100 Years Ago:

AT the city police court yesterday, Maurice Simpson (40), a miller of Strensham Cottage, Strensham, near Upton-upon Severn, was charged with attempting to commit suicide by throwing himself in front of a Worcester tram-car.

William Johnson, a tram-car driver, said that on the previous Thursday evening he had been driving a tram-car from Cherry Orchard towards the Cross when, opposite South Bank, he saw the defendant lying across the rails, his head being across one of the rails and his feet towards the gutter.

Mr Johnson shouted to the man to get out of the way, but he replied: "Come on, come on, cut my head clean off!" The tram-car was brought to a halt and the conductor Arthur Kite took defendant from the line and put him on the footpath, but when the tram-car was re-started, defendant made further attempts to throw himself in front of it until the police arrived to arrest him. The defendant told the court he still intended to take his life but said he should not have come to Worcester to do it. There were plenty of fast trains elsewhere. The bench committed him in custody for trial at the Worcester Quarter Sessions.

150 Years Ago:THE perils of trade on Pitchcroft. As a lad was selling ginger beer on Pitchcroft on Tuesday last, during a drill of the Worcester Yeomanry, he had a somewhat narrow escape from injury. While he stood heedlessly beside his wares, the troop retired over the ground at a brisk trot, leaving the lad no time to get out of the way of the horses.

He consequently crouched on the ground when the front rank man of the troop cleverly leaped his horse and the rear rank man also managed to pass over him without inflicting injury. As the lad sat on the field scratching his head, scarcely knowing whether he was hurt or not, he attracted the attention of the noble Colonel who rode up, and inquiring into the particulars, laughed heartily at the mishap, told the boy it was a good thing his head was not broken instead of his ginger beer bottles and, wishing him to present himself at the Yeomanry headquarters, promised him reparation for the accident, a promise which was duly and honourably performed.

200 Years Ago:WE are happy to hear that on Sunday last the sum of £14.11s.10d was collected in the parish church of St Nicholas upon a brief for repairing the church and tower of St Andrew's in this city. Great advantages would result from this mode of contribution if it were generally attended to, for, as there are about 10,000 parish churches in England, a very small collection in each of them would produce a considerable sum, in many cases fully adequate to answer the purposes for which briefs are granted.

By this means, our churches might be kept in complete repair and we might transmit to our posterity, without dilapidation, those sacred edifices which have been erected by the piety of our ancestors, which are consecrated to the service of God and many of which are beautiful structures and, in the case of St Andrew's Spire, fine specimens of architecture.

250 Years Ago:THE persons taken into custody here last Saturday are supposed to be part of the noted Baxter gang. Their being secured here was occasioned by a quarrel they had among themselves in which they accused one another of pocket picking, shop-lifting. One of the women has been very ample in her disclosures, against her husband in particular, when appearing before the mayor and justices. It is hoped through her information a most notorious gang of rogues will be dispersed if not apprehended. These people, it seems, were active at the last Evesham Fair and since then in Hereford.

* A few days since, the woman and boy suspected of robbing the house of Mrs Spencer of Leigh were committed to the Marlborough Bridewell. Some of Mrs Spencer's things were found and proved to have been in the custody of the said pair.