The Observer, Cradley Heath, Halesowen & District Chronicle. — 1864-10-01 (Stourbridge, West Midlands, England)

THE HOUR OF DEATH.—A paper on this subject VMS read at the British Association by Mr. Haviland, of the Bridgewater Infirmary. It stated that the author had collected over 5,000 cases of death, with the hour of death and other circumstances recorded, which be had tabulated and exhibited on a large chart. By this chart lie ehowed that, in 1,000 cases of death ic children under five years of age, the periods of the greatest mortality took place during the hours between one and eight in the morning; that an extraordinary depression took place in the succeeding hours, and that between nine and twelve p.m, the rate of mortality was at itit minimum. He then compared these statistics with 2,891 deaths from all causes, and the chart showed how remarkably the wave lines of death compared with those above. In the cases of death from consumption, although they showed a general resemblance in the wave line, yet between the hours of four and eight a.m., when there was a depression, when compared with the first four hours period, the mortality wan the greatest. The extraordinary mortality waa in the early hours of the morning when the powers of life were at their lowest ebb, and, strange to say, when the patient was most cared for. He urged the necessity of feeding and stimulating the patients at their weakest hour, so SIA to tide them over a critical point, and, even if death be inevitable, to support the patient so that he might at least have a few more hours if life snatched from eternity to admit of his being able to carry out some neglected duty, pardon some enemy, or see some beloved friend. bliocEt NG TRAGEDY AT MIDDIJSBRO'.—A shocking murder, followed by the suicide of the murderer, has been committed in Middleabro'. The pet petratsw is a German Jew, named Kerne, who on Friday afternoon cut the throat of his son, a fine interesting boy, named Daniel Henry, about five years of age. It appears that the lad and his father were in the room together, the mother being absent in another part of the house, ohmn a female neighbour went upetairs and told Kerne that his wife, with whom she had come conversation, was going to leave him on account of a quarrel which they had had that morning. On this the man came down stairs into the woman's apartment, and complained bitterly of the conduct of his wife in stripping the place of its furniture. Having thus unburdened himself of his sad tale, Kerne returned to his room, from which loud screams were soon heard issuing. Alarmed by the noise Mrs. Kerne and the neighbour previously alluded to rushed up into the apartment, in which a horrible sight presented itself. Side by side on the floor lay the little boy and his father, with their throats cut from ear to ear, their heads being nearly severed from their bodies. The floor was saturated with blood, and in the caw of both the unfortunate victims life was found to he extinct, the murderer and suicide holding in his right hand a razor, with which he had doubtless made the fatal attack on his helpless eon, and afterwards in a similar manner put an end to his own existence. The poor man, who was thirty-six years of age, had for some time suffered from the loss of his eyesight, and this, with the unhappy state of his domestic arrangements, is assigned as the motive of the rash and terrible deeds. A