The Dorset County Express and Agricultural Gazette.
Dorchester, Dorset, England, 1863-02-17 00:00:00

EXTENSIVE FLAP ROBBERIES AT WEST
CHIATOCIE

L: At the ldwnhell. Courtiers', on Saturchii, Pt bon W.
C. ihtsbett. fel, Cheap Bishop, Isle • Oat draw
io the eini.loy. of *mars 8.. Hayward sad Sone. was
brought up in cslifody, charged with stealing • large
Ruaotity or it- c. the propie4 if bit employers. at divots
times; and William Edwards, end f#arnh, his wife, of
Beidport, were charged with receiving fhb Fame sell
throwing it to liars been stolen.-11c. Joni& Spiturred
on behalf tf the prmicutioo. and Mr. Day, of Bridpott,
for the defence. ?he noun was crowded. and greet
interest was ezcited to the proceedings, which lasted
upwards of six boors. The Gist witgies• called was
Mr. Richard Hsyward, who said : I anvil partner in
the Arm of Years. liaywoni and Son, sad Bee at West
Citfiracrele. r have a place of business there, have
beds perscM cf Ohl name of George Bishop working
for rue as flax dread fr* 'bout four or dve years. He
had • compartment in the tolebliehreent which was
called • "berth.' When the flsa ie deemed ills the
duty of the dressers to put it in some pre, of his
"berth." I had suspected that den was stolen i freak
the premises for 1101110 weeks previously. In eon-
acqueuee of this le.s,ched Bishop's "berth" on Sunday,
the lOth of /noway, between eight and nine o'clock in
the evening, and Laud coucealed behind some undressed
lax and under tow and Wwfts, A quantity of dreamed
GO or "lint," of the vaine of Iff.. Bbfore I *mild set
at the undressed flat I lisd to reinefee' whit was
upon it. It was concealed in a cornet—hr aup
improper place for the den to be kept. I took
. . . . .

' I sailplgs Which I found ecomealed,' but did
not remove the bulk, sad replaced the waste and tow
! as I found it. In consequence of what 1.. I gave is'
formation to the police. After my discovery at the
Ilex, either on the Monday or Tuesday following. I
saw Salton with a velveteen coat on, and he appeared
to hare his pockets pry heavily leden. He came out
of the premises sind went In the direction of his home.
This was about eight o'clock is the morning. The
poekets were unesually Jorge, and I should think
. them were about ltilb• of lax in them. II he had had
ballet doyen hares in them they could not be mem so.
In the coarse of Min day I saw him coming M the pee.
miles with his pockets apparently condi,. I did not
look at Bishop's "berth" any that, but simply left Ibe
matter in the hands of the polke, end communicated to
tbym from time to time. On Wednesday, the 11th of
this month, the superintendent of politic pent/need a
quantity ef dressed flu, weighing about 451811., at
tbe police stalks, at Crewkerne. The greater part
of it corresponded wifh. the samples which I took from
Bishop's "berth." I produce lour sample. of the dif-
ferent out, of flee I have been nrinVor the last three
months. These maniples are " . F. P. K.,"
" F. P. K.," " A rohangel," and" Dewripe." I found
quantities of these different kinds in the bulk produced.
I bate not the least doubt it is our property. TM
edge of it would be from Ellil to LIO. The samples I
toot fro. Ifishop's "berth" corresponded with the
" F. r. M" taken from the halk.—ln =IMO, to Mr.
Day as to whether there wee anything peculiar in the
ffax produced, *items said no. He could not swear
to this ffax from other ilmartptions, and the dressing of
it *se the name., in other Mils. We purchase from
Messrs. Swan, of pridport Harbour, bat they supply
other mills, as well as ours. If I had even the Bag in
any other person's poeseesion excepting that of pri-
soner, I should nut be elle to irwear to it. I cannot
.*ear to the •rtiele "IF. P. P. IL" from any
Wail I have upon it, and them is nothing
peculutr in it. manufacture. although it is finer dressed
than in other manufactories. I am not in the habit of
comparing my Else with that of other people's. The
F. P. K." sample which I have seen in Mill balk
eorreeponds with ths warp), I took from Eragsep's
" berth" and similar to that is my stores. There may be
some variation in the importations, sod it may vary in
eolour. The Detiripe sample was rather peculiarly
marked.— 111 r. Lambert thought such evidence was un-
neemeary.L Be•examination continued : &shop byes
between I Yield and East Chinnock, in • lonely
house about • meaner of • ruile Irons any other dwettiag„
and about hslf • mile from the workshop.
Sergeant Sperry said > On Monday eveniug last from"
informatiou I received, I watched Edwards's wagon. I
saw it opposite the White Hart /ea, in this town, about
4 o'clock in the afternoon. I examined it, and Mead
eight small barrels, about the Wae of herring barrels, •
meek hag containing vomoribing, and soother smell Mg.
/ again examined some of the barrels during the evening
in the leitchen of the White Hart, which I had sees
taken there. Those that I examined *detained fish.
The prisoner Edwards did not see me examine either
the wagon or barrel., es I wee watching unknown to
him. Oa Tuesday wonting I saw Edwards drive by the
police-station in his wagon, in the direction of Yeovil,
at about 10 o'clock. His wide cm also in it. I eine
similar barrels in it to those I imil seen the previews
day. P.C. Marks had been spent on in advance by the
superintendent's instruction. I then went to East i
Chinneds with the superintendent, but from informs.
lion I received I put on plain clothes, and I had orders :
to watch Bishop'. borer, which I did. This was about
20 minutes past 12. Opposite the house seas a hors*
and wagoa, and I saw leTwearde and mother man bring
five packagee from the boom, three of
.which appeared
to be begs. I was in riga • Poluttou 118 no one
from Cie home could m I
e nie. was on • rising
ground parallel with lb. house. When they had
brought out • portion of the thing• I •••• • nnan lump
into the wagon and treed down the wimp which had bees
put In it, bat I do not think it was Edwards. I did net
am anything of Edwarda'• wife at that time, but he was
close to the was-on. Each man then pot • barrel in
the wagon and Edwards drove it on, and immediately
after has wife crine out of thshop's house, foLlawod her
husband, and got into the wsenn. The wagon soon
pawed me, sod it went toward• Middle Chinnock. I thee
went to East Chiunock and found the rirperinimidant, and
we Mummies towards Creerkerne. Near Foswell bridge!
we overtook the wagon, and it appeared I. be in the
same condition as when it pared me before. P.C.
Marks wee with us when we overtook the wagon, and
we searched it there and at Haselbury, and found it
contained fiat. When I examined the wagon the nOM I
before there was no flax in it. We found throe
one bag, and a horse cloth, all of which contained ilax,
and two barrels of herrings which were the same as I
examined the previous night. I believe the wagon con-
tained nothing but barrels when it passed the police
station on Tuesday morning. It was about 25 minutes
to one when it left Bishop's door,
John &impends : I mi coder at the White Hint lan. .
Edward, stopped thereon Monday lad with hie wagon.
Some time in the afternoon I minded in unloading
his wagon, and we took out eight barrels, and
some bags and placed them under look, but
I do not know what ens in them. The next
morning, between 9 and 10 o'clock, I assisted bins
in re-loading the wagon, but out of the eight barrels I
only four were put is the wagon. I also put • large
Mg, about half full of something in it. There was a
bag left behind with Were twine in it. The bag I put
in the wagon weighed about nine or ten pounds. TM
wagon went in the direction of Yeovil.
Robert Everett, superintendent of police of the 11-
winner division, said : On Monday night last from
information I received I came to Creerkerne very early
on Tuesday morning. About 10 o'clock I sew Edward's
wagon leave the town, and go in the direction of Yeovil.
At that time it WWI almost empty. About balf-an-boar
after I proceeded in the same direction with Sergeant
Sperry, and arrived at Earl Chinnock about one
o'clock and proceeded towards Crewkerne in company
with P.C. Marks and overtook the wagon.
On my way I observed Edward. coming
from Middle Chinnock, and overtook him near Yogwell
Bridge. The prisoner and his wife were in the cart. I
got out of my trap, and mid to him. " What ie your
name?" He did not tell me, but said "1 Gould see on
the wagon." I then asked him "what he had got in
his wagon." He Imitated a moment, and said ' "1
ouppose gou are going to see." Sergeant Sperry then
cat one of the bags, and I found it contained flLs. I
asked Edwards, "whom property is this r but be
did not &assn. for • minute or two, and then
mid "it is in my charge." I said I suspect it
I. stolen, and I stall take you and your wife in
custody us the charge of receiving this
Om, knowing it to have been stelae." He made so
reply. I them accompanied the wagon to Haselbury,
and they. took out two barrels containing fish, three
packs full of flax, tied up in bundles, one very large
bag also full of flax, and • horns cloth filled with the
male material, the whole of which were covered over
with hay and canvass. The weight of the flax, exels.
sire of the bags, was 430th.. On the hone cloth I
observed the initial. "W. E.," and on the wagon the
prisoner's name. On Wednesday morning, about half.
past three, 1 searched Biabop's Mime, and in • room,
which was locked, I new two barrels of herring., but
did not diamirer any flax.
P.C. Marks said : In 00nm-queues of orders I received
I went in the direction of Yeovil at • little before ten
o'clock on Tuesday morning. Edwarde's wagon pared
me near Foxwell Bridge, and went in the direction of
Middle Chins:wk. I went mines the fields, toward.
' Bishop's Imam, and saw Edwards stop at the house
about eleven o'clock. I then went to East Chinnock,
and gave information to the superintendent, and ac-
companied him to Crewkerne. After that I went to
Bishop's house in the afternoon, to watch it, and did
no until about eleven at night, when he came home. and
I went into his house and took him into cuetody. I
charged him with stealing flax from his master. Mr.
Richard Hayward, and handing it over to William
Edwards, of Bridport, that morning. He said .
" I was sot home this morning; I went to Stoke
to the doctor, and didn't moms home till twelve
o'clock." He farther said i " What I've done
I am terry for, and if l'n does it I moat
suffer for it." (The magistrate asked if this was •
voluntary confession on the pert of the prig-me.-,
to which the constable answered in the affirmative.
Prisoner said, " Well, constable, you have got the old
fox at lest." I searched his person, and found in one
ponies • purse containing a sovereign and • half
sovereign, and in mother /4. in silver and 10d. in
coppers • also • part of a letter which I now prednes,
and Wang William Edwards' name.—(Mr. Lemberg
said the letter could not be put Is as evidence as the
handwriting could not he proved.}"Yr. Day said be
was in a position to prove that the writing was not
Edwards's, from the Motile fact that he could not rend
osobriamtewribue7i'Lr—Cra"." toss
didrano'nsatinmi"dWy to liliebent"im'k'nrk.thha.nsPwriaawnrbtrsa waiting
for
u i.buw, Al
b i yoa
ofor the last two
timzi t
he ..d
months," "a:h i‘ I know o.r h
lat wewe re.
nothing
is
ithei
p
about what I am brought here for." He did not say he
knew nothing *bout it when I apprehended him. I had
not time to caution bins before he made any state
-
meat. He had had something to drink, but be was
not drunk at the trine. —Re-examined : The observe-
t.ons the prisoner used were in reply to the charge I
apprehended him on.
George Marks said : I have been in the employ 01 the
Messrs. Hayward, as foreman, for about 90 mem It
I. my duty to take in tin dressed flin from the men
after it is dressed. 111. the 414 of the drawers to
take it heck to the store and it, and then Ful it
in bins in the More-room. As a audio is deemed the
Wen 00iiht to put it on a shelve in their "berth." and
then carry into the store tome, It eroald not be peeper
for a grosser" to have lax placed under the wader we
leer in big "berth." lee two oe lime, weeks peel I

have rimed is from the top shop. I discovered it.
by &addend:7 in weight. P weigh the lee out
se well as that which is brought in. I aosma-
peeled Mr. Hayward to the police-ratios ani
Wednesdey, the Ilth Octant, and ermined the lbs.
there, 'The remit of my azIMMIII4IOII proved the bulk
-
to be precisely the rine colours, ample, rit 40.1i601..
as we have weeked for the last sia nmeillia, and I Prod
amongst it one particular sort of Overripe lat. I* is.
striped, and that is eery unissaaL We bare onilyr
Worked as lot of that mei fore twelvemonth. Bisbep.
lied to do in shout 4 ewe of this Ilse, and 7 ford *hoer
one lonia tel it in the bulk at the ratios, whisk.
quantity migbt he abstracted without bong mimed.
There is nothiug feertieder its the other specimens. I
htleve the bulk of Gm los 1 ermined at the potted
station belonged to Metre., R. Hayward and Sou..
Bishop' Las dromed all the darriptions of lax which,
have been prodened to-day, since Aegett last. I lIATIP
known Bishop for three years, and 1, OM. from Bra-
; Vials (chat from time troreiro sera"se, 'tirnitinot "b:iingazzi
Blebop sr not working last Tuesisy, awed I
believe he Mu sot done so for • week. They. is so
other maw leis with Bishop ; he is • married .as
with& fropily. ined : The dowripe is a Wry
unusual fir, and et • remarkahle colour. The saarke
was bought of Mr. &keit Hell, and his leg is always
efellpycl. I cannot swear Goethe supplies our Atm may,
but I better we consume all be les. If Mr. Hull soil
she fist to drother I could not
tell which wee ours. TI.. only grounds I
have for Maintain( Mr the the Is my master's, is be-
errs we balm similes r the storm, and from the far
that Biehop bad been rowed in deeming it. The
..p. P. A." sample is not an roconsinon article in the
trade. our le More anything pertieulas is the other
samples. I wotild not hays sworn,if I had area the laz
in another person's cert, that it we. sly searteea I
believe. part Atha " W. P. P K." lax which was tads
from the earl is inferior to the Dann& which is air
produced from my master's store. In • ergo of Iles
turreted from Riga it varies a great deal in color end
quality. My master buys his flea of Messrs. Swain.
of Br.dporti wed others. I was never et Bishop's bees;
but onse.—Be-morsidned . I live about *Tee quarry
of emits from Bishop. My nisater nearly always buy
Mr. Hull's dewrips, and 1 reenenise that produeed r
having been bought of him. Dbwripe Aim vary be dif-
ferently striped and coloured.
Superintendent Everett recalled, said he. believed
Edwards dealt in twine, and basked it about.
Mr. Day in addressing the Bench for the delver,
submitted that no evidence had been adduced *raised
Edwards's wile, and what she had done err done
under the control of her husband, and he therefoos
embed the magistrates to discharge her—Mr. Lem,
her said he was prepared to abandon the charge.
vanet the woman. and re was therefore disebargeol.—
With regard to the prisoners he contended that there•
was no evideace against them, and there was nothing ha.
prove that the lax found WSJ the prosecutor's property.
The flax wan identified simply because it was found in
the prisoner's possession, be the prosecution could not
swear to it if it bad been in any other person's. H.
would undertche to produce some of the first class ,
nierchinta an the county, and also in Dorset, who
would say that no man weld swear to the lax produced
as that belonging to the prosecutor, and be would ven-
ture to say that when Mr. Hayward came to the arises
he wodid not take upon himself to swear that the Ilas
was fdie property. Pie thought the evidence was as
slight thet it was not sufficient to send the ease before
a jury, and there was no proof of Bishop having de-
livered the las over to Edwards. He contended that
the case erred entirely upon what was ealkd the "eon.
fonion." and they all new how wrongly the judges had
adverted to this mode of proceeding, because no man
was safe when such statements were distorted from
that,.. They lived in a free and enlightened country,
bat they must not be over-ridden by the police, and
words must not be put in men's months. The ledges
had said there was not the Irst reamer to be put urn
such statementa, and that such seidence was not to be
depended upon, and no jury would believe meld state-
ments. He did not see there was any evidence Nernst
Bishop, and with respect to Edwards ittie car, be
thought, would fall to the roiled, heeler Olen we. no
proof that he received the fan front Bishop.
Mr. lambert said he should commit the prionese to
take their trial at the ensuing raises, and the-deposi-
tions having been read over the prisoners were earmeliqf
naked if they wished to make any statement. ellen Mr.
Day. oa their bebalf,pleaded " Net Guilty," and rah*
should reserve their defence.