The Dorset County Express and Agricultural Gazette.
Dorchester, Dorset, England, 1858-03-09 00:00:00

DORSET SPRING ASSIZES.

The oommission for holding the March Aesize and
general gaol delivery for this county was opened at
the Shirehall on Saturday afternoon. The Judges on
this circuit arrived at the Dorchester station of the
London and South-Western Railway by the 3.55
train from Winchester, and were met by the High
Sheriff of the county, George Frederick William
Miles, Esq., of Ford Abbey, who wore a court
dress, and the Rev. Charles J. Pratt Forster,
of Stoke Abbot, Sheriff's chaplain. These
gentlemen rode with Mr. Justice Crowder
and Mr. Justice Wiles, in a handsome car-
riage furnished by Mr. Lewer, coach builder, and
drawn by four fine greys. Four and twenty javelin
men, headed by two trumpeters, and dressed in blue,
with scarlet waistcoats, and bearing a blue favor in
their hats, preceded the carriage, and walked in pro-
cession from the railway station to the County Hall.
Although the weather was very variable, sleet and
sunshine alternating, the streets were thronged with
spectators, and the bells rang out merrily. After
the usual preliminary formalities had been gone
through in the Shirehall, the Nisi Prim; Court was
adjourned till ten o'clock, and the Crown Court till
eleven on Monday forenoon. On Sunday morning
their lordships, accompanied by the High Sheriff,
the deputy sheriff, H. A. Templer, Esq., Mayor of
Bridport, the county clerk, G. J. Andrewa, Esq.,
and other functionaries, attended divine service at
St. Peter's church. The right worshipful the Mayor,
W. Manfield, Esq., and the members of the corpora-
tion of this borough, clad in their gowns, having previ-
ously assembled in the Townhall, likewise attended
St. Peter's church, walking in procession before the
Judges. Prayers were read by the Rev. Morton
Colson, rector, and the Assize sermon was preached
by the Sheriff's chaplain, the Rev. Charles J.
Pratt Forster, who selected his text from the psalms
of the day: "Keep innocency, and take heed unto
the thing that is right, for that shall bring a man
peace at the lest"—Pealm xxxvii., 38.

On Monday morning, at eleven o'clock, both Courts
were opened, Mr. Justice Wines presiding in the
Crown Court and Mr. Justice Crowder at Nisi Prins.
There was but one case on the cause list. The calen-
dar contained the names of tweuty-five prisoners,
three of whom were on bail, and the charges were—
sundry felonies, 12; shooting, 3; forgery, 3; assault
with intent, 2; false pretences, 2; stabbing, 1; un-
natural offence, 1; and perjury, 1.
The following gentlemen were sworn of the Grand
Jury:—
Foreman—Charles Porcher, Esq.
Co!. William Bragg.
Richard Hippesley Bingham, Esq.
George Cartwright, Elul.
John Hales Calcraft, Esq., M.P.
George Churchill, Esq.
Henry Pickard Cambridge, Esq.
Capt. L. S. William Dawson Darner, M.P.
Augustus Billett Foster, Esq,
George Frederick Falwaaser, F,sq.
Joseph Gundry, Esq.
William Lewis Henning, Esq.
Capt. Charles Augustus Manning.
John Clavel Manse!, Esq.
George Pleddel Hansel, Esq.
Hastings Nathaniel Middleton, Esq.
William Parry Okedon, Esq.
Charles Parke, Esq.
Charles Joseph Parke, Esq.
Richard Hassel Owen Swatlield, Esq.
Herbert Williams, Esq.
Marwood Shuttleworth Yeatman, Esq.
Her Majesty's Proclamation against vice having
been read, Mr. Justice WILLES proceeded to deliver
the following
CHARGE TO THE GRAND JURY

Gentlemen of the Grand Jury,—lt will be quite
unnecessary to detain you by any remarks upon the
calendar. A great many of the cases are of a kind
which would come within the jurisdiction of your-
selves at sessions, and 1 have no doubt they would,
had they gone to that tribunal, have been at least as
well disposed of. With respect to the rest, there is
nothing at all extraodinary, or upon which you will
need advice from me. If any point be raised upon
which you may wish to consult me, I shall be most
happy to give my opinion. There are one or two
of the cases you will probably think, with myself,
are of a very eccentric character, so far as the facts
are concerned, but there is nothing at all peculiar
in the law applying to them. There is, however, one
case, No. 16, in which you will agree with me that it
will be doubted whether the public will not lose more
by the ventilation of the circumstances than gain by
the punishment of the offender, and, unless you are
of opinion that the facts are very clear, you will not
find a bill. I have further to remark that I sincerely
congratulate the county upon the full attendance of
the Grand Jury. It appears to me to be an exceed-
ingly important thing, in it, example of an entire
and ready obedience to the law in the gentlemen of
position in the county, and also in this, that it
shows that the county gentlemen take an interest
in the affairs of their county. lam quite satisfied no
county can be in a good state unless gentlemen of
figure in it take an interest in its business, or set a good
example of obedience to -the law to persons who
naturally look up to them for example; and I never
can pass a case of a full Grand Jury appearing, with.
out expressing my great satisfaction. I now dismiss
you to the performance of your duties.

TRIAL OF PRISONERS.
(Before Mr. Justice WILLES and Petty Juries.)
Samuel Barnes (50), labourer, was indicted for steal-
ing three fagots of sticks, value 64., the property of
George Hussey, at Battiscombe, on January 19.
Mr. F. Cosene prosecuted. Only the prosecutor was
examined, when the learned Judge put the Cabe to the
jury, who immediately returned • verdict of Not Guilty.
The prisoner was consequently discharged.
Charles Mills (52), described as a commercial tra-
veller, and Fanny Dymore (40) alias Mills, were charged
with uttering four forged £5 and one £lO notes purport-
ing to be Bank of England Notes. Both prisoners
pleaded not guilty in each cue, and said they were de-
fended by Mr. Lewis, solicitor, of Ely Place, London,
but no one replied to the call of the Court for Mr.
Lewis.
The learned Judge asked the prisoners if they wanted
time to instruct counsel, but they said they had no
mean!.
Mr. Cole and Mr. Coleridge prosecuted.
The first charge was that of offering, by the female
prisoner, a forged £5 Bank of England note to Mrs. Anne
Lavers, draper, at Broad-street, Lyme Regis, on Thurs-
day evening, 17th September, 1857. The prisoner pur-
chased goods amounting to £1 lls. 6d., and offered the
base note. but the change had to be sent for to • neigh-
bour. Five bad notes altogether had been offered by the
prisoners, whose plan was to purchase goods of the
value of about £2, and then opening a puree and finding
not sufficient gold presented the notes, mostly under
gaslight. The notes were good imitations, all taken
from one plate. Two were issued at Weymouth, one
at Arundel, one at Bridport and one at Lyme. The
prisoners appeared to have some from London on a sea-
side excursion, and the notes at Weymouth and Lyme
were given during regattas at those watering places.
The only defect in the notes was the water-mark. In
the Lyme case, a few hour' after the time when the
female prisoner received £3 9s. 6d. change, Mr. Davy,
who changed the note, and prosecutor ascertained that
the note was counterfeit, when it was given to Pollee
Supt. Wright, who discovered and apprehended both
prisoners. £8 9s. lid. and • gold watch were found
on the male prisoner. The goods bought of Mrs.
Lavers were found in the male prisoner's norm. n

• . .
t,emple handed £l5 14s. Od. to the ramie pfigaNt In
the presence df a policeman who directly Wok it irttd
Eli charge; the,ptisoners saying if the officer would say
nothing ibota it the, iotld giveVini a pound or two.
On Friday evening, the 4tll iif flepteMbet, at Wet-
mouth regatta, the female prisoner wetft to' the slic4, of
Mr. James Carter, draper, and asked to see whit Wok
falls, corded skirts, shawls and mantles, saying she
wanted to make a present to her servant. Fancying a
mantle shawd het, elle sald.te t ,he male prisoner My
&mei Id* dd you like this t" And he, looking at it, in-
Tided Lite rtlse "58c 04" Said the female, Who' see-
ing the reply vexed the niale prieddet4 orphaned " My
dear, I don't like to give a present of less that a notind
when I come to the sea side." "Give the whole shop,"
gruffly directed the male, handing, at the request of the
female, a purse from which she gave prosecutor one of
several notes. Prosecutor returned her the change from
the Eff note. Prosecutor saw the prisoner at the railway
station.
. _ .

The prisoner, in answer to the learned Judge, said
had he known of the present charge before last Friday
he could have had witnesses present to prove he had not
been in Weymouth 20 years. But prosecutor iden•
tilled him clearly, and prisoner, causing a description
which appeared in the Hue and Cry to be handed to
his Lordship, it turned out to refer to • man who was
with the phsaner. Prisoner, however, said he could not
see without his glasses.
About an hour after the case above referred to at
Weymouth,on the 4th of September, the prisoners visited
the shop of Mr. Edward Cox, boottnaker, 22, St. Mary
Street. Mrs. Harriet Cox served them with • pair of
boots each, and a pair of slippers for the female. The
goods O&M to £1 9s. ed., and change was given to the
prisoners of • £5 note. The male prisoner carried the
boots home, saying he was going a-fishing the next morn-
ing. Mrs. Cox positively identified the prisoners, al-
though she had not seen them before to-day. The
female wore a spotted veil on the 4th of September.
On the Bth Mr. Cox found the note taken from the
prisoners was a base one. Mr. Oakley, clerk to the
Vi'Sytnouth branch of Messrs. Williams' bank, deposed
to discovering the counterfeit note which had been
taken by Mrs. Cox from the prisoners, and sending it
to London.

Mr. William bfassiter, jeweller, of Arundel, Susses,
said that on Friday evening, the 11th of September, the
male prisoner entered his shop and asked to be shown a
watch in the window. He then fetched the woman,
who, on hearing that the man was going to make a pre-
sent of the watch, said "He Was going to throw a sprat
to catch a herring," and the man answered, "Just so."
A watch was then given in .exchange for the one in-
spected and a £lO note offered, for which prisoner re-
ceived the watch and £1 change. The watch was after-
wards found on the prisoner at Lyme, and a second watch,
the property of Mr. Moositer, was found on the woman
When searched at the County Gaol, Dorchester. The
£lO note "deceived" Mr. Monitor, he said.
. _ .

Thomas Muitern, in the employ of Mr. Templeman,
draper, at Bridport, said, on the 10th of September,
when both prisoners came into the shop the woman
asked to see • dress in the window, and said it Would
do. She then asked the length for a dress, and on being
told 12 yards, she gave a E. 5 note from a purse in pay-
ment.

The learned Judge said, he thought the length 0
very small extent for a dross. The goods were, how-
ever, it was said, of double width. _

Change of the note was given. The witness saw the
prisoners at Lyme and identified both prisoners. The
note in this ease likewise was tested, and proved to be
a base one.

Mrs. Lucretia Pigeon, baker and grocer at Lyme
Regis, said the prisoners visited her shop about 5 o'clock
on the 17th of September. The woman bought some
pound cake and 4 lbs. of tea, which was carefully packed
in double paper. Again a bad £5 note was given in
rayment, and change was fetched by witness from a
neighbour. The tea amounted to a sovereign, and four
were given to the woman. The cake was paid for by her
from her pocket.
Mr. Joseph Bumstead, one of the inspectors of the
Bank of England, said that all the notes were forged.
The male prisoner said that of three of the oases he
knew nothing, but the Bridport and Lyme cases were
"quite correct." He said he purchased both watches for
a in Prince-street, Leicester-square, before quitting
London. _

The learned Judge then carefully summed up, after
which the jury consulted very briefly and found the
prisoners guilty.
The learned Judge in passing sentence dwelt on the
heinousness of the offence, and expressed surprise that
SO little suspicion had been evidenced by the trades-
people of Lyme. The male prisoner was sentenced to
15 years' penal servitude, and the woman to four.
An order was afterwards made to give back Mrs.
Lavers her goods and her change, £3 ha. 6d. ; Mrs.
Pigeon was to have her tea returned and £3 its. 6i.;
Mr. Massiter was to have both his watches and the
sovereign he gave in change; Mr. Mintern was to have
his goods and £3 14s. ; and the remainder of the money
found on the prisoners was to be divided between Mr.
Cox and Mr. Carter.

Charles Pickford, (32), laborer, was indicted for steal-
ing five ducks at Cann, Shaftesbury, the property of
Robert Stacey, on January Bth.—Acquitted.
Charles Daniels, (51), laborer, was charged with steal-
ing a plough trace, the property of Thomas Mowlam, on
January 13, at Wyke Regis; also, an iron chain on the
same day, the property of John Ward, of Wyke Regis.
Mr. F. Cosens prosecuted.
The prisoner was found guilty, and committed to 9
months' hard labour. . . .

Fanny Brown, a young woman, was charged with
stealing a pair of cloth trowners, the property of James
Stephens, at Burton Bradstock, on the 28th of Nov. last.
Mr. Portman, at the request of his Lordship, prose-
cuted, and Mr. Cole defended.
The case, however, had not proceeded far when it
broke down, the prosecutor failing certainly to identify
the prisoner, who was then set at liberty.
George Taylor (38), labourer was indicted for stealing
a horse-colt, the property of Joseph Cooper, at Tyne-
ham, on December 27.
The jury found the prisoner Guilty, and he was
sentenced to six months' hard labour.
The Grand Jury found no bill against John Orchard
(33) for stealing 16 sovereigns at Weymouth, on the 4th
of January, the property of Mr. Henry Buell.
No bill was found against William Hawkins, (35),
a carpenter, charged with uttering a forged order for the
payment of 10s., from Mr. Richard Maber, builder,
Dorchester, to Mr. George Bliss, on March 15, 1856.
The Court then adjourned till 9 o'clock Tuesday
morning.

NISI PRIUS COURT.
(Before Mr. Judie.) CROWDER and a Special Jury.)
TUCKER V. BULLEN. . .

- •
This was an action for slander, and occupied the Court
all day.
Mr. Slade, Mr. Stock, and Mr. Kingdon appeared for
the plaintiff, and Mr. Smith, Mr. McPhinn, and Mr.
Karslake for the defendant.

Plaintiff is a solicitor at Bndport, and defendant is a
magistrate of this county. The slanderous words were
alleged to have been used at the Petty Sessions, held
at Beaminster, on May 25, 1857.
Only witnesses for the plaintiff, Andrew Tucker, were
examined throughout the day; and after Mr. Smith
had made his opening speech for the defence, the Court
rose, and adjourned till 9 o'clock Tuesday morning.