The Dorset County Express and Agricultural Gazette.
Dorchester, Dorset, England, 1865-12-19 00:00:00

evening prisoner efil,rip-g
Wrs'ftetireat, when it was purobased
Prisoner pleaded guilty, ay
, months' imprisonment with
street 4, named Deems
onstody °barged .
ty of John Upjohn.
of prosecutor's P•

on Thursday evening Denman brought her the
ionbrellsoroduced for sale, which she purchased for
10d.—Sergeant Harvey said that when he. took
Denman into custody, the lad said that he did not
steal the umbrella; Warren did that, be only sold
IL. Prisoners pleaded guilty, and, having being
previously convicted, were committed for a month's
hard labour, and at the expiration of that time to be
kept at • reformatory for three years. Francis
Caney, was committed for 14 days for being drunk
and breaking s window.
A STRANGH CAPTAIN: ALLEGED IssuncsniNA•
TION Or A SHIP'S CHEW. —A t a special session held
on Wednesday, before R. H. Bwaffield and W. Elot,
&qrs., county magistrates, three seamen named
William Boyle, Edward Wylie, and Henry Howard,
were brought up in custody charged by their captain,
William Cole, with disobeying his lawful commands.
—Mr. Hill appeared for prosecutor and Mr. Tizard
for prisoners.—The captain said he was minter of
the ship Orient, 974 tons register, and which carried
23 hands. Prisoners signed articles for a voyage
from Calcutta to London. During the voyage he had
had to find fault with prisoners on many oocarione.
The following extracts were read from the official
logbook with respect to Howard's conduct :
" August 21. All hands called to haul up the
mainsail, it was then blowing a strong gale,
when Howard, an able seaman, came down from
drift and went into the forecastle, accompanied by
Thomas Levisk. He afterwards returned on deck
and both of them went to the water cask, and after
some time Howard assisted in hauling up the main-
sail, but used the most brutal expressions. I then
left the poop and went towards him asking him why
be used such expressions, at the same time telling
him to go aft and pointing where he was to go. He
then snatched up a belaying pin from the rail and
swore that he would knock my brains out. I then
called the officers and ordered him to be placed in
irons. Expecting a disturbance from the seamen, I
went int) my cabin sod brought out a pistol, when
Thome Levisk (a man not charged) came up to me
in a very excited manner, saying that if I put
that man in irons I should put him also. Howard
said • If you put me in irons I go in for the passage.'
At 8.30 secured him and placed him in irons." The
following is the entry with respeet to Wylie :
" August 31. Insolence, and reiusing to some down
from aloft. I endeavoured to force him when he
struck at me. When the chief officer came he
ordered him down, when he replied 'Yes, Mr.
Edwards, I will come down for you.' Since this
man joined the ship he bas been very insolent. He
was second officer of the ship Bayard, bin had been
taken from Calcutta Gaol. December 8, off the
Lizards, Wylie commenced singing, the other Sea-
men joining in chorus. I ordered him to stop, but
he took no notice until Stilling Portevin, an apprentice,
told him I was coming from the poop: When I
spoke to Wylie he replied in the moat rude manner,
• I can do my work. I told him to stop his tongue
or I would take him to London in irons, when he
replied • I shall have plenty to talk about by and
bye.' This man has had a certificate as that mate,
but from his conduct I consider him a bad character,
and not fit for any ship. December 10, off the Start
Point, called all hands to tack ship. When done
ordered more sail to be set which was done after
considerable time, in a most careless and discon-
tented manner. I told the crew that if they con-
tinued to work' in each &manner I would keep them
up night and day. Boyle, who was standing by
with his hands in his pockets, replied in ths most
insulting tone,. that that had been done since they
left Caldutta. I ordered him to be brought aft, and st
the same time west to‘Pards the Cabin door, when
Boyle came running aft, put his fade Close against
mine and commenced talking lathe most insulting
tarn. I ordered him to be placed in irons, when he
replied that I ought to be placed in irons as I was
mad. I caught him by his comforter, telling him t)
held his tongue, when he challenged me to fight, at
the same time placing himself in an attitude of
defence. The chief officer then stepped before him
and placed him 'aliens, when he threatened to punch .
my note when he got to London. A great number
of the crew hake beni working in the most careless
and disobedient manner, Mid I bate bad to tell them
that I should be compelled to put the ship into port,
as I did not consider it prudent to work the ship to
London under the circumstances. At 8 p.m. I had
a loaded pistol in my cabin which I Bred off, when
all hands commenced shouting in the most violent
manner." Witness had a lady passenger on board,
and she requested him to fire it off as she was
frightened at Wylie's behaviotie: He would not
take the ship to sea, and had telegraphed to the
owners of the ship telling them that he did not con-
sider it prudent to do so. The ships cargo is worth
£200,000, and consisted of a geneial cargo of Indian
produce. He would not take prisoners on board his
ship again on any account. Cross-examined:
Howard threatened to knock out his 'brains with a
belaying pin. He did not recollect giving Howard
any particular order, which he refused to dot
between the 31st of August and the lath Of
December, and neither had Wylie. In 1859 I was
defendant in a case tried at Calcutta for shooting at •
man of colour. He attempted to stab me and I shot at
him. I was acquitted, and have never been fined a
single rupee. When Wylie struck me L struck him
with a rope. e did not think he had had more
disturbances with his ate* than other captains.
During the whole of the voyage home the crew did
'their work in a careless manner.— The chief Milner,
John Edwards, corroborated some portions of the
captain's evidence, but on the whole his testimony
was more in favour of the men than of the master.
Tizard maintained that no evidence had been
adduced in support of the cl•arge against his clients,
that of wilful disobedience), and asked the Bench
whether they Considered it necessary to call
witnesses. The Bench suggested that the captain
should pay the men it to go to London, and let the
Board of Trade settle the matter. This the captain
refused to do, and on prisoners signing their discharge
he paid them their wages and they were dismissed.

PRESTON.
delittiet to A Douttict.—Levi Galpin, son of the
constable of Sutton, was oil Saturday summoned before
the Dorchester county bench fur ill-treating • donkey.
The prosecutor in the case was P. C. Gale, who pro-
duced a "cart spreader"—the instrument wish which
the defendant beat the donkey with "all his might"
while the brute wee going at its highut speed, and was
almost ready to drop. The bench showed their sense of
the defendant's cruelty by fining him 3s. and 7s. costs.