The Dorset County Express and Agricultural Gazette.
Dorchester, Dorset, England, 1862-03-11 00:00:00

ACCIDENTS AND OFFENCES.

A MAN Cur TO Prlteee.—k MAWS body *as found on
the Northsßastern Railway, near Northallerton, on
Tuesday, rt cloy-break, literally out to pieces. The
person who first beheld the sickening spectacle was •
mason proceeding to his work; he was only able to
perceive by the dissevered legs that the remains, which
were scattered about in all directions, were those of a
human body. Ile collected them together in a linen
sheet, and by the first train which passed got them
convoyed to Northallerton. A watch found among the
clothipg hapepg to the pieties of flesh had the name
" Smart " engraved on the bask. There are a number
of trains rumens every night over this part of the line
and it is 'opposed that Ly one deceased has been killed,
and the boo afterwards hacked in the manner described
by the subsequent trains.
ADROIT JEWEL ROBBERY AT GRIGHTON.—On Wed-
nesday evening an extensive robbery of jewelry. was
effected at the-residence of Mrs. May, 6, Sussex-equare,
Brighton. A domestic eervent, during her daily avoca-
tions, had occasion to go to her mistress's bedroom; and
was surprised by findipg • man there in his shirt-sleeves
be told her that she was wanted downstairs. The
servant obeyed his command ; but finding that she was
not required downstairs, she returned to the bedroom,
where shelound several hoses and a dressing-case broken
open, and a quantity of jewelry, to the value of about
£5OO, carried off. To endeavour to capture the thief
the domestic ran into the street, and was met by •
strange man, who asked her if she had seen his dog. He
was whistling, as if calling a dog. She replied that she
had not, but she wanted a policeman, as a robbery had
been coanmitted. "Do you?" said he, " go Ind
fetch one, and immediately ran off, but did tot return,
and there is no doubt that this was the thief or his
accomplice. It is believed that an entrance was
effected by means of the attic window, for an unoccupied
house next door.
MELANCHOLY DRAT= By DROWNING.—The lives of
two young women have been lost under icoat distressing
circumstances at Garthmill, Montgomeryshire. Mrs.
Swift, of the Cottage, sent her servant-girl upon a
message, and, becoming alarmed at her not returning,
search was mede,'wlien her hat was found floating on the
canal, which she had toyass on her way. The canal
wasinstantly dragged and the body found. The grief
of the girl's mistress being very great, Mrs, Mailings, of
the Nag's Head, kindly sent her stepdaughter
to be company for her for the night, and soon afterwards
called at the house herself. Not seeingherstepdanghter,
who she ascertained had been there, she intrir.W, and
found she had been sent on the seine errand in essaying
which the servant had lost her life. Another alarm was
raised, and early the next morning the canal was
dragged, when her lifeless body was found not far from
the place where the other had been discovered It is
sweposed that in the darkness of the night both the poor
girls mistook the canal for the road and stepped into it.
FORGERY AND SUICIDIC.—An inquest Was held at
Nottingham on Thursday afternoon upon the body of
Mr. 31, Ford, the proprietor of extensive cliymical works
at Botsford, near Nottingham. It appears that on Wed-
nesday morning he was in the town, and during his
stay there a returned bill of exchange was shown to
him. Mr. Ford was the drawer of the bill, whieb pur-
ported to have been accepted by Meseta Hall and Sons,
starch manufacturers, New Lentoa. He was informed
that the signature of the latter was • forgery, when he
replied " It's all right ; give it to me, I will let you
have the money for it." The holder of the bill, how-
ever, refused to give it up, and he was told that •
criminal prosecution would at once be commenced
against him. Mr. Ford then returned home. During
the morning a warrant was obtained for his appre-
hension, rnd two detectives of the borough force
proceeded to Bisford tw takeliim into cnstody. They
reached his r.sidence about 2 o'clock in the afternoon,
and were thso apprized that Mr. Ford was dead. On
reaching) o as it appears that he went into his counting-
house and seemed to occupy himself with his books,
but in a few moments he was heard to make a strange
noise, and died almost instantly. A surgeon was
promptly in attendance and every possible effort was
made to restore the unfortunate mats to consciousness,
but in vain, he having expired in convulaions. It was
believed that he had taken poison in ordor to escape
the conaequeneeir of his misconduct. The medical
testimony proved that the deceased bad died from
taking • quantity of primal() said. Deceased has left a
widow and seven children.
IdUatien OF A GIRL AT WINDSOR BY HER FATHER.—
John Grodd, aged 37, was indicted at the Reading
Assizes for the wilful murder of his daughter, Hannah
Gould, at Windsor, on the 30th of December last. The
facts of the case were detailed in evidence. The
prisoner, who has been • bricklayer's labourer, lived
with his wife and only child,,in • cottage at Clarence
Clump, Clewer-line, Windsor. He has been long
known an a man of dissolute habits. On Monday, the
;Mild December last, the day of the murder, the prisoner's
wife eent out, leaving her daughter, Hannah Gould,
• fine girl, about eight years of age. in charge of •
neighbour. About three o'clock in the afternoon the
prisoner returned to his home, evidently the weirs° for
liquor. The deceased, and another girl named Clark
were in the house at the time, engaged in lighting the
fire. The prisoner said to his daughter, " You're a
naughty little girl, not to clean up the place." The child
replied, " I could not do it." The girl Clark left the
house, and just as she got to the door she saw the
prisoner take a razor from off the shelf. She then
walked away, and two little boys, who had also been in
the house, accompanied her. In about half an hour
afterwards the prisoner went into Mrs. Clark's house,
and said, " Mrs. Clark, I want you." She left with
Gould to go the house, and he did not utter • word to
her on the way. When Mrs. Clark got into the house
she saw a large quantity of blood on the .floor, The
child was lying at the bottom ails stairs on her knees,
with her head lying on the bottom steps, and herthroat
out. A cry of murder was raised, and Charles Coker, a
labourer, living in one of the adjoining cottages, non out
to see what was the matter. He saw the prisoner's
child lying outside the door with her throat cut; and
the prisoner having said that he did it, he (Coker) went
in search of a policeman, who took him into custody.
It was elicited, in cross-examining the witnesses, that
time prisoner several years ago received a severe wound
in his bead, and that on one occasion lie attempted to
(*milt suicide by hanging. The jury, after some
deliberation, returned• verdict of "Guilty." The learned
Judge passed sentence of death upon the prisoner, who
throughout the whole trial exhibited an air of
indifference.

A sad occurrence has taken place in South Shields.
On Wednesday ifternoon, the crew of an Austrian
vessel lying in the Tyne Dock indulged in some "sky-
larking," in the shape of throwing snow-balls, and three
of the men afterwards proceeded on shore, to the quay,
where the sport was continued. A policeman named
Watson, on duty at the spot, found it neceEtary to warn
the sailors of the danger to which they were subjecting
theinselves, by coining in contact with the dock railway,
where locomotives were frequently passing to and fro.
The fellows treated lightly toe advioe offered to them,
and following the officer to • considerable distance
beyond their ship, they roughly attacked him, while
a fourth companion by whoin they were joined abused
him in • cruel and unjustifiable manner. Thus sur-
rounded, and in the excitement of the moment, the
policeman resorted to the use of his stiff, with which
he inflicted a severe blow on the head of one of his
assailants, a portion named Baccareich. By his
comrades, the unfortunate man was conveyed to the
ship, whence he was subsequently taken to the police-
station, but there he suddenly swooned and died. The
inquest has been adjourned for the purpose of a post-
mortem examination being made on the body of the
deceased.
SINGULAR FORGERIES RT A WOMAN.-At the
Sheffield Police court, on Wednesday, a wretched
looking woman, named Slush Oakes, the wire of a
market gardener, at Wincobank, near Sheffield, was
charged with forging bills of exchange to the amount of
several hundred pounds. The prosecution was insti-
tuted by the Sheffield Banking Company, and the feets
of the case, as taken principally from statements the
ptisoner has made since her appreheneion,are asfollows
—About two years ago she received a bill for a small
amount in the way of business. She says that she had
never seen a bill in her life before, and that she was
doubtful for some time whether the piece of paper was
worth anything. Her husband decided to get the bill
discounted, and she took it to the Sheffield Bank in
George-etreet, where the officials, knowing the
acceptor, cashed the bill, and it was met at maturity.
That seems to have given the prisoner the first
intimation of the manner in which bill transactions
were managed, and she appears to have thought it
• remarkably easy way of raising money.
She went to a stationer's in the town and
procured some black • bill stamps, and got the
shoproan to All up the body of the bill, with the name
of her husband as the drawer for a certain amount.
She then wrote, or procured some one else to write the
name of Mr. Thorpe, • respectable man, keeper of an
eating house, as acceptor, on the back of the bill. The
document was then presented for discount at the bank,
and the signature of the acceptor was compared with a
genuine one, and pronounced to be all right. The
prisoner presented several bills in the same name; and
the most singular part of the case is, that up to the
time of the discovery of the forgery, all the bills were
met in due course. The prisoner says that she got the
funds in the ordinary course of liminess at her shop in
Sheffield. On Tuesday, there having been some
suspicion excited at the Bank, steps were taken which
led to • discovery. A little girl presented herself at
the bank counter and said she had some to pay one o,
of the bills, for a rather considerable amount. She Wil
asked who bad gent her, and she replied, "Mr.
Thorpe." Several questions were then put, and the
little girl being unable to answer them, broke down
and confessed that her aunt (the Prisoner) had sent her
with the money. The prisoner was then arrested, and
she made • clean breast of the whole ease, It was
stated that there are now forged bills running to the
extent of £l9O, but the prisoner gays they would have.
been met if she bad not been stopped. Where the
money was to conic from is a mystery, for the prisoner
presented a most poverty-stricken appearance. The
bank authorities seem to be under the impression that
she has been acting as the tool of some other person
but the prisoner declares that no one knew of th
forgeries but herself. She was remanded to Friday.