2.—Mr. F. W. Windham, who for five or six years had enjoyed unenviable notoriety, died suddenly at the Norfolk Hotel, Norwich. He had been unwell for several days, and was seen by his medical attendant, Mr. F. C. Bailey, on January 31st. Mr. Windham became better on February 1st, and still further improvement was manifested on the 2nd; but later in the day his symptoms were completely altered, and became so alarming that Mr. Bailey called in Dr. Bateman and Dr. Eade. Every effort was made to restore animation, but without avail; this victim of an ill-spent life gradually sank, and in a few hours expired, in the presence of the medical men and of some of the servants of the hotel. Death was due to the obstruction of the circulation by a clot of blood in the pulmonary artery. On the 7th the body was removed to Tucker’s Hotel, Cromer, and the interment took place on the 8th, in the family vault at Felbrigg. Mr. Windham had completely dissipated the residue of the extensive property which he inherited, after payment of the law expenses contingent on the great suit, Windham v. Windham (q.v. November 22nd, 1861), and became dependent for a livelihood on the little income he made as driver of the Cromer coach. His uncle, General Windham, had made arrangements by which he was supplied with the means of living respectably. He had rooms at the Norfolk Hotel, but generally spent his time in one or other of the low public-houses in the city. The effect of his death was to deprive Mrs. Windham of the annuity granted on Mr. Windham’s life, and of any interest whatever in the Hanworth estate.
16.—A case was heard at East Dereham Petty Sessions, in which the points urged in the Corn Hall litigation in 1857–58 were again brought prominently before the public. George Squire, a Lincolnshire merchant, was charged with assaulting Charles Howard, the keeper of the Corn Hall. He had paid twopence for admission, and Howard informed him that he ought to take a merchant’s ticket and hire a stand. In the course of the altercation, defendant took plaintiff by the collar and pinched his neck. Mr. J. C. Chittock, solicitor, on behalf of the defendant, contended that any person had a right to go into the hall, whether he paid for doing so or not, because at the Summer Assizes in 1857 the proprietors were indicted for obstructing a highway and a verdict was given for the Crown. The hall was built upon a highway known as Lion Hill, and Lion Hill had never ceased to be a highway. The Bench determined that they had no jurisdiction, and dismissed the case.
18.—Died at Great Yarmouth, Mr. Isaac Preston, aged 92 years. One of the oldest inhabitants of the borough, he had, previous to the passing of the Municipal Reform Act, held several important offices in connection with the Corporation, and was twice Mayor. He was a justice of the peace and a deputy-lieutenant for the county, and was one of the promoters of the movement for the erection of the Nelson Column on the South Denes.
23.—A serious difficulty arose at Norwich, owing to the operation of the Cattle Diseases Prevention Act. A large number of dealers, apprehending that the provisions of the Act would not be enforced until the following week, sent stock to Norwich for the market on the 24th, or for transmission by rail to London. Two hundred fat beasts arrived at Trowse for conveyance, but the railway authorities refused to receive them. Salesmen on the Hill experienced the same difficulty, and dealers had to dispose of their cattle as best they could. Many beasts were sent to butchers for immediate slaughter; others were removed to Trowse. The Mayor (Mr. Nichols) went down on the 25th to see what help he could render, but the only way out of the difficulty was to send the animals to the Norwich slaughter-houses, whence the principal portion of the meat was forwarded to London. In order to obviate any further difficulty of the kind, the Norwich Town Council, on the 27th, resolved to erect slaughter-houses and to provide a dead meat market. The cattle plague continued with unabated virulence. Thursday, March 8th, was observed as a day of humiliation, business was suspended, and special services were held at the Cathedral and the parish churches. Similar services took place throughout the county. On June 30th it was announced, “Rinderpest is now nearly extinct in Norfolk and Suffolk”; and on October 13th it was stated: “The non-existence of the cattle plague in the county has rendered the work of the Central Committee and the Cattle Plague Association very light.” Norwich Cattle Market was re-opened on November 17th.
MARCH.
6.—A dastardly attempt was made to destroy the church of St. Lawrence, Norwich. Mr. David Penrice, the churchwarden, accompanied by a lad, went to prepare the church for evening service, and found it to be full of gas. The lad, on endeavouring to open the windows, was overcome by the fumes. Assistance was obtained, and it was discovered that every burner in the church had been fully turned on. At the Police Court, on the 21st, a lad named George Nobbs, described as a shoemaker, of St. Martin-at-Oak, was charged with “wilfully and maliciously turning on the gas at St. Lawrence’ church, thereby endangering the lives of her Majesty’s subjects.” The offence was fully proved, but the magistrates dismissed the case, on the ground that “the lad did not show he had any knowledge of the consequences of the act.”
13.—A boiler explosion occurred at the brewery of Messrs. Arnold and Wyatt, St. Margaret’s Plain, Norwich. William Whitworth, an engine driver, was killed, “his body being hurled into the beck containing six quarters of boiling wort.”
20.—The hearing of the petition against the return of Sir E. H. K. Lacon and Mr. J. Goodson commenced, before a Committee of the House of Commons. Bribery, undue influence, and treating were alleged. The inquiry concluded on the 22nd, when the chairman (the Right Hon. J. R. Mowbray) announced that the Committee had arrived at the unanimous conclusion that the members had been duly elected. On April 12th Mr. Mowbray gave notice of his intention to move the appointment of a Royal Commission “to inquire into the corrupt practices which prevailed at the last election for Great Yarmouth.” The Commissioners, Mr. Wyndham Slade, Mr. Lucius Henry Fitzgerald, and Mr. George Russell, began their sittings at the Town Hall on August 16th, and on September 11th adjourned until October 3rd, on which day the proceedings recommenced. The final adjournment took place on October 15th, the thirty-fourth day of the inquiry. Six hundred and fifty-six witnesses were examined, and full investigations made as to the elections of 1865, 1859, and 1857. The Commissioners reported that corrupt and illegal practices extensively prevailed, and in consequence the borough was disfranchised.
27.—The 13th Hussars marched from Norwich, en route to Newcastle.
28.—In the course of a civil action, Creake v. Smith, at the Norfolk Assizes, before Mr. Baron Martin, reference was made to “the science of Bibliomancy,” as practised by a “cunning woman” in the neighbourhood of Wells-next-the-Sea. The defendant, who was landlord of the Railway Hotel at Wells, had lost articles from his house, and had consulted the woman with the view of discovering the thief. A Bible was suspended by a string and made to revolve; during its revolutions the names of several suspected persons were called out, and it was alleged that it stopped on the name of the plaintiff being mentioned—a clear proof that he was the guilty person. The defendant returned to the hotel, alleged that Creake was a thief, “for he knew it by the turn of the Bible,” and dismissed him from his service. Hence these legal proceedings for slander and wrongful dismissal, which resulted in a verdict for the plaintiff on the first count, and for the defendant on the second count.