The Dorset County Express and Agricultural Gazette.
Dorchester, Dorset, England, 1876-08-22 00:00:00

A POLICENLAN'S OATH.

At the Salford Borough Polio, Court, Saturday
morning, James M'Coney, a middle.aged man,
was brought before Sir John Iles Mantell on the
charge of being drunk andi disorderly. On the case
being called, Police-constable Mitchell straightway
stepped into the box and preferred the charge of
drunkenness and attempted rescue of another
prisoner, and on the strength of the constable's state-
ment the magistrate pronounced sentence on ll'Coney
of a month's imprisonment with hard labour. The
prisoner meekly submitted, and was about to return
to his fellow-prisoners in the dock cells when
Detective-sergeant Kirk the officer in charge of the
deck, discovered that a mistake had been made, and
asked the constable whether he was certain of his
man. Turning to the prisoner, Constable Mitchell
saw that he hail given evidence against the wrong
man, and the prisoner. recovering confidence, said he
knew nothing of the charge. —The magistrate com-
mented severely upon the officer's carbsesness. He
had stepped into the witness-box, sworn to the man,
stated the facts, and allowed sentence to be pamed
upon him. duch conduct was atrocions, and he hoped
it would be represented to the chief constable.—
Constable Mitchell: It was the inspector's fault, sir,
not mine.—The Magistrate's: Yon ought to keep
your eyes open, sir, and not step into the box and
repeat a certain form of words like a parrot. —The
Constable: I beg your pardon, sir.—The Magistrate:
I won't listen to you. Prisoner, you are discharged.—
Mr. Coney thanked the magistrate and left the doolc.
-Mary Jane Simpson and James Camels were then
placed in the dock—the former on the charge of being
drunk and the latter of attempting to rescue her
whilst in the custody of Police-constable MitchelL—
The prisoner was fined Is. and costs, and Caseells was
summarily committed for seven days.

A LADY AND HER SUITORS: EXTRAORDINARY
.cASK.
. _

At Westminster, on Friday Joseph Steads Butterworth
was re-examined, charged with assaulting Henry Percy.
Mr. John Elliott prosecuted, and Mr. W. Doveton Smyth
defended. The prosecutor, who had not been in • fit
state to attend on the but occasion, DOW declined to give
evidence, stating that he wanted to withdraw from the
charge, and that the prisoner "bed done it in a moment
of frenzy ;" but Mr. Arnold said that on such a serious
charge he could not allow a withdrawal or a compromise,
and that the case must proceed, and if the prosecutor
would net give evidence he should have to commit him.
Upon this the prosecutor gave his evidence, stating after-
wards that he had only done it under compulsion. The
evidence was to this effect :—On August I prosecutor
was in his house. in Wilion-road, Pimlico, with a young
woman, named Zilpha Orme:red, when the prisoner burst
open the door, and said be had come for "that girl."
Prosecutor ordered him out of the plaoe, when the
defendant struck him over the head with a loaded
truncheon, and he bled profuaely. He staggered some
yards, when the prisoner followed him up, and struck
him over the temples with the bludgeon. Again he
attempted to escape, but was struck another blow on the
left jaw, which broke it. He then grappled with the
prisoner, but, faint from loss of blood, was obliged to let
go, and the prisoner knocked him down • flight of stairs
with another blow, and he was just enabled to get to the
street, where he caused the prisoner to be apprehended.
During the time he was being assaulted the prisoner
he would "kill " and " murder " him, and afterwards.
when in the street, said it was not yet finial:led ; it won
l 4
another time. —The prosecutor was attended by Dr.
Ward, of Behavve.road, and that gentleman deposed
that his wounds were serious, and the !hemorrhage con.
siderable. The prosecutor was delirious for some nights,
and morphia had to be injected under the akin; he
became weak and depressed. He was, however, pro-
progressing favourably.—lt being • question whether the
weapon was loaded or not, Mr. Arnold ordered it to he
opened, and on doing so • large quantity of lead wm
found inside, and the instrumenkra four-eged cgui, was of
formidable character—ln crosectamination by Mr.
Smyth, the prosecutor said he was a gentleman. Ile had
known the young lady since June 17th, and had lived
with her. He dot not know she bad been engaged to be
married to the prisoner, but since the assault he had lent
the prisoner—not given to marry the woman.
and the wedding was to have taken place on WeditesdnY,
but he had not promised togive the bride away. He del
not use any violence to the prisoner on this OOODSIDO, nor
had he used a loaded stick at that or any other time on
the prisoner or Miss Ormerod.—Mr. Arnold remanded the
prisoner for further evidence, and accepted bail in LSO
for his •Pnearatice.

HUNTADI JANOS MINERAL WATlB.—The beat and
most agreeable natural aperient.— " A convenient and
sure purgative whose action it I. array to limit, such a
medicine may come into play in the treatment of almost
any affeotion."—lnapector-Deneral Macpherson, M.D.
Author of " Baths and Wells of Europe." In original
bottles, price 2a. and la. CaL, of all choulsta.—A wins
glue full • dose.

WILLS AND BEQUESTS.
I The following have been : The will. of Mr. Charles
Frederick Behar, late of Manchester, and of Liantysilio-
hall, Denbigshire, mechanical engineer, the personal
estate being sworn under illUo,ooo.
The will of Mrs. Elizabeth Taylor, late of Grove-house,
Margate, the personal estate being sworn under £120,000.
The will, with two codicils, of Mr. Robert Chamberlin,
late of Cation-boom, Cation, Norfolk, sworn under
.1:120.000.
'rho will, of Mr. Matthew Noble, the eminet sculptor,
of No. 13, Abingdon-villas, Kensington, who died on June
If last, was proved on the 17th ult., under £2,000.
no will, dated April 18, 1873, of Mr. Henry Kingslor,
author, formerly of 29, Fortess-terrace, Kentish-town,
but late of Atlases Cuctfield, who died on May 21 last,
was proved on the 4th ult., under a nominal sum, by him
widow, Mrs gush Maria Kinsley Kbudey, to whocu he
loaves everything of which he dies possessed.