The Dorset County Express and Agricultural Gazette.
Dorchester, Dorset, England, 1877-11-06 00:00:00

WRESTLING IN TURKEY.

Colonel Baker, in his interesting work," Turkey in
Europe," gives an account of a wrestling match in one
of the towns through which he passed. The c on-
petitors entered the ring stripped to the waist; they
then commenced to walk round-. now and then turning
to shake hands, until suddenly one pounces upon the
other to get the "catch," and the struggle commences.
No kicking is allowed, and the throw must lay the
vanquished man upon his back so that both shoulder.
blades touch the ground at the same time. The
champion will a burly Bulgarian. Some gipsy girls
sitting near sent one of their tribe, is fine, etrong
fellow, to enter the lists against him, but a quick
throw sent him sprawling on the ground, to the great
disappointment of the women. A pretty girl started
off, and returned with one of the most splendid
specimens of humanity I ever saw, about 25 years of
age, and six feet hiifh ; she pushed him into the ring
with an air of pride and confidence. Laughingly, and ,
half modestly, he shook his powerful antagonist by
the hand, and then the walk round commenced. It
' seemed as though neither liked to be the first to begin,
when suddenly the Bulgarian turned sharp upon his
antagonist, and tried a favourite catch, but the lithe
figure of the gipsy eluded the grasp. The excitement
was now intense, and the gipsy girl grew pale with
nervous anxiety as she watched every movement of
her swain. They were still walking round, when a cry
rose from the crowd, and the Bulgarian, by a quick
throw from the gipsy, turned alm-at a somersault in
1 the air, and came down with a heavy thud on the
I ground, and lay sprawling on his back; the gipsy
champion shim& him by the hand, lifted the heavy man
high in the air, and then set him on his feet. The face
of the young girl, as she bawled back her hero his
jacket, was pleasant to look upon.

OUTRAGE WITH A REDHOT POKER.
At the Liverpool Assizes on Friday, John Meaken,
hawker, aged 30, was indicted before Mr. Justice
Lush for the manslaughter of Bryan Shields, in
Liverpool, on the Ist uit The deceased was about
fifty years of age, and a dealer in bottles. At the
time be met his death he was living apart from hie
wife. On the night in question the wife was staying
at the house of the prisoner, who was her nephew, in
Sawney POI e-street. The eteased for come reason
or other went to pee his wife about half-past seven
o'clock that evening, and when he saw her at the
house an altercation took place between them, and
prisoner ordered deceased to leave the house. Deceased
accordingly left, and it was that the pri-
soner followed him with a poker, which was red.
hot, and that when deceased was talking to prisoner's
wife in the street prisoner came up and threw the
poker at him. It struck him upon the thigh, and,
I according to the evidence of three boys who were
present, the poker actually stuck in the limb until it
was pulled out by the deceased himself. The deceased
warn taken to his br dher's house by the boys, and
afterwards to the hospital, where he died from the
effects of the wound. The only evidence whi,h went
to throw doubt upon the statement that the prisoner
actually threw the poker was that .4 a woman who
was called. She stated that there was a struggle for
the possession of a poker, and that the deceased
received hirn injuries accidentally. Prisoner waa found
guilty and sentenced to 20 years penal servitude.