The Dorset County Express and Agricultural Gazette.
Dorchester, Dorset, England, 1859-12-13 00:00:00

WINCHESTER, TIICRADAT, DEC. 8.

(Before Mr. Baron ell A NF: I.L.

John Sullivan, Sainuel Iligp, and Mary Ann Smith
were indicted for assaulting and robbing Henry Ruin-
bold, on the 2nd of August last.
Mr. Young was counsel for the prosecution.
It appeared that Hunibold was a labourer living at
Winchester. On Tuesday evening, the 2nd of August,
lie went to Magdalen-hill fair, which is near Winches-
ter. itutubold paused the greater part of the night at
the fair. lie left about half-past three o'clock in the
morning, and started on his way to Winchester. On
the road lie overtook • girl named Elizabeth Unser,
and they went on the road together until they came to •
place called Knight's Firs, when Sullivan and Smith
came up. They stopped, and in a minute or two Higgs
came up and called Sullivan aside. Higgs then kicked
Rumbasld and knocked him down. Hine fell on him.
Humbold began to cry out, and Higgs called out to Sul-
livan to come and put hts hand on his mouth. Sullivan

and put his hand on
'etis chthesetni not to choke the old
ttkrioc,lc.d down. The prisoners got up, and then Rum-
hi
sennuku'annue,tillit' 7sl:Penideßn•ianesirub°biteisigCdtan instantly struck in the face and
bold got up and found that his pocket had been lucked
o
' 'th then said, he has got • watch, and I'll
down. hull
d's acco ut she 1 and according to Itumbol u e put her
have ,
k his watch from '
hand into his pocket and too him.
of 12s. or 14s. which he had in it before he was knocked
Rumbold then went away, and upon reaching Winches-
ter he went to the police, and they returned and found
Palmer and Ws sitting on the steps of the Black Bear
linlc-
bou,,e• Palmer' said she would give Ruinbold his
watch, and she went round a building and returned with
the watch, which she gave to Ruinbold. Another
policeman went to the Compasses public-house, in
Parchment-street, Winchester, and there found Sullivan
and Smith. The former said the old man bad got his
watch and did not want to press the charge. Smith said
she did not take anything, and began crying. They
were taken into custody. In the course of the morning
Higgs was apprehended at another beerbouse ; in his
pocket was a knife, which had been taken from Rum-
bold.
The witness Palmer admitted, in cross-examination by
the prisoner, that she had agreed with them that the
watch should be sold, and she should have part of the
money it sold for.
The male prisoners were soldiers.
The jury found all the prisoners guilty.
The learned .ludge said it had been exceedinglydistreas-
ing to him at these &mixes to observe the dabs of per-
sons who had buen chiefly brought before him. On some
occasions they saw persons charged with offences who
were almost driven to desperation in consequence of dis•
tress and • difficulty in obtaining employment, but the
persons who had been charged here were at well
dressed as anyone in court, and belonged to a service of
which they might well be proud. They were well fed,
well clothed, and well taken care of. There were no
less than four or five of them who combined together,
and acted in concert to rob this old man, who had much
better have been at home in bed. An example must be
made of such persons, and he should not be doing his
duty if he did not sentence the two male prisoners to
three years' penal servitude, and the woman to 12
months' imprisonment with hard labour.
William Ilishoprigg %VILA indicted for cutting and
auunding George Hellyer, at Gosport, on the %tit
of November, with intent to do him grievous bodily
harm.

Mr. Beetham conducted the case for the prosecution;
ane Mr. Poulden for the prisoner.
It appeared that Hellyer kept the Hare and Hounds
publicliouse on the beach at Gosport. The prisoner, who
belonged to the Durham Militia, was there ; he took uff
his coat and insisted upon fighting. Mrs. Ilellyer told
him she would call the picket, upon which he knocked
her down. Her husband came, and the prisoner asked
for a knife, and a soldier grata him one, and he cut Hel-
lyer with it in the face.
Mrs. Hellyer was crosa-egamined by Mr. Poulden.—
Were there not • great number of drunken people in the
house No. There were not.

Were there not many soldiers there?—Yes. But they
were not drunk. 18 or 19 of them often come into my
house and have but one pint of beer among them. They
come in and drive everything before them, and I drive
them out pretty soon after.
Have you not had your license taken from you?
You seem to know everything, and therefore you know
that. I shan't tell what house it was, you know well
enough.
But the judge wants to know ?—lf he dotal he'll ask
Inc. I will tell you my Lord, but I won't answer that
gentleman any more—a parcel of stupid questions. I
had not had too much that day; I had only had six.
pennyworth of brandy and cold water with it. I am
nervous, and therefore don't drink gin. I had not had
any beer, for I don't drink it. Iliad had nothing else
in the spirit line. I had had some tea. There was •
good deal of fighting going on, and there were fifty
people there. The 81st are a different sort to those Dur-
ham. The Mist call for their beer ; but the Durham,
never call for anything, but take up other people's beer.
The prisoner threw beer over me, and I threw beer over
him. I have not lost two licenses. They would not give
we • chance of that.

By the judge.—l was married when I lost my lianas.
Why I've been married these 30 years.
To Mr. Poulden.—You ought to know the law. If
I lost my husband and married again they would
give my other husband a license. You ought to know.
lte-examined.--I had a fiddle in my house, and that
was against the Act of Parliament.
The judge told the witness that if she had kept
herself quiet she would have saved • great deal of trou-
ble.

The witnesa.—My Lord, I told you I would answer
you anything.
The judge.—Oh yea, you were very civil to me.
Ileßyer himself wan called, but it nut appearing that
he could say that he had been cut at all but that it
might have been done with the fist.
The learned judge interfered and ordered and acquit-
tal.

rd e ict, not guilty.
The sergeant of the regiment was sent up to give the
prisoner • good character.
Ann quintan WII6 indicted for unlawfully wounding
Mary Jordan. with intent to maim her.
Mr. Iteethain was counsel for the prosecution ; and Mr.
Carter defended the prisoner.
It appeared that there was some disagreement be-
tween these women they scratched each others !sees,
pulled each others hair, knocked each other down, but
at length the prisoner bit off a piece of Mary Jordan's
fingers.

The jury found the prisoner guilty of a common u-
mule only, and she wu sentenced to one montb's impri-
sonment, but without hard labour.

TliE SENTENCE UPON DR, SMETHCRST.—The public
is probably not aware that the conviction and sentence
of this prisoner will entail many forfeitures and disabili-
ties upon him in addition to the actual punialiment
which be will have to undergo. The offence of bigamy,
tIJ tile law at present stands, amounts to felony, siid
any person convicted of it immediately loses all claim
to any property, whether goods, chattels, or lands, of
which lie may be possessed or to be entitled to in rever-
sion, at the time of his conviction. It will be recol-
lected that the unfortunate deceased lady, Miss flukes,
only twlm days before her death made a will, at the re-
quest of the prisoner, under which Dr. Smethurst was
made sole executor, and would have become possessed
of the whole of her property. If, therefore. the pardon
lout closed the proceedings, and no further steps had
been taken in reference to the charge of bigamy, lie
would in all probability have put the will in force, and
as it is doubtful whether the relatives of the deceased
could, under the zircuanatances under which the will
was executed, apparently with the full knowledge and
consent of the deceased lady, have resiFted it, Dr.
Sinethuist would have collie into possesion of the whole
of the property of Miss Rankes, which is said to amount
to usual thousand pounds. The effect of his convic-
viction, however, precludes him from obtaining a single
farthing under the will, and as those upon whom the
light devolves to take possession of his property are not
likely to interfere Miss Bankes will probably be con-
sidered as dying intestate, and the property will revert
to her family. It has generally been the practice where
parties possessed of property have been charged with
felony, in order to obviate the risk of it going to the
Crown, for the prisoner to execute an assignment of all
his estate to some relative before trial, IN, that in the
event of a conviction no seizure might be made. The
law with regard to this matter is very peculiar. In or-
dinary cases the property of a felon vests in the Crown,
but in some districts the lord of the manor claims the
right, and there are instances on record where an exten-
sive landed estate belonging to a person convicted of
felony has been claimed and seized by the lord of the
manor. In the city of London the corporation, by
virtue of ancient charters, claim the right to the pro-
perty of all felons convicted within their jurisdiction,
and the Sheriffs take possession of all property found
upon the prisoners who are convicted at the Central
Criminal Court ; and although articles of • trifling cha-
racter are usually given up still the right is invariably
claimed. It may be remembered that in the cue of the
extensive gold-dust robbery upon the South Eastern
Railway a few years ago, when it appeared that Turkish
13onds to • considerable amount had been purchased
with the proceeds of the rubbery, the Sheriffs success-
fully asserted their right to take possession of this pro-
perty or, behalf of the corporation. All the interest in
any property that was posseued by the prisoner prior to
his conviction is now, therefore, vested in the corpora-
tion of the city of London, and they would he the par-
ties, if any, to claim any interest he might have under
the will of the deceased lady.

DIMTUESSING ACCIMMT. We read in the Journa
Genere :—" On Wednesday evening a deplorable
accident occurred at Laney, at a ball held at the house
of • gentleman in the town. Before the dancing com-
menced the tire in the saloon hail been carefully covered
over with cinders. The first dance was ovor, and the
second alsiut to begin, when a young lady in passing
before time fireplace swept some cinders from the fire-
pate with the hem of her dress. Instantly, the texture
being of time lightest description, the whole dress was in
flames. Rushing into the middle of the room, she was
quickly surrounded by several other young ladies, who
without dreaming of the danger they encountered, threw
themselves on her in order to extinguish the names.
The fire was thus communicated from one to the other,
and very speedily five other young persons were on fire.
In the midst of indescribside confusion the flames was
momptly extinguished in three cases, the injury not ex-
tending beyond • few burns; unhappily the three other
young ladies suffered dreadfully, though not to the abso-
lute cost of their lives."

A l'i.r.gcnise FHOTICN TO DEATIL—On Thursday
the body of a well-dressed man was found in the Hagg's
Wood, in the neighbourhood of Glasgow, by Sir John
Maxwell's gamekeeper. The body has since been iden-
tified as that of the Hey. Dug.ld Douglea, minister
of the established church, ()ban. Mr. Douglas was
twenty-fire years of age, and studied at the University
of Glasgow. He rose from the ranks of the working
classes by his own indomitable perseverance and toiliog
industry. He was a successful, because a hard-working
student, and probably to his excessive study at college,
and in the discharge of every duty then &ad since, may
be traced his melancholy end, which there is little
reason to doubt was brought about by the hallucinations
of so overwrought brain. He was ordained to the pas-
torate of the church at Oban about six months ago,
and on-ached with acceptance there until about seven
or eight weeks since when lie became ill not only bodily,
but to some extent mentally. Ile came to Paisley for
a change of air, and resided with an uncle. On Satur-
day forenoon, the 24th ult., he went out for • short
walk ; but lie never returned, and lie was not seen
again by his relations until Thursday last, when his
corpse was found in the wood. A bottle which had con-
tained whisky, was found beside him ; and from the
post mortrot examination of his boiy at Pollokshaw, it
was evident that lie had partaken of its contents—
another proof of his aberration of mind, for he was a
gentleman who usually never took spirits. Upon him
was found • bank chnitie for a considerable sum of
money, and some loose notes. There were no inark•
of violence upon the body, so that it is almost certain
that be died from exposure to the cold. How he came
to be where lie was found no one can say. His parents
are alive, and his grandmother lives in Glasgow. He
was respected by all who knew him, and his melancholy
decease will be much regretted by his attached sock
and friends.

A female head, in bronze, was lately found in a field
at Villette, near Vienna. It is supposed to have be-
longed to a statue of the Empress Faustins, wife of the
Emperor Marcus Aurelius, from that name being en-
graved beneath • diadem.