The Dorset County Express and Agricultural Gazette.
Dorchester, Dorset, England, 1862-12-30 00:00:00

fitut Op PRISONSIM

CHARGE Or fitAtOTHOELT_z WOVEDINO AT roll-
MIEBBURY.—George Thomas, 55, fiattletiEr.,tras indicted
for maliciously wounding and causing gliefons bodily
harm to William Prancis.Brookman, with intent to fob
him.—Sentenced to penal servitude for seven years.
THE POST-OFFICE 11015 BEET AT BEIhoWATIgt.—
James Hodge, 19. a letter softer; was indicted for
stealing a post-office letter containing El Is. 64., the
property of the Postmaster-General, on the Iffth of
November; also for stealing a post-office letter, con-
taining a ring, on the 10th of March; also for stealing
S. Kat-office letter, containing 6d., on the 15th of
March. Mr. Potildeq appeared for the prosecution;
Mr. Prideanx defended the prisoner. The prisoner, a
highlY respectable young man, the soli of an innkeeper
at Bridgwater, &Oared to/acutely feel his potition, and
bung down his head. To the first indietment he
pleaded not Minty. but on the Aecond being read he With-
drew his plea, and pleaded guiltk to all the indictments.
His lordship, in passing sentence, Said that in deer), case
where there was a test letter there must hive been
instances of prisoner's dishonesty. Before the Poet
Office interfered a man went astray many times, but
then he was entrapped at last. No less than sixty
letters had been lost at the Bridgwater Post Office, but
he trusted they had ndt been taken by the prisoner, and
therefore he should not punish hit for that. Three
witnesses had been called, who gave the priedner a good
character ; but neverthelessl the public correspotidetioe
must be protected, and there must be a sentence of
penal servitude for such offences. It was with great
reluctance that he passed the sentence; but the pri-
soner must be kept in penal servitude for four years.

• •
ASEIATET 11401MIY AT IARMIIOIIOI7GH.—Thomas
Barnes, 27, Elijah Powell; VOL, ttod a man named Purfitt,
coal miners, were indicted for asadultingfkury Blacker,
and robbing Lim of 80., on the 27th of Beptertrher.
Purfitt was acquitted ; the others were found gitilty,and
entence deferred.
- - - •

Peter!,

Alieqs.—John Moore, a middle-aged labourer, was
charged with setting fire to some turf, with a view to
destroy a dwellinghoifse, the property of Anne Helmet.
The judge said the prisoner lied not donp the right thing
to be transported—he had not done thengh, and the
law must to be strained to tiansport the prisoner.
(Laughter.) The prisoner must be discharged.
BREAKING INTO A DWELLING-HOUSE AT ROwBERROW.
—Charles Millkens, 19, labourer, was indicted for break-
ing and entering the dwelling-house of John Barnes, and
stealing therein £ IQs., four pawntickets, and a tea-
caddy, his peoperty.—The prisoner was found guilty,
and senteetied to nine months' Mad labour.
ThrgAttait otigNbE A Intl( T. Latent/roe. —No
bill wad retained against Charles Chaplain, 30, labourer,
for an unnatural offence.
THE Yeovil. Slings Points CASK—William
Crocker, 22, labourer, for the manslaughter of tiriah
Lone, was discharged, no bill, being found.
THEFT AT WORLE.—George Reed, 21, labourer, wee
Waited for stealing a coat, the property of James
Gregory, on the 15th of July.—Mr. Coates for the
proseention.—Sentenee 12 months' hard labour.
SACRILEGE AT FROME.—John Davis, 36, weaver, was
indicted, for id.,
and entering Christ Church,
and stealing the property of the charchwardens.
Thomas 13riee and smaller. Th 6 prisoner was found
guilty, and sentenced to two menthe hardjabour. The
prisoner (gratefully) : Thank you, my lord.
The MANSLAUGHTER AT NETTLEBRIDGE.—..foteII
Langley, 45, innkeeper, was' indicted for the man-
slaughter of Charles Langley, his son, at Midsomer
Nortom an the oth of Deeember.—Mr. T. W. &mindere
&prod fqr the prosecetion, and Mr. Prideanx for the
de enen.—The facts were Leven at fall length in this
journe—The Inn (Maid tER prisoner guilty, but re-
coinnietided hiat to faere3i,- -Mr. Justice Ifyles said the
recommendation shoril4 he taken into consideration,
There tionld be no doubt *hotelier that the inry had
found a right verdict, and they would hive been tamper-
ing with their oaths had they returned aRy other
verdict. As be had said on the previous day M
Iffs
charge to the grand jury, there was no crime which
varied so much in degree as that of manslaughter. In
this Mae the nee of the knife was unjustifiable, but, on
the Wier Mind, the provocation was as great as could
he Well imagined There were threats, therelwas bad
language and the blow sairdinistered to the father by
the don COnleHtuted, he 'mist say, an impious outrage.
There she ad pie-meditation ; the prisoner did not
even alter the position of the knife. There were also
to be taken into consideration the smere punishment
which the prisoner endured from the eiVoulnatienees
themselves. The learned judge then eenteneed the
prisoner to six months' imprisonment.
CHARGE OF MANSLAUGHTER AT YEOVIL.— John
Ifirkley, 20, hateher, was indicted for the manslaughter
of Vrath Lane, at Yeovil, on the 17th November.—
Mr. Pridesinit Wes for the prosecution; Mr. W. Nooks
conducted the defericif.-,-It appeared from the evidence
that oit the 17th of Novetriber last deceased and a
number of his friends went to Yeofil Pair, and in the
whirling the Called at the tap of the Chortglis Hotel,
where thtly bad some drink. tiey then repaired to
the Crown Inn, Where some dancing was going on.
While there they saw a f eking first named Crocker,
who had been charged with prisonetfot the offense but
the grand jury threw out the bill. Crochet invited one
of the party, • girl named Lydia Abbot, to hetet some
beer with him, and on her refusing to accept the Mei. I
talon, he threw some in her face. Deceased took her
part,' resiarkiffit that it was an unmanly thing to do,
upon which Crock& told him lie would serve him in •
similar manner. Deembied answered, "I won't give
you the chance, and Pll leave the room," and with one
or two of his party went out. Li the) paessge they
met the Misener, who quarrelled with one of the party,
and catight bold of ifini. A scuffle ensued, in the
course of which deceased was knocked down, and he
was beaten and kicked by one man, who could not be
identified. Deceased subsequently attended several
public-houses in Yeovil, and aid not leave for home
until past midnight He was taken ill from the itlirries
he sustained, and subsequently died.—There being no
identification of the prisoner the learned Judge would
not allow the case to go to the jury, and a verdict of
" not guilty" was taken.
THE MURDER OF A CHILD AT STOGusißEß.—Mary
Ann Saville, alias Day, • married woman, 46 years of
age, was indicted for the murder of her infant male
child, three weeks of age, at Stogumber, on the 25th
of September. The facts of the case were these :—The
prisoner iii the wife of a working man of good charac-
ter, living in Essex and for many years she lived
happily with her hust:aud. Some time, ago, however,she
became acquainted witli'a navvy named Day, and desert-
ing husband, went to live with him. At the beginning
of the present year Day obtained employment on the
West Somerset Railway, and, with the prisoner, went
-to live at Cottiford, near Stogumber, and in July last
they removed to Stogumber, taking lodgings in the
house of • man named Lewis. At the beginning of
September prisoner gave birth to the deceased, and was ,
not attended by a medical man during her confinement. I
'She continued very weak afterwards and had no milk.
On the afternoon of the 23rd of September, a neigh- ,
hour named Hardwire went in to see the prisoner, who ,
I was in her bedroom. She told Hardwire that she had
taken poison herself and given some to her baby, and,
on being asked her reason for doing so, said, "Because
I'm • bad woman ; the devil has -been in ray room all
the morning." The neighbour inquired if she bad seen
the devil,' to which prisoner answered, "No, but he
tempted me • I've been a bad woman towards my
husband." Mr. Crocker, a surgeon, of Stogumber, was
sent for, and she made the same statement to him
with regard to the poison as she had done before ; but
as there appeared to be no foundation for the assertion,
he left her without prescribing ,anything, suggesting,
however, that the child should be taken from her, and
that the police should be called in. This advice was
not taken, and later in afternoon the woman
Hardacre requested the prisoner to let the
child suck, as it was starving. She took

the child to her bosom for a time, and then called out,
"Oh, take the child, or! shall let it fall." The land-
lady asked her for some money to get the child new
milk, to which prisoner replied, " I shan't have any;
it's no use, for I've been expecting the pelisse to fetch
me all the afternoon." The woman inquired why, and
the primmer answered, "You know why; you know
what I have given the baby. You had better take him
with you." Mrs. flardacre said she lied a baby of her
own, and could not take prisoner's. Before leaving she
said to prisoner, "You must not hart yourself or the
baby ;" to which she replied, ".1 wont promise you,"
sea afterwards added, lam going to destroy myself."
About &o'clock in the evening, while Lewis and his wife
fete at supper, they heard the prisoner's child cry, and
is seathis dangliter up stairs to ask if she should
nurse the redid, The daughter found the prisoner
sitting on the bedside, apparently trying to bush the
baby to sleep, but the girl could not me the baby. She
went downstairs, and directly aftetwards prisoner
rolled down stairs, and on her being raised end placed
in a chair Lewis noticed that her eyes were closed, and
that her head hung on one side. He ran upstairs, and
on turning down the bedclothes found her baby with
its throat cut and the sheets covered with blood. The
child was then quite dead. A policeman was sent for,
and on hie arrival he asked the prisoner what she had
ent the baby's throat with. She replied, " With the
long knife hanging over the bed." The policeman then
went upataine and, hanging on one of the walls, and
near to the bed, he found a sword in a sheath. He
took it down, and found that a quantity of wet blood
was on the blade. The sword was a two-edged one,
and the blade was about eighteen inches long. Mr.
Crocker was again song fir, and he subsequently made
a post mortem examination of the child, and discov-
ered no traces whatever of poison in the teatines.
Primmer was remanded to Williton gaol the same night
and was oft the 25th remanded by the magistrates to
Taunton gaoL On the morning of the 26th prisoner was
found in her cell in a state of insensibility. She had
evidently tried to hang herself from a staple in the wall
but licr apron string had broken, and she was stuuned
by the fall. The jury returned a verdict of not guilty
on the ground of insanity. The learned Judge said the
consequence of that verdict, would be that the prisoner
would be detained in prison as long as her Majesty
might see fit.
ATTEMPT TO PROCURE ABORTION AT WELLS.—Ann
2eters, a married woman, sixty years of age, was in-
dicted on three charges of feloniously administering a
noxious drug to procure abortion, at Wells, but, owing
to a flaw in the Act of Parliament, no evidence was
offered, and she was acquitted.
Ifts-rrehere ler Betarrearett.— James Pine, 22,
cord Wainet, was indicted for bestiality at Bedminster,
on the 15th of August. . Mr. Viaor prosecuted. The
case was supported by the evidence of one witness only,
and the jury found the prisoner gailty of the lesser
crime of an attempt. He was genteneed to six months'
itOprisonment, with hard labour.
The Court then rose.
MONDAY, December 22nd.
UNNATURAL Olirlinols AT WICK ST. LAWRENCE.—
Charles Chaplin, 30, labourer, was indicted for attempt-
ing to commit an unnatural offence on the 7th of Sep-
tember—Mr. Spoke for the prosecutioa ; Mv. Ffookes
for the defence.—The prisoner was sentenced to six
week's hard labour • upon which he fell upon his knees
and thanked his lc'redship for his leniency.
ATTEMPT TO Milabwn A NEWLY-BORN BANE Al
BATH—Sarah Cutely, 20. Wife of Charles Cutely, and
Caroline Nicholls, 38, wife of Charles Nicholls, were
indicted for attempting to murder a newly-born female
child at Binh, on the 14th of October—Mr. Saunders
appeared for the prosecation.—Lacy White stated that
on the day in question she Was in the General Walk,
Bath,on one side of which there are the backs of houses,
and on the other side iron failings and • shrubbery.
There were lamps nearly all the way through the walk.
Just before ten o'clock she eft W the prisoners,
and heard one of them groaning. She went
up and saw Nicholls pressing herself agalnet
Casely, as if in great pain. She saw Casely take
something out of a bundle, and put over something on
the ground. She then took it up and dashed it over
the rails against a tree. Had it had not been for the
tree it would have gone -over into the Gay-street
Gardena The child was thrown up, fell into the tree,
and dropped ansortg the shrubs. Just as the bundle
was taken up sbe heard the cry of a child, and after it
was thrown it screamed violently. Casely went heck
to Nicholls, and both ran avtay. She went to spot, and
found a baby kicking. She ran and said, "Stop that
woman, fat she has thrown a dear baby over the railing."
She caught Caselyl told her she was the one that threw
the child over the railing, and, addressing the prisoner
Nicholls, told her that the was the one that had the
ehildi Casely denied it, and she led her back to the
wet, and asked her whether she did net hear the
ehild ary. She said she did not, and told her that if it
was a child she ought to go over and pick it up. She
would not let Candy go, lint screamed for assistance,
and a girl named Backlebridge and others came up.
Nicholh ran away: Iluelalebridge picked up the child,
and wrapped it in a lady's petticoat. The jury re-
turned a Verdict of not gufity, and the prisoners were
charged with the minor offence.--Ilie Lordikip said the
verdict in the last case appeared to him to be perfectly
right. The case now Maimed a different aspect, but
still there was a difference between Coady and
Nicholls, and his lordship repeated the remarks relative
tett in the last ease. They would see that Nieholls
was in agony, but she did not touch the child, and left
it on the ground. If the prisoners acted in concert
then Casely's act was her act, but he would leave the
point for the consideration of the jury. The evidenoe
against Casely was certainly mesh stronger.—The jury
returned a verdict of not guilty against Nicholls, but
of guilty against Casely.--Sentence 12 months' impri-
sonment, with hard labour.
ASSAM AND ROBBERY AT Wean:in.—William
Don, 2S, arid John Leaver, 21, labourers, were in-
dicted for assaulting and robbing Joseph Stone.—The
jury acquitted /mutat. Dare bad previously under-
gone seven days' hard Siberia, six months' imprison-
ment, and four years' penal servitude. For this
offence he was ordered to undergo seven years' penal
servitude.
ARSON AT CHIMDAIL—Jesse Everts, 30, sawyer,
wall ifidleted for maliciously setting fire to a stable, the
property of his father, James Evans, on the 6th of
November.-45i051 Evans, father of the prisoner,
stated that be did not know that the prisoner was his
son !—it was his wife's ehrid. On the morning of the
6th, about two o'clock, he was awoke by the light occa-
sioned by the stable being on fir,, about 50 yards from
the house. The stable was burnt down. A short time
before the prisoner asked him to let him place his
goods In the etsble, as be wanted to cheat his landlord
of his relit He refused, and his son appeared to be
stubborn ebout it, —Samuel Evans, a brother, mcol-
lected being called upon the night of the fire, and saw
the stable burning, The prisoner had previously stated
on two or three occasions that he would burn down the
stable.—Hie Lordstrip said the case was a very bad one,
a son being charged with setting fire to his father's
stable.—The prisoner' wan found guilty, and, in passing
sentence, his Lordship observed there was too much
mason to believe that this wag 001 the only premises to
which he had set fire, the house in which he had lived,
and Iron, which he desired ts remove Ms goods in order
to staid a distraint for rent, having been burnt down
just previously. He had threatened that there should
be a bine fire, but the jury had taken care that he
should not be at large so aommit the offence for some
time. The ogee, tee, was aggravated by the fact that
the premixes burnt • Was his own father's, and for that
offense he must undergo eigkt years of forced labour.
MALICIOUSLY CUTTING AND WOUNDING AT BATH.—
Joseph Daly, 25, Jane Daly, hies wife, 16, labourer,
were indicted for maliciously cutting and wounding,
Harriet Rawlings, on the 12th of October, with intent,
to do grievous bodily harm.—The jury, to the arterials-
mend of those in court, acquitted the male prisoner,:
but found the female guilty of unlawfully wouadiag,'
bat not with intent to do any grievous bodily hatim,
aud his lordship sentenced her to six months' hard
labour.
MaucroutiLf ilfoetrieresi AT MONCRTON COBOL—
Henry Milner, found geilay of maliciously wounding,
was sentenced three yeara' penal servitude.
AtiBAUIAL AND ROBBIRY AT FARNBOROUGH.
Thomas Barnes and Elijah Powell, convicted of assault
and robbery, were sentenced to six years' penal servi-
tude each.
This concluded the business of the Andra, which
terminated at four o'clock.
Nittltsbire.

CRlCKLADE.—Mittsx—cnoLv SUDDEN DEATH
IN A RAILWAY CARAIAGIL —A very painful sensa-
tion was occasioned at the Reading station of the
Great Western Railway on Wednesday, by the
awfully sudden death of a respectable young woman
named Ellen Clark, while travelling on the line
with the intention of proceeding to Swinton Junc-
tion. It appears she left Paddington by the 7.0
a.m. train in company with an aunt, having bee*
advised, in consequence of indisposition, to leave a
situation she filled at a drapery establishment in
Poplar, and proceed to her home at Crickladedin
Wilts, where her father, a hay dealer, resides. As
the:truin approached the Reading station she was
observed to turn very pale, and appeared to be
fainting. Immediate attention was paid to her, and
she was at once removed to the waiting room, but
it was evident that she had expired, and on the
arrival of Mr. F. Bulley, surgeon, in a few minutes,
life was pronounced to be extinct. The aunt was,
of course, overwhelmed with grief at the melan-
choly unexpected event, and a telegram was
despatched to Mr. Clark, who arrived in the after-
noon. An inquest was held in the evening before
Mr. Blandy, the cororver for Reading, and evidence
was given to the effect that the result of a post
mortews examination, which had been made at the
request of the jury, showed that the immediate
cause of death was inflammation of the intestines
and congestion of the lungs, and a verdict in accord-
ance with the medical testimony was returned. The
deceased was 29 years of age.