The Pontypridd Chronicle and Workman's News

1 GLAMORGANSHIRE SUMMER ASSIZES. NISI PRIUS COURT. (Before Mr. Justice Grove.) ACTION FOR SLANDER. NICHOLAS v. ROBERTS:—This was an action brought MI Thomas ^Nicholas, a shoe dealer, of Nelson, a village near Pontypridd, against Mrs Roberts, land- lady of the Royal Oa)r, for the recovery of damages for slander. Mr Abel Thomas (instructed by Messrs Morgan and Rhys) was for the plaintiff, and Mr INIcIntyre, Q.C., and Mr W. Evans (instructed by Mr J. i' Leigh) was for the defendant. Mr Thomas said the plaintiff was a tenant of defendant's, and he sub- let an outbuilding to a butcher named Roots. Roots had missed some barley-meal, and defendant, it was alleged, circulated the report that Roots bad caught plaintiff stealing it. Plaintiff, Mr Abel Thomas said, did not come to the court for damages, but to clear his character.—Mr Mclntyre, for the defence, said the whole affair seemed to be an attempt to frighten the defendant, as was evident from a very strong letter sent her by plaintiff's lawyer, who, in addition to demanding an apology, threatened an action, and demanded all the costs^wbicli defendant subsequently found to be no less than £ 30.—The jury, after a long consultation, found for the plaintiff, assessing the damages at Is.—On the application of Mr Mclntyre, his lordship declined to allow plaintiff costs. CROWN" COURT. (Before Mr. Justice Mathew.) ATTEMPTED OUTRAGB. David Charles, 59, labourer, was indicted for attempting to outrage a girl named Harriett Ann Williams, of the age of 11 years, at Ystradyfodwg, on the 22nd May, 1886. Prisoner induced the little girl to accompany him up the mountain, and com- mittea the offence.-The jury found prisoner guiltv, and his lordship, in sentencing prisoner, said there was much reason to think that be bad employed him- self for some time in contaminating the mind of the child, and his offence was aggravated by the fact that she wps the child of a man he well knew, and to whose house he frequently went. He would be sent to prison for 12 calendar months' hard labour. SERIOUS CHARGE AGAINST A LLANTRISAN1 FARMER. Thomas Williams surrendered to his bail and was charged with attempting a criminal assault on Gwen Thomas, a girl above the age of 13 and under the age Sir A years" at Llantrisant, on the 13th June, 1886. a A™lur Williams prosecuted, and Mr David Lewis defended the prisoner. The statement of the girl was that she was the servant of the prisoner, and on the day in question was alone with him in the house. He dragged her upstairs, and committed the offence. He afterwards gave the mother JE20 in settlement of the affair. His lordship summed up rather in favour of prisoner, and the jury returned a verdict of not guilty. Prisoner was discharged. CHARGE OF FORGING A PAY TICKET. Richard Jayne, 27, labourer, was charged with endeavouring to obtain from D. Davies the sum of 10s. by means of a colliery draw ticket, which he knew to be altered, with intent to defraud, at Ystrad- yfodwg, on the 10th July.—The jury found prisoner guilty, and he was sentenced to two months' impri- sonment with hard labour. SECOND NISI PRIUS COURT. (Before Mr Jastice Matbew.) CLAIM FOR MACHINERY. POWIS & Co., LONDON, V. THE ESTATE OF C. J. LovE, PORTH.-This was an action brought by the plaintiffs to recover £130, the price of machinery, mortar mill, &c., enpplied by them on the hire sys- tem to C. J. Love, Porth, Rhondda Valley, disposed of when the estate of the debtor Love was sold by the official receiver in bankruptcy. Mr Abel Thomas was for plaintiffs; Mr Bowen Rowlands, Q.C., M.P., and Mr W. Evans were for the defen- dant. His Lordship suggested a settlement, and an arrangement was made by which judgment was given for~ £ I6 58..

THE SOUTH WALES CALYIHISTIC METHODISTS QUARTERLY MEETING AT TRE- CASTLE. THE SUNDAY DRINKING CLUBS. On Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday of last week the South Wales Calvinistic Methodist quar- terly meetings were held at Trecastle, Breconshire. The Rey T. Reea, Cefn, was the moderator, and the Rev W. James, Aberdare, secretary. There was a j^ge attendance of representatives. The Rev Thomas Levi, Aberystwith, was elected moderator for the eomiog year, and the Rev Principal Edwards, Trevecoa, examiner for the two years following. The connexional assurance trust was commended to the notice of all the monthly meet- ings, and a detailed statistical and financial account requested to be handed in at the next association meeting from eaoh monthly meeting. The claims of the medical mission upon the younger members of the connexion were eloquently touched upon, and the Rev J. Morgan Jones, Cardiff, drew atten- tion to theigTeat evils resulting from the Sunday drinking cluos. The Rev Dr Saunders said that they were a curse, and suggested that a memorial should be sent to Government protesting against them. The association oeneurred, and it was also agreed that each member of Parliament in Wales should be written to on the subject. Presentation of the petition was entrusted to Mr John Roberts M.P., Bryngwenallfc. The snb-oommittee, which had met under the presidency of the Rev Dr Saunders, Swansea, presented a report of the oourse which they thought advisable to give effect to in connection with the proposed reorganisation of Trevecoa College studentship. It was decided that the report be accepted, and be under considera- tion of the monthly meetings till the next associ- tion. It was announced that the next conference with respect to the English causes would be held at Llanelly, September 20th and 21st.

FROM CITY CORRESPONDENTS. A CORRESPONDENT of a London contemporarJl; jails attention to the anomaly of having thela^ courts sit ting upon bank holiday, an arrangement whereby a numerous class of lawyers' clerics are (lew barred from participation in the day's release whiclib other portions of the community enjoy. Now that' the observance of the August Bank Holiday has be- come so general the law courts might be included in the day's cessation from work, even if by way of compensation there were a small deduction from the IOllg vacation." "TUI;TH "says I hear that Sir Charles Dilke has no intention of shirking a prosecution (if it be inaugurate 1) by leaving the country. Lady Dilke is going shortly to Royat, and lie will accompany her, hut he will at once return if proceedings are commenced against him. That there will be is un- likely. A prosecution would have to be based upon the evidence of two witnesses, and where would these two witnesses be found? No two witnesses have deposed that he met Mrs. Crawford at Warren Street, or that he look her upstairs in his own house while it is obvious that there cannot be two wit- nesses as to what occurred either at Warren Street or at Ins own house, or at her house. It is all verv well, for a jury to say that he has not proved his in- nocence, but it is quite a different thing to find legal evidence to prove hi. a THE Daily Chronicle says:—A letter which we published, cafsattentiontoasubjecttn which the public will feel a sympathetic interest. Our corre. i I[londent refers to the case of firemen whose lives are sacrifice.) to their duty, for the sacrifice is prac- tically the same whether iife is actually lost while: on duly or whether it is shortened by the hardships which their labours entail. What is complained of is that when the men thus sacrifice their lives in I the servic; of ti:e public no provision whatever is made by tiu public for their widows and children. The case which our correspondent, cites of a man who served twenty years in the Fire Brigade, and then died 1 living four children, serves to illustrate the contention that SOIIVJ further means than can be utilised at present ought to be devised for the re- lief of the firemen's widows and orphans. It is true that there is a "Disabled Firemen's Aid Society," which is doing good work so far as its means will allow, hut it should not be difficult to organise some larger fund which would be available for aid under such circumstances as we contemplate. Our corre- spondent believes that "it would be a further in- centive to men in the service if they knew that in case of their lives being sacrificed in the execution of their duty their widows and children would be provided for." We believe this to be perfectly true. It is no part of our present purpose to suggest the method by which this object may be best accom- plished hut we certainly think it very desirable that something should be done. The dangers that are inseparable from the fireman's duty render it exceptionally difficult for adequate provision to be made on his own account; and this reason, among others, induces us to support the views set forth in the letter to which we direct attention. THOUGH there is nothing very remarkable about the evolution of statesmanship out of journalism, as many illustrations of it have been afforded in our own and in other countries, yet the process is some- times effected under circumstances of peculiar in- terest. A series of romantic biographies might be written of press men who have been. appointed to high posts of civil and military command in various parts of the world. We are not quite sure whether the series would include the story of the career of the Scotchman who is at present Commander-in Chief of the army of Morocco, but it would certainly include, amongst others, the lives of the adventur- ous O'Donovan, elected ùy the natives of Merv to the governorship of that city; of the equally adven- turous H. M. Stanley, Governor of the Congo terri- tory; of Olivier Rain, the late "foreign secretary to the Mahdi Ahmed Mohamed; and of Mr. R. _«T. Creighton, who has recently been appointed Chief Minister of State to his Majesty the King of the Sandwich Islands. Mr. Creighton's adventures have not perhaps been of so romantic a character as those of his brother journalists whom we have mentioned; but he has nevertheless enjoyed the fascination of a nomadic and unconventional existence. He com- menced life as an office-boy on an Irish provincial newspaper, and after serving his time as a composi- tor, developed into a reporter, in which capacity he held appointments in Belfast and Londonderry. Subsequently, he found his way to London, whence he emigrated to New Zealand, where he started a paper of his own, The Southern C7o.«. New Zea- land, however, was not the place for which nature intended him, and he therefore went in search of fortune elsewhere. California next became the country of his adoption, but he found there no abid- ing city, and ultimately set sail for Honolulu, where he so far succeeded in making his merit known to the Sandwich Islanders and their men as to achieve the distinction of becoming First Minister of the Crown IT is fortunate for society that in the great ma- jority of cases the criminal is much below the aver- age in intelligence. There is too much reason to believe that if it were otherwise a far greater num- ber of evildoers would escape punishment than is actually the case. The trial of William Thomas Tranter at the Central Criminal Court fnrnishes a remarkable instance, not only of the fallibility of humAn tribunals, but of the blundering of the cul- prit himself, by which he unintentionally afforded the means of clearly proving that lie had been guilty of perjury. Pregnant as such an offence usually is with the most terrible consequences even to others besides the immediate victims, the circumstances under which William Thomas Tranter swore falsely show his turpitude to have been exceptionally atro- cious. In pure wantonness, or it may have been tc obtain a few pounds as expenses for attending as a prosecutor, this individual one night pointed out a couple of men to the police. He asserted in the most positive manner that one of the strangers had stolen his watch, with the connivance of the other, while looking at a fire in Aldergate-street. He drew attention to his watch-chain hanging from his waistcoat, and declared that the watch had just been wrenched from its guard. As the article alleged to have been stolen was not found in the possession of either of the unfortunate men, Tranter was asked at the police-station to give a description of it. He might have been as vague as lie chose on this point without exciting suspicion; but he preferred, with almost incredible folly, to describe the imaginary watch as a gold one which had been given him by his father, to whom it had been presentad when he was a colliery manager, and he further declared that on the inside of the case there was an inscription to the later effect One of the innocent men arrested was discharged after the preliminary inquiry before a magistrate at the Guildhall; but the other, one Daniel Cleary, was committed for trial, convicted by a jury, and sentenced to twelve months' impri- sonment with hard labour. Now, it is pretty obvi- ous that the City Police could have easily ascer. tained if the account given by Tranter respecting the "presentation watch" were true; but they ap- pear to have given themselves for a long while no trouble on that point, and a man quite guiltless of the theft was some time ago convicted on the un- supported testimony of a heartless scoundrel, who turns out to be himself convict. Tranter's father, a respectable man who has long been in the employ of a railway company, was found by the police when the perjurer was "arrested on another charge," and the father, when put into the witness-box, stated thatlie had never been a colhery manager, had never had a watch presented to him. and had never given one of any kind to his son. William Thomas Tranter has been sentenced to five years' penal ser- vitude, and a most dangerous man has thus received condign punishment, thanks in a great measure to his own imprudence.

The Quetta section of the Bolan Railway has now been completed. Oat-cutting has been commenced upon the Queen's Home Farm at Windsor. Mrs. Crawford and Mrs. Ashton Dilke have ar- rived at St. Ives, Cornwall, having taken a house there for several weeks. A bequest of £1,000 by the late Mr. It B. Mackie, M. P., has been handed over to the committee of the Wakefield Mechanics' Institute for educational pur- poses. The other night two men, named James Boyle and Patrick Maloney, of Listowel, quarrelled. The former struck Maloney with his fist and killed him on the spot. By the kind invitation of the Earl and Countess of Aberdeen, 250 of the residents of the Homes for Working Girls in London spent Bank Holiday at their suburban residence, Dolfi. Hill, Willesden.

SHOCKING ACCIDENT ON THE RAILWAY. A shocking accident has occurred at Trentham Railway Station, near Stoke. An elderly woman named Sarah Johnson was crossing the line to see a friend off by train to Stafford, when the train fr(o:ii Lichficlrl knocked her down and killed her an i in-r grandchild, four years of age, whom she had in her arms. Both bodies were terribly mutilated, the wo- man being decapitated. Deceased saw the train approaching and was warned of her danger, but took no notice.

DEATH IN THE POLICE CELL. Mr. Husband, deputy-coroner, has holr] an inquest at the Thatched House Hotel, Wavertree, on the body of a sailor, thirty-five years of age, named Frederick Glavwell, who had died suddenly in the police "t il at Wavertree. Evidence was given to the effect tllllt tlie dcceased was found in Lance-lane, Wave tree, in an intoxicated condition. He had also lost the use of his legs from para'ysis. He was removed to the police station, and Dr. Watson at- tended to him. He had apparently had an apop'ec- tic fit. A verdict of "Died from natural causes" was returned.

TliAGEDY IN LONDON. A married man named Alfred Escott, aged tliirty- nvo, ;i labourer in the employ of the Lambeth Waterworks at Brixton-hill, was to have been ar- rested on a ciiarge of criminal assault on a little girl aged nine years, and a constable proceeded to take the man into custody, Escott, however, autici- paling arrest, attempted to commit suicide, and was found hy the constable lying in a cart belonging to toe waterworks. He had inflicted no fewer than nine wounds in the throat and other parts of the body. He was removed to St. Thomas's Hospital, and died shortly after admission. 1 —

SERIOUS BURGLARIES IN LIVERPOOL. There has recently been a series of house robberies 111 some of the localities in the outskirts of Liver- pool. No fewer than six dwelling-houses and one shop have been entered in the neighbourhood of Holt- roal. The thieves carried off a considerable amount of money and Jewellery. In one of the places they entered theyevidently had been disturbed,for in their flight they left a hat and jacket behind them. It is believed that this gang of thieves entered the stable in Holt-road where the horses were burnt, anJ while there they lit a match and threw it among the straw, thus causing the fire by which the two animals were destroyed. These occurrences have caused a good deal of alarm in the neighbourhood of Kensington and Fairfield.

THEATRICAL DISPUTE. FrederickWm. Revill, lessee of the Theatre Royal, Wigan, sued William Duck, managing proprietor of theatrical companies, London, to recover damages for breach of contract. Mr. Mulholland appeared for the plaintiff, and Mr. Ernest Page for the defend- ant. Plaintiff's case was that at the beginning of this year Mr. Duck had several companies on tour, including companies for the performance of Called | Back" alld "Dark Days." Mr. Revill arranged with Mi-. Duck's manager to have the company per- forming "(-ailed Back in Wigan for the week be- ginning 5th April. He afterwards asked for another company to be substituted. He waived his right to "Called Back," and accepted Dark Days." On 17th of February arrangements were made for the "Dark Days company to begin on the 5th of April. Defendant was to receive 55 per cent. of tl,e gross receipts, and the plaintiff 45 per cent. Bills were issued, and other arrangements made hilt. On the Thursday preceding the 5th of April plaintiff, having heard nothing from Mr. Duck's manager, telegraphed to him. In reply he was in- formed that he was wrong, and not entitled to Dark Days," or any other company, as they were engaged to appear elsewhere. Plaintiff had every reason to except a good season, and had lost in con- sequence of the troupe not coming to his theatre. The defence was that £ 10 which had been paid into court by the defendant was enough to meet the loss sustained by plaintiff. The plaintiff, on the other hand, said that sum was quite inadequate to meet the loss he had incurred. The jury found for the plaintiff awarding him £33, in addition to the £10 paid into court. Judgment was entered accordingly, and costs were allowed on the higher scale.

CHARGE AGAINST AN ASSURANCE SOCIETY'S COLLECTOR. At the City Police Court, before Mr. H. Mans- field, John M'Donald, an elderly man, appeared in answer to a summons charging him with having oh- tained from the Liverpool Protective Assurancj and Burial Society the sum of x8 15s. by means of false representation. Mr. Hime prosecuted, and stated that it was alleged that the defendant had obtained this money by representing that he was directed to do so by the widow of Charles M'DonaM, his son. James Molloy stated that he was the president of the society, and that on the olst May the de- fendant called on him and said that his son, Chas. M'Donald, was dead. lie was informed that his son's widow was the person to whom the money w is due, and he replied that the widow was unable to conia and had instructed him to obtain the money. Defendant being a collector of the society w:tn ess bad every confidence in him and paid him the money. Subsequently the widow called at the office to receive the money. Witness sent for defendant and informed him of the matter, and he replied that he had been at the expense of the funeral. When asked to produce receipts, however, he admitted that he had practised a deception. The money was then repayed to the widow. Cross-examined by the defendant. -Witness was anable to tell the date of the Act of Parliament un- der which he made the second payment. He acted ob the order of the committee. Mr. Mansfield. -It was a part of the bargain to pay the widow. Defendant.—I persume it is the Friendly Society Act- Defendant then went on to quote a section of this Act, under which the trustees of a friendly so- ciety are exonerated from the liability ofa second claim, and asked how witness came to pay this second claim. Mr. Molloy. -I acted in accordance with the in- ttructions of the committee. Mr. Mansfield (to defendant).—You are sum- moned here for falsely representing yourself as au- thorised by the widow to receive the money. Defendant.—That is quite right. Julia T. M'Donald, widow of Charles M'Donald, defendant's son, was then called, and stated that she did not authorise the defendant to receive the money from the society. They lived in the same house, but he never told her he had got the money until after she had been at the office of the society. Defendant then said that he would admit the offence, but thought he was entitled to the money, as he had paid the deceased's subscriptions from babyhood. He would not have continued the sub- scriptions only that the deceased and hu wife re- fused to do so, and he thought it would be a pity for the insurance to lapse. Mr. Mansfield said that the defendant, h eing a collector of the society, should have known how ex- tremely careful he should have been in receiving insurance money from the society. If he ha1 paid the subscriptions his claim would have been against the executors of the deceased. M'Donaid was then committed to the sessions for trial, two sureties of JE10 each being accepted.

At the Preston Police Court, Thomas Hyland, a labourer from Liverpool, has been committed for trial on a charge of stabbing Police-inspector But- ler. The body of Anthony Molyneaux, a workman, formerly living in Admiral-street, Warrington, has been found drowned in a well at Marple. A pawn- ticket found upon him led to his identification. In the case of Cookson v. Cookson and Finlayson, a verdict has been given for the petitioner with damages assessed at £1.000 against the Rev. A. R. M. Finlayson. In the Divorce Court Sir James Hannen made the decree nisi obtained by Mr. Donald Crawford absolute, and thus finally disp sed of the cause euchre. The Royal Commission on Depression of Trade has held another meeting to receive evidence. Sir Joseph Farrer was under examination for some con- siderable time. The Irish party intend to move an amendment on the Address, calling upon the Government to take steps to secure the revision of rents and the prevention of evictions. Professor Dowden has been elected to the Bishop- ric of Edinburgh. The appointment, it will be re- membered, was recently offered to and declined by Canon Liddon. At the Middlesex Sessions. Thomas Marsha' n n. <-ro .'<!SII> o ii. d: vision, pwrretidere I to hi« <>w i leeo^iusuiices to take his trial on liuseiia.-gu of -• ing James Al\ arlhy, and, after all tiie evidence had been given, was acquitted. Early the other morning titeot-iici:Lls :it S-i- tion (Tottenham) on the Great Eastern Kailw-iy system found at the side of the sixfoot way the body of a labouring man completely cut in two, while the arms and legs were fearfully mangled. Mr. George Bodden, J.P., Oldham, who met with a serious accident whilst returning on horseback from the lleaton Park review, lies in a very pre- carious condition. His right leg, which was badly fractured by the mishap, InlS ha,1 to he amputated. lu New South Waks the grape is as common as is the apple or pear in Kent or Surrey, the soil and climate enabling the choicest kinds to be grown to perfection without difficulty hence, it is said, the cultivation of the grape is fast lecoillillg a leadiug industry in the colony. Mr. Vernon Lushington, Q. C., the judge of the Croydon County C'ourt, was represented at (he last sitting of the court by aiiepu v. i be oilier day his Hon ,ur was riding in the neighbourhood of Cobhain, where lie resides, when he was thrown from his horse and severely btuisetand hurt. i he Educational Department has, it is stated, issued a circular calling attention to the excessive expenditure inenrred a' sr>me '-coool B.<ard elections, and intimating that a s a! o curges is being pre- pared fixing tie max e>si to e expended both in coniested and uuc :Ke-;ie elections. c rl),)ril ill tile Carimrv-iishire Mil it hi, is in custody at Carmarthen charge.1 w tii cans il; l'i 1 I i iil;tii It S,. dears, The two men ouarrelie.! .i;vl « t, O'Leary dying so n alterwar s. As an exeursi n parsy were descriding Seal Ilill, near Sevenoaks, late t ie o-iier night, a portion of t: e harness broke, throogh the omission to apply the selll, and the horses .an furiously away. Several of t.,e occupants ot' the vehicle were thrown out, one man being killed on the sp It, and two others severely injure i. A court-martial has been held at Portsmouth on Assistant Engineer llenry Lane, of the torpedo de- pot sllip Hecla. At the recent naval review he con- trolled the machinery of a torpedo-boat, and when sent below to make a report on a defect in the ma. chinery was incapably inebriated. lIe was sen- tenced to lose all seniority. There was a great falling off in the usual number of lost children who came into the hands of the Hampstead police on Bank Holiday, viz., only three, as against some twenty or thirty on most "Bank Holidays. These three were of years varying from three to ten, and came from the neighbourhoods of Lisson (irove and IIighgate New Town. A young man named lloo l attempted to get off a train" whilst in motion at Iforwich Junction the other night, and was caught between the train and the platform. He was carried fifty-four yards, and waS frightfully mutilated. He was liberated from underneath the carriage, and attended by Dr.Jack- son, hut only lived a couple of hours. 1 he other afternoon, whilst a party of three men employed in Flatt's Pit, Clifton (worked by the Low Moor Ironworks Company) were "prop drawing," a puncheon," driven by James Denton, gave way, the roof fell, and a deputy-steward, John Nicholson, was buried and killed. Another man, Samuel Parkin, was injured, and had to be taken home. The annual meeting of the Church Defence Insti- tution has been held at the National Society's Rooms, Westminster; Lord Egerton, of Tatton, presiding. The report congratulated the members of the institution on the successful efforts they had made, and urged the necessity for strengthening all that was weak, and for cutting away all that was corrupt. Messrs. Rollit and Sons, solicitors, have paid into court the sum of £1,000, as a guarantee in connection with the petition which Mr. Christopher Skyes has presented against the return to Parliament of Mr. W. A. M'Arthur for the Buckrose' Division of Yorkshire, on the grounds of the incorrect counting of votes, illegal votes by Liberals, and other breaches of the Ballot Act. Henry Helsfby, wine and spirit merchant pleaded guilty at the Liverpool Assizes to drawing five ac- ceptances for over X400 for the purpose of fraud, knowing them to be false. Prisoner was in difficul- ties, and yielded to the temptation. He expressed his contrition, and threw himself on the mercy 01 the Court. He was sentenced to twelve months imprisonment with hard labonr. The death, at Buenos Ayres, is announced of Mr. Henry Charles Jerrett, in his seventy-fourth year. In his younger days he was well known as the most skilful English player upon the horn, and for many years he was a member of the opera or- chestra. His capacity for business was even greater than his musical skill, and he became known throughout the world as an able operatic agen t and theatrical manager. A fire bruke out the other night at the tohacc i manufactory of John Young and Co., Breightmet Street, Bolton. The fire originated in a one-storey shed at the back in Salop Street, stored with a large quantity of t >bacco. It spread rapidly through the roof, and communicated with extensive premises in front. The fire was not extinguished before damage to the amount of some thousands of pounds had been caused. At the Leeds Assizes, Joseph Baldwin Patchett (33), mason, was found guilty of the manslaughter of his mother, aged 71 years, at Bradford, and was sentenced to eighteen months' imprisonment with hard labour. William Hurcombe (29), labourer, found guilty of the manslaughter of one Henry Fisher during a public-house quarrel, was sentenced to six months' imprisonment. The Berkshire coroner held an inquest at Clewer upon the body of an unknown man, about fifty years of age, who had been drowned in the Thames in the vicinity of theWindsor viaduct of the Great Western Railway. Some old clothes, full of vermin, having been found upon the river bank, the employe's of the Elton and Windsor Humane Society searched the stream and discovered the remains. A curious charge of perjury has been tried at the Central Criminal Court, when William Thomas Tranter, twenty-six years of age, was sent to penal servitude for five years for having fraudulently pro- cured the conviction of a man named Cleary, on a fictitious charge of stealing his watch. The motive for this cruel perjury was to secure X3 or 94 court fees, usually paid to a prosecutor in such a case. An inquest has been held at Manchester on the body of a widow, named Gorman. The other morn- ing a passer-by saw curtains in deceased's house blazing. He forced his way in and found the fur- niture burning, and the woman lying dead with a paraffin lamp beside her. She lived alone, and the fire had apparently been caused by the lamp. Death was due to suffocation, the mouth and nostrils being coated with soot. Verdict, "Accidental death." Alfred Williams and Theodore Ready have been remanded, at the Mansion House Police Court, on the charge of being in the unlawful possession of a large quantity of counterfeit coin. An officer who had seen Williams tender a bad half-crown at a bar followed him, and apprehended him and Ready, whom lie had joined. Ready dropped a packet of five counterfeit half-crowns, and 102 m re were found on him. together with a gold watch and chain and a cheque book. An inquest has been held at Wakefield on the body of Henry Woodhead, a child four years of age, the son of a plumber and glazier. The child had a quantity of damson plums, and went out to play. Shortly afterwards lie ran home with his fingers in his mouth, and apparently choking. A servllllt instantly fetched a doctor, but although he reached Mr. Woodhead*8 house in a few minutes the chil! had expired. Death had resulted trom chokillg by a plum stone. A conference of evangelists interested in evange- listic work, and in sympathy with ex-Commissioner Corbridge, whose secession from the Salvation Army caused such a sensation a few months ago, is bcin:7 held in the Surrey Street Music llall, Sheffield. The meetings are creating a great amount of inter- est among all classes of the community, there being a general feeling that all that is good in the Salva- tion Army is preserved in the new evangelistic or- ganization, and all that is objectionable is kept out- side. The Queen having been communicated with on behalf of the Royal Cambrian Academy of Art, which is now holding its inaugural exhibition at Conway, to ascertain whether she would accept an J album or folio of original drawings, contributed by members and associates, in commemoration of the jubilee year of her reign, Mr. Laurence Banks, the h-^orary secretary, has received a reply through Sir Henry Ponsonby that her Majesty will have great pleasure in accepting the proffered folio of drawiDga.

AMERICAN STORIES. A STORY OF THE CONCORD. Capt. T r, of the sloop of war Concord in the West India squadron, was a curious con.pound of humanity. Fanatically p out. nervous to a degree approaching actual hysteria, be kept his officers and crew half the time in misery. One time his ship waf nearing the port of Pensa- cola and just at dtrt, the white sands of Santa Rosa Island were sighted chse aboard to windward. The officer of the deck sent a messenger boy to announce the fact. A minute later old T rushed outof the cabin half- dressed, gave one glance at the surf breaking shore- ward a mile away anl »hou:ed "Oh, merciful Lord -here it is atltt-t, alee shore and no chance to claw off! Call all hands to prayers -c ill all hands to prayer< I It took the officer of the deck half an hour to per- suade the old gander thai theie wt, no danger, that the wind was off inste .d of Oil shore and that the ship was heading for the J'ensacola Bar in smooth water. One day in port a few of t c mi ls put up a big- sell on the old man. A party of them got permission to go to the big b.iyou where We jenerally got fresth water for ships in 'he squadron on a fishing trip. They had been gone juSt a little while when one- of the conspirators left on board purposely, went privately into the cahin and told Captain T. that the fishing party was only gotten up as a ruse to- conceal the real object of the patty going on shore. That was to enable two of the middies. Brown and Ryan, to fight a due!, for it was known they had. been quarreling in the steerage :he night before. "Man my gig instantly ciied the Captain ia nervous agony. "I must step thi- wicked thing. Just to think of it-officers of mine fighting duels Man my gig and put in a half dozen marines. I'll arrest them both and put them in double irons I" In a few minutes his boat was rowing as fast as the crew could pull for the bayou. Old T. stood up in the stern sheets, urging the men to bend to the oars-they were on an errand of inerey-t,) save human life. The boat was nenr the usual landing, when the midshipmen were "ejn in a group, and the ola Cap- tain pale as a ghost shouted "We're too late—we're too late—they're at it now!" And even as lie spoke two pistol shots resounded over the water, and he saw two of the officers drop to the ground. "Oh merciful Heaven, that I should live to see this I" he moaned. '-Why was I so late! Oh, men-men-pull-pull-that I may get there to con- sole them as they die! The boat touched the shore, he leaped out and rushed up into the group and kneeling down while tears streamed from his eyes began to pray loud enough to be heard a mile for mercy for the dead or dying. While he was thus engaged the two who had been prostrate rose and the whole group of reefers with bared heads waited reverently for him to get done praying. When he was pretty well exhausted he looked ap and there stood Brown, Hyan and the rest, with no signs of wounds or injuries upon them. '•Whatdoes this mean, gentlemen? he asked in wonder. "Have my prayers wrought a miracle? Have the dead come to life? Thank heaven I was no' too late after all! And you might have worked a week to persuade the old man that the whole thing was a farce and a sell got up for his especial benefit. lie went back to the ship happy. He had saved human life. Poor old man-he kept getting worse and worse until the Commodore found it necessary to send him home and put another officer in charge of the ship. He was crazy, especially on religious points.

LYING IN WAIT FOR SIMONS. "That explosion of powder in a store down the- river puts me in mind of a personal experience," said a Detroiter yesterday. I was living in Missouri, and the country store at which I used to trade was kept by a man named Simons. He was a queer, cranky old chap, having his own ideaa. about everything, and, while he always kept in stock several kegs of gunpowder he insisted on stor- ing them for his own convenience, without refer- ence to the danger. A twenty-five pounll keg al- ways sat on the counter within ten feet of his weighing scales, and the very first time I entered the store the old man weighed out a pound for a customer and kept a lighted pipe in his mouth all the time. There were twenty people inside, but I was the only one to skip out. The others hacI got used to it. I felt it my duty to warn Simons against such terrible carelessness. He beard me through and replied: Stranger, mebbe you had better patronise some other store. I'm mosttoooldtowantalvice from boys.' There was no other store within seven miles, and I therefore continued to trade with the old man though he seemed down on me for ever after that. One night I drove up after something and found fully twenty men in the store, most of whom wero smoking. There were three kegs of powder on the counter this time, and when I heard a customer ask for a pound I slipped out doors and didn't stop run- ning for half a mile. I waited for half an hour, but no explosion took place. When I returned most of the men had gone. I got my goods, mounted my horse and set off for the lead mine, wondering how it was that Providence fooled around with the oi l man so long. I had noticed powder scattered on the counter, and the wooden plug was out of on- ef the kegs. I was about a mile away when my horse seemed to be lifted off the ground, and there came a rumble as if an earthquake had broken loose. Fences along the roadside were levelled, and I hear! glass breaking in farm-house windows. I knew what had happened, and turned and rode back. When I reached the site of the store there was simply a great hole in the ground. The building had been scattered for half a mile around. Old Simons was found in a potato patch forty rods away. bruised, blackened, broken and dying, and when we picked him up he gasped out: co It's all nonsencetobe afraid of the durned stuff I

MR. GOULD'S MANNER OF EXERCISING. They tell a story in his office about Mr. GouldV resolving, on the advice of his physician two years ago, to take exercise. I don't wish you to exercise violently," said thj doctor; "all you need to do is to practice milJ calisthenics an hour every day. 11 All right," said Gould "show me exactly what to do." Thereupon the medical man instructed the mil.. lionaire in a variety of movements, such as flexing and extending the arms am) leg-, intlating the lungi and slowly excluding the air, beating the cliest with the hands, and bending the body sideways and backward. Next day, when his brokerage partners, Connor and Morosini, looked into his private officu, where he sat at his desk reading letters from tht morning's mail, they were astounded at the sight. Gould was going through a series of contortion^ thaf indicated nothing less than raving madness. Hia eyes were on the manuscript of a long epistle, and he seemed to be intently perusing it; but his puny physique was undergoing the strangest motions- his arms and legs extending one after another in all directions, and his body doing more genuflection* than were ever conceive I of a ritualist Was hit having a fit? No his calm face indicated no agony or illness. Had he gone crazy ? That was likely, the two partners thought. What is the matter, Mr. Gould? said Conner, approaching rather cautiously. "Is there something bad in the letter? "said Morosini. "No, no," replied Gould, setting an arm revolv- ing like a wheel with one spoke and no rim "Fffl exercising without loss of time."

A Yankee down-east newspaper says. "Without intending to be personal, we feel bound to declare that if our postmaster would resign, many timid persons would feel safer about their money letters." The snow came prematurely,yesterday,and caught most of our home poets unprepared. Only one poem came in, and that made icicle rhyme with possible. it was written on a very good quality of paper. A New York editor says his ancestors had been in the habit of living a hUIIIIred years. His oppo- nent responds by saying that that was before the introduction of capital punishment." In the charitable town of St. Louis they give tramps bread and butter with little nitro-glycerine pills inside, and then kick them. Ridiculously enough, a New York poetess is writ- ing about what she would do "if the were a eun. beam."