The Dorset County Express and Agricultural Gazette.
Dorchester, Dorset, England, 1864-01-26 00:00:00

ATTEMPTED MURDER AT MIDDLEZOY.

A most brutal and desperate attempt to murder
occurred at Middlezoy, on Monday. Samuel
Porram, a mason, made an attack on his brother-in-
law, Richard Field Lockyer. On Thursday the pri-
soner was brought up on remand at the County
Magistrates' Office, before John Lovell Seeley, Esq.,
when the following evidence was given :
Richard Field Lockyer said : I am a farmer living
at Middlezoy. I reside with the prisoner and his
wife, who is my sister. On the 18th inst., about
seven o'clock in the evening, I was in bed. I
heard prisoner go into his bedroom, which is the next
but one from mine. He again went down, and
shortly afterwards came up stairs again, and went
into the next bedroom to mine, and after he came
up his wife called out to me, " My dear brother, do
come out and see this weapon which he has brought
here and put under the bed ; 1 do think he is going
to do some injury to one of us. I then got up and
put on some old clothes, and went into the chamber
where Samuel Ferrara and his wife stood. Samuel
Perram came up to me with a staff in his hand,
having first put out the candle. I blew
at the candle, and it lit again. I was then
returning to my room when the prisoner struck
me a violent blow on the bead with the staff
now produced. He held the staff in both his
hands when he struck mo. That was in the middle
chamber. I fell on the bed is the room. He only
gave me one blow, which was so violent that I
thought it would have killed me. The wound bled
much. When I wail on the bed the prisoner came
and tried to keep me down, and held me by the
throat. John Gullidee came in. I did not bite the
prisoner. Mr. Haviland, surgeon, of Bridgwater,
attended me the same night, and I have been under
his eon's treatment from that time until now.
Cross-examined : The hocse where the prisoner
resides belongs to his silt.,; and on one occasion
I°. C. Palmer told me Perram wished me to quit.
This was just before last Christmas. Ido not re-
member that the prisoner ever asked me to leave.
There has been no disturbances in the house
bemuse 1 live there rent free. I have not paid any
rent, as my sister gave me leave to live there,
saying, she was afraid to live with her husband by
herself. Perram has never asked ma for rent. There
has been an old stick in my bedroom, but it has
not been used for some years. I have not seen it
lately. Ido not keep one under my bed. I found
an old stick on the turnpike road, some time since,
which I carried home, and it has been lying about
the haw ever since. The second time Perram came
op, I did not take up • bludgeon in my
hand. I did not strike Perram that evening.
I was on good term. with Perram up to
the time of this assault. Ido not know what cause
he had to assault me. _ _

John Gullidge said : I am a labourer, and I live
neat door to the prosecutor and the prisoner, who
reside together. On the 18th instant, between seven
and eight o'clock in the evening, 1 wee sitting by
my fire when Mrs. Perrain, the prisoner's wife,
rushed into the bouse,and said her brother was mur-
dered. I went into the prisoner's houseouid ran up-
stairs into the prisoner's bedroom, where I saw
Lockyer lying on the bed, and Pertain was on him
keeping him down, and held him by the collar.
Lockyer cried for assistance, and I begged Perram to
leave Lockyer, and go down stairs, which he did
after a short time. Lockyer'a head and face were
covered with blood. I washed his face,and observed
a large cut across the forehead. I stayed there for
about half.an.hour, when P. C. Palmer came. Shortly
after Peirani went down stairs he left the house, and
I did not see him again until he was in custody.
Sylvester Hucker was the first person who came to
the house after I was there. He was there before
Perrain left. I saw Perram take • large stick,
similar to the on., produced, and carry it down stairs
with him.

P.C. Palmer slid : On the evening in question I
was in my house, and beard cries of "Murder." I
at once went into the road, when I saw a parish con-
stable, named L .ckyer. He said to me, "Run, for
God's sake, Perr.ata has killed our Dick." We went
immediately et. Perram's house. I went upstairs
into • bedroom where I found the prosecutor
lying on a bed, and Sylvester Hooker and
Mr. James Barnstaple were assisting him. I said
to the prosecutor, " Mr. Lockyer, what is the
matter?' and be replied, "That old Perram has
nearly killed me." I asked prosecutor what be did it
with, and he replied, "A big stick, three times as
big as the one you have in your band ; for God's sake
go and apprehend him as quickly as possible, as I
am afraid he will kill me." Prisoner was not present
when that conversation took place. I examined
Lockyer, and found a large cut from two-and.a.half
to three inches in length, &crow his forehead, and I
there was a quantity of blood about his person and
clothes, and also on the bedclothes and aloor. Pro-
secutor appeared to be very much hurt. I went to
George Mallard's beer.bouse, where I found prisoner
standing by the fire. I said to him, "You are the
man I want, I was looking for you." He asked,
" what for." "1 said for violently assaulting your
brother.in-law." He said, "I'll go along with you,
I would sooner be transported than live with them
any longer." I examined prisoner's hands and
clothes, and found them very bloody. I took Perram
back to his house, and I searched about for a stick
such as prosecutor had described, and in • . room
adjoining the kitchen I found the stick I now pro.
duce, with fresh blood on it. Prisoner said, "That
is not the stick," and pointed to • small walking.
stick, saying, "that was the stick he used." On the
road to Bridgwater prisoner said to me, "That is
the stick I used, the one which you have. I carried
it up and put it under the bed, my wife having told
me that Richard had • dagger. Prisoner after-
wards said, "I don't care whether he diet; or lives;
I would as soon be hung as live with him." After I
apprehended the prisoner, I took him to my own
house, and allowed my wife in prisoner's presence the
stick I now produce. Prisoner said, "Yes, that lithe
stick I did it with." My wife replied, "You ought
to be ashamed of yourself using such a weapon as
that ;" and be replied that his wife had told him that
prosecutor kept • dagger or bludgeon up stairs. He
bad not heard of any disturbance having taken
place in the house. Some time since prisoner came
to me and told me to give prosecutor notioe to quit
his house, which I declined to do.
. _ _

James Ha;dead slid : I am • surgeon of Bridgwater.
I visited the prosecutor on the evening in question
about 12 o'clock, having been sent for. I found
him lying on a bed with his clothes on, and his head
wrapped around with bandages. I examined his
head, and found • ragged lacerated wound of the
scalp, 3 inches in length. The skull was not injured.
It was merely • superficial scalp wound over the
prominent part of the frontal bone. I applied the
usual means, and after I had dreamed the wounds,
my attention was called to prosecutor's throat,
which I examined. I found it covered with blood,
which I washed off, and dile:savored an abrasion of
the skin in one or two places, as if the throat had
been grasped by a powerful hand. The prosecutor
was be sprinkled with blood, as also the bed-clothes
and the floor. He believed the wound was caused
by a blunt instrument, such as the stick produced.
The prosecutor seemed in a very excited state. The
wound is progressing favourably, but erysipelas
I might set in which would prove fatal. This con-
I eluded the evidence, and the prisoner, who, acting
under the advice of his conned, reserved his defence,
was fully committed for trial.

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