The Dorset County Express and Agricultural Gazette.
Dorchester, Dorset, England, 1876-02-15 00:00:00

JOSEPH ARCH ON THE DORSET ELECTION.

The leaders of the Labourers Union—the old one, not
the new—took the opportunity yesterday, being fair day.
to hold a meeting on Fordingten Green. A life-and-drum
hand paraded the streets, and at the hour tixed a body of
rotne two or three hundred persons had assembled at the
place of meeting. There were a considerable number of
farmers and others attracted out of curiosity, while "the
wearing of the blue" showed there WILY no small body of
uolonists present. Mr. Mayor, of Blandforel, WS. voted
to what was couipliusentarily called the chair, and, having
spoken at /AMU lenzth, introduced Mr. Arch, who was
cordially greeted.
. .

Mr. ARCH in the course of a lengthy address, which w:t4
patiently listened to until a nasty colt rain drove people
away, said the chairman had tried to make them believe
that by and by he (the speaker) would be in the House of
Commons. Ile begged to say he had no desire to be there,
for it didn't happen to have been his fortune to have
" married the daughter of a adiniral"—(Roars of Laughter)
He had happened to get hold of one of their local papers,
and he was surprised tint that the very anon who had
condemned agitation on the part of the labourers hail
recently turned agitators themselves. They had agitated
for a representation in Parliament—(hear, hear). New he
could tell those agitators that if the labourers had had
their political rights neither Mr. Fowler nor Captain
Digby would have got in; but they would have sent their
own man there—(sear, hear). When they had those rights
they would have a sway about six times greater in the
country than the tenant farmer. One of these two gentle-
men had said he had always tried to put his foot upon the
Labourers' Union. What an extraordinary expression !
Did Mr. Fowler think his little puney foot was going to
stamp outlo,ono Englishmen bound together in unanimity?
It would grow in power, awl if Mr. Fowler over wanted to
get into power, he must have the Labourers' Union with
hi.n, tor his brother farmers had not the pluck in them to
put him there—'(Bravo Joey, etc.). He had been informed
that nearly 2,000 qualified electors had not voted at all.
Did that show very much for the intelligence of the
electors, or the political power of those two gentlemen.
He did not suppose it was not for want of courage they
did not vote. He supposed it was because they had too
much good lease. If he (Joseph Arch) was to be exposed
to criticism, he should criticise other public men. He
understood Mr. Digby should say he was in the A It C of
politics. Now he should advise him to take a lesson or
two from their late member, who was exalted to the
Upper House, and then he would make a tremendous
politican, if he lived long enough—(laughter). Here was
• statement made by the successful candidate to which he
would refer. One day he complained of a paper
emenating from Sherborne. That paper hail loon
throwing out the hint that the agitators of the Labourers'
Union were canvassing for him, awl then wanted to
know who paid the agitators. If the representative of
that paper was present, he would tell ham that if Mr.
Fowler had set the agitators at work, there was no mis-
take he would have to pay them. So now that mystery
we, cleared up. Ile also found Mr. Fowler sadly com-
plained that two papers in the county would taut report
him, and that if it had not been for the penny papers his
speeches would not have been published to the world.
Well, all honour to the Justice of the penny papers. He
supposed the other two thought that if they published his
speeches it might militate against that party who were
their best custoinei's—(laughter). Or they might have
thought Mr. Fowler 'o speeches were not worth publishing
—(renewed laughter). Mr. Arch then made an attack
ourienctithonae
bilfiep.rboperrneanJdouprronaul;. whiichuhre
f Fowler and his
friends would only bury it, a marble mason who was •
friend of his would provide • tombstone. Ile then
touched upon the teaks of the day, and after the usual
resolutions had been put and carried, the meeting broke
up.

SHOCKING CASE OF CRUELTY TO ANIMALS.
At the County Petty Sessions. on Saturday, before Mr.
Herbert Williams, Mi. E. Pearce, Mr. H. B. Middleton,
Mr. E. L. Kinder&ley, and Mr. G. Worry, • painful case
of alleged cruelty WAS brought against • shepherd. From
the statemszata made by the witnesses it would seem there
Is existent In the county a custom when a laiub dies one
likely to die of stripping it of its skin and enveloping
~,tin order that the eee whcht take to it.
The efficiency of the procoedure is supp,..ved to depend in
a great measure upon the skin being applied warm, and
there can be but little doubt that almost before the breath
has left the bosly the unfortunate lamb, whose place it is
desired to supply, is skinned. In the present case there
was not the least doubt whether either through ignorance,
or an over-sealowi desire on the twat of the shepherd to
rear lambs the animal was really skinned alive,
Jno. Ceder, a shepherd, of Winterborne Monkton, was
charged with Musing • lamb. Mr. Weston appeared for
the defendant.

—.—
P.C. Haynes stated that on Saturday, the 15th ult., his
attention was directed to a lamb which was' lying
in a field skinned and struggling ! He drew the
atte.ntion of the defendant to it, who said he thought it
was dead and upon the witness's recomuiendation that he
should put it out of its misery, cut its throat.
In reply to Mr. Weston he said ho had heard of
shepherds taking thy skins off lambs to place upon others
in order to make the ewes take to them.
Mr. Weston, for the defendant, made a very able
defence. He could not, he said, deny that at all what the
policeman had stated. He must admit he had given his
evidence very fairly, but he wished to say a few words in
explanation of what perhaps at the first blush seemed •
very great case et cruelty. The defendant was in the
employ of Mr. Geo. Symonds, and had been so for the last
eight peace; and in this capacity he had the care of a Bock
of POO ewes. lie had seen the lamb born the day before
and to secure its skin had adopted a custom generally in
vogue among shepherds, namely that of taking his crook
and knocking at on the head. He left the lamb OA he
imagined quite dead, and went about his work for •
quarter of on hour; upon coming back to skin the lamb,
undoubtedly the policeman pointed out that it was still
alive. But when he was skinning it he did not notice
anything to show that it was not dead. When the
policeman spoke to him he expressed his sorrow and said
he had never known such a thing in his life before. The
policeman then told him to put it out of its misery,
which he at once did by cutting its throat. Now, he (Mr.
Weston) contended there was no wilful cruelty on the
part of the snepherd. As gentlemen who were accus-
tomed to shooting he reminded the Bench that they must
before now have themselves met with a wounded partridge
which they might have put into their pockets with the
belief that it was dead, which showed some hoursafter signs
of life. He urged that this was a pamollel case, and that
as no one would accuse them of cruelty, so it was • mere
accident on the part of the defendant

Tii;-Chirrilal —w7l7orirtlie habit of putting 1
partridges in his pocket.
Mr. Weston replied that was because his worship had
always had the privilege of shooting with a keeper. After
some other reinstate from the learned advocate.
The Bench having considered the matter, the Chairman
said they entertained no doubt in their minds, that the
ease had been proved against the defendant. It might
have been done from ignorsnce or it might not ; but there
was no do doubt there existed among shepherds • repro-
hensible custom of endeavouring to strip a lamb of its skin
as soon as possible, and iu this cue the defendant had '
been caught doing it a little too quick. They were divided
as to what punishment ought to be inflicted upon the
defendant, For Ininself he would say that he thought the
dofoadout ought to go to gaol, without the option of a