The Dorset County Express and Agricultural Gazette.
Dorchester, Dorset, England, 1863-11-03 00:00:00

DISGRACEFUL BASTARDY CASE.

On Thar-Ado,. before G. Evered, B. C. Greenhill, R.
M. King, Eigra, end Lieut.-Colonel Graham, Mr.
Denten, a farmer of Woolavington, wa.s summoned by
Lucy Meeker, to show muse why he should pot support
her illegitimate child. Mr. Paul Reed appeared tor the
complainant, wed Mr. Prideaux, Ungraded by kir.
Aeber,) for the defendant.
Kr. Reed, Is ixtroducing the ewe, said that it imam
of no common nature, the conduct of the defendant '
being both cruel and unkind. The oomplainant was •
young woman shout the age of 18, and her parents re-
sided at Woolavington, her father being a baker of that
place. The defendant was between the ages of fifty and
sixty, and be regretted to say he wee. husband, father,
and grendhober. About eighteen months sines the
complaisant entered Mr. Dawbin's service, and rather
before hot Christiras be succeeded in sedating her, the
result of which was that on the 19th of September she
we. delivered of • male child.

Lacy Meeker said that she should be nineteen years
of age on the 14th of November next, and that she had
boon in the defendant's eervies from the 25th of July,

• .
'mut to the latter part of April in the present year.
The intimacy between her and Mr. Dawbin began about
Ms weeks before last Christmas, and was 'motioned up
to the beginning of September, the result of which was
that she had been
.delivered of a male ehild.Lsat

Cbristinas Mtn Dimino went somewhere on S visit for •
- - • • •

month, and defendant's eon also slept oat One night.
There heirs/ only herself, Yr. Dawbin, and a little
grandchild in the houae, defendant name into her bed-
room and slept with her until three or four o'clock next
morning. About three months after that she told 4.-
fondant that she was nemesia, to which he replied"
,Oh,
sionnenee,not that." A day or two afterwards be asked her
mother to take her to a surgeon's, which she consented
to do, and they were both conveyed to Dr. Parson's by
the defendant. It,. Milord and Mr. Dawbin remained
outside, whdst she and her mother went in. Defendant
bad been vvry kind to her, and brought her thinp on
several occasions. About three months before her con-
enement, being unwell, she MY at tome, and dm mil
for defendant. He came and saw her, and she said to
ton. "I no, in the family way." to which he replied, "Oh.
nonsense, don't trouble about it." She expremed • wish
to inform her mother of the state she was in, but this
the defendant advised her not to do. The day after her
cdollue.nent he mos to her mother'. house, and OD
entering the door, be held up his Sager, minas-gully
wishing her to my nothing. lie said, "I hop I
havn't frightened your to which she answered, "No,
I'm frightened enough as it is." She had the baby
with leer in bed, Lad defendant looked at it, and said,
" It is a reddiedi_
.custouser." (Laughter). She then
'sr father

began to cry,and thia brought up 'bet tu.. and mother.
Ear fah. r said to Yr. Dawhin, "I here asked you
before if this was the case, and you bare always denied
1t.." The defendant said, "Better if she had said
nothing at ell about it." litim replied, " I have not."
Defendant then added, "Tell your mother, but no one
else."

Crois-exasnined by Mr. Prideaux : Both defendant
and his wife were very kind to her, the former more so
than the latter; she knew this because he came
oftener to me her, and brought her things at various
times unknown to lire. Daehin. He told her that he
had brought her things on several market days, and be
had ecenewaled them in the out-Louse. He brought
them to her in the evening. Although she resisted and
stniggled, Me never told any one of her condition, m
defendant wished her not to One night when she was
at home ill, he moused her of an unnatural offence.
(The particulars of the acouaation were then described,
and were most distrusting in their nature.] She then
began to cry, and mid she should telliter mother what
he had said. Her mother was coming upstaira at this
time, and defendant held up his fist in her face, and
with his other hand took out his purse and offered her,
which, however, she refused to take. He dared her to
tell her mother.
Mr. Meeker, the father of the complainant, said that
his daughter was not quite 19 years of age, and was one
of a family of eleven children. Defendant was a
farmer, in good circumstances, and from what he had
beard he went to him, and uked whether it was true
that his daughter was evireinre. Defendant answered,
"No." On a later occasion Mr. Dawbin had said to
bins, " It is a bed job for me; hut they won't clap on
more than half-a-crown a-week." Defendant had told
him when complainant was home, suffering from illness
prior to her oonfinement, that he oared for her as much.
or more, as for his own daughter, and this led aroused
his (witness.") suspicions. He let her go back again to
his house when she got well enough. He also dt posed
to the conversation which took place the day alter his
daughter's confusement.
Ann bleaker, the complainant's mother, stated that
she had heard it rumoured that her daughter was
entries. by the defendant, and on her mentioning the
circumstance to him, he said, "1 hope you don't think
anything of the sort."—This having ooneluded the evi-
dence,
Mr. Prideaus addressed the Bench on behalf of the
defendant, and proceeded to my that the case was op*
of vital important* to his client, because if the girre
statement was to be believed, it was one of considerable
biseknem to the defendant. for he had not only smiled
himself of the position which he as a master occupied
to seduce his servant, but be had endeavoured to impute
to her in a most hearties wicked manner—the crime of
Incest; end be hoped the Bench would not hesitate long
before they allowed themselves to think that it was
possible that Isis client could have been guilty of
such eonduet as this. He called the attention of
the Omrt to several portions of the evidence
&diluted, and expressed his opinion that it was
unremovable in tome. The learned counsel milled
the attention ol the Bench to the fast that the
defeadant was a married man, and that it had
sot been represented that the slightest domestic
difference existed between Mr. and Mrs. Dwain, to
lead him to be unfaithful to his wife, and to he guilty of
an efferioe so greirinin as that of committing adultery
with his own servant girl under his own roof, and on
one or two omesions when his wife was in the house.
He treated the matter as improbahle—extremely
that Me defendant committed adultery in such a plow.
and under such circumstances—SO adultery too, which
If it could be believed, amounted very near, if not quite,
to the crime of rape. At the conclusion of the learned
gentleman's speech the magistrates retired for about the I
space of five minutes, and on re-entering the room,
iii. Bvered said the Bench had given the closest
attention to the ease, sod they were unanimously of
opinion that the defendant was guilty of the charge
Imputed to him. Their verdict would be, that an order
be made for the payment of 2a. id. a-week, Si. a-week
for the first six week., defendant to pay the midwifery
sesta, • guinea to the professional man,and the expenses
of the somplainint's confinement.
Mr. Prideaux gave notice of appeal against the
decision of the Bench.

CAMBRIDGESHIRE STLICES.—Tusum.y.