The Dorset County Express and Agricultural Gazette.
Dorchester, Dorset, England, 1884-09-02 00:00:00

PORTLAND.

SIVZHAL Ater taps having b..en .I.megai of late
by the boys, the Urban S.nitssy Authority hays
issued a notice offering El reward to any person who
will produce sufficient evidence to procure • oonviction
against the °Haarlem.

-ADMIRAL IiORNIST arrived here on Friday in hi.
rscht " Fire Quasn " from Por smooth, and
ins ,ecte I the boys on board the training gbh,
It awwen. The lad., ~f whom thorn are about
WO, were marshalled Im board, and put through
varkus evolution., and It. .hip wee thou ughly
inspected. The prize, won at lb, lat. eporte were
afterwards paid the winner., ..r.4 about 100 of theta&
loft the ship during the ,eay for a 1.• 'tonight's holiday,
the others Waving the nrxt day for,, vacation of •
similar length.

-
Tin Cheshire Itrement at present atatiorsd at the
Verne I' . ere boar, ,rtly trays.e4 wilt be
repLiced bye ernall..ir (a It gimant) sae.

LIFE IN PORTLAND co.VI'D! I' PRISON;
THREATENED ACTION A 0.41 Na T rug
LATE OOVERNOR.

In Mr'. Weldon'. paper, Sociai Salvo Von, Mr.
Johnson, who is • consulting law agent, publishes an
article ' In a Coovict Prison," which is a Idea for the
establishment of a C mart of Criminal Appeal and a
Prisoner's legal All Society. Referring t • his own
case, he writes :—" I was a divicted of having coin.
mated two crimes, which the prosecutor 'newel had
already been committed by another person who wan
not thou up .n his trial. Tho reel offooco upon which
I wan actually charged and tried was in the ',tore of
• personation, which certainly, if pr0...4, a..u1.1 have
been an element in a • conspiracy.' The nroceedings
were instituted by the haw of • 'joint' Gomm es for
conspiracy, and • ' separate ' luminous charging mo
with obtained' two sums of money, or rather,
two ..valuable securitiee by fraud. The evidence
incriminating me was confined to two brief interviews,
when I was alleged to have answered • question Co •
.li. nt's solvency in the name of the head of my firm
iustend of ny own. Before the baring of the sato-
mans an offer of comisrosnim was male to me and
jocietL The preliminary evidence wec given before
the ute.rietrate, who, after hesitating • lung whim,
sent the cam for trial upon nominal bail. I surren-
dered to take my trial on a charge of conspiracy.
Without notice, on the third day of the Semions, two
extra counts were included in the indictment, chmg-
ing DIG with having olkained two valuable securities,'
which, before the magietrate, the prosecutor had
sworn another pereon had ' obtained.' Under no cir-
cumstancen known to English law could such charges
have twee aibetantiated, and it wan 111311/ a common
leg .1 trick to extort • c impromiae by adding them to
the indictment—in fact, to enforce a very doubtful
civil claim by criminal means. On the opening of the
case before the jury, conned for the Crown aban-
doned the two charges for obt and is
his evidence the prosecutor repudiated them in
their entirety, and gave the most conclusive proof
exonerating me from such allegations of frau I. The
judge at once called the attention of my coaneei to the
fact, and ordered him to confine the delenci to the
charge of conspiracy, and undertook to withdraw
thcee obtaining indictments from the jury. Follow-
ing th..i direction, nearly two days of cromezmnin s-
tion took place, principally as to political and
theological pamphlets written in the hot days of
youth, twenty years previously. It was get, log dark,
the judge was in haste to join the aldermanic dictate
upetnirs—a hungry alderman sat ty his side, and
whsn the 'cruet was, giveo, not it. awn mu, but
opsn'y, advised the judge that theological views held
ty the cu'prit demanded • severe mentenip. The
judge annouiced he should take time to real over the
eel truce and consider hie judgment. Sul ieoly be
pron mine i sentence, not noon the indio.ment .4
con•pirsc., on which alone I bad been tried: he did
rue the justice of saying that the evidence of • con-
spiracy was too weak to justifr a conviction, and
then, notwithatending his undertaking to defer plum-
ing sentence until tie had time to read over and con-
dd., his ituishmai. he =Mealy pealed ratimos on

the tw boned indictmento, upon which no
rvictiPdr e ":ddnoci
gieito I hei at
iliteh.
mueb::"M.norhillf:miyv.oeCrua::asantdlh sentencetoent to
ow..dhe.le thattdefend,
;hill chi, !,
°tetteo, whiab I had been actually tried, and for an
entirely different et ututury ff-nual. During all the's
vier. of eleven' I II, red a day to pass
without making wane • ff irt to procure juddull, or elm
to pines on record, for further u.e. my baled attempts
in push orte of each object.; but I eeeee etipprd to
solicit mercy. In the darkest hour of despair I re-
membered what was due t inya•lf, and I pi &erred the
cookie. nail .roi, the cotivlt'a lab rue, sod the
cenvict's foci to a atilfiaton of a 011111.1:0Ce up iu •
conviction which t • tell aa bat n lee aa toss
• untrue iii fact. Iluoulrede of time. I wait .14 th.t I
I hal ri•ceived more pri•ilegee than any other pereon
who had ,-.or wore the drab uniform emblazoned with
the devil'. caw., :curl ae every facility granted by the
Ileum Office wail lo tel ii ern upon by the local
authorities es • curtallui••nt of their pow. r, it wan, aa
such, reeeatel by thine official. who. duty it was to
Carry the order• lute effeit. Red tap. won the day.
Tie Secret/try of State granted foci ities which the
G iVerit ' will. professiog o uequi udy ti carry out,
ouititormaided. Nearly every I tier I Wrote, by
Rollie O&M authority, was cuporeeeed by the Gower-
nor, dad when allowed •• a fern, 1.. re-Writa it (which
ia exit coos hawed another weet's delay), .-v a wheu
dealing with pore smatters of law. ojtections were
talent to tit. c odents, sod is c ineeqiienne it took
year. bane I 13 ouil coustuunicete facto to my friends,
which were of the azi at vital impurtaace to my case,
and there are now ( r should be) over 40 superseded
letter. written by toe in respect of my conviction
which were never allowed to leave the pair.u.. Rod
tree letters re.cheil my friends, step( would hare
beau taken to 'recur, an official inquity, btu, huhu.
tuaately ter me, I had lod the ioducretion
itoi-
tin, the ' ii ward Society 'in one of my letter., and I
erac iiot then curare taut the uttering the name of he
'II award Societe' in the beams), of • prison oil Aril
ha
i the 'Mad effect as a scarlet tablecloth ira the
iridial organs of a mad bull. I have suet tee lettere
of a prieOner sup ire end tor years together, sal the
prisouer thereby parented conununicuiug [ca. to
his Woodo which would have gained blin ho lrlieuty.
Every week at Portaud there would IN 011 an 11,Taraaa
twenty letters stopped on am aunt Of the prironere
endeavouring to give information upon the matter at
their couviction, to enable their friends to take steps
to bring ut known facto beton, the authorities. I will
give two cams. Seven year. ago one of the beet cde
ducted men it. the prawn, John Taylor. of dreiord ter
(with a life seuteooe), wrote • letter to hie poreu •
detailing certain facts whiob, in caw of an inquiry,
would have resulted in reduoiag his crime from a
capital offence toinmatulaughtes or Jusuliahle homicide,
if not to • common assault. Re was. eugaged in •
pencilling affray which ranting' in the death id a gain..
keeper. It is now admitted that the death of the
gamekeeper wart the result of an accident At the
trial the only defence relied upon was insufficient
proofs of identity. Before the Insgistrateespolioesa•n
had given evidence of • struggle in the high root.
nearly • mile away !KIM where the fatal affray took
place. fire Witwasi was not called at the trial. The
case was placed helore the jury as if the poachers had
treeposied on laid', attainted and killed the game-
keeper while he was in the execution of hi. duty. The
real fact, which ...seer appeared in evidence werc,that
the grant-keepers tiret attacked the poachers on the
turnpike, endeavouring to take their nets by tome,
and a running tight took pl .ce, in which the game-
keeper' Weld solely the attacking parties, lied thooe
(seta come before the Judge' the nature of the
offence w tall, in law, have been totally altered.
aylor wished t give noting to hie Woade of thee
facia, and to call attention to the absence of VA.,
evidence at his foutl. ibe Portland authorities
ciii-
sider.d it as • libelous attack on a tioliceinau
ha the exeiciae irf his duty, ia conteiulered to be
incapable of supprewing evideuc• , and etooped Lb •1
letter and all future letters referring to the same
subject. Tayl ur hini new ponied ten years in primula
without • siny,le report.
Another coma wea that of a mast in the Mrtropilitsu
meat market nom .1, I believe, Fountain. it. reCeilel
• sentence of foorteeo years on the charge of statibilrg
• drunken would' with whom he had ouhabited, but
who, after traneferiing her favours to a rival butcher,
Wad accustomed, when in intcated, t. annoy tain in
the market. ..t the seddiroa at which he was tried
there had be •la eercial C•••• id etabbiu, old
Mr. Boron BrallI•vell had given .owe heavy n,nt ice'.
The primmer was uudefend •d by count land read di,
deism.e. There were • •Wo CilcuinstaLca,
and the judge, with that kiudneee which 11..r0u Brim,
• alwayn exercised no such his s, to passing schooner,
informed the prisonrr lust if he conduct., i Inoue f
Well in pickup, and, aft. r en•lin lag a tee year• of hie
eelitence, was to petition tire Crown fur a U.
bit, the judge, would do hie beet to o t iio mercy on hie
behalf. The prisoner had no .eletaire , but nosily
Ruud.. Re Wad known to all the ...10•111-0 In the
meat market, who were anzioua to owlet frito. After
the time stared by the judge, he Wrote t clap! .yer,
arid a few days afterwards was called up bet or' the
it r, who asked him want relation.sm p eXimto
between the pii.oner sod the pard-lt to *lr.rm the
letter was add• eased. None, he replaid, he bad no
man 411. I huu t r t. nor ! i.e rui, pr -red. he teeing
informed th-it a prt•uuer's trait Is b • " blo el
relations ;" and as year. went 00 lade r aft r lit I
WAS •Uppre s'.. A singular event, however, i.ap "led.
Pot Gaud i.e ' oho w " plane, Visitors conetwit.) inspect
the pileup. nitre are lour "ape tat " cells kept to ion. i.t)
on Royal Princes Prime Minister., and distinguished
Treat...re. rho. cella are lift rent Lu Lute 1,12.10 ii ire in
the prison- They were more Viso rlduble toe • 1..
The' tau were' shined like eilver. The be blang awl
towels would n t disgraces. hot 1. In all other Celli
such 11•011811.1 are used ;in chow, speci.l" cell, there
I, • uplicate cet—cne fur tur, an ther for show. On •
Sunday afternouu • distinguietied visitor appesrs, who
I, taken in charge by the doVefuur aud atowit oue of
deer. .• " who, ehiolo at Lb ut Ulu • war
ovellpleel by ronalei.. T. ...1001:1-r la ordered to
turn out while hie cell as indirect. d. It. is then
ritievii rued ab rut hie crime awl sentence, date aud
place of c nivictioo. lip u anier,r tile
V.situr ask. the prisoner if he .eooliects his in !donator
a iding, at that citations " I was the ju lee." It,
knew 'heti Vitt it was Baron Drammen (V..ry
unlikely !) Ile In•al kept sileot iir ye .C.. out • siaglo
letter Laying been permuted to lear• hi• prison, lie
writes author letter to his hien 1., c iliing at'entiou
to the remarks of the judge at his trial. The letter le
swim stopped. Re demand, the mown end is trod
that it is because he is writiog to a strancr (in
blood) and not t • relation, arid that he fru no
right to refer to what ii eel at his tr a . 111 i•
tarred/ten.' to be Vanilla. Wilk .4,144 ari‘i water."
Years roll on, and et last he "Lains p..-
mieemun write to his Irreuil an I employer, I
only to find that be ho. drug eince died, sal Coen I
he *erred out the whole ot In. foorzteu years'
lenient*.