The Stourbridge Observer, Cradley Heath, Halesowen & District Chronicle. — 1885-09-12 (Stourbridge, West Midlands, England)

EPITOME OF NEWS: BRITISH AND FOREIGN. The Cunard steamer Etruria, which arrived at Queenstown on Friday evening, made a remarkable run from Sandyhook to the Fastnet, having passed the latter at 6.25 p.m., the passage having occupied six days four hours. The son of the Servian Minister, Gudovich, has been sentenced at Vienna to one month's imprisonment for frauds he had committed on several persons. This was not his first appearance before a criminal tribunal. The proposal which it is said Sir Frederick Roberts will lay before the English War Office with reference to the contemplated increase in the Indian army will be to supplement this by 10,000 British and 17,000 native troops of all arms. Further particulars respecting the death of MajorGeneral Babington show that he was out shooting on Craigend Moor, near Rocherhe,al, in company with General Elliott, and that while climbing over a fence his gun went off, the shot passing obliquely through the left armpit to the base of the heart. A terrible murder, with robbery, has just been committed at Cracow, where it has caused the greatest sensation. The victim has been identified as the mother of the Polish poet, Baluki. The mutilated corpse was found by the police lying in the road of one of the principal thoroughfares of the city. The secretary of the Indian Association at Calcutta telegraphs as follows: " NatiTe public opinion strongly condemns Lord Randolph Churchill's attack on the Marquis of Ripon. The native press unanimously defend Lord Ripon's pnlicy, and condemn Lord Randolph Churchill. The proposal of a Parliamentary inquiry finds much favour. The Grand Lodge of Good Templars' Political Action Committee have issued. by Mr. W Dodgson, of Stockton-on-Tees, their hon. sec., a special manifesto to the district electoral superintendents within the English jurisdiction of the Grand Lodge with respect to the action to be taken in view of the general election. On Saturday at Nottingham Town-hall a single woman named Hitchcock was brought up under extraordinary circnmstances. She was the mother of two illegitimate children, and as the father refused to support them, she for warded them in a hamper, by train, addressed, "William Barnes, mason, Church Buking. ham, Kent." The infants woke up during transit, and as the prisoner consigned the hamper in her own name the police effected her arrest. She was remanded. At the meeting of the National League at Macroom, Mr. John O'Connor, M.P., animadverted on Lord Hartington's recent speech, and on articles in the London press which reflected on Mr. ParnelPs policy. The history of Irish legislation, he said, proved that the English press had again and again declared things to be impossible which had afterwards been accomplished. He urged his audience to stand by the Parnellite party, which would recover their native Parliament, even though they had to overthrow an English Ministry. The Manchester police found in the 'River Medlock on Saturday the body of a child, which has since been identified as the child of a married woman named Margaret Higgins, who on Friday gave herself in ; custody on a charge of murder, stating that she had ' thrown her child into the river. The body, however, could'not be found, and the police thought that the woman had been drinking. It is said that the woman and her husband had quarrelled about the child with whose murder she will be charged. The herring fishing for the season has closed at most of the Scotch ports. It is, of course, too early to present the exact returns, but it is believed they will be up to those of previous years. One complaint is very general, namely, the immature state of a large quantity of the fish caught. While the season to most of the crews has proved unremunerative through loss of nets caused by stormy weather, some of the boats, especially those from Anstruther' have been very successful, the sum of £4OO for the take of each boat being quite commog.