The Star
Largest Circulation of Any Evening Paper in the Kingdom.
LONDON. SATURDAY, 3 NOVEMBER, 1888.
ONE HALFPENNY.
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The body of a man, supposed to have been a soldier, has been found on the foreshore of the Thames in the vicinity of the Royal Naval College, at Greenwich.
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SPECIAL EDITION.
Down on Warren.
Both the Saturday Review and Vanity Fair, the two strongest Tory prints published, have strong articles on Warren's folly in Murray's this month. The Saturday says the whole article is a mistake, that it should not have been written at all, that Sir Charles's historical statements "inspire a respectful amazement," and that the London mob is the best tempered in England. Vanity Fair, says Sir Charles, is imbued with militarism, that he says far too much about the mob, and that it is becoming "a perfect bugbear with him."
Broke his Promise with a Bullet.
A clerk named Taylor, a Volunteer sergeant, who lived at 43, Gower-place, quarrelled with his wife, and they separated. On Sunday week, however, they agreed to live together again, and were to meet on Thursday. That evening, however, Mrs. Taylor got the news that her husband had shot himself. This note was found on him: - "London. - Take all; good-bye, Kate, I have done for myself. I will meet you in Heaven. True till death." At the inquest last night the usual verdict was returned.
Night and Morning.
About ten o'clock this morning darkness descended upon London. It was not the thick darkness of a pea-soup fog, nor the dirty darkness of a smoke fog. It was a thin, grey, drizzling, damp obscurity, caused by a cloud of vapour hanging overhead, which intercepted the daylight, and upon which was reflected with a lurid glare the morning lamplight. There was very little interruption to the traffic, for the condition of things with all the street lamps lit and with the gas or the electric light streaming from every window was little worse than on any ordinary dark night. It was a kind of darkness which the light could pierce - a great advantage over the real "London particular." As we went westward things got worse. In Kensington the fog lay lower and was thicker, although at Putney the morning, though muggy, was clear. Men about town enlivened the gloom with a pleasant story to the effect that in that vague region of romance known as "up west" young gentlemen rising from sleep were deceived by the darkness into the idea that it was evening, and went down in all the shining glory of evening dress to dine at their clubs.
The phenomena is explained by the Meteorological Office as the outcome of a complex depression situated in the English Channel, and extending to the metropolis, with its centre about Hastings. This depression rises in a column, and drawing all the surrounding air towards itself causes aerial disturbances all over Europe.
Lost His Glass Eye and Took His Life.
At the inquest last evening on the fish hawker Cundick, who cut his throat at his house in Pepper-street, Borough, it transpired that some time ago he had the misfortune to break his glass eye, and this, his wife and mother-in-law stated, had greatly depressed him. The verdict was that he was temporarily insane.
Annie Laurie, well known at the Southwark Police-court, was found in Lant-street early in the morning very drunk, with her baby, only a fortnight old, huddled under her arm, drenched with rain. The magistrate told her she was a most unnatural mother, and in the interest of the infant he sent her to prison for a month.
Must Starve to Pay a School Fine.
Florence Twist, 11 years of age, herself appeared at Worship-street yesterday in answer to a summons taken out against her father for not sending her to school. The girl said she did not go to school because she had to nurse her father, who was in bed with bronchitis. Her mother went out nursing. Mr. Bushby ordered a fine of 6d. and 2s. costs. The child's ragged, but clean appearance, excited the pity of some of the people present, who further questioned her. 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 through ill-health. 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, nursed the father and a baby three years old, and got 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 23 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."
Giving Wrinkles to the Russian Police.
It is reported by the Novosti that Sir Charles Warren is now in St. Petersburg.
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NEWS OF ALL SORTS.
Children Neatly Murdered for £2.
A woman named Macpherson and a man who lived with her named Pearson were apprehended in Edinburgh yesterday on a charge of child murder. Some boys found in a new building in course of erection a trunk of a child. Some time ago a child under the charge of the woman Macpherson disappeared. Their house was searched, and the body of a second child, about six weeks old, was found with a ligature tied tightly round its neck. It appears that the mother of the latter child, who is a servant, advertised for some one to adopt it, and the prisoners agreed to do so on receipt of £2. When the female prisoner was apprehended she had in charge another infant, which she alleges is her own.
Mrs. Kane's Great Toe.
Spiritualists and clairvoyants abound in New York. Judging from the long list of advertisements in all the papers, they find plenty of dupes. The other day one of the spiritualists repented. Her name is Mrs. Kane, and she gave a lecture to a crowded New York audience on her former deceptions. "The impositions," she said, "I have practised began in childhood, when I was too young to realise the iniquity of them, and now in maturer years I repent and ask God to forgive me, as I forgive those who are foolish enough to believe in these silly, nonsensical manifestations." Mrs. Kane then cracked her great toe on a sounding board. An invitation was extended to all the physicians in the audience to go on the stage. They declared that the sounds were made by the great toe.
Lord Sheffield's Letter-box.
The following letter, bearing the Uckfield postmark of 27 Oct. has been received by the Earl of Sheffield. He has produced it in facsimile and offered a reward of £250 for the writer: - "England, Oct., 27, '88. - Dear Loard 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 a lady. I am sorry for troubling you, but don't forget the 29th. - I remain yours truly, JACK THE RIPPER."
Vaccination Law Tyranny.
In no extra-metropolitan district have the Vaccination Acts been administered with greater severity than at West Ham and Walthamstow. Here, in 1874, Elizabeth Cooper was sent with her infant for 14 days to Ilford Gaol in the depth of winter. Here is a specimen of the rough-and-ready way they are dealt with at West Ham. On Wednesday, after waiting five hours, Edmund Robinson was called before the Bench, and thus reports his experience:- "They asked me if I was ready to admit that my child was not vaccinated. I said 'Yes,' and without further chance of saying anything, the magistrate said, 'Very well, I make an order for you to have it done within 14 days, and pay 6s. 6d. costs.' I suppose this sort of dealing out the law to the poor just suits the vaccinating doctors. Now, this 6s. 6d. is a hardship, for my wife is just recovering from a severe illness and our savings are all used up, and it is the only money I had got to keep all six of us till Saturday night. So now it is a bread diet till then. But I don't mind if the youngsters get enough of that."
At Ashford yesterday Alfred Cook, a laborer, was summoned for disobedience to magistrates' orders for vaccination. He sent a medical certificate showing that the child had been lately ill with typhoid fever, and postponing the operation for two months. The magistrates imposed the usual fine of £1 and 11s. 6d. costs. - At the same sitting Edward Bird, a grocer's manager, of Ashford, was fined, in all, £3 3s. for two unvaccinated children. There are four distress warrants out against Ashford anti-vaccinationists who have not paid their fines.
