The Dorset County Express and Agricultural Gazette.
Dorchester, Dorset, England, 1879-05-20 00:00:00

PORTLAND.

SAVAGE ASSAULT BY A CONVICT.

On Wednesday afternoon het, ail two convicts were
employed in the carpenters' shed, ,me oi the pvisoners
quarrelled with the other on some trifliss,r matter.
One of them, wham name is Thomi.., stabbed his
fellow.w,o Inman with a chisel in the bresst, iudiictiog
thrce u s. The I,fietnlitu; party was at lied placed
limier arr. at, and the iujurcit man taken to the
infirmary, wht.ra it waa f .tuol that his w•muils were of
a aeriuu, u..ture. He now lies in a very dangerous

The folowing particulars may be added ttithe above
briE no. ice .4 this affair from 'Thursday's Marren :
The prin..ners were respectively nauted Thompson
aid Smith, the former a norms fellow, who, when
employed at the building for the officers' mow at the
Verne, it I. sail, assaulted another math with a screw-
driver. on Wednesday he was employed with Smith,
who ie a man of general good conduct, at the
carpenters' shop on the prison works. They had had
a slight unarrel a few days previously; and (on
Wedliculs ) Thompson was about to plat some tobacco
Into Siuitil'e icselret, in order to get hid, into trouble.
'This shows the malevolent intent-din of the man, for
(Amax, is strictly forbidden to the convicts, thought
being highly prized by met of them, the demand
somehow creates a supply, but at a very high price,
which is believed to be paid in reservations by the
purchaser from his food. Some of this highly-valued
luxury Thompson was willing to part with, it is sad,
to do hid fellow-prisoner an injury; but Smith,
detecting the attempt, lifted his fist, and paid Thomp
sou for the tobacco with a good thump. Thereon
Thomteou, who was working at the bench, took out a
chisel, about a foot in length, and stabbed at his
fellow.prisother, wounding him twice in the breast.
So violent was the attack that the edge of the weapon
once penetrated just below the heart, into the lung.
and allowed the at to escape. The felon was instantly
seized and taken to the separate punishment cell,
while poor Smith was ounveyed to tize iufirtuary, and
IL wee thought he would not live long. .I'he medical
staff were umernitting iu their attentions, and so serious
did the thane appear that Mr. Clifton, the governor,
promptly telegraphed foe a county magistrate to take
Smith's deposition, and Col. Swaffield arrived and
n•ouivud a statement as if Smith had been ix orficale
it, eh's. Meantime the relatives of the unfortunate
..,,sn were telegrsphed to, huul his wife was down on
Friday hamming, and visited her poor husband. The
skill of Dr. Askham and the rest f the medical staff
was providentially blessed, and, though it seemed
almost a miracle the man should recover, after the air
had been rushing out through, the wound at every
breath, the alarming symptoms were reduced, and the
man progressed so favourably that by Friday after-
noon the attendance of the wife could be restricted ;
but the poor woman took a 61ging at the Eagle
(A.0.F.), Host Green's, which is conveniently near the
prison, and from the upper windows of which she
could have whatever eatialaction saght be gained from
seeing a large number of her husband's fellow.
prisontaa at work.