The Dorset County Express and Agricultural Gazette.
Dorchester, Dorset, England, 1884-01-29 00:00:00

Dorset Winter Assizes.

This Right Horns, Sir Nathaellel Lin.iley arrived
at Donal:meter on Monday afternooo, and was met at
the station by the High Sheriff. Mr. Thomas Holford,
and a poser of county pollee. The Commission was
duly opened at the Shlrehall, after which the Judge
and Sheriff attended St. Peter's Church, where •
serm was preached by the Sheriff's chaplain (Rev.
H. E. Ravenhill) from the words " From strength to
strength."
The Crown Court opened at ball-past ten on
Tuesday morning, when the f .flowing gentlemen
were sworn on the Grand Jury 1-001 'eel Bingham
(foreman), 0. C.Farrar, Esq., .I.U. Fell 'wee, Seq., 3.
R. P. Gooddee, Esq., Major Groves. MajorGeners
Henning, K. L. Kin leraley, Eel , H. B. Middleton,
Req., A. Martin. Esq., Major McAdam, E. P.
Medea, req.. Colonel Swaffield, D, H. Sorrell, Eon.
Captain William., G. Floyer, Esq., Major Churchill,
Fe Pearce, Esq., Ilsjor and Major Cam
Sykes
The chugs to the Grand Jury wee very brief, and
°Detained but a few 111111•10ns to the oases in the
caleadar. His lordship was happy to my the calendar
was not • serious one, and, coruiderieg the size of the
county, it "truck him as being light. There woe not
moth that it was necessary heahould make many Amer.
satires on; but there were one or two matters he would
briefly remark on with the view of a-elating th.m.
The first was a manslaughter case, • cam of stabbing,
unfortunately ending in the death of the person
et ebbed. The prisoner was • Dan., and it Impair. the
affair erase out of a publicheuee row. There was no
difficulty in it. The next woe • night poaching case,
is which three boys were charged, one as young as 15.
The. were out about eight o'clock, and were caught
by s
keepers ; t • was no resiatatice or berthing
that kind. The only question which occurred to
him about it was whether they risme under the Act of 1
Pardameet as being armed with offensive weapons. '
The Act required they should be armed with guns or
other offensive weapons, but what them boys had was
catapult', he did not know there wait much else.
(Laughter.) He did not know that 'mold be called an
offeeeive weapon, although It would possibly he
offeessive If used with skill. The quetion, then, wee
whether they ought to be indicted hi this form, or
whether they ought to be proceeded against under the
Ortm• Act. His lordship then Welly touched on the
othsw oases in the calendar,
ItIGHT POACHLOG WITH CATAPULTS.
William James Hawkins (17), labourer, Joie:*
William Behbiie (16), labourer, Fred Wok (15),
; Labourer, were charged with unlawfully outside(
together a close of land in the occupation of the Right
Hon. Lord Wimborne, and Will armed with offeniive
weapon'—ti wit, catapults and Ames—did take and
destroy throe pheasants at ermined Magna about eight
ou the night of the 2nd December.
All the lads plea led guilty, and as Hawkins and
Babbits had been previously convicted, the 0041 of
poacMpg and the other of arson, they were sentenoed
to two mosehe' imprisonment, and Coob, arsine
whom nothing was known, to one month. His Lord-
ship advised the older prisoners to be Naha of their
noalind in the Ware.