The Dorset County Express and Agricultural Gazette.
Dorchester, Dorset, England, 1869-01-12 00:00:00

Samtrottst frt.

Krusgo A CAT.-At Bridgwater
_petty esectose
Benjamin Ruddosir, Walter Row, and John Saunders,
were charged with unlawfully and maliciously killing a
oat, the property of Charles Illogg, of Cannington. The
complainant valued the sot in a sovereign, and, with
tears in his eyes, added that it was twelve months old,
end be had brought It tip from a kitten —The °sae
against Saunders end Row wee diarnimed, but Ruddock
was fined la, 2a. 13d. tbe value of the oat, and Ts. costs.

Simms CARR or Suootruo. —On Monday night
about 8 o'clock, Charles Pitman, • labourer and
returned convict, while under the linfluenee of *nor,
WI. singing outaide of a home of a man named enry
Rainey, at Dun wear, near Bridgwater, and the Latter
wee much annoyed thereat. Rainey was also tipsy, and
eo erre, two companions in the house with him. Btu')
suddenly exclaimed" 111 shut op his magic, or
or some such words, and taking his gun he went to the
door. and perceiving Pitman, shot at him. Borne
portion of the charge grezed the man's head, tearing
off &lane portion of the scalp, and otherwise injuring
him. Be fell down, and was conveyed in an insensible
stale to a barn, and • manage was despatched to
Westommylarid for Dr. Cares. That gentleman was
soon in attendance, and dressed the man's wounds.
Rainey wasiapprehended, end Ism been remanded on •
ohmic* of unlawfully shooting and wounding.
A GRAND FANCY DRUM BALL was held at the Yeovil
Town-hill on Wednesday evening. The hall Irma
beautifully decorated, the walls being almost covered
with drapery, &were, ferns, ivy, mirrors, and paintings.
A quadrille band, from Taunton, was In attend-
ant* • but the musk, we hear, gave anything but
sativfletion. The Council Chamber, which was
used as lady's retiring-room and refrertment-room,
was also elegantly decorated. A splendid supper wee
served in the County Court, and everything passed off
excellently. The programme wu concluded about four
o'clock. The stewards were Sir R. Glyn, Bart., B. N.
Grenville, Req. M.P., R. 11. Paget, Req., M.P., J. B.
P. Goodden, Esq., Herbert B. Batten, Esq. Captain
Mersiter, Major Boyle, Capt. Helyar, Capt. Weal, Capt.
Philips, Capt. Patton, Capt. Lily, G. Helyar, Esq.,
Capt. Maclean, Augustus Wood, Fag., John Mount
Batten, Esq.' R. Willmott, Esq., H. Cornish Healey,
Esq., and J. P. F. Condry, EN, All the arrangements
were most satisfactorily carried oat by Mr. dlarland, of
the Choughs hotel.

DURITIT.D POSSUMS Or • CHILD.—A somewhat
angular case before the judge of tho Taunton County
Court on Tuesday. The defendant and plaintiff, named
Shattock, are brother and sister, and the if. of the
former having died some two or three years sinoe, leaving
an infant. The latter, being attached to the child, took
WS of it, free of expense to her brother. Some time
subeequently there was a [quarrel between the parties,
and the defendant took away the child from his sister.
The latter then sued her brother for £23 for the keep of
the infant, upon which the defendant petitioned the
Insolvency Court, and obtained his discharge, thus set-
ting aside the action. The sister now renewed her action
for the recovery of that amount, or, failing that, to
again have possession of the child. She said she was the
infant's godmother, and solemnly promised at its baptism
to bring it up in the way it should go. This she could
not do without having pomeasion of the child, and upon
religious grounds she thought his Honour could order
the child to be restored to her—His Honour told the
plaintiff that he regretted she had been so foolish as to
take further proomdings in the matter. He could do
nothing in the ease, as,tbe defendant had palmed the
court.

SOWIRDIT QUARTER SIZISITOII6-84 W. Mile. Wei
able to congratulate the grand jury on a great decrease
of crime in the county. There were ooly 107 prisoners
for trial or summarily dealt with daring the wander,
against 177 in the corresponding period last year. A
county rate of • halfpenny in the pound we. made. end
a police rate of one farthing. Mr. K. Neville-Grenville,
M.P.. moved "That the chairman be requested to sign
on behalf of this Court, prtitions to both Houses of
Parliament, praying them to peas ' An Act for the
regulation of marketa for imported &abash,' and to take
into early consideration the revision of local taxation,
sad the adoption of county financial boards, consisting
of elected representatives of ratepayers hi wen Le
magietrates." Mr. 11. A. Prelims wended. Mr. T. E.
tAPtnquestioned whether the court was the proper
body to memoralise the House on the subject, sod
moved the previous question. Mr. J. C. Ireland
emended the amendment. Mr. Neville-Grenville with.
drew his motion. The trials of prisoners took plus on
Wednesday.— Valetifiu /car. 17, tailor, Saluted Row,
18, ocal•mlnex, and Joseph Heal, 43, labourer, were
found guilty of indecentiy usulting an old woman, 80
years of age, Suzan Blacker,at Camerton, on the 19th
December. Year was sentenoed tofour menthe. Rose and
Heal to three months imprisonment with bard labour.
—Jamul Mica, 49, tailor, was indicted for falionionaly
embezzling £134, the moneys of the parishioners of
Williton, near Taunton, on the 2nd December last, be
being/it that time their servant. Mr. T. W. Sounders
prosecuted • Mr. &Ilia defended the prisoner, who bad
been employed as assistant-overseer and collector of
poor rates for the parish of Wililton, since 1866, end
until moistly be had given every satisfaction to the
evermore. After some deliberation, the jury were of
opinion that the prisoner had rewired the money, bat
was not guilty of embezzling it. He was therefore
discharged.

Tea WELL. Yuman: Burner Pannowin.— On
Thursday the governor of Taunton gaol, Mr. Oakley,
received, through the Clerk of Assize, • free pardon for
Sweet, who received the intelligence with great maid.
festations of delight, and again asserted that he had no
hand or part in the murder of Cornish. At his own
desire he was sent by train bank to Wella, his fare being
paid for him at the Taunton station. A contemporary
refers to the case of the Italian Pella:done. who was
imitenced to death in the beginning of 1865, for the
murder of Michael Herrington, in • public-honse at
Saffron-bill, London. A short time before the exam.
tion, Orem:wt.) Mogul, another Italian, confessed that
he had stabbed Harrington in self-defenoe. On this
confewdon the execution of Pelisaione was stayed, and
Mogul was tried end sentenced to five yearn' penal
servitude—Pelizzione reeeiving a free pardon. This
ease boars a very striking simiLarity to that which has
occurred at Wells. In both oases an innocent man was
sentenced to death, and in both the innocent man was
saved by the confession of the real criminal. Riming
over all other illustrations, it is very remarkable,
indeed, that under our most carefully framed st•tutes
ten ass, ehevoid within the led lour yer, have been
Left for death, after • perfectly fair trim, ins jury to
the Pelissione case had no doubt whatever that the
prisoner was guilty; neither had the Taunton jury any
doubt; and yet in each case, as we now know, • man
was condemned who was as innocent of the crime
charged against him as the judge who tried him. These
facts start some very uncomfortable reflections. Perhaps
the ust thing say men would like to risk his life upon
, would be the confession of • person whose statement
w old criminate himself. And yet in both the cases
abided to it was the confession of the criminal and that
alone width saved the innocent men. Notwithatending
all the safeguards of the law, all the oars of judges and
juries, the innocent were condemned, and their only
chance of serape was the doubtful word of persons who
, mast prove their own guilt In saving those whom they
toe. were not guilty. It was a criminal in each ease
who eat us all right after juries had in • perfecUy legal
manner done an injustice. Are all criminals so con-
science stricken? If not, and we can warmly sesame
that they are, la it possible that there bare been other
lames:it people oonviated who are now suffering throtagh
the reticence of real inimical' ? These eery zuseouslort•
able reflections are foreed upon as by what hes just
taken piers.