The Dorset County Express and Agricultural Gazette.
Dorchester, Dorset, England, 1870-06-21 00:00:00

MURDER OF A WARDER
BY A CONVICT.

lAn Mellen Was held al the Portland Convict Prison
on ?ride/ afternoon het, on the body of Blear& Love
Ell. °militant-warder at the Prison, who died on Wed-
medal eight at half.peet eleven o'clock, front injuries
reeetved at the hands of Thome. Ratcliffe, a seven
pun' convict Ratcliffe have beloutt° t°
Lsoceshie- •
—, tor we and some of his convictions date
fr,_,°°' "'leo. He has suffered several summary con.
wmtlooll, and in 1860 was sentenced to one month and
five years in a Reformatory. Be was now undergoing
seven years' penal servitude for stealing a meerschaum
Pi". Illy is said to be a good offioer, not getting the
nconvicts punished till it was quite necessary. Yet
Ratcliffe, who was about 82 years old. it seem. was
desperate, and determined to kill some one, decided on
Mr. Bly aa his victim, becalms he had once reported
him. The eonviet in appearance was not a man from
whom one might have expressed such violence. He is
tall and apparently powerful, but not stoutly built,
and hue rather pensive, even melancholy, but not un-
oleasieg expression of countenance, and by no means •
bullring tone of voice; but rather respectful and con•
Mii•torl. Yet this is the man who in hopelessness at his
untinued convict life, determined to murder a man
before he prime (Illy being only 33 years of age) and
that man a husband, and the father of three children,
He communicated his design to anotherconviet, who put
the warder on his guard ; but it was of no avail. '
Ratcliffe placed at hand • shovel that had been used by
another °envied. On the 20th April the convicts were
In numerous parties, only one warder to • party, and
prisoner was with No. 48, who were excavating and
building on the new road leading to the Verne. Rat-
cliffe was moving about stones on the wall, when the
warder tolu him to get on with the building, and not
mind about thou 'tones. He then turned round to go
up the embankment Ratcliffe seised the shovel he had
Dear, and with both hands aimed a blow at the officer's
neck. A convict called out, Bly stooped, and the blow
struck him on the shoulder. 1313, then ran up the wall
shooting " 'stop the meal," an Ratcliffe followed him
striking him on the legs, Illy tripped and the convict
aimed another blow ; but by this time the other
convicts were on him, and he was secured. Bly then
drew his cutlass; but the others said It was no UK
and slaked him not to strike. The warder walked to
the infirmary • but he was there alternately better and
worse. On the 10th May he was so ill that his derosi.
lion was taken, when the convict, in the preuetse of all,
said he meant to kill some one. The warder sank, and
died, as above stated, on Wednesday last.
The Governor of the Prison, G. Clifton, Eaq., ewe.
municated with It. N. Howard. Fag, coroner for the
Island, and the inquest was fired for three p.m. on
Friday.
THE INQUEST
Was held at the prison jury-room on Friday after.
noon, bekire R. N. Howard, Esq., coroner. The jury
room is mashed by long descents through high-walled
passages, paved with stone, and seemingly a good dis-
tance below the level of the road outside.
The foreman of the jury was Mr. Thomas Franks, and
Mr. Abraham Puree, jun. Mr. Samuel Smith, Mr.
Simon Pearce, Mr. Joseph Bird, Mr. Simon White, Mr.
Wllliam Pearce, Mr. George Parsons, Mr. Junes
Whicker, Mr. Benjamin Stone, Mr H. Stone, MeThocou
H. Croaker, Mr. James Eames, Mr. /V Pearce, lir. W.
Lure, were on the jury.
The reporter, were admitted to the inquest at the
request of the Coroner.
The jury viewed the body, which was lying in the
infirmary,
The Coroner first addressed some remarks to the jury
on the law of murder, which he laid down very clearly.
Murder had been defined to be when • person of sound
mind, memory, and discretion kills any reasonable being
with midis aforethought. He pointed out the different
branches into which the subject divided itself, and stated
they would have to consider whether certain blows
received by deceased from the convict R•teliffe caused
the death of the deceived. If so, and those blows were
given with malice, it would be their duty to give a
verdict of "Wilful Murder." He quoted from an
authority, showing Diet not only etch acts as would
obviously tend to cause death—would be murderous,
but such, wilfully committed, as would apparently
endanger life. For institute where a man carried his
rick father frz-nri one °itemiser to soother, in eonsequenee
of which be died. As to whether the blows were the
cease of Edward Bly's death, they would luvreto depend
to a aertein extent on the evidence of the medical man.
As to the malice of Ratcliffe, the Coroner stated that
when Edward Bly was aonsidered to be in great danger,
and not expected to live through the night, he (Mr.
Howard) came in and took his deposition. The oonviet
was present, and he (Mr. Howard) never beard &este.
meat made more clearly than that by the envied
Ratcliffe, that he intended to Pill the man. He should
like the elivict to be present during this enquiry.
Ratcliffe was then brought in, and placed at the
lower end of the room, with a warder facing towards
him on either side. His hands were ironed, and he
wore the prison garb; but he regarded the jury firmly,
though with the peculiar pensiveness we have noticed.
He ,emained standing during the whole of the time,
which was about four hours and • half, scarcely chug.
log his position, his head hung a little on one side, till
at a certain eoint in the bequest, when he earnestly
convened with some of the jury.
The Governor, G. Clifton, Esq., was the first witness.
George Clifton: I am Governor of Portland Prison.
The body the jury have been to view is the body of
Edward Love Bly, who bald the rank of assistant-
warder. On the morning of the 20th April he was in
charge of No. 48 party, which was composed of 16
primoners and one was lent from another party to do
some building, making 17 convicts under his sole
charge.
The Coroner would like to ask the Governor—he
could answer or not, is be liked - whether it was in
accordance with the rules of the establishment that
only one officer should be in charge?
Mr. Clifton : On the morning of this day, casualties,
'lames, he., prevented more than one officer being
attached to one party. I might also add the large
number of parties the convicts were divided
into, to meet the requirement' of the Admiralty,
War, and Prison Department works. The party
was employed is OUST/till( and building • wall on
the new road leading to the Verne. Bly entered the
service on the 27th October, 1868, and had been 2j days
in charge of this party.
The Coroner felt an exceedingly eroug impression that
there were not sufficient officer". —Mr. Clifton said
there would not be two officers in charge under any
circumstances; one would relieve another. In
the afternoon of that day it wan reported that an
assault had taken plum and he saw deceased in the
Infirmary, in the afternoon. Deceased was in bed,
suffering from the injuries he had received. In cense-
gnome of the doctor having reported on May 10. that
Warder My was in a dangerous and sinking condition,
he thought it advisable that his deposition should be
taken, and in the evening of that day, in
the presence of the convict named Thomas Ratcliffe
whew official number is 7031, deceased stated that
whilst on the works Thome" Rateliffe violently assaulted
him with the blade of a shovel, striking him first edge.
ways between the shoulders, without any provocation.
He struck him until the shovel was taken from him.
When the convict Thomas Ratcliffe heard him say so,
he velantarily, and after being cautioned, avowed his
intention to murder the officer. and stated that he
would have done no, had not some one come to the
officer's assistance. He also admitted that the shovel
produced was the instrument which he used. He also
expressed in the meanie of deemed, thee he bore him
no illwill, but he was determined to take somebody's
life, as he warn half-starved and tired of his life, and
would rather be hanged, or words to that effect.
Ratcliffe had the regular &Bowmen of food, the
authorised male of diet, with the excepion of one day
while he was under punishment, he received only
bread and water. On the same day as deceased was
assaulted, he himself wrote an amount of how, when,
and where he was assaulted.
The Coroner declined to accept this as evidence,
quoting a recent case.
The Governor continued: Illy gave his age as 30
yeas when he entered, and he was therefore :12 years
of age. He died at half-put eleven on the nighs of the
15th of June.
Thomas Ratcliffe. the eonvict, was now present. .
The Coroner, addressing the convict, said be had
better not put any question, but he would have the
opportunity of doing no through him (the Coroner); but
he should strongly advise him not to do so. Did he
wish to put any quation?
Convict: Yes sir.—He then began to lush* • state-
ment; but the Coroner stopped him. and explained that
he must not make a staisment.—Convict: He states
I have only had one day bread and water. I have
had more than one day's bread and w•ter..
The Governor said Retell& only had one day's bread
and water since January, 1659.
The Curet: He said I streak him (111 y with the
shovel over the shoulder first. That Is a lie.
The Coroner: The Governor does not speak of that
of his own knowledge. He can give no evidence as to
that point; be only souks of what the dummied told
him. Is there any other question you wish to ask'
The Convict; I do not understand it at all.
The Cormier : This is only an enquiry as to the cause
of death of Edward Ely; ills not the tribunal to try
you; but while the witnesses are giving their evidence,
I thought it only fair and right to give you the °ppm-.
ttinity of petting any question you think proper.
Edgar Shaw Blake.: I am medical officer at the
Portland Convict Establishment. On the 20th of April
list, in the afternoon, trout information I received, I
went to the Infirmary and found Edward Bly imffering
from a good deal of nerve= exeitement, owing to his
haring repaired blows from the prisoner. On examin-
ing him, I found he had a bellies about six inches in
leagth and one in breadth, on the upper part of the
spine. He also had a contusion over the right hip, and
an incised wound of about an inch •nd a half in length
over the upper part of the left tibia, the large bone of
the leg. The wound war dressed, and a lotion applied
to the bruises. From that date to the evening
of the 29th he appeared to be progressing satisfactorily.
At that time there were the first symptoms of
additional complication' the results of the injury, and
after a few days time it bourne evident be was suffer.
ing from prestio or blood poisoning. From that time
he has been alteemately better and worse, until about
Tuesday, when it became evident he was .inking. On
the 10th of May he was in a very dangerous state, and
said so himself. I reported it to the Gorernor, and in
the evening be was present when deceased made &state-
ment in the presence of the convict. Ratcliffe also made
• statement. On Tuesday evening he was taken much
worse, and outirmed gradually to rink, till the time of
his death. I saw him last at half-past 10; he died at
half-past 11.
The Coroner asked if Mr. Maker could speak pal-
tively es to the emus of death without a post-sus-tem
Wawa: I think in • case of this importance
there should be a post mortern. The proof
that be died of what I think would be in the body.—
The jury weretananimously of opinion that it would be
best to have a post mortem examination,—Wanass then
retired for the purpose of the examination, and in the
meantime, the Coroner celled for other evidence.
John Crawley (7855) : On the morning of April 20,
I was one of a party of curried" No, 48, of whom
Thomas Ratcliffe was one. Edward Love Illy was the
officer in charge. The assistant-officer was Mr. Butt,
who stood alone; but only Mr. Bly was with the party.
The party I believe, consisted of 15; but I cannot
exactly say. About half-paat two, we went down to
start the work, and deceived gave some order
about the work, sod then went up luau the wall. The