The Dorset County Express and Agricultural Gazette.
Dorchester, Dorset, England, 1870-07-26 00:00:00

ARSON AT WARSWILL.

Robert Wellman, 18, and Jots Watley, 12, were
indicted for ma (Homely and feloniously setting Sr. to
certain gorse and furze, there gro•imi, the property
of Augustus Foster, at Warm well, on June 27.
Prisoners pleaded guilty. Nutley, who is • little
fel o •. only about a heed above the dusk, said he was
only 12 years old.
Mr. W. Fuoks prosecuted, and applied for • short
delay that • witness named Michael Foot might attend.
He was absent from some cease unknown.
The Judge sail there applare4 to be sone relic of the
ancient custom, SAIUU CLIAtO/11. that • man was not
bound to •ppeer within soiree days of the time ap-
pointel ; but even in Duisetithire this bad habit mast
be pat s stop to.
Mr. Ffooks proposed to go on with the case, taking
the evidence of • second witne-s, • polmenian, who
would prove nearly the same as M. Foot.
The Judge thousht the unsupported evidence of •
policeman would not be enough.
Mr. Plonks said the witness was in the town.
The Judge : Tat makes it snore reprehensible.
Mr. Fi,,ke salt he really could not tell why the
. .

',noes§ anis absent, it w. nO fault of the pr.:wen-Mon.
He might be able, by and by, to bnog some cause co the
. . .

,
notice Of the Judo.
The jury live then sworn, and it wu stated that
hitohaet Foot er.a rather unwell.

Hi. Lordship said what waa worth doing at all, was
worih doing
Foot, howev r, appeared, and the case proceeded.
Mr. Ffooks said a portion of the heath at Warmwell
had ben brought into cultivaticm. Some potatoes were
growing there and claw by was some wild heath.
Midi:reel Foot pairing by. saw some fire smouldermg,
covered up. After he had pure!, the fire broke out,
and did serious damage to • plantation.
The p.isoners • twitted having set the heath on fire.
but said they did it to find • knife, but this had been
lost two months before, and Mr. Rooks tiontended it
was an idle encase, and that prisoners intended to work
the tnisebi.f that had been roused
Michael Foot, woodman to Mr. Foster said on the 21st
Julie he passed a heath the property of Mr. Foster, and
saw the smoke of • fire. He did not think anything
won weong and passel on. The prisoneis were about
30 or 40 yards from the fire. NVitne?s thought nothing
was wi.ong ;but &boot two hours alter large quantities
of smoke, .o,t going back, foun I several acres of heath
on he. The bu)s were thine, and the lath r and
mother and Nodes, trying to 'font it. A plantation
wee about tL'O leg if. and a good deal of it was destroyed
P.C. Hatching- said ihat,between nine and teno'olock
p.m., Tune 27th, he WOOS to Warmwell, where • fire
raging. He went to Dickorr, 8.A., where
Wellm•n lives, sod toned b.ith pri.oner* there. He
charged them with setting the heath on fire, and they
said they did it to hod a knife whieh • man named

,
WOltems tied I ,-t some time b. fore. One said tley put
some dirt over the fire in the morning. Between 30
and 40 sores oi heath, end five pr six scree of

tion w.re burnt

Tfin Judge ssid th t depositions were generally very
well taken p• but io cone cute., the two prisoner 4 were
asked tnether, anl ins statements were inserted as a
joint statement. It was n 4 a jOut statement in this
sue. . . . .

Mr. Nooks sei,l it was s joint statement
The Ju ..e :No it is not I in..y say "We are

lawyers," hut it doca not make it my etatement.
Tne statement of Wellmen gad reed to the effect that
the) covered over the fire, before they left, cud th.iught
it an oh night.
Mr. Hooks a twitted thin wu not • j .int statement.
IVellioan said they had b. en down e ,rthing up some
potaion, they lit the fire to find a Mina, nod put some
earth on it to put it out. They thought it we. all van.
and went home to breafast, but when they came hack
it was all afire I Ho was way for it, and hoped the
Jud,co would forgive him this time. Little Nailer, who
had heen wide -tnuti beside the Judge, said no.hiug.

a
His Isard.hip, in summing up, again laid down the
law dint there was no ne,easity to prove m.lioe, in order
to oonvict of tne drone° of arson. Toe intention hi
destroy, whether out of wantonness or fr no pers
dislike, was sufficient to establidi tbe offence. There
was a distinction between the two eases, Notley being
only 12 icon old, and in biz case it wast necessary to
have aiistinst evidence that the boy knew he W 44
engaged in s urn-thing eriminaL Wellman's statement
hut boon subetantidly the mune throudi,ut, and in
point of law, he had no right to sot fire to another
man's furze for bit own purpose.
T a Jury foiled Wellman guilty, and Notley nut
gni ty and ree.mmended Wellman to mercy. They did
...molder, be haul any idea of what would be the
oon.eqoences of his act.
I ggr. iFf,,pes uid the prosecutor was very anxious that
the prisoner .honld be de.lt with leniently. The oue
would not have been brought before the Court; but
the damage was over Eri. or it would have been dealt
with summaiily before the magistrates.
The Judge said it was right to bring the cue before
the C iuit, it woe a meet in achiewous act, and resultins
in seei"os consequences. The, had no right to light
an Mier man's Niue fur a candle for their own porous..
He would consider whether he wall let prisoner
on Is.. friend.e being bouud over for hie good conduct.
FR•01:1 AT WEYMOUTH.

Sara,' Annie Hill (20) who had been oat on bail, was
indicted for obtaining by false premiums from Harriet
Meshy tiouthoott, 19 yards of mohair, one yard of
li,iing,one yard of trimming, and one d .sen and a half of
buttons. her yropertv, wit intent to d fraud her of the
same, at Weymouth, on May 30, by pretending that
Lady Williams bad out I.er for the good..
Prisoner said she wasguilty, and was extremely sorry
for what she had done.
Mr. St Aubyn was for the pro.eantion.
aim 8 .uthoott said the vain., war 17.1. 914.
The Judge addressing the prisoner, said .be appeared
to have lived with Lady Williams for a considerable time,
and took advant.g • of having been in her service to go
to Mrs Southeott's shop and pretend that she kiad
authority from Lady Williams to order throe things on
her behalf, whereas she had no such authority. This
was a miserable sort of cams, for a person who was able
to keep her place for 15 months todastroy her character
for 17s. 9id. It lima a wretched ease. and hit (the
learned judge) hoped it would be a w.rning to other
young women. Prisoner would be imprisoned and kept
to hard labour for six weeks.
AMON AT IHILLINOSTONN.

Bewictetie Stock. IS, cotton spinner, Lewis Fuller, 26,
and Wiltioist Dacia, 22, labourer, were indicted for
malisiou.ly and I,loniously settmg fire to a rick of
glover hay and • riA of F,nob gra.s hay, the property
of Thomas Bleathinan Warren. at Shillingstone, on
July 2. Davie plaids guilty, and the others not guilty.
Mr. Cutle prosecuted, and said the prisoners were
seen walking on • road, near the place where • staz.lc
we. afterwards found on lire. They were pursual and
captur,d, sod in thecell made •statement, which proved
the.,, equally guilty.
Mr. Warren, t.riu r.'of Shillingitone, said he fennel
250 acres ; he he i two ricki cl me by the turnpike road,
value shout E 136. lie sew them safe at about half-
putt two, when be passed them, and when he returned
they were burnt.
Henry Helmuth, carpenter, at Mifflin/stone, said
that on July 2, he wig going from Durweaten to SW-
lingatotie ebout half-past 3, and Nag prisoners 200 yards
before him going to Shillitigitone. When they went
over the hill he lost sight of them, but only for two
minutia. When he ClllllO rippiaite prosecitor'e field,
he saw two Of the pri-ouers (D•ris and Fuller) sittirig
outside in the read. The third man wit in.ide, where
the tick, were, about 10 y.rd. from the ricks. D.vis
asked if he had • pipe of Cohan°, to give him, and he
replied "No." There was no sinolie or fire when he
passed, lie went to his garden, about • quarter of a
mile i.ff, and after seven or eight minute.. sew the
smoke of a fire, and thought it was the railway em.
bankment on fiie, but afterwards saw it was the rink..
He ran end alarmed the village, got the con.table,
pursued the three men, and osertook them about a
mil.. and hell frow where the fire wee.
Dana gad the witness had mad• adifferent statement
before tie magistr.,es.
'rho statement before the magistrates WWI read, and
was aubatanttally the same as that he had just made.
George Con, farmer'. son, of Bhillingipone, said he
was working about 300 yards from the rick., when he
saw the fire, took a home, and rode to the flake; hot
saw no one there. In the turnpike toed about 20e
yards from the ricks were the prisoners, and after
speaking to the OHIO who had come up. he galloped
after prisoners, and asked if they had seen any one
about, to which one an.wered "no." Then he asked if
they knew anything about it, they said "No! what!
do you think we went in and done it?"
P.C. James Castle, stationed at Bturminster Newton,
said about 8 o'clock prisoners were brought in and he
put them in separate o,lls, Heating them talk, he went
into the cell Amp. The cam we» Ins Inn, and the