The Dorset County Express and Agricultural Gazette.
Dorchester, Dorset, England, 1870-01-25 00:00:00

Wbè
-477 qis.
.41

DORSET MENDICITY SOCIETY.

This society for discouraging professional beggars is
now fairly established. Tickete are ready for issue to sub-
scribers, and may be putehased by anybody at the rate of one
penny each. We trust that the public will, with one accord,
obtain and ties thess tickets, giving one, and nothing more, to
each ion-omen applicant for relief. The truly charitable and
humane will do this, for the eake of the really &warring, who
entree through the operations of professional mendicants. If
the benevolent will steadleatly /dose to artist, except with one
of the euciety's ticketa, all casual applicants, they gill do
well; I they add to this investigation of any parochial appeals,
and generous help where it is deserved, they will act humanely
and ea beets cttanL

ANOTHER DEATH FROM FEVER AT THE
COUNTY GAOL.
Yesterday (Monday) morning, keory Lock, Esq.,
deptity Wiener, bald an inquest at the county gaol.
bushing the death of a men named William Morris, 59
years of age.
hammed that Morrie, with another man now seriously
ill of fever, was committed by the Dorchester borough
magistrates for trial. on charges of stealing an overcoat
from the shop of the Misses Curtis end • kettle from
Mrs. Wood's shop, and they were received into the
county prison on the 21st December. Being for trial
they had • better class of food than the prisoners under
aentenos, indeed, the medical °Meer of the gaol (Mr. J.
Good) describes Has "very fir diet." They were both
seen by the surgeon on admission, and were "apparently
welL" For ten days nothing occurred out of the
ordinary coarse, but on the 31st Morris applied to see
the surgeon—as they may do at any time. Mr. Good
found the man was 111, and had him removed at once to
the infirmary. Symptoms of fever gradually appeared.
and be was dangerously ill for a week. However the
good treatment and attention he received- for there was
a watcher with him throughout each night—brought
him round, and for several days be went on improving,
a much so that he sadly wanted to get up, but the
doctor did not think it right to allow it. About the
14th inst. the man had • Hidden relapse. great exhaus-
tion ensued, and death resulted last Satueday night
about 11 o'clock. The doctor said death was caused by
relapsing fever.
The Governor (Mr. J. V. D. Lawrence) gathered from
Morris that he was a man who litd seen better days,
and WY satisfied that be bad not been in prison before.
But be and hie companion had bean knocking about the
country for several weeks, sometimes wet and sometimes
dry, frequently baring nothing to eat, often no other
lodging then under a hedge, and they committed the
offence for which they were committed more to get
shelter than from any felonious disposition.
Morris was a member of the Wesleyan body, and
during his illness he has been visited by the Rev. J.
Rutin, the soperintdndent of the Dorchester circuit.
Formerly, it seems, Morris was foreman in a builder's
establishment at Liverpool. In that city be made the
acquaintance of a young woman to whom he became
much attached, but she proved to be of bad character,
and he was gradually drawn down to her low level. H.
lost his foreman's situation. and became a journeyman,
thettemployment went and he bad to wander in search
of work. Some time ago he got • casual job at Salis-
bury, and when that was done, hetried Devises, but
fruitlessly. There he met with the man who was corn.
mitted to gaol with hint, and they wandered together,
often wet and weary, hungry and hopeless, till they
arrived at Dorchester, where they stole the property for
which they were committed for triaLWheu the sessions
arrived, however, both were too ill to appear, end the
cases were postponed till the assizes. Before his death
Morris expressed himself grateful for the kind attention
he had received in the infirmary.
The Coroner remarked that, but for the Act of Par.
liwnent requiring inquests to be held as to the deaths
of ell in gaols,an inquiry would not have been necessary
In this ease.

Mr. Groves (foreman of the jury) thought it was e
very salutary provision, but remarked everything that
we. possible seemed to have been done for the man.
The Governor said that he we. given anything and
everything ordered by the surgeon.
Mr. Good said that if he had thought champagne
would have been good for him there was no one to say
he should not have had it. He did take about Bor.s.
(nearly half-a-pint) of brandy a day for some time before
his death. No doubt the deceased and his companion,
tramping about the country, had been subject to ex-
posure and privation, and were specially suso.ptible to
an epidemic like fever, which is now prevalent in all
parts, and the fact that Morris and hi, oompaoion both
suffered front fever Indicated that they had been
affected before their adminion to the prison.
. . .

The jury returned u verdict of "De;th from relaps•
in fever."

'Thu lithe third death from fever in the county gaol
within three months. During twelve years previously
there have only been eight dealhs from natural muses.