The Dorset County Express and Agricultural Gazette.
Dorchester, Dorset, England, 1862-07-29 00:00:00

ACCIDENTS AND OFFENCES.

A long inquiry took place on Friday, at the Guild-
hall police-court, connected with the robbery of a large
amount of jewellery in May last, from the premises of
Mr. Becker, of Camden Town. A portion of the pro-
perty had been traced to the possession of a dealor in
jewelleiy, named Jrilics Frieband, who was charged
with its unlawful possession, and committed for trial
by Mr. Alderman Sidney.
Another instance of garotting and robbery was
brought before the magistrate at Southwark police.
court on Friday. The victim, a Mr. Francis Judd,
whose throat was much injured by the treattnent he
had received, said as he was palming under the railway
in Bermondsey-street, on Thursday-night, he was
pounced upon by three men, one of whom fastened on
his throat, so that be could not call out, the second
pinned his arm, and the third robbed him of his watch
and purse. The robbery completed, they threw him
with great violence on the ground and decamped. One
of the villains, supposed to be a returned convict, was
seized by a constable, and sworn to on Friday by the
prosecutor, and was remanded to give time to discover
his accomplices.
The Lacs OF WOMICL—The criminal returns of
1861 show that women were as successful as usual in
getting out of trouble. Of the persons charged sum-
marily before the magistrates 70 in every 100 of the
men were convicted, but only 55 in 100 of the women.
Of time persons apprehended for graver, indictable
offences, 41 in every 100 of the women were discharged
by the megistrates, but barely,3o of the men. Juries
were, it is believed, as lenient to the women who after
this preliminary sifting were sent for trial, but, by a
strange omission in the returns year after year, no
similar account is given of these final results.
CHARGE OP FORGERY AGAINST A LEEDS MERCHANT.
--A charge of forgery against a Leeds merchant and
manufacturer was heard before the Leeds magistrates
on Wednesday. The case excited considerable interest.
The defendant, Mr. Alfred Teale, who is stated to be
in a large way of business, was charged with forging an
acceptance for £32 12s. The bill wax paid into the bank
of Messrs. Beckett and Co., Leeds ; the acceptance
was that of • tradesman at Belper. The evidence of
the tradesman and of his son were very conflicting, the
latter alleging that the handwriting was like his father's,
whilst the former asserted the direct contrary, and the
defence was a complete vindication of the character and
position of the defendant. At the conclusion of the
case the Bench discharged Mr. Tussle, a decision which
was received withl applause; at the same time they
stated that Messrs. Beckett acted with great circum-
spection and prudence before the charge was formally
made. The case had, it should be said, undergone a
long preliminary investigation.
ATROCIOUS MURDIR AT CHATHAM.- -OR the after-
noon of Wednesday last the body of a boy, about nine
years of age, which was subsequently identified aim being
that of Thonme Frederick Houghton, residing with his
parents at Alma-terrace, High-street, Chatham, was
discovered in one of the fields adjoining Chatham Lines
under circumstances that left no doubt that the deceased
bad been barbarously murdered. The place where the
body was found was near an accumulation of chalk and
bricks forming the air-shaft of the tunnel of the London,
Chatham, and Dover Rsilway, passing beneath the
Chatham Lines. On the discovery being made the body
wan removed to the Nosier Arms Tavern, Brompton,
where, upon its being medically examined, a deep wound
was found in the throat, extending from the right side
and completely severing the windpipe. There werealeo
bruises about the face and ether parts of the body, ad-
ministered, no doubt, by the same individual who had
inflicted the wound in the throat. The front part of the
shirt and the remainder of the clothes worn by the de-
ceased were covered with blood, leading to the impres-
sion that the poor child had struggled with his assailant
as, indeed, the marks on the grourd near the !pot where
the body was found plainly indicated. The deceased
was last seen alive by his parents early In the afternoon
of the day on which he was murdered, when he left
home to play On the Lines, slid was never seen alive
afterwards. At a late hour on Thursday night • young
man who stated his name to be Robert Alexander
Burton, accosted Police-constable Hibbert, 469, who was
on duty at Chatham, and ,informed that °Meer that he
Wished to give himself up as the murderer of the boy
whose body was discovered the previous afternoon. On
the police-constable questioning the man he /dated that
he had committed the murder in order that he might be
hung, as lie was tired of his life. He was then taken
before Superintendent Everist, when be repeated the
same words that he had used to the police-constable,
and informed time superintendent that lie wished to tell
him how the murder was committed. After receiving
the usual caution, the accused voluntarily made the
following extraordinary statement said he was
weary of his life, and therefore was determined to kill
some one, but did not care who it was,es he was anxious
to be hung. In walking through the street he met the
deceased boy with his mother, when he at once resolved
in his mind that the pour child should be his victim.
After following them for some distance he saw the
mother go into her house, after giving the deceased
leave to play on the Lines. This was about two o'clock
on Wednesday afternoon. He then followed the
deceased to the place where the body was discovered,
and thinking thst a favourable place for carrying his
intention into effect, he went up to the unfortunate
child, and after accosting him knocked him down, and
dragged him &short distant*. The deceased, he states,
struggled very much, and made every effort to free him-
self, but he succeeded in getting his knife from his
pocket, and with it he cut the boy's throat, severing
the windpipe. The seamed, in answer to the superin-
tendent's remark that there were several bruises about
the face of the deceased, s id he only gave one cut on
the throat, and denied doing anything else. The de-
ceased, after receiving the wound in his throat, strug-
gled very mush, and seized the murderer's hands ; but
he shook him off, and, as he did not "duo quick
enough," he knelt on the child, and pressed both hands
tightly round his throat until the blood flowed from his
eyes and nose, and he was dead. In reply to Supt.
Everist, the accused stated that the murder was com-
mitted shortly after two o'clock on Wednes,
day after-noon, and that while he was strug-
gling with thedeceased, he saw two men in
Gilbert's field in which the murder was committed,
but believes they did not see him. After the
murder he proceeded across the lines, when lie met a
gentleman dressed in black coming towards him
and, fearing that he might see his bands, which were
covered with blood, he hastily thriist them
into the pockets of his trousers. Before leaving
the body lie had wiped off at much of the blood from
his hands as lie poasibly teal on the front part of the
shirt worn by the deoeased, lie then proceeded to the
military bathing pond, in which lie washed the blood
t off his hande, face and clothes, and also cleaned the
blood from the knife, He afterwards ,rot into the

Ana;.li:);

' town, and the same night hid the knife in a water-
closet of a house at the rear of the Dark Sun publie-
house, High-street, Chatham. Aftet reserving
the above statement from the Wisner Superin-
tendent Everist immediately in arched him and ex-
amined his clothes, when considerable quantities of
blood wero found on them, especially on the sleeves of
the coat and the legs of the trousers. There were also
stains of blood in both of the side pockets of the
trousets, evidently made by the prisoner's hands being
thrust into them in the manner he described. On
the police proceeding to the building mentioned
by the prisoner the knife with which he stated he
committed the murder was found in the place he had
described. The shirt worn by the deceased was like-
wise examined, when the marks of blood from a
person's hands that hail been wiped in them were
clearly discernable. On Friday the accused was plasied
before the Rev. J. Formby, Mr. J. Hulkes, and Mr. J.
Foord,at the county ma gistratee justice-room.Roebester,
charged, on his own confession, with the wilful murder
of Thomas Frederick Houghton. The prisoner, who
was described al a carpenter, appears to be about 18
years of age, and rather short. He is of a mild ex-
pression of countenance, and during his brief examina-
tion appeared to treat the whole proceedings with the
greatest indifference. His antecedents arc stated to be
not of the most favourable character, and be has been
convicted of fraudulently misappropriating money
which lied been entrusted to him.—The prisoner was
remanded.
AN ENGLISH FASHIONABLE PICKPOCKET IP PARIS.
-An incident occurred at the Variettis theatre a night
or two since, after the performance of (lite Stamina
Landry; and which might almost have passed for en
episode of the piece. As the audience were coming out
of the theatre, • lady felt a movement in her pocket,
and instantly seized the hand of her next neighbour, an
elegantly dressed woman, who had taken her purse. On
being accused of the theft, the latter expressed great
indignation in a strong English accent. She was at
moo taken before the commissary of police, and there
gave an address which proved to be false. The Bert
morning, it was ascertained that she had lodged at a
hotel in the Rue Pepiniere, and that two Englishmeo,
her companions, had left for London that morning at
six, and taken her luggage with them. The lady pick-
pocket, who refused to give her name, Las been coin-
mitted to prison to await her trial. . .

Armpit:rim Mmtnmi:l—On Monday morning, between
12 and 1 o'clock, a murderous attack was made on Mrs.
North Bryant, et her residence, 82, James-street, Lam-
beth, by a female named Anne Smith, who met Mrs.
Bryant in the passage of the house on her return hoitie,
and, seising her, commenced stabbing her about the
head and face with a knife. Mrs. Bryant's screams
brought several of the inmates to her assistance, but
not before she had sustained serious, if not fatal, injuries,
one of the thrusts of the knife having entered her eye.
She was removed without lose of time to Westminster
Hospital, where she remains in a precarious state. The
woman Smith was taken before the magistrate at Lam-
beth police-conrt, and remanded to await the result of
Mrs. Bryant's injuries.
TELE MYSTERIOUS MURDER IN GLASGOW. The
clothes marked with blood, found by the police, have
been fully identified as belonging to the prisoner, Mrs.
Dl'Lashlan, and she is known to have worn them on the
night of the insider. They consist of a brown merino
dress and two flannel petticoats, all of which are satu-
rated with blood. One of these petticoats had been
made out of a blanket, and therefore easily identified;
and Bar kh Adamson, a little girl who was servant to
the prisoner for come time, luta pointed out some of her
own sewing on one of the garments. The trimming on
the dress is likewise positively spoken to. The clothes
had been torn to pieces, with the view, no doubt, of
preventing identification. On searching the prisoner's
house the sleeve of a brown gown was found, the trim-
ming on which corresponds exactly with the trimming
found on the merlin dress. The articles appear to have
been burned in several places, and they still smell
strongly of fire. •

_ .
,
THZ ASHTON-UNDER-LYNE MURDER.— CONFESSION
OP THE PEISONERS —At the Manchester New Bailey
nolice-conrt on Monday morning three men, named
respectively John Ward, Thomas Barlow, and John
Clay Johnson, were brought up on remand, charged
with being concerned in the murder of police-constable
Jump, at Ashton-under-Lyne, on the 28th of June. It
being understood that no evidence would be offered the
counsel for the prisoners were not present. Superin-
tendent Ludlam, of the county police fort*, applied for
another remand, which was granted. Ludlam stated
that he was now in possession of facts which would
lead to an elucidation of the affair, some of the other
prisoners having made a full confession. The prisoners
Ward and Barlow, acoording to the recently obtained
facts, were directly implicated in the crime, while the
case against Johnson wpuld be that he harboured the
other two men directly after the murder, knowing that
they were implicated in it. The prisoner Johnson
asked the magistrate to grant him bail, on the ground
that he was not directly connected with the murder.
The application however, was refused. The prisoners
were then remanded for a week.

DEATH OF A LADY FROM STABVATION.—An inquiry

was held on Thursday eveciug, before Mr. Humphreys,
coroner for East Middlesex, at the Three Cranes
Tavern, Mare-street, Hackney., respecting the death of
Mrs. Emma Snellgrove, aged 58, a lady who, it was
alleged, had .died from starvation, on Sunday last,
under very painful circumstances. The ease excited
great interest, owing to the formerly respectable
position of the family, and the fearful state of desti-
tution to width the deceased had been reduced previous
to her death. Mr. Stephen Snellgrove, No. 7, Church-
yard, Hackney, son of the deceased, who was evidently
suffering from extreme debility caused by severe illness,
was examined. He stated that his mother was the
widow of a gentleman hi/the wine trade. who died Nome
years since, leaving witness and his brother William
£lOO each. The family then lived on the salary which
witness and his brother earned as clerks in the docks.
Twelve months ago, witnesi, through illnee•' lost his
situation, and his brother not being regularly em•
ployed, they lived upon the remnant of witness's £lOO.
For a leng Sine past they had been suffering great pri- '
rations, living on bread alone, and witness and the de-
ceased had been confined to bed from illness and ex-
haustion. On the Friday morning before deceased's
death they had a little dry bread, and (coin that time
nail her death, on Sunday, they had no food whatever,
On the previous evening the deceased became delirious,
and continued raving from hunger the whole night.
The witness crawled down stairs, and having found a
few grains of coffee, made a drink and gave it to the
deceased. The next (Sunday) morning he noticed that
she did not speak, and on going in to give her another
drink he found her dead. .11e then wrote a note to a
friend, but did not know how to convey it. After some
boars, howeeee, he drawled down to the door and gave
it some one to deliver. Ile since learned that his brother
William had on the Tuesday before deceased's death re-
ceived from that friend a sovereign for the family, but
he had not given them any of it. On the contrary, on
that day he came to the house and ransacked it
for everything of value, and took away a looking-
glass and even witness's dressing-gown. This state-
ment caused • deep sensation among those present
in the inquest room. The 'fitness went on to state
that his brother came to the house on Friday and gave
them a little bread to eat, after which they saw him no
MOM. Witness and deceased remained awake the
whole of that nieht, expecting hie return, with dreadful
anxiety, and on Saturday night they gave up all hope,
and deceased became delirious. William had frequently
come to the house previously to remove things, and he
would not permit any person to call at the house. He
used to abuse witness and his mother brutally, and re-
fused tol get witness removed to an hospital. Mrs.
Selina Cook, Tyson-terrace, Dalston-lane, to whom the
note above referred to was a !dressed by the witness
Stephen Snellgrove, deposed that she bad known the
Snellgrove family for several years, and had frequently
Resisted them. On the Tuesday spoken of, she saw
William Snellgrove, and said that as his mother and
brother were in a most deplorable state, and he would
not even admit a person she sent to clean up the place,
she would stand it no longer, and if he did not do some-
thing for them she would apply to the ftuthorities. He
replied that he was going to place his mother with a
friend in the Hackney-road. Witness gave him a
sovereign for his mother, but it appeared that she re-
ceived none of it. In teply to the coroner, Stephen
Snellgrove said that his mother was left a provision by
her husband, but was persuaded to intrust the money
to a penon for • investment, and thereby lost it,
William Snellgrove, the other brother, was in occa-
sional employment. Dr. Wright, who was called in to
the residence of the deceased on Sunday, said there was
every appearance of the most abject poverty. Mr. S.
Snellgrove was in such a state of prostration that he
could not tell, and did not seem to know, in which room
his mother was. He (Dr. Wnght) found her body in
such a state of emaciation that she was merely skin and
bone. The post-mortem examination showed the
stomach and intestines to be completely empty, and not
only all trace of fat but the muscular tissues had disap-
peared. There was but little blood, which was pale and
watery. The immediate cause of death was disease of
the lungs, accelerated by want of food. The Coroner,
in summing up, expressed his regret that in such an
awful case of starvation Stephen Snellgrove did no(
find strength to call in any person passing by for aid •,
and at the same time strongly censured the conduct of
William Snellgrove in the matter. The jury returned
a verdict of 'Death from disease, accelerated by desti-
tution." It was understood that Mr. S. Snellgrove
would be forthwith removed to the hospital, his state
being etch as to cause serious apprehensions for his
life.