A BROMSGROVE man was told it was "most disgraceful to hit a woman" when he was fined 10s 9d 6d by the chairman of Bromsgrove Petty Sessions. Eoch Wilkes, of Staple Hill, was found guilty of assaulting elderly Jane Layton, also of Staple Hill, after he met her in the street and subjected her to bad language. He also threatened to smother her and jump on her before hitting her in the face.

THE elderly mother of Samuel Bentley, who was hanged for the murder of his wife at Foxlydiate, received a letter, dated the day of the execution, from the Chaplain of Worcester Gaol. The letter said Samuel died without a struggle or pain and walked like a man to the scaffold. It went on to say he was quite prepared for his fate having made his peace with God. Previous to his execution he said he hoped his friends would think kindly of him and he was sorry for the trouble and disgrace he had brought on his mother and son. The Chaplain told Samuel's mother: "Do not think he was hardened - he was a true penitent and behaved bravely.

ALFRED Best was taken to Bromsgrove Cottage Hospital after falling into the road near The Plough Inn, at The Whetty. The Bromsgrove resident was mowing the grass when he fell into the road and broke his leg in two places. He was attended to by Dr Rowlands and was said to be getting on satisfactorily

A LARGE company of parents and friends gathered on the playing fields at Bromsgrove College's Annual Sports Day, the 36th gathering of its kind, to watch a number of events which according to the Messenger, resulted in many close and interesting finishes.

A CATSHILL man with 31 criminal convictions for a string of offences was fined 7s 6d or seven days hard labour for using bad language. George Warman, of Little Catshill, was found guilty of using obscene language in the village's Golden Cross Lane.