The Dorset County Express and Agricultural Gazette.
Dorchester, Dorset, England, 1861-03-12 00:00:00

BTEALINU IRON AT 17H6RDORNE. •

Charles Brown and George Day, pleaded not guilty
to an indictment charging them with stealing iron front
the Sherburne Railway Company, on the 2nd of Jan.
last.—Mr. Ffooks prosecuted.
From the evidence of William Heals it appeared that
prisoners had been working in • yard, from which
some iron had been missed. An assistant at Mr.
liolbin's, marine store dealer at Sherbortie, said that on
the 19th of December the prisoner Day came to hie
'nester's shop and offered • quantity a iron for side.
He said he had come in from the country. The weight
of the iron was uesrly three cwt...., and he paid Day
2s. 4sl. per cwt. for it. On another occasion, the 2nol of
January, some inure iron was brought by Day. Mr.
Belbin asked him where he had it. He said he hat
bought some stones, and the iron was amongst them. He
went to the police-station, and gave information to the
police, and did riot buy any of the iron. P.C. Illacke
searched the prisoner Brown, whom he found on the
Bristol road. He was driving • horse and cart. Some
iron was in the cart, and the policeman said he should
take him into custody for having the iron in his pos-
session. Brown said it wax nothing to him as it was
Dny's. The policemen took thew both into custody.
Sept. Lewis, who accompanied the last witness when he
took the prisoners into custody, said lie went to Mr.
Belbin's house and received some iron from him. Some
of the iron bore the name of Mr. Brassey, the railway
contractor. He searched the house of Brown, and
found mime iron bars and other pieces of iron. The ,
prisoners hail in the cart when token into custody about
lni ewts. On the 4th of January lie went to Mr.
Itrassey's yard, and took some pieces of iron which
corresponded exactly with that found in possession of
the prisoners.—Mr. lica.soy's lnnannrgn r said tho iron now
pnaluced resembled Mr. Itrassey's iron, but he could not
oeear ton it as .0111 C iron had been sold from • heap
which was for sale in the yard. No iron had been sold
by them since October ; therefore, to; the piece ow pro.
duced was bright, it was ittiboooilile that the iron found
on the prisorwrs hail ever been sold by Mr. Brassy/.
Some stories were sold in December, and these were
being carted at the time the iron was loot. The stones
were in the same yard as the iron. A man named
Walters roil lie bought smue stones from Mr. Brassey,
and employed Willis to cart them away. Day worked
for Willis, as driver, and witneei employed Brown.
lie tlid not pee any i emongot the stones Inc bought.
On the 2ml of January he saw /SOIIIC iron amongst the
stones. He ask, 4 Day what this meant, RA he did not
buy any iron with the stones, and that it could not
belong to him or to the prisoner. Day told him to
mind kin bunieess.
A paper was then read from both prisoner's, which
stated that they foetid the Iron amongst the stones, and
that it was lying about in different places in the yard,
and that thty took the iron in ignorance, an they thought
it belonged to the man who employed them to cart the
stones.
His Lordship briefly 'interned up. and the jury re-
turned a verdict of" Guilty" against both the prisoners,
and the learned judge sentenced them to one mouth's
hard labour.