The Dorset County Express and Agricultural Gazette.
Dorchester, Dorset, England, 1859-02-08 00:00:00

BLANDFORD.

COURT FOR DIVoRCE AND MATRIMONIAL
(.USES, Ftll. 2.
(Lk:fore Mr. Ju•dice WIGH ri I.N, Mr. Ihron MARTIN,
• -• •

and the Juix:F.4 Haat:ARV.)

tifflTH r. 04)11111 AN!) wrrKs.

Dr. Spinks and Mr. W. M. Cook were counsel for the
petitioner.
The petitioner, Jolin William Smith, prayed for a dis-
solution of marriage on the ground of the adultery of his
wife, Susan Smith, with Richard Weeks. The marriage
took place in October, 1843, and one son has been born.
Mr. Smith is the landlord of the King's Arms Inn,
Whitchurch, a village between Bland/MA and Imr-
chester, and the co•respowlent who is a married Mal
about 50 years of age, drives the Magnet ooach between
those two towns. The coach has always stopped twice
a-day at the King'. Arms. and All intimacy sprang up
between Mrs. Smith and Weeks. In the latter part of
Irtri7 suspicions were aroused in the mind of Mr. Smith
that his wife had been guilty of adultery. Ile accord- ,
ingly employed • man named Charles E Inionds, the
assistant-bailiff of the Wareham County Court, to watch
them. Edmonds followed Mrs. Smith in two are three
occasions to Blandford, to Dorchester, and to Wey-
mouth, and saw her there in the company of Weeks,
but was unable to obtain any ea idence of adultery. Mr.
Smith then applied to the Mr. C. F. Field, whose name
IN familiar to the public in connexion with inquiries of
this kind, who sent down his tirother, Mr..lolin Field,
to watch the parties. On the 22nd of January Mr.
John Field went to Dorchester, and took his place on
the Magnet coach to Blandurd. On passing Whites
church Mrs. Smith was mit into the coach by her bus-
bawl and went to Blandford. Field followed her at
Blandford until she WAS joined hy Weeks, and he AM
theisi go for a walk outside the town. He concealed
biniself in a gap in A hedge, but did not observe ally
improprieties, and lost sight of them before they
returned to time town. An es-police constable name!
Ballard, who is now in Mr. Field's service, wa., thoul
Wilt to Whitchnrch. At 4 in the uuuornun of the 27th
"(January lie and Mr. Smith got into the King's Arms,
through the hark parlour window, and concealed them'
selves in the cellar. At 7at night Ballard went into the
pantry, which commanded a view of the bar. When the
coach stopped Weeks came in, and Mrs. Smith Out •
bottle into his pocket, and ACCllirli very glad to see him.
Weeks then proceeded on his journey. Ballard re-
turned to the cellar, and about 10 at night beard the
hack parlour window opened, and a 111411 come in and
go up stairs into the bedroom. In the course of a
couple of hours Mrs. Smith Mlle down stairs, and
opened the front door. He did not see either Mrs.
Smith or the person whom she was suppioed to have
admitted by the window.
Mr. Harm Martin asked this witness what he had
to eat during the seventeen hours he was in the
cellar?
Ballard said, that Mr. Smith gave him bread and
cheesk, Mr. Smith was with him all the time.
1/r. Solid(/' in the course of the case mentioned Mr.
Field's firm.
Sir C. Cresswell said —What is there a firm now,
" Field and CO.?" la it • jUillt-StOCk company and
I limited. (Laughter.)
Mr. Spiriks said, it VIAA called a Private Impiiry-otlice.
The following letter was produced, which had le-en
picked up by a INT in the road between Wli itchurch and
Blandford last Omel Friday, after Mr. Smith had turned
away his wife. It was written by Mrs. Smith to Weeks,
but was lost by her and never reached his hands :

Wilitechurch, March 30th.

DEAR IV
1 Lant help st-riting relating about thi4 oil affair. I
hope ott .111 lea think me bold in doing ou must know
I hate heea in great t ..... hie •lIIM I left the KM:. Ann, I hate
it sp,keti to South duce our aeparttion 'dither do I want to.
but I should like t.. make 111111k...e1. me. He tvrote to me shout
three weeks ago, and told nie if I suninions him 1.. r lat. he
a,,tild try and get let ''roe, that he omiti do in a little time if
he thought proper, but I think he Ccallti 11.4 a ea-,t a, he
think fir. 1 a hill you cookd reconicnd air what to do in the
affair, leant to see you and hate a long chat chit toti, but I
tint atom how to, hr the fool people the, vii d other
peoples :Ord, tent than their ow., if I had my will I loud. a
poker 114.'11 their throats. 1 have been staying at riirrillgd..ll
S olin fr, 11l Illa.idtonl, that is alien, I was g..tttg a hon I um
u,,k•alp,. but I returned iii Whitechureli oti Saturant
Lad, HIV Unkle and Aunt • ish Ille Ulstay longer but it was so
very dull I ,Cll., 1ii111,4 crazy a. there was no mac to speak to
but iny Unkle and Aunt. there ea., nothing b, we but I. .t. of
eow• and pip, at that we.. llcscttlt C. 11111411) for lIIC llt trouble.
I aaw V.. 11 ride by it the I'l4ol titi. nlliflhiltg ti itteli lIMAk Ille
cry. I 11,pr you are ICA a.. 111111.appy at 111,..c11. 1 hone toil mill
In'ao kind as to ante and let me know all you hate heard
about Ma affair, lakb I hail been ihm.l before. I know there
Ii man) people that do Ina belles e ,uie wont that Smith say{
31.0111.. it, I Wiali it au lie., I .11.91.1iti Very act utak,: lie keen
ine, I ii,, not know how to make hint, net toil tell me. 1 atti
t" i,.tinion itt a short time, but I want to go to Dorchester
this week if you are willing b, take me. if you emit let me
know, I must go If I aalk. if 1 11111t1 111,C a talk a ith you I
could tell you lots of thing. that I rant put here. I must tell
, you liefore Igo bi London. I hope you will write 1,, night if iit
1111 l ruing, you eau loost it when you go to the
! ifi the morning. do not be afraid to write. Do WIC I,llt tll‘PCit
Milt ACC it. My Door Wei:k• you must buns this when u have
read it, I hope you wiil It aide to.

I 11:1112%,1
Your' affeeti"nately
SUSAN SIIITII.
If you aril,. )..0 c-all S at Mr. F Whilc•
church.

Mr. Justice Wightman was of opinion that the evi-
dence only proved that some familiarities—perhaps
undue familiarities—had taken place between the land-
lady of an inn and the driver of • coach who had been
accustomed to pnt up there for years, but that it com-
pletely failed in establishing that the Act of adultery had
been committed. If the resisuolent had been guilty of
adultery when Field and Ballard were bron;ht from
London, Smith would have been in some sort an acces-
sory before the fact, to his own ,li.,honour. for it seemed
t• be his object to give her an opportunity to commit
adultery. But those witnesses, according to their own
a•aount, saw nothing from which it could be interred
that adultery had been committed ; nor wag there any-
thing in the letter, although some of the expressions
were suapicioua, inconsistent with her innocence
Mr. Baron Martin and Sir Creams-ell concurred, and
the petition was dismissed.