The Dorset County Express and Agricultural Gazette.
Dorchester, Dorset, England, 1883-12-11 00:00:00

B01:13311TON.
THII Wesleyan' hue hal I a mfiting last Sunday,
when Kr. A. W. 1:1..,,prr presehed.

BKIDPOST.
DEATH OF A "NOTED VAGRANT."

Ore of the west oteriø ars :tars D 'net has ever
produed saw tie 1.6..4 a truly evevil al career .Bth.
diridport Uoi in Workhouse ..aeiy n dund•y morning.
Arthur Norman, alias ',lapel in, commenoed his
" c veer "—•• far a. the public are aware—as far bmit
as 1837, when be was find coovicted at the Dorset
Sessions. Siam that rfallJt, date the annals .4 the
polite furnish • 1 otog category of larceny. vagrancy,
•t eau; good., reoaivint street., ig.m I. assault, aud
almo.t every c true racily dog mo der and manslaughter
has ben torotiAt &gamut this oil " gal-bird."
Norman, who c awe from the neighb 'who 4 of
Whitchurch, was in hi, esrly y onth io cc onfortable
p mitt ,n. However he disagreed ...I parted company
with every species of morality and houeet labour At an
early age, and beim, he reached hi, fiftieth year be
had become one of the most consummate hypocrites
It were possible to conceive. It is a question
whether George Brine excee led bun In this respect.
One of his favourite whim. was to "tramp theconaty"
on a beg.tins expedition. ant his visits to old ladies of
• benevolent turn of mini generally resulted in • few
coppers (.nd riot rarely silver) finding their way into
the secret conpartments which Arthur had arranged
about lais tatters lal 'thing. After " canvassing the
majority " of Dorset towns, curl amassing a few
pounds, be invariably put up at the third-rate wayside
lon, arid having pleed the promote of his begg try in
the hands ul the "B 'coitus." be would start for" fresh
fields sad pastures new," ultituat :ly t be captured by
the police for vagraocy, larceny, or assault. Alter
'view front the core of tier Blaj.ety's servants for a
month or six we.ks, as the ea. migat be, be would,
penniless sod bad.tempered, tr nu,. his way Is his
nearest" pobliosui banker." His appeal for the
was often refused; a row would ensue, and
is •rain 'run in," to be a onfinel for
brief term as an iacorrigiblo rogue sad
Toe police rep iris latterly claimed Arthur
seeii 82 summers. During hie perambul.'
pm: five years he hag given cool! ctiog
'age." He has been 80 and &S. or 90 and
c uniecutivo weeka, and it was not tie
sine, that the compassion ,of • charitable
was so aroused by Arthur's whining dealsen_
"100 years old, sir, and past work," (het he " ralood"
a shilling in a moment. Dorset claims about 40 con.
victioos against Arthur, but, as his peregrinati ms
extended to distrust localities, it is possible that the
charge sheets of neighbouring counties refi sat
Arthur's character I' • Ihnala extent. His laiat
conviction was about two months since at Bridport,
and reeorded at the time in this paper; and 11,04
after release front his favourite atmosphere at D =bee-
tor, he was picked up in the Bridport streets in a revolt-
ing state, and ordered to be detained in the workhouse.
He died as he had lived. Almost to his last moment.
he cursed and swore at those around him, as if dis-
gusted with a clean be I, and lougiog for the filth of
the roa 'side. It is stet, al he has no frieods—if he has
any they have long dam ceased to own him. Report
is current that " Saagehain has left behind hhn • lot
of money." If he has it Ii in the hands of the bankers,
who will declare that "Arthur has long slam over.
drawn his account."

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