The Dorset County Express and Agricultural Gazette.
Dorchester, Dorset, England, 1865-02-21 00:00:00

TUE ROUPELL FORGERIES.

The last art of the drama in which William Reap°ll,
the late bl P., performed so promirent a part, will be
played nit', if such a term can be rightly applie Ito •
tranaaction of this dmcr.ption' at the ensuing sedges for
the county of E-seic As all the facts have been so fre-
quently blinded to, it will only be nece.sary to give a
brief narrative of some of the principal circumstaticoa of
this most extraoreinary ease, in order that the public
may know what is intended to be done when the matter
emu* before the r ourt.

It will be rsmembered that, in the first insianoa, Mr.
Richard Roupell, the heir-at-lan of old Roupell, brought
an action in that capacity at the Guildford nadirs* in
1362, to recover possession of an estate, worth £15,000,
at Kingston, in Surrey. on the ground that William
Ronpill, who claimed the property, with everything
else that lb father died possessed of under his will,
and who had disposed of it, had no right to do no, as
the will under which he claimed was forged by William
Roupell The case was tried hefore Baron Martin, and
it reeulted in a compromise. the then defendant agreeing
to give the heirsat-law Z 7.5110, or half the value of the
estate. This, of course, bad nor, cult no far as the bulk
of the prop, rty—which was of the estimated value of
1300,000 —wit* conctrned ; but, upon his own con-
fession, William Itoupell was convgted of forgery, and
sent-nced to penal servitude for life. Another action
was then tried at tbe Helmer assizes at Chelmsford in
1863, to recover an catate near Ituioford, the heir-at-
law being again the plaintiff; and he souzht to recover
the propel ty on the ground that a deed of gift, under
which the estate had been conveyed to William Roupell,
during the lifetime of his father, was a forgery. The
convict was brought down to Chelnisford from the
model pri•on at Peotonville to give his evidence, and he
again swore that be had forged the deed of gift in
question. The cane was trisgl before Baron Channel', I
end lasted eight dsys, and the jury, aft. r bring locked
up until ten o'clock at night, were discharged from
giving • verdict. This, of course, left both parties in
the Milne position 149 they were before, but it was com-
petent to the plaintiffs to give notice of their intention
to try the cause • second tore at any subsequent assiz.a.
It appeara, however, that nothing has been done until
recently, when Messrs. Linklater, the sohcitors for the
plaintitTA, gave notice to the defendant that it was their

intention' -to set the cause again down for trial at
ensuing spring assizes. It is understood that every
effort has been made on both sides to obtain additional
evidence with regard to the material question in the
cause whether the signature to the deed of gift under
which William Roupell disposed of the property is a
genuine higuaturc or not. In consequence of the eleva-
tion of Sergeant Shoe to the judicial bench, the plaintiffs
will not have his able assistance to oonduct their case
as they had on the two former occasions. Every exer-
tion, it is understood, will be made to obtain a decieion
on the present occasion, nod the verdict of the jury,
either one Way or other, will be attended with the most
important results. If the plaintiffs should obtain a
verdict in their favour, the necessary result will be that
the will and deed of gift will be established an forgeries,
and the whole of the vast property that was made away
with by Mr. Roupell will revert to his family, and those
who have paid their money for it will be despoiled of it.
On the other hand, if the defendant should succeed, the
holders of the property will still remain in undisturbed
possession, and Mr. William Roupell will have to
undergo the punishment to which he has been sentenced
without obtaining any benefit to his family, except the
amount that was obtained by the Guildford trial.
The culprit would long before this have been sent to
one of the penal colonies, but, by an order of the
Secretary of State, he has been detained in this country
to enable him to be examined as a witness, and to prove
the forgeries under which the heir-at-law claims to
obtain a restitution of the property. The trial is ex
potted to last a week, if not longer.

THE POLICE IN ENGLAND.—Reports of the in
speetors of constabulary in the Eastern Counties
Midland, and North Wales] district, the northern di st rist
and the South of England. and South Wales district,
for the year ending 29th September last, were issued
on Wednesday. it seems that in these di,tricts the
general average proportion of police to population is
one cons'able to every 1,160 persons.
Tag GAB Royal Highness Prince Leopold
is deputed by her Majesty to invest his Serene Highness
the Grand Duke of Hi s e with the order of the Garter.
Earl Cowper is commissioned by her Majesty in like
manner to bear the Garter to his Majesty the King of
Denmark. The Earl of Sefton will convey the seine
illustrious order to his Msjesty the King of Portugal.
The owl.

AN AFRICAN TRAVNLLtR.—We have much pleasure
in noticing the safe arrival at Malts., on his return to
Germany, of the African traveller, Mr. Gerhard Sohlfs.
This enterprising gentleman has been exploring, during
the last eighteen months, the interior of Africa, as far
as Ghain Saleh, half way between Tripoli and Timbnc-
too, being the first European who has crossed the Atlas
in that direction. He started on his travels froni
Algiers in August, 1863, and the latest news received of
him in Europe was dated October 19, 1864. After
innumerably hazards and imminent perils, in whikh he
received several severe wounds, he riturned to Tripoli a
few days ego, and took passage by the Meuludiali for
Malta. He leaves to day by the Syria for Marsei les, to
consult as to mskiog another exploration on the same
tract—Malta Timet, Feb. 2.
Tug KING AND THE PAINTCR.—A biographical sketch
of the late Horace Vernet gives the following anecdote:
—" One day Louis Philippe' who had ordered Vernet
to paint the picture of the 'Siege of Valenciennes,' was
explaining his ideas as to bow the artist ought to group
the different figures, and insisted that Louis XIV.
should be placed at the head of an attacking column at
the moment of the assault. Vernet remarked that the
great king had not taken quite so direct and heroic part
in the action. 'lt is • family tradition,' observed Louis
'That may be,' replied the artist, 'but it is
a legend only, and I am a painter of history.'"
ClitAP TRAINS FOR WORKING AIRK.—On the bit of
next inonth the great boon which the London, Chatham,
and Dever Railway have agreed to give the working
claiaes, will come into operation, and from that date
mechanics artizans, sad daily labourers, both male and
female, will be entitled to receive a weekly ticket at a
cost of no more than one shilling, which a ill be avail-
able over the line between Victoria and Ludgate-hill
for one journey each day in each direction.

A ZUNIPIC'SNT RILWA-BD. —A Paris omnibus con-
ductor recently found in his conveyanoe a bundle of
shares, payable to bearer, of the value of 12,500 f., end
hastened to place the securities in the hands of
his superiors. The following day the shares were
handed to the owner, who, with a wonderful inspulse
of generosity, gave the wan the liberal reward of two
francs/
. .

. --
On Wednesday the Upper House of Convocation was
occupied with a discussion on the present state of the
marriage law and divorce, and the different opinions of
the various bishops were harmonised into a motion that
the House lamented the present state of the law of
marriage, but could not interfere in its capacity as the
Upper House of Convocation.
Tug DAVENPORT BROTHERS AT LIVERPOOL.--The
Davenport Brothers on Thursday night met with a
turbulent interruption. On the usual request being
made by Dr. Ferguson for two gentlemen to be named
by the audience as a committee, there was a general
call for Mr. Holley, who was in the hall, and numeroue
calls for Mr. Cummins. Mr. Holley declared his
willingness to act if Mr. Cammins might be the other,
and as the audience immediately took up the cry for both
to act, both ascended the platform. Mr. Cummins pro-
seeded to tie one of the brothers, and then Mr. Hulley
addressed himself to the oth, r. The latter gentleman
had not proceeded far in his operations when Mr.
Davenport complained that the cord was "stopping the
circulation." Mr. Hulley volunteered to be tied in the
same way, but the objection was persisted in. Mr.
Wrigglesworth, the surgeon was then called to the
plstform to examine the recalcitrant performer's wrists.
He oertified that the tying was not too severe, and after-
wards added that Mr. W. Davenport's hands were FO
small that a very tight tie was necessary to prevent bid
withdrawing them with the greatest ease from tie rope.;
but Dr. Ferguson and the "brother" pronounced Mr.
Hulley's proceedings to be brutal, and he was not per.
to proreed. Dr. Ferguson untied the "brother"
whom Mr. R. B. Cummins bad tied, and the twn
brothers attempted to proceed with the remainder of
their performance in happy independence of the
"committee" deputed by the audience. The aranee
was repeated last night, when the audience again
elected Mr. Cummins and Mr. Bulky as their cm
mittee. The Davenports objected, but ultimatelv
agreed. Uri being tied one if the brothers complained
that Mr. Cummins was injuring him, when Dr.
Ferguson the exhibitor, took up a knife and cut the
cords. liavenport then held up his wrist to the
audience with blood upon it, which Dr. Fergnson said
was caused by the tightness of the rope, but Mr
Cummins declared that Dr. Ferguson had made the
wound with hil knife. There was here • general up-
roar, in which the Davenports left the room. A large
body of the audience rushed on the stage, pushed Dr.
Ferguson into the cabinet, which they upset and broke
into pieces, carrying off the fragments as trophies. The
police were powerless to interfere. An indignation
meeting was afterwards held, ineisting on their money
being returned.

EARL RUSSELL has graciously favoured J. T.
DAVENPORT with the following :—Eztract of a
Despatch firm Mr. Webb, H.B.M.'s Consul at Manilla,
dated Sept. 17, 1861. " The remedy moat efficacious
in ite effects (in Epidemic Cholera) has been found to
be CHLORODYNE, and with a small quantity given to
me by Dr. Burke, I have saved several lives." Earl
Russell communicated to the College of Physicians
that he had received a Despatch from Her Majeuty's
Consul at Manilla, to the effect that Cholera had been
raging fearfully, and that the only remedy of any
service wae CHLORODTNE.—.See Lancet.—Deoember
Ist, 1864.