The Stourbridge Observer, Cradley Heath, Halesowen & District Chronicle. — 1872-04-13 (Stourbridge, West Midlands, England)

WOMEN'S SUFFRAGE. This month the Women's Suerage Journal entreats its friends who have been so eagerly and successfully cultivating fresh fields not to lose sight of the necessity for gathering in the harvest of opinions already ripe, and of bringing these to boar in the shape of petitions to the House of Commons during the coming month of April. It adds "Last year the number of signatures to petitions in favour of the measure sent in before the second reading was 185,000. I.lp to the present time the number of persons who have signed petitions this session labs considerably short of this number. A Piton:BBoß OF MAGIC! A droll account is given of the extraordinary way in which a professor of magic has announced his arrival in St. Petersburg. A distinguished-looking gentleman enters a hairdresser's shop on the Nevsky to be shaved. Monsieur Philippe, the master, not being at home, one of his men undertake% that anxious and delicate task. The gentleman sits down, the operator tucks in the inevitable napkin, lathers the hirsute chin, carefully strops the chosen razor, and, with his bands jerked out of reach of the impending cull, is going to begin operations, when, to his amazement, he discovers that he is about to shave his man with a carrot ! The stupefied friseur stares at his customer, stares at the carrot, then, throwing the vegetable away, and silently picking out another razor, again comes to the charge—with a cucumber ! The " devil !" he cries aghast, when his master entering, undeceives him as to the infernal character of his subthy millressing the gentleman 88 M. le Professeur Welle. NOT GENERALLY KNOWN !-The Paris papers are indulging in all kinds of pretty stories about the Queen and Prince of Wales. The Arguer National , tells us the following, which is certainly not generally I known amongst us:— During his Royal Highness's Illness, a robust young man. half countryman, half gentleman, was always remarked at the clAteau Sandringham ; he was even admitted to the patient's bedside, and the Prince appeared to be deeply attached to him. Everybody was puzzled at the presence of this stranger, whose IMMO and position were kept secret. However, all has since been discovered, and here is ' the enigma explained. In mt. during the stay of the Royal Family in the Isle of Wight, the Prince of Wales kicked over a basket of shells which a boy was gathering. The boy, red s ills rage, dared his Royal Highness to "dolt again," and he w.oild see what he would get. The Prince did dolt main, and the boy thereupon landed his fist npon his loyal ilighnem's nose, giving him a pair of black eyes. The Queen, on seeing the Prince, insisted upon knowing the truth. •' You have only gut what you deserve," said tier , Majesty, "and were you sot already sufficiently punished, I r woubl punish you myself. I hope yau will always be served r In the same way when you are guilty of such conduct." The I Queen then sent for the boy's parents and offered to bring a him up. The parents consented ; the bey haa grown up with , the Prince of Wales, and Is now treated as his foster-brother RATHER PLEASANT THAN OTHERWISO !—To those about to commit suicide it is interesting to know, on the authority of a Kansas murderer, who was hanged, that that mode of departing this life is ex, treinely pleasant. The murderer in question, it is , stated, was quite dead when he was " cut down" lobe • operated upon by a scientific gentleman, who restored I life by means of galvanism. The murderer's account of the sensations of strangulation is as follows :—" Hanging is rather pleasant than otherwise ; for, after the first spasmodic struggle for breath, a delightful tick, ling sensation followed my veins to the tips of my limbs. Consciousness seemed to lose itself very , gradually, and for a time a portion of the brain s,emed - to retain its vitality. The happiest moment of a lifetime was centred in a dream at that instant. From thst moment until I found myself in the hands of science I knew mt."