Part 28

_Edgbaston Advertiser_.--Published monthly by Mr. Thos. Britton, Ladywood. As its name implies, this publication is more of the character of an advertising sheet than a newspaper, but it often contains choice literary pieces which make it a favourite.

_Edgbastonia_.--A monthly, full of quaint and curious notes, local biographies, &c., issued by Mr. Eliezer Edwards, the well-known "S.D.R." First sent out May, 1881.

_Edmonds' Weekly Recorder_.--First published by George Edmonds, June 18, 1819. It was alive in 1823, but date of last issue is uncertain.

_German_.--A newspaper printed in the German language made its appearance here Aug. 7, 1866, but did not live long.

_Graphic_.--A penny illustrated commenced Feb. 21, 1883, but its growth was not sufficiently _hardy_ to keep it alive more than two _summers_.

_Gridiron_.--"A grill for saints and sinners," according to No. 1 (June 14, 1879), and if bitter biting personalities can be called fun, the publication was certainty an amusing one, so long as it lasted.

_Hardware Lion_.--Rather a curious name for the monthly advertising sheet first published Dec., 1880, but it did not long survive.

_Illustrated Midland News_.--The publication of this paper, Sept. 4, 1869, was a spirited attempt by Mr. Joseph Hatton to rival the _Illustrated London News_; but the fates were against him, and the last number was that of March 11, 1871.

_Inspector_.--A political sheet, which only appeared a few times in 1815.

_Iris_.--A few numbers of a literary magazine thus named were issued in 1830.

_Jabet's Herald_.--A weekly paper, published 1808, but not of long existence.

_Journal_.--A paper with this name was published in 1733, but there are no files extant to show how long it catered for the public. A copy of its 18th number, Monday, May 21, 1733, a small 4to of 4 pages, with the 1/2d. red stamp, is in the possession of the proprietors of the _Daily Post_, The _Journal_ of later days first appeared June 4 1825, and continued to be published as a Saturday weekly until 1873, when it was incorporated with the _Daily Post_.

_Liberal Review_.--First number March 20, 1880, and a few numbers ended it.

_Looker-On_.--A quizzical critical sheet of theatrical items of the year 1823.

_Literary Phoenix_.--A miscellany of literary litter swept together by Mr. Henry Hawkes in 1820, but soon dropped.

_Lion_.--Another of the modern "satirical" shortlived sheets, started Jan. 4, 1877.

_Mercury.--The Birmingham Mercury and Warwickshire and Staffordshire Advertiser_ was the title of newspaper of which the first copy was dated November 24, 1820. The title of _Mercury_ was revived in 1848. on the 10th December of which year Mr. Wm. B. Smith brought out his paper of that name. It commenced with _éclat_, but soon lost its good name, and ultimately, after a lingering existence (as a daily at last), it died out August 24, 1857.

_Middle School Mirror_.--A monthly, edited, written, and published by the boys of the Middle School of King Edward the Sixth, shone forth in December, 1880.

_Midland Antiquary_.--First numbtr for Oct., 1882. A well-edited chronicle of matters interesting to our "Old Mortality" boys.

_Midland Counties Herald_.--First published July 26, 1836, by Messrs. Wright and Dain. Its circulation, though almost gratuitous is extensive and from its high character as a medium for certain classes of advertisements it occasionally has appeared in the novel shape of a newspaper without any news, the advertisers taking up all the space.

_Midland Echo_--Halfpenny evening paper, commenced Feb. 26, 1883, as an extra-superfine Liberal organ. Ceased to appear as a local paper early in 1885.

_Midland Metropolitan Magazine_. This heavily-named monthly lasted just one year, from Dec., 1852.

_Midland Naturalist_.--Commenced Jan. 1, 1878.

_Morning News_.--Daily paper, in politics a Nonconformist Liberal; first published Jan. 2, 1871, under the editorship of George Dawson until the expiration of 1873. On Aug. 16, 1875, it was issued as a morning and evening paper at 1/2d.; but the copy for May 27, 1876, contained its own death notice.

_Mouse Trap_.--The title of a little paper of playful badinage, issued for a month or two in the autumn of 1824.

_Naturalists' Gazette_.--In Sept. 1882, the Birmingham naturalists began a gazette of their own.

_Old and New Birmingham_ was published in monthly parts, the first being issued June 1, 1878.

_Owl_.--A weekly pennyworth of self-announced "wit and wisdom" first issued Jan. 30, 1879.

_Penny Magazine_.--This popular periodical, the fore-runner of all the cheap literature of the day, may be said to have had a Birmingham origin, as it was first suggested to Charles Knight by Mr. M.D. Hill in 1832.

_Philanthropist_.--First published (as _The Reformer_) April 16, 1835, by Benjamin Hudson, 18, Bull Street; weekly, four pages, price 7d., but in the following September lowered to 4-1/2d., the stamp duty of 4d. being at that time reduced to 1d. In politics it was Liberal, and a staunch supporter of the Dissenters, who only supported it for about two years.

_Radical Times_.--Came into existence Sept. 30, 1876, but being too rabidly Radical, even for "the 600," whose leading-strings it shirked, it did not thrive for long.

_Register or Entertaining Museum_.--With the prefix of the town's name, this monthly periodical lived one year from May 10, 1764. This was one of the earliest London-printed country papers, the only local portion being the outside pages, so that it suited for a number of places.

_Reporter and Review_.--Principally devoted to the doings on the local stage, and published for a brief period during June, &c., 1823.

_Saturday Evening Post_.--A weekly "make-up" from the _Daily Post_ (with a few distinctive features) and came into being with that paper; price 1-1/2d. Originally issued at noon on Saturday, but latterly it has appeared simultaneous with the _Daily_, and is known as the _Weekly Post_, its price lately having been reduced to 1d.

_Saturday Night_.--First published, Sept. 30, 1882.

_Saturday's Register_.--Another of George Edmunds' political papers, which appeared for a few months in 1820.

_Spectator_.--A literary and dramatic monthly, of which seven parts were published in 1824.

_Sunday Echo_.--First number came out May 21, 1882.

_Sunday Express_.--Started August, 1884, and died August, 1885.

_Sunday Telegram_.--Started May, 1883.

_Sunrise_.--Rose Nov. 18, 1882, at the price of one-halfpenny, and lasted a few weeks only.

_Tattler_.--April 1817 saw the first appearance of this tittle-tattle-tale-telling monthly tease to all lovers of theatrical order, and August saw the last.

_Theatrical Argus_.--Of May and following months of 1830. A two-penny-worth of hotch-potch, principally scandal.

_Theatrical John Bull_.--Published in May, 1824, lasting for the season only.

_Theatrical Note Book_.--Rival to above in June, 1824, and going off the stage same time.

_Town Crier_.--This respectable specimen of a local comic appeared first in September, 1861, and it deserves a long life, if only for keeping clear of scandal and scurrility.

_Warwick and Staffordshire Journal_.--Though printed here, the town was not thought capable of filling its columns; a little experience showed the two counties to be as bad, and subscribers were tempted to buy by the issue of an Illustrated Bible and Prayer Book sent out in parts with the paper. The first No. was that of Aug. 20, 1737, and it continued till the end of Revelations, a large number of copperplate engravings being given with the Bible, though the price of the paper was but 2d.

_Weekly Mercury_.--Commenced November, 1884.

_Weekly News_.--A weak attempt at a weekly paper, lasted from May to September, 1882.

~Newsrooms.~--The first to open a newsroom were Messrs. Thomson and Wrightson, booksellers, who on Aug. 22, 1807, admitted the public to its tables. In 1825 a handsome newsroom was erected in Bennett's Hill, the site of which was sold in 1858 for the County Court, previous to its removal to Waterloo Street.

~New Street~ once called "Beast Market." was in Hutton's time approached from High Street through an archway, the rooms over being in his occupation. In 1817 there were several walled-in gardens on the Bennett's Hill side of the street, and it is on record that one house at least was let at the low rent of 5s. 6d. per week. The old "Grapes" public-house was pulled down just after the Queen's visit, being the last of the houses removed on account of the railway station. Though it has long been the principal business street of the town, New street was at one time devoted to the ignoble purposes of a beast market, and where the fair ladies of to-day lightly tread the flags when on shopping bent, the swine did wait the butcher's knife. New Street is 561 yards in length; between Temple Street and Bennett's Hill it is 46-1/2 feet wide, and near Worcester Street 65 ft. 4 in. wide.

~Nonconformists.~--The so-called Act of Uniformity of 1602 deprived nearly 2,000 of the clergy of their livings, and a few of them came to Birmingham as a place of refuge, ministering among the Dissenters, who then had no buildings for regular worship. There were many documents in the lost Staunton Collection relating to some of these clergymen, who, however, did not find altogether comfortable quarters even here, one George Long, M.D., who had fled from his persecutors in Staffordshire, finding no peace in Birmingham, removed to Ireland; others, though they came here by stealth to minister, had to reside in country parts. A Central Nonconformist Committee was formed here March 3, 1870.

~Nonjurors.~--Among the name of the Roman Catholics, or "Non-jurors," who refused to take the oath of allegiance to George I., appeared that of John Stych, of Birmingham, whose forfeited estate was, in 1715, valued at £12.

~Northfield.~--Four and a-half miles from Birmingham. There was a Church here at the time of the Norman survey, and some traces of its Saxon origin, students of architecture said, could once be found in the ancient doorway on the north side of the building. Some forty years ago the psalmody of the congregation and choir received assistance from the mellifluous strains ground out of a barrel organ, which instrument is still preserved as a curiosity by a gentleman of the neighbourhood. They had an indelible way at one time of recording local proceedings in matters connected with the Church here. The inscriptions on the six bells cast in 1730 being:--

Treble.--We are now six, though once but five, 2nd.--Though against our casting some did strive, 3rd.--But when a day for meeting they did fix, 4th.--There appeared but nine against twenty-six. 5th.--Samuel Palmer and Thomas Silk Churchwardens. Tenor.--Thomas Kettle and William Jervoise did contrive To make us six that were but five.

~Notable Offences.~--In olden days very heavy punishments were dealt out for what we now think but secondary offences, three men being sentenced to death at the Assizes, held March 31, 1742, one Anstey for burglary, Townsend for sheep-stealing, and Wilmot for highway robbery. The laws also took cognisance of what to us are strange crimes, a woman in 1790 being imprisoned here for selling almanacks without the Government stamp on them; sundry tradesmen also being heavily fined for dealing in covered buttons. The following are a few other notable olfences that have been chronicled for reference:--

_Bigamy_.--The Rev. Thomas Morris Hughes was, Nov. 15, 1883, sentenced to seven years' penal servitude for this offence. He had been previously punished for making a false registration of the birth of a child, the mother of which was his own stepdaughter.

_Burglary_.--On Christmas eve, 1800, five men broke into the counting-house at Soho, stealing therefrom 150 guineas and a lot of silver, but Matthew Boulton captured four of them, who were transported.--The National School at Handsworth, was broken into and robbed for the fifth time Sept. 5, 1827.--A warehouse in Bradford Street was robbed Jan. 9, 1856, of an iron safe, weighing nearly 4cwt., and containing £140 in cash.--A burglary was committed in the Ball Ring, July 5, 1862, for which seven persons were convicted.

_Coining_.--Booth, the noted coiner and forger, was captured at Perry Barr, March 28, 1812, his house being surrounded by constables and soldiers. In addition to a number of forged notes and £600 in counterfeit silver, the captors found 200 guineas in gold and nearly £3,000 in good notes, but they did not save Booth Irom being hanged. Booth had many hidingplaces for his peculiar productions, parcels of spurious coins having several times been found in hedgerow banks and elsewhere; the latest find (in April, 1884) consisted of engraved copper-plates for Bank of England £1 and £2 notes.--There have been hundreds of coiners punished since his day. The latest trick is getting really good dies for sovereigns, for which Ingram Belborough, an old man of three score and six, got seven years' penal servitude, Nov, 15 1883.

_Deserters_.--On 24 July, 1742, a soldier deserted from his regiment in this town. Followed, and resisting, he was shot at Tettenhall Wood.--A sergeant of the Coldstream Guards was shot here while trying to capture a deserter, September 13, 1796.

_Dynamite making_.--One of the most serious offences committed in Birmingham was discovered when Alfred Whitehead was arrested April 5, 1883, on the charge of manufacturing nitroglycerine, or dynamite, at 128, Ledsam Street. Whitehead was one of the Irish-American or American-Irish party of the Land Leaguers or Home Rulers, who entertain the idea that by committing horrible outrages in England. they will succeed in making Ireland "free from the galling yoke of Saxon tyranny" and every Irishman independent of everybody and everything everywhere. Well supplied with funds from New York, Whitehead quietly arranged his little manufactory, buying glycerine from one firm and nitric and sulphuric acids from others, certain members of the conspiracy coming from London to take away the stuff when it was completely mixed. The deliveries of the peculiar ingredients attracted the attention of Mr. Gilbert Pritchard, whose chemical knowledge led him to guess what they were required for; he informed his friend, Sergeant Price, of his suspicions; Price and his superior officers made nightly visits to Ledsam Street, getting into the premises, and taking samples for examination; and on the morning named Whitehead's game was over, though not before he had been watched in sending off two lots of the dangerously explosive stuff to London. There was, however, no less than 200lbs weight found still on the premises. The men who carried it to London were quickly caught with the dynamite in their possession, and with Whitehead were brought to trial and each of them sentenced to penal servitude for life. The distribution of rewards in connection with the "dynamite outrages," so far as Birmingham people were concerned, was somewhat on a similar scale to that described by the old sailor, when he said "prize-money" was distributed through a ladder, all passing through going to the officers, while any sticking to the wood was divided among the men. Mr. Farndale, the Chief of Police, was granted an addition to his salary of £100 per year; Inspector Black was promoted to the rank of Superintendent, adding £50 a year to his salary, and was presented with £100 from Government; Sergeant Price, became Inspector, with a rise of £41 12s. a year, and received a bonus of £200; Inspector Rees' salary was raised to two guineas a week, with a gift, of £50: while Mr. Pritchard, to whom belonged the conspicuous service of having given the information which led the police to act, was rewarded (!) with £50, having lost his situation through his services to the public.

_Embezzlements_.--In 1871, W. Harrison, the Secretary of the Birmingham Gas Company, skedaddled, his books showing defalcations to the amount of £18,000. When the company was dissolved, £100 was left in a bank for Mr. Secretary's prosecution, should he return to this country.--July 12, 1877, the secretary of the Moseley Skating Rink Company was awarded twelve months, and the secretary of the Butcher's Hide and Skin Company six months, for similar offences, but for small amounts.

_Forgeries_.--In the year 1800, seven men were hung at Warwick for forgery, and with them one for sheep-stealing. The manufacture of forged bank-notes was formerly quite a business here, and many cases are on record of the detection and punishment of the offenders.--June 28, 1879. the Joint Stock Bank were losers of £2,130 through cashing three forged cheques bearing the signature of W.C.B. Cave, the clever artist getting ten years--Nov. 15, 1883. John Alfred Burgan, manager of the Union Bank, for forging and uttering a certain order, and falsifying his books, the amounts embezzled reaching £9,000, was sentenced to fifteen years' penal servitude.--On the previous day Benjamin Robert Danks was similarly punished for forgeries on his employer, Mr. Jesse Herbert, barrister, who had been exceedingly kind to him--Zwingli Sargent, solicitor, was sentenced to five years' penal servitude, April 28, 1885, for forgery and misappropriating money belonging to clients.

_Fortunetelling_ is still far from being an uncommon offence, but "Methratton," the "Great Seer of England," _alias_ John Harewell, who, on March 28, 1883, was sentenced to nine months hard labour, must rank as being at the top of the peculiar profession. Though a "Great Seer" he could not foresee his own fate.

_Highwaymen_.--The "gentlemen of the road" took their tolls in a very free manner in the earlier coaching days, notwithstanding that the punishment dealt out was frequently that of death or, in mild cases, transportation for life. The Birmingham stage coach was stopped and robbed near Banbury, May 18, 1743, by two highwaymen, who, however, were captured same day, and were afterwards hung.--Mr. Wheeley, of Edgbaston, was stopped in a lane near his own house, and robhed of 20 guineas by a footpad, May 30, 1785.--An attempt to rob and murder Mr. Evans was made near Aston Park, July 25, 1789.--Henry Wolseley, Esq. (third son of Sir W. Wolseley, Bart.), was robbed by high-waymen near Erdington, Nov. 5, 1793.--Some highwaymen robbed a Mr. Benton of £90 near Aston Brook, April 6, 1797.--The coach from Sheffield was stopped by footpads near Aston Park, March 1, 1798, and the passengers robbed.--The "Balloon" coach was robbed of £8,000, Dec. 11, 1822, and the Warwick mail was robbed of no less than £20,000 in bank notes, Nov. 28. 1827.

_Horrible_.--The bodies of eleven children were found buried at back of 68, Long Acre, Nechells, where lived Ann Pinson, a midwife, who _said_ they were all still-born, July, 1878.

_Long Firms_.--A term applied to rogues, who, by pretending to be in business, procure goods by wholesale, and dispose of them fraudulently. W.H. Stephenson, of this town, a great patron of these gentry, was sentenced to seven years' penal servitude, Nov. 22, 1877, for the part he had taken in one of these swindling transactions, according to account by far from being the first of the kind he had had a hand in.

_Next-of-Kin Frauds_.--Many good people imagine they are entitled to property now in other hands, or laid up in Chancery, and to accommodate their very natural desire to obtain information that would lead to their getting possession of same, a "Next-of-Kin Agency" was opened in Burlington Passage at the beginning of 1882. The _modus operandi_ was of the simplest: the firm advertised that Brown, Jones, and Robinson were wanted; Brown, Jones, and Robinson turned up, and a good many of them; they paid the enquiry fees, and called again. They were assured (every man Jack of them) they were right owners, and all they had to do was to instruct the firm to recover. More fees, and heavy ones; the Court must be petitioned--more fees; counsel engaged--more fees; case entered for hearing--more fees, and so on, as long as the poor patients would stand bleeding. Several instances were known of people selling their goods to meet the harpies' demands; clergymen and widows, colliers and washer-women, all alike were in the net. It became too hot at last, and Rogers, Beeton and Co., were provided with berths in the gaol. At Manchester Assizes July 18, 1882, J.S. Rogers got two years' hard labour, A. Mackenzie and J.H. Shakespear (a solicitor) each 21 months; and E.A. Beeton, after being in gaol six months, was ordered to stop a further twelve, the latter's conviction being from this town.

_Novel Thefts_.--A youth of nineteen helped himself to £128 from a safe at General Hospital, and spent £13 of it before the magistrates (Jan. 15, 1875) could give him six months' lodgings at the gaol.--Three policemen were sent to penal servitude for five years for thieving July 8, 1876.--Sept. 19, 1882, some labourers engaged in laying sewage pipes near Newton Street, Corporation Street, came across some telegraph cables, and under the impression that they were "dead" wires, hitched a horse thereto and succeeded in dragging out about a dozen yards of no less than 33 different cables connecting this town with Ireland, the Continent, and America. Their prize was sold for 4s. 6d., but the inconvenience caused was very serious. Henry Jones, who was tried for the trick, pleaded ignorance, and was let off.--At Quarter Sessions, Ernest Lotze, got six months for stealing, Dec. 12, 1892, from his employer 87lb. weight of human hair, valued at £300.

_Personal Outrages_.--Maria Ward was sentenced to penal servitude December 18, 1873, for mutilating her husband in a shocking manner.--At Warwick Assizes, December 19, 1874, one man was sentenced to 15 years, and four others to 7 years' penal servitude for outraging a woman in Shadwell Street.--George Moriarty, plasterer, pushed his wife through the chamber window, and on her clinging to the ledge beat her hands with a hammer till she fell and broke her leg, May 31, 1875. It was three months before she could appear against him, and he had then to wait three months for his trial, which resulted in a twenty years' sentence.

_Sacrilege_.--In 1583 St. Martin's Church was robbed of velvet "paul cloathes," and also some money belonging to the Grammar School.-- Handsworth Church was robbed of its sacramental plate, February 10, 1784; and Aston Church was similarly despoiled, April 21, 1788.--A gross sacrilege was commuted in Edgbaston Church, December 15, 1816.--Four Churches were broken into on the night of January 3, 1873.

_Sedition and Treason_.--George Ragg, printer, was imprisoned for sedition, February 12, 1821.--George Thompson, gun maker, 31, Whittall Street, was imprisoned, August 7, 1839, for selling guns to the Chartists.

_Shop Robberies_.--Diamonds worth £400 were stolen from Mr. Wray's shop, November 27, 1872.--A jeweller's window in New Street was smashed January 23, 1875, the damage and loss amounting to £300.--A bowl containing 400 "lion sixpences" was stolen from Mr. Thomas's window, in New Street, April 5, 1878.--Mr. Mole's jeweller's shop, High Street, was plundered of £500 worth, April 13th, 1881. Some of the works of the watches taken were afterwards fished up from the bottom of the Mersey, at Liverpool.

_Short Weight_.--Jan. 2, 1792, there was a general "raid" made on the dealers in the market, when many short-weight people came to grief.

_Street Shouting_.--The Watch Committee passed a bye-law, May 14, 1878, to stop the lads shouting "_Mail, Mail_," but they go on doing it. _Swindles_.--Maitland Boon Hamilton, a gentleman with a cork leg, was given six months on July 25, 1877, for fleecing Mr. Marsh, the jeweller, out of some diamonds.--James Bentley, for the "Christmas hamper swindle," was sentenced to seven years at the Quarter Sessions, May 1, 1878.

The following tables show the number of offences dealt with by the authorities during the five years ending with 1882 (the charges, of which only a small number have been reported, being omitted):--

The total number of crimes reported under the head of "indictable offences"--namely, Sessions and Assizes cases--the number apprehended, and how dealt with, will be gathered from the following summary:--

Year. Crimes. Apprehended. Com. for trial. 1878 ......... 1746 ......... 495 ......... 349 1879 ......... 1358 ......... 474 ......... 399 1880 ......... 1187 ......... 451 ......... 340 1881 ......... 1343 ......... 435 ......... 351 1882 ......... 1467 ......... 515 ......... 401