The Dorset County Express and Agricultural Gazette.
Dorchester, Dorset, England, 1862-03-04 00:00:00

Somersetobire.

YEOVIL. SODDEN Dumf. —An aged lady,
named Rowe, residing in Commercial Buildings,
wile early on Tuesday morning stricken with death,
and immediately expired. On the preceding even-
ing she appeared to be in as good a state of health
as her age would permit, and her dissolution 80
rapidly was not expected by her neighbours and
friends. On the following day an inquest was held,
and a verdict in accordance with the facts returned.

YEOVIL POST °mos.—Letters may be posted
at this office to the anderment;oned places as
follows :

Without With Ad- Letters
Extra ditlonal Registered
Stamp. Stamp. until
Devon, Cornwall,
Taunton, Bridg-
u v A.M.
water, Weaton-an-
per-Mare ..
Doreheater,Weymouth 90 „ 915 A.M. 845 ,t3r.
Sherbome

930 F.M.

North of England,
North Wales, Ire-} 230 ~2 50 r.m. 215 „
land, Scotland
Dorchester, South
Western Line of
Railway, Isle of 60 „ 20 w
Wight, &c.
530 „

LondL, 'all parts of
United Kingdom, 6 0 „ 636 „
Foreign Countries
. -

Sherboine

.. 10 0 „
DELIVERY:

930 „

By Carriers and to
Wars commences at
London, all parts of United Kinydom, 740 A.„.
Foreign Countries
North of England, North Wales, Scotland...lo 20 „
Weymouth, Dorchester, Day London,
7 0 P.M.
Taunton, Bath, Bristol, Devon, Cornwall

On Sundays then is only one delivery, commencing at
8 a.m., and to callers from 8 a.m. till 10 a.m.
_ _ _

Hours of business, from 15th February to 15th
November, 7 am. till 10 p.m. for the residue of the
year; half.past 7 a.r. till
Money Order and Savings' Bank business tranueted
daily (Sundays excluded) from /0 am. till 4 p.m.,
except on Saturday, when attendance is given till
8 p.m.

SIIDDIN DEATH.—An inquest was held on Wed-
nesday at the Elephant and Castle Inn before Dr.
Wybrants, coroner, on view of the body of Sarah
Row, a widow lady, who suddenly expired on the
preceding day. Fanny Marsh, servant to deceased,
said she had known her for two-and-twenty-years,
and had lived with her for seventeen years. De-
ceased was a widow aged 65, and enjoyed tolerably
good health. Last Friday she returned from
Andover with a alight cold in the face, but on Mon-
day night she said she was quite well. On Tuesday
morning, about a quarter past eight, she came down
stairs and complained of a pain in her left hand, but
that otherwise she was quite well. She was very
cheerful and ate a hearty breakfast. After that she
went upstairs to make her bed, and witness heard
her walk across the room. In about two minutes
afterwards witness went down stairs with the in-
tention of speaking to her. She had not heard any
noise. Upon pushing open the door she found de-
ceased lying on the floor. She appeared to be quite
dead, as witness did not see her breathe. At times
deceased had a difficulty of breathing, and often
complained of a pain in her side.—Francis Frost,
grand-daughter of deceased, who had been living in
the house for some time, corroborated in many parts
the evidence of the servant. This being the whole
of the evidence, the jury at once returned a verdict
of" Died from the disease of the heart."

MANUAL LABOUR SUPERBIDED.—SpeCiMOUR of
those delicate, yet complete economisers of time
and health—Thomas's sewing machine—have been
on view for the last week, at Mr. Woodman's, in
Princes-street, and have been praised by those who
generally oppose new tangled things, and also by
those in search of novelties.

MUTUAL IMPROVEMENT SoClSTY.—Readings in
prose and verse were delivered at the Literary
Institute on Thursday evening, to, we regret to add,
• scanty audience. In the absence of the Rev. Mr.
Thomas, Mr. Aldridge opened the proceedings by
reading the " Kiiig and the Gooseberd," and demon-
strated that while a king could govern men, as a
keeper of cackling and erratic geese, he was not an
equal to one of the meanest subjecta in his
dominions. It proved the truth of the old adage
"better stick to thy last," and the reading elicited
undisguised marke of approbation. The Rev.
Vickers followed with selections from the works of
the poet Mackay, commencing with "Old men play-
ing," in which the poet eulogises the practice of
those in years for awhile forgetting the number of
their days, and joining in innocent pleasures more
especially arranged for the delectation of the young.,
"One afraid to speak his mind on a great guestion'
was next given, the author ridiculing the ides of a
man not divulging that which may tend to benefit
mankind, and snorting what would have been the
position of England at the present period, if the
great discoverers in arts and sciences had allowed
their inventions to perish with them? Some satirical
productions from the works of the same hand were
delivered, and the rev . gentleman concluded with
the "Taking of Inkerman." In the whole of the
piece* he was warmly applauded. Mr. Aldridge
then advanced to give due effect to • marvellous
ghost story, setting forth that a clergyman in an
advanced state of life was presented with a small
sequestered living in Devonshire, thinking there to
end his days in peace. The sequel proves that he
was sadly disappointed, for on the occasion of his
attempting to hold evening services, he was met by
the clerk with the plea that if he did so he would
have to preach to bare walls, as his flock, consisting
chiefly of fishermen, were impressed with the idea
that ths church was haunted, and would on no ac-
count he induced to enter its precincts at night.
Ridiculing the idea, and endeavouring to elevate the
minds of his parishioners seas to cause them to dis-
card the nonsensical view, he introduced cottage
, lectures and other schemes to bring abont the desired
' end. But all to no purpose, the church remained
I empty at the evening services. One night at the
rectory, whilst watching by the bedside of a sick
child, he observed lights in the church, and at once
betakes himself to its only to find it,
upon entrance, in darkness. The story tells
us that fear, more or less, is implanted
within all of us, and to this rule the worthy mourn-
bent proved no exception. He searched every nook,
but no trace of any human being, or how any one
could have entered the building, seeing that he
alone held the key of the only door, puzzled him.
The mysterious light grieved and perplexed him,
and even philosophy vras found to be at huh in un-
ravelling the cause of this,illumination. The lights
were seen by him several dens afterwards, and at
last he sought the counsel ofhis son,then at home,and
a humourons domestic servant, one Darcy, the late
secretary of a defunct debating society at Devises,
who considered talking to be the chief end of life, and
laughed at the Red Indians sitting in a circle for
hours without speaking. The trio agree to visit the
church at night, as soon as the light should ap .
arar
With this they are soon iiratifled, but on re ring
thither all was shrouded in darkasee, ed in
..

their endeavaurs they agreed to keep a watch in the
church until morning, when just at day break
unearthly sounds are hoard, as if men laughing in a
wild state of excitement. Fruitless was the search
or the cause of the noises, and whence they To-
ceeded, even Lamy could not solve it, and wondered
what his club, "that is, the late club," would say
about it. Fancying that he has hit upon a scheme
to discover the unaccountable freaks, he applies to
his master for permission to light up the chuich
with candle, at night. The good old pastor,
zealous of the honour of God's House, refuses his
sanction to such an act of desecration. One night
the spiritual shepherd again sees the light, and the
shadow of mi'n on the church walla. "Now,"
thought he to himself, "I shall have my mind set
at rest, for spirits cast no shadows, and therefore it
most be a human being moving about on the edifice."
Noiselessly entering, be observes a man with his
back towards him trimming a lamp, and pounces
upon him, only to find it is Darcy, who had not
literally disobeyed his master's injuneture,
as he had only one candle. He is essaying
an explanation for his strange conduct, when the
minister feels the stone moving under his feet, loses
his balance, and falls. At the same time the light
in Darcy's hand is extinguished. As beet he can the
domestic gets his master home, who on his recovery
interdicta all allusion to the nightly apparitions in
the church. At length being disappointed in the
progress made in the spiritual advancement of his
flock, and that instead of finding a haven of rest and
repose, his residence there had given him much
mental anxiety, be determined to leave it. On the
eve of his departure, an old fisherman obtains an
interview, and finding that the minister has fully
made up his mind to depart from the parish proceeds,
to account for the strange appearancies seen in the
church, which in short was adopted by smugglers, of
whom the village principally consisted, as a signal
to their comrades in vessels at sea laden with the
contraband articles, to " run " the "stuff." But
bow was access gained to the church? Why I by
subterranean passage from the rocks on the verge of
the sea to the church vaults. By a removal of a
slab of one of these depositories access was gained to
the church. The removal of it at the time when
the rector was upon it caused him to lose his equi-
librium. Darcy's idea of lighting up was rather a
brilliant idea, for, as the fisherman said, at nearly
resulted in the lose sat• gne cargo, though only one
candle was used, For this and other shortcomings
the smugglers were inclined to pitch Darcy over the
cliff for " a chalige'of air," as the old sailors faceti-
ously designated it; it was only his acquaintance with
the rector that saved him. The good old gentleman
inquires as to where were the coast-guard? To this
the tar replies—" If government wants her bulldogs
to be honest she must pay them better, and when a
five pound note is placed over a man's eyes he sees
but very indistinctly through it." The moral to the
story may be thus described, that where we oft look
for peace we often find trouble and vexation and
that it is sufficient for a Christian minister to devote
himself to the welfare of his charge, and Lot waste
his time to endeavour to dive into those matters, which
do not result in any benefit either to the pursuer, or
those in whose behalf perhaps the idea originated.
The audience were sustained in a state of excitement
as to the finish of the ghost story, and their risible
faculties kept at full play through the droll remarks
of Darcy. After a reading of another short piece
by Mr. Vickars, the meeting separated.
Rm.* CORPS.—The members had a bracing
march out on Thursday afternoon, and awakened
the latent martial enthusiasm in the residents of
East and West Coker. After a walk of nine
miles they returned to the town, where they were
dismissed.

FARZWRLL SCYPER.—The departure of MT.
Hyde, one of the Great Western broker's clerks for
Warminster, was seized as an opportunity by his
brother employles on "the three lines of railway, for
testifying their friendship, which has existed during
the time he has moved amongst them. They ex-
pressed it in the form of a supper at the Mermaid
Hotel on Thursday evening, placed upon the table
in that careful and liberal spint, which characterizes
the catering of Host Corrie. A pleasant evening
was spent, and much good feeling evoked.
.MUTFORD.—Elizabeth Ellis, a girl of about 17,
appeared to a summons (granted in preference to
having her kept in custody for several days), at the
Townhall, Yeovil, before the county magistrates on
Friday, charged with stealing on 22nd February,
several articles of wearing apparel and provisions,
valued altogether at 65., the property of her master,
Mr. Thomas Field. Prisoner, it appears, had only
been 10 days in the service of prosecutor, when one
of the articles, the subject of the charge, was
observed in her box. Fearing that she had been
detected she gave notice to leave, when her mistress
demanded that her boxes should be searched. To
this the prisoner objected, and went upstairs.
Shortly after she was observed to go into an out-
house, when a parcel waa found oontaining a pair of
stays, cheese, bacon, do. Upon her master taxing
her with the theft she admitted stealing the things,
but that she was sorry for it. To the policeman
who apprehended her she also confessed her guilt.,
but stated she did not know why she did it. The;
father of the prisoner begged for mercy on behalf of
his daughter as it was her first offence. The Chair-
man, addressing the father, said the Bench believed
that the parcel was.intended to be sent home, and
that if his house W been searched and any articles
of prosecutor's found, both be and her would have
been committed for trial. The receiver was as bad
or worse than the thief, for without the former
there would not be so many of the latter.—The
father denied that he bad ever received anything
from the daughter; but the master said that the
prisoner on the 21st asked his carter, who was going
to pass her father's house, to take a parcel, but not
to let either her master or mistress see it, but that
the carter declined to do so.— The prisoner, who,
like Niobe, was all tears, was sentenced to six
weeks' imprisonment, the Bench telling her that
they could have awarded six months', but owing to
her youth, end being the first offence, they had
dealt leniently with her.

and

CREWICRRNE.—FATAL ACCLDINT.—The rapid
transaction of business in this, the later part of the
nineteenth century, was demonstrated by the fact
that our active coroner, Dr. Wybrants, held an
inquest at the Red Lion Inn on Wednesday last,
upon the body of • man, named Edward Barpry,
who only received the serious injuries which re.
stilted in bis death late on the preceding evening.
The distanoe intervening between the scene of the
inquest and the residence of the coroner, about 26
miles, would lead one to believe that that melons
official is übiquitous, and proves the rash nature of
of the charge brought against a man in the prime of
life by his opponents at the late contest, as to his
being nearly incapacitated for business, and there-
fore incapable of rapid locomotion. The jury having
viewed the body of the deceased, late • carter in the
employ of Mr. John Slade, carrier, of this town,
Mary Diamond, living in Crewkerne, said that on
Tuesday evening, about half-past four o'clock, she
was coming from the railway station, and saw the
deceased riding on the shafts of a waggon drawn by
two horses. He was in the act of pulling the tar.
paulin so as to more effectually cover the goods,
when be fell off the shafta, and beth wheels went
over him.—George Rawlings, the driver of • coal
waggon, well acquainted with deceased, aud who
he thought was about 30 years of age, said that he
met him on Tnesday afternoon about half-past four,
riding on the shafts of the waggon in a stenetenci
tarpaulin
position. The rpaulin blew up, and d
tried to catch it. He missed his footing, and fell
on his face, the waggon passing over his body. Wit-
ness went back, and found blood issuing from the
mouth. He never spoke, and was taken into a
neighbour's house, where he expired, but not in his
presence. The jury, without hesitation, returned •
verdict of "Accidental Death."

BDIDOW ATER.—Gsu.n itiCTEDER.—At an early
hour on Friday morning, a manservant in the employ
of Mr. Gabriel S. Poole, discovered the body of a
newly-born female infant in the Bridgwater and
Taunton Canal, which runs at tbe bottom of a field
belonging to the above named gentleman. The
corpse was inclosed in several wrappers. From the
appearance of the body it is evident that the child
was born alive, bet had not lieu' properly attended
to at its birth. nose Was pressed into its face.
No marks wherewith to identify the person who
placed the body in ths poaition in which it was found
were discovered on either of the wrappers.
WELLS.—EAST Somalian Itatimee.—On Friday
an important link in the East Somerset Railway chain
was formally dedicated to the public. We allude to the
opening of the short bit of line, about four and a half
miles in length, from Wells to Sheptoc Mallet, and
which, while it connects Wells with the Wilts, Somer-
set, and Weymouth Line, and with the whole of the
Great Western system, will bring the ancient aity fully
half-an-hour nearer than heretofore to the cities of
Bristol and Bath. The first train from Shepton Mallet
and Wells arrived at the latter place between two and
three o'clock on Friday afternoon, bringing the Marquis
of Bath, who is chairman of the company, and the
directors.; Mr. Graham, Great Western superintendent;
Mr. Ward, engineer of the line, and his assistant; Mr.
Tarr, superintendent of the division of the Great
Western system; Mr. Reynolds, Great Western
engineer, Bath, &c., &o. , There were • large number
of citizen& at the station, which is near to that of the
Somerset Central, to welcome the &nivel of the train,
at the approach of which the Rifle Corps band, which
was in attendance, played "God Save the Queen."
The directors and officials were received at the station
by the Mayor and Corporation, and ultimately the
whole marched in procession, headed by the band, to
the Swan Hotel, were • capital luncheon, in the shape
of a cold collation, had been provided. There were
about 60 guests, who included the Mayor of Wells (Mr.
Livett,) Baron Auckland, Lord Bishop of Bath and
Wells, Major-General Coles, the Marquis of Bath, Mr.
Pagett, Vice-Chairman of the Zest Somerset, several
railway offigials, Mr. J. C. Somerville, the Recorder of
Wells, Mr. Clerk, Mr. Graham, Dr. Boyd, Mr, Glennie,
Mr. Mackay, secretary of the East Somerset, Mr.
Foster, Town Clerk, ko., Ito, Upon the removal of
the cloth the loyal and patriotic touts were enthu-
siastically drunk. The toast of the "Bishop and
Clergy" was responded to by the Lord Bishop; the
" Army and Navy" by Major-General Cole.; the
" Chairman and Directors of the East Somerset" by the
Marquis of Bath. Other toasts succeeded. The
speeches were of a congratulatory character.