The Dorset County Express and Agricultural Gazette.
Dorchester, Dorset, England, 1862-07-15 00:00:00

ACCIDENTS AND OFFENCES.

The LODOLT/4111Lt TRAGEDY.-,-the trial Of Mrs.
Tres oommeneed on Wednesday morning. The fresh
evidenoe was as to the prisoner's state of mind. It was
stated that she had been occasionally in a desponding
state, and at others evidently excited without apparent
cause, since the loss of a child. Dr. Payne thought the
children had been carefully placed in bed after their
death, and no mother who had caused their death could
have deliberately done that bad the been in her
senses. Mr. Serjeant Ballantine, for the defence, said
he should prove that both maternal and paternal rela-
tive! of the prisoner were afflicted with insanity, and
that at times she was not responsible for her actions. He
referred to the mental depreseron of the prisoner on the
occasion of the death of her ehild In IMO, which she
believed had been accelerated by the negligence of the
nurse, and from winch period she had been subject to
fits of passion, depression, itrid melancholy. Several
witnesses were then called, after which Mr. Chambers
replied, and the judge summed up. The jury, after
retiring for a few minutes, delivered a verdict of not
guilty, on the ground of insanity. The prisoner will,
therefore, be confined as a criminal lunatic during the
royal pleasure.
Tee HENDON Ilimptrit.—Jornes Lawrence, indicted
for the wilful murder of Sarah Ann Cox, at Hendon,
was on Wednisday found guilty, and sentenced to
death.

MURDERS IN New Youir..—Within the space of ten
days society has been alarmed by two appalling murders.
In the first instance a gentleman, moving in good
society, discovered an intrigue between his wife and •
friend. The husband went to the bar of • tavern.
loaded • revolver, walked to the office of the alleged
adulterer, and deliberately shot him through the heart.
In the second instance a young and accomplished girl
met her lover in a steamboat with another girl, taxed
him with infidelity, and left him. She went to a store,
bought a five-turreted pistol, whieh the proprietor
loaded for her, each barrel with ball. She then went to
his country house, and shot the faithless lover to the
heart. Ile died in seven minutes. She is canonised as
a inartyress. A committee of ladies has been formed for
her defence, and Edwin James is to make a great
oration for her acquittal, in which the trial will pro-
bably result.
A WOMAN SHOT BY HER HUBBARD IN SALFORD.—
On Sunday, between one and two o'clock, • man named
Charles Knott, • shoemaker, residing in Beek Muslinet-
street, Salford, shot hie wife. He had inn finished din-
ner, at which hie wife and a man earned Henry Abbott
were present, when be asked his wife for2d. to get a gill
of ale. She refused to give it him. Over the fireplace
was a gun, which wan loaded and had neap en it. This
belonged to his wife's brother, Thomas Derbyshire.
He had brought it to hie sister's house on the previous
Thursday or Friday, because his niother refused to allow
him to keep it in her house. The Knott. consented
that it should remain in their house, and it was
I accordingly placed over the mantel-shelf. When his
wide refused to give him the money he asked for
he took the gun down, pointed it at her, and said lie
would shoot her. She screamed oat that it was loaded
and turned herself partly aside, but he fired, and the
contents of the gun entered her side. At soon as his
wife fell her husband manifested the most iotense
sorrow. Mr. Crosby and Mr. Larmuth were sent for.
They came, and after examining the woman, stated
that she could not live. The police were immediately
eonsrounicated with, and Hr. J. Kay, one of the magis-
trates, attended by Mr. Taylor, the head constable,
went to the house and took down the woman's deposi-
tion. Her husband was removed to the lock-up. The
prisoner is 25 years of age, and his wife 23.
FEARFUL COMMENT AOCIDINT.—A MAN DARNED TO
PIECML—About-balf past seven on Friday morning an
accident of a fearful character happened at the Venture
Pit, Pemberton, near Wigan, belonging to Messrs J.
Blundell and Sons. It appears that a married man,
named Richard Barton, 38 years of age, was employed
as engine tenteeat the pit, and about the time above,
named he, having been on the night turn, rams off duty,
his brother taking his place. Before leaving the place
he proceeded to the lower level month of the pit, and,
having remewed the gated, he pointed out to a ear.
penter, named Fothergill, something in the shaft that
required repairing. Whilst they were thus engaged
the new engineman, unaware of the position of the two
men, began to work the engine, and the cage, then tip
above, at once descended. On reaching the spot where
the men stood it struck Forthergill slightly on the
head, and he, fortunately, fell backward but Barton,
who was then leaning over the -aide, was knocked
down the shaft, fully 320 yards deep, and, of course
Immediately killed. The body was dreadfully mutilated,
some portions of it being found on the scaffolding,
others at the entrance to • mine part of the way down,
and the remainder at the bottom. The remains were
collected and removed to await the inquest.

As lINORATICFUL THIEP.—On Monday a maa named
Thomas rawson, about ailty-live years old, a native of
Northumberland, of small stature, gray whiskers, with
• cut on the upper lip, wearing a cloth cap with two
small black buttons, old black coat, with ragged cuffs,
fustian trousers, with a patch on the right side, shoes,
but no atockinga, went to the house of Mr. Hillier, at
Brislington, with whom he formerly lodged for three
years, and pleaded distress. The woman kindly gave
him some food, and put out one of her husband's shirts
for him, and he laid down on • settle, and Mrs. Hellier,
thinking he was tired and gone to sleep looked the door
and went out tor • few minutes on busisess. and whea-
l& returned the ungrateful vagabond had puked back

the loch and made himself seam, robbing the plies of
a Niir of new boots, ko., to the value of upwards of 15s.
Plug MURDEIt OT A POLICIWAII AT ANHTON.—The
prisoners in custody on a charge of boing concerned
in the late outrages and the murder of Policeman
Jump, at Ashton-under-Lyne, were again brought up
on Wednesday, before the local magistrates, by whom,
after bearing additional evidence, they were again
remanded. The adjourned inquest in the deceased
was also held on Wednesday. Many witnesses were
examined, and plaster of Paris models of-the boots of
the prisoner Ward were produced, together with
models of the places where it is supposed ha had
lived. After bearing the evidence, the jury returned&
verdict of "Wilful Murder" against Michael Burke
and John Ward, the two men who were apprehended
at Manchester.

' A STORY ABOUT THE LONG FIRIL—On going into
, the detective office, a day' or two ago, our reporter sew
two men, both of whom were drunk. They were
discussing, in a rather angry tone, with Mr. Maybury,
became he insisted on keepieg de. belonging to the
one, and 4a, to the other, until the following morning.
On the counter were " odds and ende," which had
been taken from their pockets, consisting of tobacco
pipes, bite of blaok lead pencils, scraps of paper, and
many letters. They were not well off, uotwithatate
isil
that some scores of ill-gotten pounds must have p
through their sinful hands within a few weeks. An
the money one possessed was 6s. while the other had 4!.
and some copper. Yet these were two of the most
successful members of the " long firm ;" one was
known em " J. Cl. Harrison, Esq.," and the other as
"John Munn, Esq.". The gullibility of tradesmen is
shown to a remarkable degree in the history of these
users. Again and again have swindling trick, been
exposed in trade circulars and in newspapers.
Their letters to firms in every part of the
United Kingdom have been repeatedly pub-
lished, and the success with whi h they have
obtained goods of every description has been constantly
exposed. Very recently, we believe, they made Derby
their headquarters, and, in • few days, articles
of every description arrived, and were immediately
sold at about a fifth of their value.
They are now again in Manchester, leasing orders,
on a neat sheet of paper, surmounted with the royal
arms, and with the heading "HolroeHall Lane, Newton
Heath, near Manchester." They were brought to the
detective office to have an interview with a superinten-
dent of police from the county of Hereford, who had •
been sent over by Lord Bateman. His lordship had re-
ceived a polite letter, signed "J. G. Harrison," and
asking for one dozen of his beet breed of tarkeys to be
sent to the address. His lordship has been robbed of a
number of fowls lately. and, believing the writer of the
letter had had something to do with the robbery, sent
over the superintendent to snake inquiries. The two
men were accordingly captured, and there is little doubt
but that the action taken by his lordship will be the
means of saving Lamy tradesmen from being vistimised
oat of large sums of money. At the time the men were
caught a messenger was sent to the railway stations to
inquire if any goods awaited delivery to the firm in
qaestion, and the result was the reception at the
Townhail of • splendid Enfield rifle, from a firm at
Plymouth ; a packet of Lord's loading chambers; and
• box of diet for salmon fishing. The lettere found on
them nearly all bore dates of July 2nd and 3rl. One
letter showed that they lied ordered brushes to the
amount of £l2 14a. Bd. from Cork ; but, fortunately, the
goods had not been sent. They had slab ordered some
kind of • machine from a London maker, and a I
tallow press, valued at £7 10e., had been forwarded to I
their address from Lutterwortb. What has become of
the "tallow press" and the other machine we have
not been able to learn. The persons residing in the '
neighbourhood, the address of which was given by the I
" finn" received a hint from the police to communicate
the character of the men to the drivers of the railway
vans and berries, whenever they came with goods for
them. The people good-hionouredly took the hint, and
sundry packages were re-conveyed to the railway stations
from whence they came It is hoped that the" tallow
press" and the machine are now at one of the stations,
or the makers and owners will have to registrar them
amongst their bad debts. Other letters show that the
firm had ordered a refriptor„ value £5 54., from Mr. G.
Acton, York, and that it had been sent to them, and
that a bottle-washing machine had been put upon the
railway for them by a Liverpool Imam. One letter,
dated July 2nd, 1862, is stamped from Leadenhall
Market, London, and is signed by E. Howard, dealer in
poultry; in it are particulars as to the prices of all sorts
choice fowl; and, in conclusion, Mr. Howard expresses
the hope that he may be entrusted with orders. From
Messrs. Kirkup and Comrany, of Sunderland, they
appeal to have obtained timber, during the last month,
to the value of £6O 13e. 2d. Some time ago the firm
ordered an omnibus and • pulpit, and obtained both.
Their success in those instances partook of the ludicrous,
and, though the "goods" were peculiar, yet both were
quickly disposed of, and a letter dated the 3rd it
the present month shows that they bad unsuccessfully
endeavoured to obtain a cow from • person at South-
gate. They were prompted to give their order by their ,
success in another instance, when they actually ob-
tained a horse worth 40 guineas from a magistrate in
Ireland, and on its arrival in Levenslinime they seM
it for £ll. Upon another occasion they got rabita to
the worth of £6 10s., ate some and sold the rest. A
country mown sent, to order, a quantity of fancy fowl,
but these were fortunately intercepted by the pollee
and restored to "Isis reverence." Last Whit-week
they wrote for and obtained £4O worth of pork pies
from a firm in London. All the scattered members
and friends of the firm were brought together, and they
feasted for several days upon the pork pie . Then two
members of the "pork pie" firm—a London ope—
n-rived, and, after nicking due inquiries, returned
sadder and wiser men. Another order of a singular
character was a set of cost field plans from Nem:melte-
upon•Tyne. The plans were ordered by "James
Hooke, Fag., of 124, Oldfield Road, Salford," as he
gave the address, but what became of them or him WU
never known. The original cost of the order was
£lO 165., but to the "long firm" one would have
thought they were onlv worth the price of waste paper.
A more singular order still was one they sent to Scot-
land for an eagle. The monarch of the hills arrived in
Manchester in due course, but was captured by the
polioe, died at the detective office, and its stuffed skin
is now in Belle Vim Gardens. The men were not de-
tained in custody because there was really no criminal
charge against them; but the practice of such men
almost inclines us to regret that defrauded creditors
have not the power to try them before Judge Lynch.—
Manchester Guardian.