The Dorset County Express and Agricultural Gazette.
Dorchester, Dorset, England, 1869-06-22 00:00:00

THE DORSET COUNTY EXPRESS, TUESDAY, JUNE 22, 1869.

IR)USEBREAKINO AT CATTISTOCIE : HOW
VAGRANTS LIVE.

Oa Saturday, about 9 a. m., several of the inhabitants
el this village were somewhat surprised to see smoke
Wiring from the chimney of • house in the occupation
of Mr. Evan., buutsman to Lord Poltimore. It scpears
that Mr. F:vsns keep, the house furnished, but only
crocutie. it during the bunting season, and, on the day
in .ru.stiou, a female wham he employs to visit and air
the room. ocassionally,observed the smoke, and instantly
gave so 111.11 u. A person named Wightman procurred
ladder, turd, on looking through • bedroom window, he
sew a men haviog the appearance of a vagrant, sound
asleep on Mr. Evaus's bed. Sergeant Stillman was com-
municated with, soil, on investigating the affair, be
fount that th. house bad been forcibly entered, cup-
boards and drawers ransacked, and an old pair of boots
plated against the door. On proceeding upstairs he
found is 'strange man as before described, drunk sad
tidier.. with • jar of spirits on one side of the bed and
a bottle of wins on the other, while • carpet bag filed
with portable articles of various description. snit some
piouri n,m, belonging to Mr. Evans., were tied together
and es sly for removal. B. bad lighted • fire, and
Analog some flour, had made himself some cake,
nuitog the dour up, it is supposed, with wine, after
having done which it is supposed be drank rather too
freely atid:so led to his discovery. On being aroused by
tbe sergelmt, be said," I'm an lends boy; my name
Is eoruick, and it's all owing to the whisky." lie was
fathwith removed to Come, and is remanded.

Julia Guy, the pupil teacher, gave evidence that Miss
Pitt was not in the school all day, and seemed very ill,
and that the reason she sent for Mrs. Parsons was
because she thought something was going to happen and
she did not like to be alone.
Esther Cook, • neighbour, deposed as to a convents-
tion she had with Miss Pitt about a month previous, on
which occasion she told her it was • credited opinion in
the neighbourhood that she was far gone in the family.
way, and that WM Pitt was very angry and said "It
is • lie, the same as the chat before about me and Mr.
Gosling, and you ought to be ashamed of yourself to have
mentioned such • thing to me."
Mr. Wiliam Druitt, surgeon, of Wimborne, deposed
that on Wednesday he examined the body of a full-
grown male child, which was in one of the Dells at the
police station. He first remarked • wound in the
mouth on the right side about half to three-quarters of
1141 lath long. The wound wan at the angle of the mouth.
The mouth was partly open and he passed his finger
into it and found that the tongue was entirely gone.
The child's lower jaw was broken in four places, and
the ragged edges forced into the mouth, showing that
the force was externally used. There were also severe
bruises on the head, but no fracture of the bone. The
tongue had been cut out by some sharp instrument by
the left side, and he believed that in drawing the instru-
ment out the cut St the right earner of the mouth was
' made. The tongue was completely cut away from its
base. The mouth was partly filled with bloody
serum, but there was not much about the child,
and it did not appear to have died from
hemorrhage. The umbilical cord appeared to have been
broken off two inches from the body of the child, but
there was no appearance of bleeding from the *ord.
On being asked if he considered the child was born
alive, Mr. Druitt said he had an opinion about the case,
but would not like to give it except the Coroner ex.
pursed his opiuion that he was bound to do so.
The Coroner said he thought • fair way of putting
the eau would be—You have heard all the evidence,
and, from the circumstances which surround this cue,
are you of opini in that the child was born alive?
Mr. Druitt replied that he was of of opinion it was
born alive, for the following reasons—first, it appearea
from the evidence that the mother must have been
confined between half-past three and four o'clock, and
the body was found warm by the witness Newman
about six o'clock. He never knew of • ease of a still-
ra child, or one not having a separate existenos from
the mother, remaining so loog a time warm. Secondly,
from the state of the muscles whit he examined the
body, as being very different to that of • still-born
child ; and, from the whole of the cdreumstsioom of the
cue, he had no hesitation in expressing his opinion that
the child was horn alive, and that its death—which
would be immediate—was tamed by the shock to the
system by the mutilation.
Leonard Manning, hIEL, assistant to Mr. Druitt,
deposed that he professionally attended Miss Pitt, and
that she bad recently been confined: He also stated
that ate admitted to him she MO. He described her
as being excited and incoherent, both on Wednesday
and Thursday, and expressed his opinion that she could
not be removed from her bed without danger to her
The Coroner then summed up, and the jury at first
returned a verdict of " Wilful Murder against some
person or persons," but, after further consideration,
altered their verdict to that of "Wilful Murder against
Emma Pitt."