Defendant was dcservedly fined io, and £2 6s. 61: expenses; in default two mouth slimprisonment with hard labour. He was allowed 24 hours to find the money.  THu CONDEMNED Mew Its WARWICK GAOL,— According to present arrangements the condemned man, John Ralph, who lies under sentence of deatii for the murder of Alice Vernon, at Birmingham, will be executed on Tuesday morning next, within the precints of the prison. The , ,3onvict is still self-possessed and up to Thursday , niaintaintd the singularly cool demeanour which , characterised him throughaut the trial. He appears to be quite unmoved by the awful fate which awaits aim. We lears that the execution will be strictly private, and it is only right this suould he so, for it ie a sickening apeotacle and one whic'i no one can hardly covet to witness. It is a sad and terrible thing to reflect upon that a young man full „I health, life, and vigour, , should be strangled in an obscure corner of a prison, but so long as the law awards hanging as the punishment for wilful murder, that must be , the doom of those who "break within the bloody , house of life" The murderer is only 2S years of age, and nothing in hie appearance, demeanour, 1 or pest history would have led one to believe that I he was destined for the gallows—in fact he was for some time a werobr of a religious church in Birmingham. But in an evil hour for him he I fell amongst dissolute companions, and entered I into relations of more than a questionable kind with the married woman whom he at length slew in his passion. For a wonder drink had little or nething to do with the erime of this , unfortunate man. He has been a victim to passion and jealousy, jealous he was of a woman who was already mother man's affianced wife and upon whom he had no right of claim whatever—no legitimate 11.1140 for being jea ons of her, and no shadow of not for repenting her desire to have done with him in the ..urderous manner he did. It is, as we have said, a sad and deplorable thing that a man whose antecedents have not been unfavoln able, and who, apart from this particular offence, is not to be looked upon as a rattail or • should be .nat off in the prime of youth by toe lands of the hangman; tiut like many others hire him, John Ralph will have to endure the terrible contequenera of an unrigh:t one attachment and unrestrained papeion. His friends have viei:ed him during the week and the interviews heve been of the most painful character. Ralph is constantly visited by the Chaplain, to whose administrations he is very attentive.