At the annual meeting of the Woman's Suffrage Society, held at Manchester yesterday, the report stated that the prospects of the Female Suffrage Bill were more hopeful. The total number of members of the House of Commons who had voted for, or declared themselves in favour of franchise for women was 359, being a majority of forty-eight in the whole House. The income of the society during the past year was £863, and liabilities £149.
The route of the procession, on the 9th inst., of the new Lord Mayor (Mr. Alderman James Whitehead), proceeding to the Law Courts, will be through the thoroughfares named and in the following order:
LAMBETH. - THE MAGISTRATE AND THE GUARDIANS. Fredk. Collier, 60, was accused of acting in a refractory manner whilst an inmate of Lambeth Workhouse, Prince's-road. - Payne, the receiving wardsman at the workhouse, stated that the prisoner was suspected of having tobacco about him. He denied it, but after a while witness discovered it upon him, and took it away. The accused became violent in his manner, put his fist in the face of witness, and used most disgraceful language. His conduct became so bad that it was necessary to send for a constable. - Prisoner: Didn't you refuse to let me go out? - Witness: I had no power to grant you permission. - Prisoner: Did you not push my head against a wall? - Witness: I did not. - Prisoner: You did, and twisted my right hand, and I can scarcely use it now. - Witness: I did not do so. - Smith, a porter at the workhouse, deposed that he asked the prisoner if he had anything about him he ought not to have, and he said he had not. - Mr. Biron: Let Payne stand up again. - Payne came forward, when Mr. Biron said: Were you not before me at this Court in June last? - Payne: Yes. - Mr. Biron: Were you not charged with severely assaulting an inmate? - Payne: Yes. - Mr. Biron: And did I not give you a month's imprisonment? - Payne: Yes. - Mr. Biron: And now I find you reinstated in your position, and now again a man complains of your treatment to him. I discharge the prisoner, and I shall communicate with the guardians upon the matter. I should like to know if they considered it seemly, after a competent Court had found it fit to imprison an official, to reinstate him. I mark my sense of the present proceeding by discharging the prisoner.
Isaac Twist was summoned at the Worship-street Police-court yesterday, at the instance of a School Board visitor, for not sending his daughter Florence, eleven years of age, to school. The girl herself appeared for the defence, and stated that she was required to stay at home to nurse her father, who was confined to bed with bronchitis. The magistrate imposed a fine of sixpence and two shillings costs. Being subsequently questioned by persons whose sympathy was excited, the child said her father had formerly been in business as a chemist, but had been compelled to retire owing to ill-health, and when she was asked if he could pay the half-crown she began to cry and said it was wanted for food.
Yesterday, at Worship-street Police-court, Mr. Saunders, superintendent of visitors, appeared to support a summons taken out against Isaac Twist, of Bath-buildings, City-road, for not sending his child Florence, eleven years of age, to school. The girl herself appeared to defend the case. In answer to the question why she did not go to school, she said that she had to nurse her father because he was in bed with bronchitis. Her mother went out nursing. - Mr. Saunders put in a certificate showing the attendances of the child, upon which Mr. Bushby remarked that it was very bad, and the defendant would be fined 6d, and 2s costs.
The child's ragged, but clean appearance, excited a feeling of commiseration on some of the persons present, and she was subsequently questioned as to the details of the defence she had put before the Court as a "reasonable excuse" for her non-attendance. Evidently a well-bred child, she stated that she was the eldest of four at home. Her father was a chemist, who had kept two shops at Yarmouth and one, up to recent years, in Sidney-street, City-road. He had failed to carry on business through ill-health, and was now confined to bed with bronchitis. Last winter the family received parish relief, and application had been made for it again. Her mother was out nursing day and night, only returning home to see the father and to bring money. She (the child) attended to the house, "cleaning up the place, nursing father and a baby three years old, and getting two others, aged nine and seven years, to school." There were two others in the family - one a girl, who did not live at home, and the other a man twenty-three years old, who lodged with them, but only earned a little by hawking medicines. Asked whether her father would be able to pay the 2s 6d to the School Board, she began to cry, and said it was wanted for food. She had had some bread and butter that day, and "the lady on the next floor" had given her father a cup of tea. She had not had any dinner before she came to the Court "because mother hadn't been home."
THREATENING TO MURDER AN EARL. - The following letter, bearing the Uckfield postmark of Oct. 27, has been received by the Earl of Sheffield: "England, Oct. 27, 1888. - Dear Lord Sheffield - I am sorry, but, feeling it my duty to let you know as I do not think you do or you would not have the Heart to turn an old Tennent like poor old Mrs. Grover out of her Home after such an hard struggle to maintain and bring up her family not only that but not allowing anyone to get an honest living there in the Butchering line as they have done for a great number of years, but it seems to me as though you and your faithful Steward want it all, and if you had my wish you would get more than you wanted. Remember this is a warning to you, but at the same time I should be much obliged to you if you could arrange it for your Steward to sleep under the same roof as yourself on Monday night, Oct. 29, or else I shall have to bring an assistant. My knife is nice and sharp. Oh for a gentleman this time, instead of Lady. I am sorry for troubling you, but don't forget the 29th. - I remain, yours truely, JACK THE RIPPER." Lord Sheffield has for some time past been so frequently annoyed by anonymous letter writers that he has resolved to make a special effort upon this occasion to capture his cowardly assailant. The above letter has therefore been reproduced in facsimile, and his Lordship has offered a reward of £250 for information leading to the arrest of the writer.