The Dorset County Express and Agricultural Gazette.
Dorchester, Dorset, England, 1869-10-12 00:00:00

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BUPPOISED NURDRE AND OUTRAGE IN
VVI r r ma VI T lin.

rybewo
t.ibnro
multdd.htytmootilhgt
ee -
lantatioa discovered the
bent at the elbows, and the hands clenched, end the
extremities coneiderably apart. The face was covered
ittahhAerethbodeemmllrbtofug.utlir:hilg:dantcrhmoiln'yfuieVinghge.boaatban'Pher book. with the erms
with a shawl, and upon removing this themes were
horrified to find that the facie and neck bad been
The dress of the body was not much din.
as to leave no gambles's of her main
left little doubt that the deceased woman must have
,awbo"t the under•elotbing was in a stets which
ones oommuniested with, and the body was removed
subjected to brutal outrage. Tbe police were at
of the pocket and the doll:tin, there was little difficulty
in identifying the body es that of Eliza Hillman. •
"f'berle.tor:edest'latt:resseasathb. ury Union Workhouse. From the contents
single and slightly deformed women, itonneeted with
the neighbourhood, and whose age was about 43.
The police found that &wino the peat six weeks Eliza
Delman bad twirled with • sister at Dalton Mardi, a
lomlet of Westbury. For n short time ebe had been
in receipt of parochial relief, which was subsequently
stopped. On the 14th wit. she left her sister's house
for the purpose of apply mg to the guardians for a
renewal of the relief. This the hosed refused to do,
but gave her the option of becoming an inedoor pauper.
This, however, she declined, and from the board-room
it wonld appear, she went direct to the Sun inn, at
Westbury I etch, where she remained drinking in the
tep-rooru with several men till five in the evening, when
she lilt the house. The next that was seen of her wee
at seven o'clock. when one of the villagers. NM be? on
• truck, which too men, named James Hewett, ate;
Albert Harris, were wheeling. She appeared to be
ruLerably drunk, and her Krems was much exposed.
A f. w minutes biter two men, earned Francis and
Dowding saw Hewitt and Harris carrying the woman
in the direction of the plantation, snout 900 yards off.
While they were so doing her skirt fell of. and it was
picked up by Hewitt, who rifled the pocket of wino
pence and a pair of spectacles, which he offered to
Francis, wbo refused thee and went en. The wensaa
war not again seen alive. Hewett and Harris were ap-
prehended. Mr. bhoviland, the surgeon, states that
the body is in such a state of decomposition as to reader
I poet mortem examination practically valueless. At
the Mired on Monday the medical testimony led to
the belief that she had been violated. The jury, after
a brief consultation, returned the following verdict
"Found dead, and we think death was aimelerated by
the treatment the decreased received at the bands of
James Hewett and Albert Harris." Hewett ha. made
• written confession which ten& strongly to incriminate
both himself and Harris.
The Town-hall. Weetbury,twas crowded on Tuesday,
the appearance of the two seen, Jamie Hewitt and
Albert Harris, who were brought up charged with
the manslaughter of Elisebeth Hillman, whose
body was found under circumstances detailed above.
The magistrates present were Messrs. H. G. G. Ludlow
and J. L. Phillips. The evidence given was that of the
men who were with the deceased sad the primmer, in
the publio-house. and of • man named Stephen
Bartlett, who saw Hewitt dragging her up • lane. but
dropped her when be saw witness approaching. Bertha
Marlin deposed to seeing the prisoners and a man named
Bird hovering about the part of the plantation where
the body was found early on the Wednesday morning.
Harris remarked to her, "Berths, you'll be late," and
she replied, " I shall be early some day." Dr. Shorland
repeated his testimony, and added that it was possible
the deceased had placed the shawl ever her lace her-
"elf, as part of it was under her head. He lad no
doubt, from the position of the body, that the woman
been violated, but decomposition had so Much set in
that it was impossible to discriminate whether it 0.4
been attended with violence or not.—}'.S. Watt.
depoeed to appreheedieg the prisoners. The edmitted
they did wheel the deceased on • pair of trucks up • lane
near the Swan Inn, and Francis and Dowding, two of
their pot companion', wanted to have the woman
wheeled up to • barn where a wan mimed Potter wo, at
work ; but Harris would not have It, being druid his
master, Mr. Jones, would "kick up a bother about it."
The prisoners then " shot" her out of the trucks iota
the lane. Hewitt standing ea the bank pulled deceased
up and Harris ',tidied behind till they got her over into
the plantation, where Hewitt says they outraged her:
He then said to her, "You bad better get up and go
away an soon as you can." I could not understand wimt
she said in reply. Harris said to me "We'll get away
from here." I said. "We'll leave her alone • she'll be
better after the 'drink is out of her." We then went
beck to the Swan Inn. The prisoners were fully CA,' -
tnitted for trial at the Wilts Maga&