The Dorset County Express and Agricultural Gazette.
Dorchester, Dorset, England, 1878-01-29 00:00:00

EITIUMLIDGI.
MALICIOUS ATTEMPT TO
UPSET A TRAIN.

&hilt Coombe Moore (36), labourer, was indicted
Weans,lay u3orning before Mr. Justice Mellor, at the
Haute, Wil and Dorset Assises, held nt star, for
maliciously placing acmes the metals of the Somerset
and Dorset .SouthAVeetern and Midland joint railway,
a railway sleeper and at iron railway chair, with
intent to overthrow the engine and carr Plunk%
over the railway, at Stalbridge, on e bib of
November last. - Mr. Mathews conducted the
prosecution, the prisoner being undefended.
• •

Mr. Mathews, in opening the ease to the jury, said
that they had a very onerous duty to dischae=te
charge against the soner moot • very 'eve
and, as the evidence would le of an entirely circum.
stantial character, it would te necessary for him to go
Into the details at soma length. The &ølculty in the
cam would be increased by the fact that the prisoner
wee undefended, and it would be for them and the
Court, therefore, to watch the nee very carefully. On
the night of the Sib of November the prisoner was in
• public house, called the Crown at Staibridge, in
company with a person named Light. He left the
house at about half.pset eight o'clock, and he went
In the direction to his own home.
. . . _

Here a plan of the scene was put in, but his Lord-
ship refused to make use of it, saying he always found
plans of no use. They were always too large.
Light had moms conversation with the prisoner who
told bun that be had been discharged train the railway
company's marline, and that he was going home then
acne§ the fields and • railway-bridge on .his way.
Neer the prisoner's residence lived two naghbours
named Cummings and Randall, and at or about nine
o'clock Cummings wee standing before his gate, when
there pseud a man dressed in a similar way as the
, and who wished Cummings good night.
prisoner,
eeror four minutes after Ronda' went to
Look after souse cattle, and whilst standing on the
railway beidge, • man like the one seen by Mr.
Cummings past by him, going in the direction of
Sheiteabury. Kendall remained on the bridge, and
about 20 minutes afterwards he saw the man who had
gone in the direction of Shaftesbury corn* round, and
return to near the locality of the bridge. The man
*eked for a light, and lighted his pipe, using • box
which had a spring to it On the prisoner was after-
wards found one or more pipes, and a spring tobacco
box. Kendall had thus an opportunity of hearing
the man's voice, and he recognised it as that of the
prisoner when before UM magistrates. The primmer
asked Kendall whether there were any more trains
that night, and Kendall told him there were only
good@ trains. At that time there was a bonfire near,
by which the witness was enabled better to use the
man, who appeared like the prisoner. On one side of
the line and in other pasta were found footprints, and
they left peculiarly distinct marks, with which the
hob-nails in the prisoner's boots corresponded in stymy
rasped. When charged with the offence prisoner said
he went to Unborn. Port that day, but he could not
tell at what time begot beck, nor the time he arrived
at home. lie said also that there were others who
' might have committed the offence as well as himself.
He added that a man at Wincanton did so the other
, day, and if he (the prisoner) were, convicted he
eepprieed he should "get it for that." Before the
' magistrates the prisoner staled he was not near the
place at the time, and it would now be for the jury to
investigate the whole faded the case.
Evidence was then taken, the find witness was
William Henn, surveyor, who produced the plans of
the neighbourhood, and spoke to the accuracy of the
scheme.

Alind Bruford, an engine driver on the railway,
drove the engine, 6.25 from Etatb, that night. It
went to Bournemouth. In the course of the journey
be passed the Kingsmill railway bridge at about 8.4&
There were then no obstacle on the Rue between the
railway bridge and cattle arch.
G Light, a ganger at Stalbridge, said on the
sthnovemher be saw the prisoner at the Crown
Inn, Stalbridge. Witness asked him how it was he
had not been to work to-day. He said he had mese
words with the inspector yesterday, and the Inspector
had discharged him, but he had got hie money from
the station master. He also said he wee going over
Kingsmill railway bridge and among the fields to
Hinton, as it was his straight way home. He left
between 8.45 and 9 p.m. Witness left at 10 o'clock.
About 8 next morning witness went down the line,
and saw between the railway bridge and cattle arch
the life guard of an engine, There were also a sleeper
In the road which had leen knocked off the metals by
the engine in palming. Them were also a railway
chain broke in two pieces. They were about five or
six yards from the engine chain, and the sleeper about
the same. When the prisoner Lit on the sth be had
on • blue Guernsey and • soft black hat. He carried
• rick In kis hand.

To prisoner: He could not swear to the kind of
boots be wore. You left at a quarter past eight
o'clock.

WEND Cummings, a labourer of the Kings mill,
situated near the ralway-bridim, said: On the night
of the sth lie was with Mr. Kendall, a fanner. He
left him between eight and nine o'clock. Witness
went to the wicket bridge to his house. A man peened
along in the direction of Hinton St. Mary. He
appeared to be dressed in fustian. Witness wished
him good niibt. He answered and
Meabeck Kendall,' farmer, of Stals. living close
to last witness, near the King's -road, said:
Cummings left between eight and nine o'clock After
be left, witness went to pert of his farm, and heard the
passenger train just before nine. Ha went to the
railway-bridge on which he remained about five
minutes. Heard a man coming from the direction of
Stallale and In the directke of fthafteshisry. He
peened witness About 10 minutes afterwards he saw
• Palos who appeared to be the lame men, and went
In the direction of an embankment towards the rail-
way-Une. The man 'eked witness whether there were
any snore passenger trans that abs? WWII'S said
he did not know ilserewere, but there were good trains.
Ha Lad where the fire was in the direction of Stan,
=Mater. It appeared to be an out-house on firs.
Witnese said be believed it was near Sthrminater
Newton. He said—" I think I'll light my pipe," and
be be did so with a match. Witallei'bdare that heard
the spring of a box. Prisoner was droned in • blue
Guernsey and fustian jacket. Saw his lace somewhat
indistineay. Ifs wore a black but, and was about the
height of the prisoner. After the ccavereation
Msaln the direction of Malsombury and Ctpoo.Nl
snflicient conversation with the man to r
bis mice, which he did before the snagletwates=
day. Hs believed it was the sante mins.
Robert Bartlett Tulfin, o/ Hinton St.
labourer (a witness not called before the magietrat%
said him house was very seer the prisoner's—some
or 30 yards olf. He knew prisoner for a number o
MI;13 or 14. Opposite to this home was a
,=
Mk at November thin was • bonfire
them. He was thewilies at his door, and his atten-
tion was directed to the jetliner. He we. coming
hem 0.1 1120 and mkt hs the dlisztion of his own
home. Had a mai Criegstesit• min 114

• goner, and moognised him well. It was about five
I minutes past 10 o'clock.
____,Charke,,, Jame,
~,eweioe driver on the line, drove
"wg‘a• -an. I° CO toe might of the 6th of November.
It was a goods train, leaving Wimborre for Temple-
comb.. On the journey he mopped at Sturminster
Newton Station Left there about 11.8. Before
reaching Stalbridge the next station we struck against
something. He .hut off deem and palled up, and
I then went on to Staibri Igo. H. examined the engine
them- The left life-guard wee knocked off, the other
one damaged, and the ash pan damper also. It was
between Green's Cattle Arch and tbe rsilway bridge
he encounters! the obstruction. It is a single line.
He reported the obstruction at Stalbridge•
Samuel John Wilmot, station-master at Stalbridge,
stated that after the report was made to him by the
last witness he went up the line towards Sturminster
Newton Station. He found a sleeper by the side of
the line and an iron chain. The latter was broken in
two pieces. The sleeper appeared to have been thrown
off by the engine. Witness examined the sleeper and
found a mark from the life-guanj lie communicated
with the police.
P.C. James Cantell, stationed at Stalbridge, said on
the 6th November he went up the line betwee
Btalbridge and Sturminster Newton. After he passed
the railway bridge he found a whole sler and an
Iron chain broken in two, also a life-guard. Be also
saw a pilot sleeper there. He went back to the rail-
way bridge, and between the Mill and the Cattle ,
Arch his attention wee called co Ems faacvac,ha,
They went from the King's Mill railway arch towards
Hinton St. Mary. They began on the Hinton St.
Mary side, at the bridge itself. He followed them
down the embankment, and down the line towards
Hinton St. Mary. They first went on the left hand
aide, and then crowed to the right hand side towards
Honiton. They were the tracks of some navvy only.
The tracks crossed the line naar Mr. Green's cattle
arch. Then they crossed the line to the left hand side
of the embankment. From there they crossed some
fields to Cut Min The tracks were distinct from the
Creek to Cut Mill, and had peculiarities. On the
embankment there was the track of a right boot
which had only one hobnail at the toe. That was
distinctly shown by the mark. On the other side of
the line was the print of the left boot. It had three
bobs in the heel, two in the fore part and one behind.
Two were miming in the outside joint and one in the
waist—near the iteeL The tracks led ammo to Cut
Mill, and were afterwards lost in the high road. The
tracks were covered up and pmearyed with drain tiles.
A sergeant of police was with him. Witness was
with the sergeant (Sergeant Bytes) when the prisoner
was apprehended at the White Hone, Hinton St.
Mary. He was taken to the polierstation at Stnr-
minater. Prisoner took off his boots there, and in
company with Sergeant Bytes compared them with the
track, and found that they corresponded. Witham
was quite sure that they corresponded.
Sergeant John Byles (Sergeant of the Bonet
Constabulary) gave corroborative evidence. He
proved finding the tobacco-box on the prisoner.
P.S. Grant said he saw the prisoner's sister come to
him at the station. Prisoner said, "What time warn I
home r She saki "At about half-past nine or ten
o'clock." Prisoner said "Ten my wife the money is
in the tool-box. This will be a bed job if they ems
make it out. Tell her she must sell everything. I
shall never coma back any more." The sister said,
" What is it all ,hot?' and after •
pans "It will be • bad job rid:761%40 runty."
- P.C. John Williams proved that the prisoner said
to him "Fm quite sure that nobody ever saw me do
that, is there was nobody about at that time of night.*
He also said be should not not "Spec, his guts out,"
but should wait to hear what other people said about
the business. .

deposed r to the prisoner stating that he
went to 'Morn. Port on the day in question, and
said that he could not say how he got back, nor the
time he arrived. The prisoner told him that • man
named Pipe or Pike told him that he had put a rock
(a stone) on the lice at Wincanton the other day, and
he (the prisoner) supposed he should "get it hot," if
convicted, of that with which he was charged.
The prisoner, in defence, said he had not been on
the railway since the 3rd and 4th November.
The Jury, without any hesitation or delay, convicted
thefferi"'Lordrthip, in passing sentence, commented on
the gravity of the crime, and sentenced the prisoner to
penal servitude for fir. years.