The Dorset County Express and Agricultural Gazette.
Dorchester, Dorset, England, 1864-07-26 00:00:00

CROWN COU RT.—MONDAY.
(Before Mr. Justice WiLus)ce.)

Elizabeth Hoskins was indicted fir concealing the
birth of her child, and secretly disposing of the
body at Foothill Bishop, on the 22nd Jaisuary.—
The prisoner pleaded guilty, and wan sentenced to
three months' imprisonment with hard Labour.
Elizabeth Jackson pleaded guilty to an indict.
went, charging her with the concealment of the
birth of her child at Bradford, on the 14th of June,
and well sentenced to three months' imprisonment
with hard labour.

Koss Nichols was indicted for ooncealing the
birth of her child at Shalbourn, on the sth April.
Mr. Swayne appeared for the prosecution, and Mr.
Read for the prisoner. —Acquitted.
Nathaniel Tyler, farmer, residing at Hamberton,
was indicted for iedeoettly assaulting Mary Ann
Peters, • servant in his employ, on the 26th May.
—Mr. Swayne for the prosecution, end Mr. H. T.
Cole and Mr. Yong.. for the prisoner.—Ater
hearing the evidence, the jury in answer to Mr.
Cole, said there was no necessity fur him to address
them. Mr. Cole said 14 or 15 gentlemen in Court
were prepared to give his client the highest character.
The girl must have been mistaken.—The prisoner
was then acquitted.
Charles Goddard was indicted for stealing • shirt
and a skirt, at the Close, Salisbury, the property of
George Warren, on the 15th July.—Mr. Snowden
prosecuted. —The jury returned a verdict of guilty,
and the prisoner was sentenced 104 months' imprison.
Went with bard labour.
Webb and Dawn, who had been oonvicted of
anion, were sentenced to be kept in penal servitude
for seven years.

NISI PIOUS COURT.-SATURDAY.
Before Mr. Jeering BY Las.
Cele m Penny (S. J).- Mr. Montagu Smith, Q.C.,
and Mr. Howard were counsel for the plaintiff;
attorneys, Mean Jones and Forester; the defen-
dant was represented by Mr. H. T. Cole; attorney,
Mr. Messiter. This was an action to recover
damages for an semult committed on the 23rd of
May.-Defendant pleaded first not guilty ; and
secondly, the plaintiff first assaulted him.-Ii
appeared that plaintiff wished to remove some pasta,
but be (defendant) objected to such • course. Whilst
the posts were being removed defendant assaulted
plaintiff Several letters were put in from which it
appeared that the defendant bad offered to apologise,
and to give £5 to the poor of the parish • but this
offer was refused by the plaintiff's attornies, who
demanded ati, the payment of all costs, and the
publication in one or more newspapers of an ample
spology.-His lordship, after pointing out to the
jury that the defendant had not called any witnesses,
said that he could not but consider the defendant's
original offer a fair one. The terms submitted by
the plaintiff's solicitors were undoubtedly humili-
ating. 'replies for piaultitr, damages cso.-eerkin-
este for the special jury refused.
Scaae RHostiee v. HENRY CoMren.-LIBIL-
Demeans £lOOO.-Mr. Coleridge. Q C.. and Mr.
H. T. Cole were counsel for the plaintiff, attorney,
Mr. Hoskins ; Mr. Sleigh (specially retained), and
Mr. Turner appeared for the defendant; attorney,
the defendant himself. Mr. Cole opened the plead.
loge The declaration stated that the defendant had
falsely and maliciously printed and circulated •
scandalous libel affecting the character of the
plaintiff. The defendant pleaded, first that he was
not guilty, and secondly that the words so printed
and published were true in substance and effect.-
The facts of the one can best be gathered from the
opening speech of Mr. Coleridge. It appeared that
Mies Susan Rhoades was the daughter of respectable
parents, who lived for many years in Salisbury. The
defendant was • solicitor, practising in Salisbury,
and was powered of a geed deal of property. He
was considerably older than Miss Rhoades, being
nearly 60 years of age. In 1653 the plaintiff, then
an orphan, was living with her luster and brother.in.
law, Mr. and Mrs. Huggins. The defendant had
known her ever since she was a child, and was
apparently very food of her. In 1653 or 1864,
he began to pay her marked attentions, sad
desired, apparently, to become her hushed.
He courted her, walked and drove about
with her, and took her to buy new furniture
to replace the old in his house-in fact, be treated !
her in every respect as his affianced wife. She wee !
then sixteen or seventeen years of age, and in 1856,
under a solemn promise of marriage, he seduced her.
The consequences of this soon became apparent, and
he was asked to afford her proper redress by marry-
ing her. He refused to do so, but offered to settle
£lOO upon her for life, and to pit-icicle for the child.
The child was born in October, 1856, in a cottage
belonging to the defendant, to which he had sent
Miss Rhoades and her sister and brother-in.law
to live. From 1856 clown to the present time, Mr.
°Doper bad subjected this young women to a coarse
of about as dastardly, unmanly, cruel, and dis-
graceful Made as a woman had, be supposed, ever
experienced at the bands of a men. In 1856, before
the child was born, he entered into a deed of
covenant to allow the plaintiff klOO a-year for her
life-subject to the province' that she had no im-
moral intereourse with any person whomsoever, and
that the defendant might insist upon her making •
statutory declaration to this effect at any time ; and
he gave to Mr. Pei-man, and Mr. Radcliffe, as
trustees, power to take the money and apply it for
the plaintiff's benefit. He paid the money under
the deed once without pleemre, but from that time
to the present he , every quarter, made the
payment the subject-matter of annoyance and
insult to this young woman. On the 28th Septem-
ber, 1857, he compelled her to make • statutory
declaration of the kind mentioned; and would any-
body believe it-be actually caused it to be
lithographed, and with these words appended, sent
it to various people .-" Mr. Cooper considers it
to he his duty, in justice to Miss Rhoades, to submit
to the approval of • few friends the following declara-
tion." Miss Rhoades complained to him most
bitterly of this eat, and in 1658, still addressing her
as" Dear Mile Rhoades," he enclosed her a list
of those to whom he had sent the circulars, stating.
at the same time, that most people were of opinion
that he had acted properly in "ending them out.
In the oonres of the same year, he repeatedly
applied to the plaintiff to be allowed to see her
&brie, but she refused to receive him, mien in the
E= de third person. On the 28th May. 1858,
her • letter, still addressing her as " Dear
Mies Rhoades." stating that" in consequence of the
(rightful state in which matters had been for some
years in Salisbury," and not wishing to have • con-
versation with any me but her, he led placed his
family matters in the bands of his solicitor ; and he
added that be "intended to adopt the same course
with her and her family." The letter concluded
thus :-" I aware you I have had, and always 'ball
have, the greatest reaped for you. I blame you for
nothing.bat consider you to be • most persecuted
hiiiii.._nispthdly yours, H. Coorza." The jury
(the learned mania continued), would form their
own opinion WI to whether the defendant's descrip-
tion of the plaintiff was not an accurate one. Who
her persecutor was, they should shortly bean Early
in 1869, Mr. Cooper began refusing to pay the
annuity tinder the deed; mid sines that year, be
had defended 90 actimas ! Every sink payment of
the annuity had had to be eaforoed. Sixteen of the
actions had ipso to trial, and in every case, without
exception, be had pleaded inaulting pleas. But
when it caner to the point, be had never ventured
to pot anybody in the box to prove them. He had
wiver moors& to appear himself; and time otter
time his maned bad found theories' without any
valid grounds of defence. The misery sod the
creaky be bad indicted on this poor girl, it wan im-
Deihl* to overstate. But des& be had sabjested
bet to every sort of annoyance and wrong, site bad
been unable to bring aa motion, because whatever a
man placed on the retard at a trial was a privileged
amusimisatios. Not content, however, with plead-
ing insulting pleas, Mr. Cooper sottielly get_eee of
sa a Uwe islendsd goatee htibecivild ; and
consa
were suet to Mr. Wilson and • number of
pongee In the esighboinitood, with " Mr.