The Dorset County Express and Agricultural Gazette.
Dorchester, Dorset, England, 1878-03-19 00:00:00

DORSET SPRING ASSIZES.

The Cemmiasion for theme Amigos vraa opened on
Friday by Sir T. Fits James Stephens, QX.,_ who
fills the place of Chief Baron Kelly, the learned Ju4e
being prevented by infirmity from going the circuit.
The commissioner arrived during the afternoon and
attended service at St. Peter's Church, the Excise
woman being Preached by the Rev. Mr. Hodges, the
sheriff's chaplain. On his entry Into the town the
learned commissioner was met by
CROWN COURT, 13Aruanrr.
(Before Sir T. Frrsuitcs 8171.111" Q.C.)

The Court opened, sad the commissioner took his

The following gentlemen were sworn on the Grand
Jury:—
Mr. Jam JOHN k •11Q011•15011, foreman.

Mr. H. N. Middleton, Mr. H. B. Middleton,
„ H. S. Bower, „ W. J. Smith,
„ M. H. Yestman, „ John Batten,
H. ff. Knot, „ Thomas Hussey,
~ N. Bond, „ 0.0 Churchill,
„ H. Pearce, „ Thomas Colfax.
„ C. Bond, „ J. W. B. Hawker
~ B. A. Wood, worth,
, G. Warm „ J. Mount-Batten,
C. J. 0. Swaeld, „ W. A. Bidden,
Carr Glyn,
'Alter the usual preliminaries, the learned commie
sioner addressed the Jury as follows :
Gentlemen of the Grand jury of the county of
Dorset, I am happy to say there is very little basins.
to come before you, and what business there is is of the
most common-place character. There are sixteen
prisoners and fourteen cases, and out of these eleven
We petty thefts, one ill a gee of obtaining by false
pretences, one of concealment of birth, and one case of
assault with intent to do bodily harm. I should be
ut time if I were to address you about any of
them; will therefore at once dismiss you to your
duties, and ask you to return • bill as soon as posdble.

ITZALINO OWL AT IMANAGI.

Thema. Stockiey, 97, dealer, and Jolts Wuks. 910, labourer
were indicted for stealing three tame geese, value LI at
Swanage, the property of Seth 'Marshfield, of Benton, on
the 14th ult.
Mr. Bucknill prosecuted ; Mr. Ctuuies Mathews
defended.
Mr. Marshfield 4 the only farmer who keeps geese near
the place, and on the morning of the 15th he mis•eti his
r. John Summers, aSe Image carner, on the 15th of
eek7uary, WWI going to Wareham, and near the turnpike--
gate saw Weak u with. small hamper, which was full.
and told him to take it to the station and "chine out"
for it. He consigned it to Mr. Appleyard, fishmonger,
Waterloo-road. London, by con.ignment note, copied from
the address. Next afternoon he saw Stockley, and having
heard meantime the geese had been lost, witness mid—
"Do you know anything about those geese r to which
Stockley replied—" You need not say anything about It."
Kr. Marshfield had heard his geese on the 14th; but on
the 15th, having mimed them, he put the matter in tbe
hands of the police. In the corner of the liel.l he saw
1,1,ml and feather., wli.re the geeth had been caught
in a net, and killed. Traits were there, which were
compared with those of marks made hi prisoner'. hoot.,
and they corresponded. The tracks found went for SO
yards towards primmer.' house, and the goose he identified
at Wareham, by their plumage.
P.C. Freeborn spoke to seeing where the geese bad
been killed, and took up one of the foot prints on • flat
tile, got a search warrant, and boots from each of the
prisoners, one of the pairs of boots corresponded in every
particular, missing nails and faulty tip, with one set of
marks, and the diamond-beaded nails of the other boots
with other track. Some of the tracks went right into
/Beckley*. garden, the back way, the others also led to
Stockley's home. In the house he found blood and
feathers, and aa he came in the prisoner's wife was taking
sat mass, amongst width were found a feather Or t.O.
Some bones (my little bite) were also found in the field,
and from the geese to the station some of the wing
bones were
°roes-examined : Before the magistrates he did not say
he tweed the marks for IN) yarda Pressed, he believed
he mid either 100 or 150 yards, but to-day he said about
(10 yards. There was a -.ad In the field, over which
there was a riignkg foot 'be hitt% at the end.
P.C. ithealoin NViles Stockley*.
Douse es the 11th, and saw o, coma out with • pair
of boots wader each am VAIL thous from, her; Sim
took • pair from Weekis rest, and tler were compared
with the track.

fiu—Sintera head porter at Wareham Maitioa, on
the 15th ult, saw the hamper brought by the carrier, and
himself sent it by train: but it came ',ack on the follow-
ing Monday, in the Mete state, and weighing the same as
when sent. —P.C. Buckland opened the hamper and found
three gsivie.—J used Wood, carman, took the hamper at
London, to Mr. Appleyard, who refused to take it in.
Mr. Mathews, tor the defence, pointed out that the
hamper was handed over in broad daylight at the railway
station, there being no secrecy observed. As to the
tracks, they were moat unnatiafactory and unreliable
evidence, eiy,re mpecially as the road near which they
were found was much frequented by foot passengers
There .m nothing criminal in a man leaving tracks on an
ordinary footpath near his own home ; besides thia,
there was • discrepancy in the policeman's evidence.
before the magistrates : and before the judge he atated he
saw them for 100 to 150 yard. when before the lassie
(rates, and Only 00 yards before the judge. A. to the
lanes, than were altogether incapable of being identffie•L
Nothing but honesty could be found in the dealing with
the hamper.
Thu commissioner said if the jury saw their way to
convict the prisoners of stealing the geese, it wits undoes
to talk about their characters, they should have thought
of that before. If a man was found dealing with stolen
geode immediately after they ware &mien, he must either
give an account of how he cama by them, or mint be
presumed to have stolen. It had been said Weeks had
acted like an honest man : biit that all depended upon
whether they were his own geese ; if a men sent his own
geese away that would be the act of an honest man, but
not when he sent other people's As to the policeman's
evidence, he could not see it was unastisfactory, nor
should remarks be made about "policeman's evidence
there were good and bad men in the force; but if • man
gave his evidence straightforwardly, his evidenoe ought
to have the same weight as any other person's. But in.
this awe there was the evidence Mother persons in favour
of the tracks: there were four different marks described
by three people and sworn to as corresponding with the
marks of Weeks's boots, and the pair found in the
on of Stockley's wife. These footmarks were
rounwiall about the place where the game were stolen,
and they were traced to the garden of the man who, when
asked next day about the geese said—" You'd better lay
nothing about them.'
The jury found them both guilty.
Three months' hard labour.
"IMMO WAY TO TOUTATIOII."

Henry Ling, alias !William itoUis., AMA redari4
Harding Ca. labourer, pleaded guilty to stealing an over.
coat, tWue Is, the property of Emma and Elisabeth
Curtis, at Dorebeetor, on Janiutry the 9th.
Asked whether In had nnything to say, he replied he
had "a few words," and next stated that at the age A 13
yean and 10 months he joined the army. and aft 'l' 14
year. service he was teed for being drank and wse
oentenciel to three mouths' hard labour and branded
" 8.C.; and after being imprisoned he was discharged
without a farthing in the world. He could not obtain
employment without • character, and then yielded to
tomptstion, and received five years' petted servitude.
which he m,ryeil. On coming out he tried in vain to
obtain employment, for he was asked "Have you been •
"soldier, and next "Were you discharged r go he
became a wanderer, and was at last forced to go to the
union for a night's lodging. There be gave way, and in a
It 44 Wow. destroyed his clothm, for which he had
three mon' hard ur which ha deserusd, and served
without • murmur. CoinionliS on the 9th of January
he was discharg with ed but • slop marked all
over "Sturminatar Union; • pair of trousers also
Worked aU over, Ile wee perishing with cold, and every-
oe. Viewed him ue and down, and geeing • tuat hanging
st the allePlOw he Fere waY to temptation and took
dew. uut &oat,
.bot not with ieny intention of
the enie obisci beg was to set out of the wrytfiu4e
coldr—ile knew it wee' "7"11, and he was very sorry for
It
The Learned Commissioner said : You I. behaved
uncommonly bad, and I should think you bad bstt.y be
very sorry for it. You tell of your ntialeeds as ":" they
were hardship of the public against you. On being
discharged from the may for bad conduct you broke into
a shop, for which you received five Years' penal servitude.
On being discharged from prison you note • watch and
got four months' hard labour. Alter that you were put
Into the workhouse and provided with food, and there,
because ou had a fit of ill-temper you tore up your
clothes. For this you had three months' hard Labour,
which" you say "I deserved, and stoned without a
murmur." I should think you did deserve it; and as to
your earring it without a murmur, I should think you
did. You will now have • further term of punishment,
and whether you murmur or not does not very much
matter, for when you come out if you conduct your-
self in the same was, you will have to go beck again
to pun, shment You must understand that the
world at large is • good deal stronger than you, and vii
not allow people to give way to fits of temper, and If you
do give way. You will be punished. You will be sent to
imprisonment and kept to hard labour for six mouth;
and if on your discharge you are =Arms to Islam go to
the Discharged Prisoner's Aid Society, and they wil
assist you. Now do behave like • sensible man; I have
spoken sharply to you because I do not want you to co
away with the impression that the fault is any one Ames
but your own. There are plenty of people in the world
who are willing to assist you it I. • sad story—that of
your,— you have been a bad man, sad you had better do
your beet to booms a good one, I Mummy you will find
friends to help you : only do not think your punishments
have come from any seas fault but your own.—Prisoner
thanked his Jodie. and was removed below.
Tho vand jury were discharged about one o'clock,—
with tM thank :4 the county for their services,"

TITALINO 0010 AT ITOITSI2OII./R IRICLLUID.
VWM Goorp Row, for staillas at Sticklaed. on
Mara fit a uuktity ol mixed oat, sad baths, vales b
proparty el WUba Sinks ; and Mae Alms tar Ur
111111114.