The Dorset County Express and Agricultural Gazette.
Dorchester, Dorset, England, 1868-12-22 00:00:00

DORCIIESTER.

opite of the most unpropitious
weather, there was • nnnirroue attendance it the Town.
Tharaday evening, to bear "Sophia and Annie."
Their entertainment wee clever and amusing.
ALL Saturn' CHURCH—There was a vestry meeting
at all Saint's &serail, on 'Thursday morning,to determine
how the noroseary expanses of the church for the
ensuing year are to be raised. Two plans were diecuseed—
a voluntary church rate of &ixpeoce in the pound, and •
net rent. Decision was deferred until next Thursday.
CHRISTMAS HOLIDAT.—Th• Mayor (J. F. Hodges,
Faq.,) recommends Monday, the 28th, as • general
holiday. By this (nurse all interference with the
Saturday market will be avoided, and generously-dis-
posed employers will be able to give an extra holiday to
snob of their assistants whose friends live at a distance,
by sparing them until Tuesday morning.

11oxIc1ra..—Ist eonsequence of Mr. H. Lock haring
bean appointed an aldeiman, an election to supply the
vanaat post of town ootisaWor took pleas on Thursday.
There were two candidates, Mr. Hobert DllOllllll and
Mr. Hobert Hayne, lb* former of whom polled 69 and
the latter 9 rotes. Mr. Damen was consequently
declared electedL We hare no doubt that be will serve
the municipality wall

Tat WmAmex—The following is our meteorologied
evert for the week eliding &Way hut :

1 Meet!
I of W 167. State of Wcatber.
14 6.1
15 L 2
16 49
IT 60
10 65
19 46
25 48

4.6 8 rise, thunder Pad lightning
4d 8W ME Vine. gain
44 SW Italn,l4ll
40 WNW 8 row. rain
NW 8 iCloudy. Ng,
117 w
cloudy
41 SE !lino

Bowman Piny 818dIONS. 1161tdor.— Before the
Mayor (J. F. Hodges, geri.). B. Dor* Eel, mid J.
Bishop, Esq.
A. shoemaker, named Popio, of Fordinstoo, was fined
FS, or two mouths' hard labour, for being drunk, aed
reglaknig sod asseatling P.S. Cousins oil*lanky

Dine( OPAL Prig! SetetoNe, Saturday. Before '
Major Steward end G. Wetly, Rae-
Drunk al l'aiddleinion. —Jain Nasunttl, charged by
Pia Bishop with lying in the street at Puddletown on
the sth of December drunk and inseusible, was fined Se.
Including costa.
...C7141N , of riding is it Railway Carriage without a
l'irket.—Ckarlej Read, of Maiden NOWtell, was charged
with having ridden frum Dorchester to Maiden Newton
In a third-stare carnage of the Great Weiteni Railway
Company without • ticket, With intent to defraud the
oompany.—lnspeeter Morrison appeared as prosecutor,
arid R. N. Howard, defended.—P.C. Dyke, •
policeman at Maiden Ne•ton Station, mild : On the
arrival of the 8.45 p.m. train from Weymouth 'collected
the tickets. I did not demand • ticket from the
defendant. I saw him come from the direction of the
train and go into the refreshment.room.—Crosse
examined : l oollected five tiekets from Dorchester
to Mellen Newton by that train. There were
other people on the platform besides those who
oftnio by the train from Dorchester. I admit
that I went off front the platform with • female, a Miss
Spriustlin. with whom I am acquainted. She might
have •)een on the platform an hour previous to our
walkiag away. Miss Spranklin is servant in the same
house as the defendant. I did not go and ask the
defendant for his ticket. when the train comes in at
the station lam always at the gate. Sometimes the
pumices will go into the refreshment-room from the
train, and then we do not ask for their tickets until
they come to the gate. After I saw defendant go into
the refreshment-room, I was relieved (reel duty by P.C.
Stevens. We are not in the habit of demanding tickets
of passengers till they arrive at the gate to go out.—
P.C.. Stevens said he was • policeman at the Maiden
Newton satiety station. He remembered the 29th of
November. On the evening of that day, shortly after
the arrival of the 8.45 train, he relieved the last witness
from duty. Dyke told hint that he had not received •
ticket from Read (the defendant), and requested witnesa
to ask him for it. Witness went into the refreshment.
room and asked defendant for his ticket, when he
answered "Not to-night, thank you." Shortly after-
wards defendant left tbe nation and went into the
village. Witham followed and asked him for his ticket,
when he said he had given it to Dyke. —Cross-examined
Witmer went into the refreshment-room to enquire if
there were any partite wishing to proceed for Bridport.
It was not then the defendant made use of the words
"Not to-night, thank you." His duty was to stay at
the @Wien all night, and let people go off the platform.
—William Markham Hill, a clerk at the Dorchester
station of the Great Western railway, said that he
issued eight tickets for third-class trains on the 29th Nov.
Deedlester to Maidens Ne•ton.—Oross-saantined t I
could not say whether the defendant did or did not take
• ticket for the last train from Dorchester to Maiden
Newton. It was his duty to remain in the booking
°Moe and issue the tickets for the different trains. The
defendant might or might not have taken • ticket for
that train for Maiden Newton. Ile "odd not recollect.
—This was the rase for the prosecution, and Mr.
Howard having commented on the evidence, called for
the defence two witnesses named respectively Third
and Collins, who swore that they saw Read take his
ticket out of his pocket, and give It to P.C. Stevena—
The magistrates dismissed the case, remarking that the
railway company had committed an act of grime
negligence in not engaging a solicitor for the prosecution,
by whom the ease might have been conducted, instead
of entrusting it to an tweeter ot their own, who could
bare no legal voice, and whose arguments would have
no
weight whatever.
Frederick Derrick and Israel Doris, of Dewlish, were
charged by John Drake, keeper to Sir John Michel,
with having laid down certain wires with intent to I
snare game in • field called " Woodgronnd" adjoining
the Blandfonl turnpike. It appeared that the keeper ,
having sighted the wire, laid wait, and in due course I
the defendants were seen owning on each side of the
hedge where three wirer were set. Derrick went up to
them, and finding One of them sprunt re-met it, and
proceedel to visit other scares, when he observed the
keeper and ran off—Fined 10s. each.
Justice v. Hrenanily.—Robert Broadley was charged
with trespassing on hind the property of the Earl of
Ilobester, and taking • hare from • snare suppoeed to
have been laid by him.—Mr. Andrews prosecuted, and
Mr. Howard defended. —John Hedge, keeper, said I On
Sunday, the 13th alt., he was on a hill on the Earl's
estate, when he heard the "ruffle" of a hare, and on
proceeding in the direction of the mound, he found the
animal caught in • snare by the neck and struggling and
screaming to get free. This was between eleven and
twelve o'clock in the morning, and he hid himself in
the furze until five or six, when he saw defendant come
past where he was hid and proceed to where the hare
was snared. He stooped, took the hare out of the trap,
looked round, and quietly walked on. Witness then
started in pursuit, whets defendant immediately ran off,
followed by Hedge, until defendants house appeared at
hand, and the keeper drew back. He (witness) could
swear that defendant was the offender, as at times
during the race they were not more than three or four
yards apart.—For the defence Mr. Howard stated that
defendant was in the employ of Mr. Wert, as stock.
keeper, and bed to pats the spot where the hare lay
entrapped on his way to feed the cattle. He commented
severely on the conduct of the keeper in thus torturing
• poor animal by allowing it to remain in the position
in which he found it—in • species of garotte, from noon
till between five and six, and said that no Act of
Parliament ever justified such. proceeding. The Bench
ordered defendant to pay 10a, at the same time
expressing their abhorrence of the cruel means adopted
by the keeper for waylaying the captor of the hare, and
wished it to go forth o tile public that it was not the
wish or desire of justice that ouch cowardly traps should
be laid for men whose lawful business carried them on
the highway.—The Chairman intimated to the keeper
that at the least the poor animal might have been
, killed, and Riot have been obliged to endure five or six
hours of excruciating torture in order to entrap some
peeeesiwisre pabaust.