The Dorset County Express and Agricultural Gazette.
Dorchester, Dorset, England, 1877-04-17 00:00:00

!MANAGE.

Swerane FISHERMEN SOD THEIR FISIllar) TACKLE.—
At the Wareham Couuty Petty Session. on Tuesday last,
Edward Beck, a Coestguard pensioner, of Swanage, wag
charged with stealing a prawn pot and • itprit, value Is. Bd.
the property of Hebert Brown. a fisherman of Serenest..
—Mr. H. T. Trevanion, of Pole, appeared for the prose-
cution ; Mr. R,. N. Howard, of Weymouth, for the defence.
—ln opening the case for the prosecution, Mr. Trevanion
said although the value of the property the defendant was
charged with stealing was small, the came was one of vital
moment to fishermen, an their property was necersarily
greatly exposed to the reach of dishonest people. If the
magistrates were satisfied that the charge was proved, he
should ask them to inflict the severest poenble Punieh-
snent —Robert Brown, the preeecutor, stated that he left
seven prawn pore on the pier wall on the 19th of February.
The pot produced was one of the seven. When he left it
on the pier wall it had one stone on the bottom, hut now
it had three others, anti the line was ilifferent The new
withies in the rest produced, he put in himself. and the
Pot was the only one he had left of four dozen he hough
nine years ago. Only the piermaater had any right to
remove the pot. He went to the pier on the 21st of
February, and then missed three of the pole, including
the one produced. On the following day be was out on the
prawn ground, and found the pot produced entangled in
his rank. The pot wan his, but not the cork and line.
He saw it was not • fisherman's line, sa the cork was tied
in upside down. The end float had been knocked off,
apparently by • passing .teamer. He put the pot in the
boat, and left it in charge of a boy named Collier. On the
2flth he went to the pier and got the pot and carried it I.
defendant, and asked him if it was his. Defendant said
It was, and that he gave a man named Dowling M. for it,
Defendant exansined the pot before he said this. Defen-
dant said he knew the line, as it was whipped with thread.
He told defendant it might he his line, but that it was net
his pot. Ile told defendant to let the pot remain where it
was till Dowling had seen it. Dowling looked at the pot
in the evening. He made the sprit produced himself, from
• larger one by planing it down with a spokeshave. In the
month of December last he placed the sprit on the pier,
under the gear of the boat Ranger. During the first week
in January he wanted to one the sprit, and then found it
was gone. The same week that he missed the pot he saw
the sprit on defendant's premises. The sprit was behind
defendant'n oars in the corner of his yard, and he saw
about 3ft, of the top of it as he was talking to defendant
about twelve yards distant In consequence of this, he
applied tor a warrant. He saw other fishermen's property
on defendant's premises at the same time. The policeman
found the sprit in defendant's boat Defendant said he
had had the sprit in his possession a week or a fortnight,
and told the policeman he took it off the pier, thinking it
belonged to • roan named Walter White. The eprit and
pot belonged to him, but not the stones and lines. Its
identified the sprit Dom having made it and used it, hut
there was nothing peculiar about it--Cross-examined by
Mr. Howard : The prawn and lobster grounds were from
ten yards to nine miles distant from Swanage. He put
doyen the pots in question about • mile f rote Swanage.
Most of the prawn pots were put down at that spot, and
seven or eight boats went there besides bin own. They
put down the pots about ten fathotns apart. Defendant s
rank was about the fourth from his. The pot had been
In collision with something that brought it where he found
it. The pot was left just outside the pier gate in a public
place, and any child passing might move it off the wall.
Anyone could easily change the lines on the pots if they
had • mind to do so. Defendant had beert in the Coast-
guard 'orrice for some years, and he had not dime any-
thing to prawning till within the past six weeks. The
fishermen did sometimes take one another's gear and
things to one in an emergency, lint they always told the
party of it before Cr afterwards. —George Toms, a grocer,
of Swanage, said prosecutor called his attention to a pot
one evening, but he could not swear that it was the one
proloced.—John Collier, ahoy, of Swanage, said he helped
preecutor in his fishing. Ile was with prosecutor when
be found the pot in his rank and hauled it up. He put the
pot en the pier the same day by his master's order'. He
was quite sure the pot produced was the one picked up in
the rank.—John Dowling, an old fisherman of Swanage.
was the next witness called, and he proved • match for the
lawyers. After the usual oath had been administered, he
was told to kiss the hook, to which he replied "I'm not
going to kiss the book ; I've 'sweated' so much in my life
I'm afraid the Lord won't forgive me." Ultimately the
witness affirmed, according to the prescribed form, and
stated that he sold the defendant six pots Inc Bd, each, but
the one produced was not among them. When he looked
at the pot in March he said it was not his his, and never
was hi.. —Mr. Howard (to witness): Pd. is not much for •
pot !—Wi tees. : No • Ois only 24. more for bn old pot than
'tie for a pot of beer.. (Laughter).—ln furtner croes-exami-
nation by Mr. Howard, witness said he made as many as
1211 pots in one year, and as he could not wear them out
fast enough, he was in the habit of selling the old ones, and
giving away those that were no use to old ladies for fire-
woqd. On leaving the box the witness addressed his
daughter and said—" Give me my hat; I want some beef-
eteaks and onions." (Laughter).—P.S. Stillman sail he
received a warrant to search the defendant's premises, on
the 27th of March. He saw the pot on the pier, and Raw
the sprit taken out of defendant's boat by P.C. Freeborn.
Defendant's wife said the sprit had been standing in the
corner for some time, and that she fetched it out of the
water.—P C. Freeborn said he executed the search warrant
with the last wf thee,. He found the sprit in defendant's
boat. Defendant said he took the merit from the railings
by the side of the pier about a week or fortnight before,
and that he thought it belonged to Walter White. Defen-
dants wife afterwards said the sprit had been standing in
the corner, and that she went into the water after it, and
defendant added that it stood in the corner for two or
those montho—Croucexamined by Mr. Howard : Prow-
noor would often pass cicee to where he found the wit.—
In addressing the Bench for the defence, Mr. Howard I
said no man could have a better character than the
defendant, who had recently retired upon • good venaion
after nearly 30 years service in the coestguar& The
slightest conviction would cause the defendant to lose
his pension and good character, and reduce him to
beggary, and he (Mr. Howard) therefore felt his reepolni.
biLity in defending such • charge. He asked the Bench
to say that there was no case whatever in the evidence
before them. The pot wan found at the bottom of the
ma, and there woe no actual poesemion on the part of the
defendant, which must be fatal. As to the lines being
changed. Mr. Howard said it was wellsknown that, not
pule at Swanage but all along the closet, prawners were
robbed by people who went out at night and and pulled
up the pots, and in the same way • line could wily be
removed from one pot and placed on another. The mere
fact of defendant saying the pot was his did not consti-
tute larceny, and as to the sprit, there was no identity
whatever. He put it to the Bench as to whether or not
they thought there was a prima facie case to go before •
yury.—The magistrates retired, and upon their returning
into court the chairman said the Bench had decided to
dismiss the ewe, as they did not think there was
sufficient evidence upon which to convict.

CHARLTON MARSHALL.
PUBLIC Mityrtno.—A meeting convined by printed
notices, was held at the Club room, on Wednesday
the 4th inst, at seven o'clock p.m., to consider •
notice from the education department relative to the
deficiency of school accommodation. The Rev. E. P.
Blunt was asked to preside, and after giving his
reasons for being present that evening he gave his
opinion on the subject before the meeting. The
Department had in their final notice united the
parish of Charlton Marshall with that of Spetisbnry, ,
and suggested that the deficency would be beet met by '
adding an infant department to the endowed school in
the latter parish. The meeting however did not fall in
with this suggestion and resolutions were put and
carried in favour of maintaining a separate school in
the parish of CharPon for children under seven. A
vote of thanks to the Rev. Chairman terminated the
meeting.

nontanda am unable to take Cocoa because the
varieties commonly sold are mixed with Starch, under
be plea of rendering them soluble ; wbile really making.
them thick, heavy, and indifest4ge. flit may be wet
detected. for V Conon thicken, in the asp it prows the
addition hl dank Cooltoofs Cocoa Mieenoe ix genuine ;
It is thesis.. three times the Armtek el tire Caen%
.Me rtrogins Dowses Ilk, Test, 0•11sa