The Dorset County Express and Agricultural Gazette.
Dorchester, Dorset, England, 1859-12-06 00:00:00

failtsbire.

MAIDEN BRADLIY.—Rifie (by-pl.—Lord Seymour
gave the members (who now number nearly 70), a
dinner at the Somerset Arms, on the 25th ult. The
corps have been principally raised amongst the ten-
antry of the Duke of Somerset and are a line body
of men. After the dinner some able speeches were
made by Lord Seymour, Rear-Admiral Fisting,
Henry Fasting, Esq., the Rev. G. It. Brown, M.A.
and others, and the meeting was a very spirited
one.

TRownitsnox.—The Volunteer Rifle Corps formed
in this town has been supported with great enthu-
siasm. The muster roll at present is about 70, and
will, no doubt, go on steadily increasing. The rou-
tine of drilling is practised. every evening at a
spacious room in the new factory of the -Messrs.
Clark, near the 1.11 bridge. Thomas Clark, Es' is
the Captain; W. P. Clark, RN., Lieutenant, and
Mr. J. G. Foley, the ensign of the corps. Walter
Long, Foy., M.P., Rood Ashton House, and William
Stancomb, Esq., of Springfield, have sent the hor..
secretary a donation or £5O each, to meet current
expenses. We trust that this noble example will ho
followed by others.

BRADFORD•ON•A VOX. —Cliurch Mit/dons. The
meetings announced in our last impression were
held on Wednesday, and were each of them well
attended. Liberal collections were made at the close
of each meeting.
A VESURY. —The fog was so dense in the neigh-
bourhood of Oars on Tuesday that an inhabitant of
Overton lost his way there, and at length found
himself at Everleigh. He was compelled to crawl on
his hands and knees to find the track.
. .

A R LBOKOI/0 —Serioua A mules!. —On Thursday
week, u George Bailey, carter to Mr. Sidney Willis,
of this town, was standing the Wootton Bassett
station, with a load of Wiley, • train came along
and frightened the homes. They at once bolted off,

knocked the man down, and, passing over him,
broke the bridge of his nose, and otherwise seriously
injured him. The horses stopped of their own
accord on coming to the Wootton Bassett hill. A
surgeon from Wootton Bassett was soon at the eta-
tine, and the man has been brought home, where
he lies in a precarious state. He is a very steady
man, and has been carter to Mr. Willis for nearly
14 years.
TVATIMONIAL. —On Wednesday evening last,
another testimonial was presented to Mr. J. G.
Foley, the zealous secretary to the Trowbridge
Horticultural Society, after an excellent dinner pro.
vided by Mr. Hague, at the Woolpack Inn. The
testimonial consisted of • very elegant silver ink.
stmt, which was presented to Mr. Foley by Mr.
Dawson, on behalf of himself and brother exhibitors.
Mr. Foley expressed his acknowledgments in suita-
ble terms, und the evening was spent most agreably.
J. C. Ilaywiwd, Esq., presided; supported by
J. W. Stapleton, Faq.
lIF.ADING AND MATUAL IMPROVEMENT SOCIETY.
—A lecture in connection with this society was de-
livered at the Town Hall, on Monday evening, by
Mr. H. Pepper, on " Chemistry " to a large assem-
bly. The lecture was exceedingly interesting, and
the numerous experiments were highly successlul.

Sr. PETER'S SCHOOLS. —The Rev. R. K Hughes,
H.M. Inspector of Schools, has again examined
those schools, and we learn that "the instruction,
discipline, and tone of these schools are very good,
sound, and pleasing. The school having been
during the year placed in connexion with the depart-
ment of science and art, the boys exhibited their
drawings, which the Inspector highly commended.
The master has been presented this year with a first-
class certificate by the committee in council, in con-
sequence of the admirable condition of the school.
St. Mary's Schools have also been examined, and
obtained a satisfactory report.
We understand that at a meeting of the Town
Council held on Monday, the project of the Marl-
borough Branch Railway was brought under notice,
and the feeling was general in favour of the measure,
but further information as to the details and pro-
moters was looked for before any decisive move
should be made. We hear also that the mayor was
requested to call a meeting of the inhabitants, rela
tive to the formation of a Rifle Corps, of a different
kind from that proposed by the Marquis of A ilesbury,
in connection with the Royal Wiltshire Yeomanry
Cavalry, for which we are happy to hear the number
of recruits is nerrly made up.
lIENGERYORD.—Serious Accidemi.—Mr. J. Lang-
ford, of this town, met with a serious accident on
Saturday. He WU returning from Marlborough
market, and while driving through the forest his
horse took fright at a steam engine, which was
driven by steam power, and guided by two horses,
and beimming unmanageable, run into a hollow by
the side of the road. Mr. Langford was thrown out,
and his right arm was broken, but neither the gig
nor the horse were injured.
SwiNuoN.—Tke New Swindon Dratnestk Society.
—On Thursday evening, this society gave an excel-
lent representation of the "Merchant of Venice," in
the Theatre of the Mechanics' Institution ; which
was attended by &fashionable audience, including the
Earl and Countess of Shaftesbury, Lord Ashley,
M.P., A. L Goddard, Esq., M.P., &c.

ArPOINTMCKT.—The Right HOD. Sir William
Erie, Knight, Lord Chief Justice of Her Majesty's
Court of Common Pleas at Westminster, has ap-
pointed John William Brown, gentleman, to be one
of the Perpetual Commissioners for taking the
acknowledgements of deeds to be executed by mar-
ried women, under the act passed for the abolition
of fines and recoveries, and for the substitution of
more ample modes of assurance, in and for the
county of Wilt.. . . . . .

Keivii..—A melancholy and fatal accident occurr-
ed to a man named Garland, who was engaged with
a thrashing machine, on the farm of Mr. Joseph
Maiden at Kt-evil, on Saturday, the 26th ult. Gar-
land was the fireman, but had just got upon the
machine (for the purpose of taking the feeder's place
for a few minutes), when putting his foot acciden-
tally against a board, from which an iron pin was
miming, the board gave way, and the poor fellow's
leg slipped into the drum of the machine. In a few
seconds the foot and lower part of the leg were en-
tirely beaten to a pulp. The engine was stopped as
quickly as possible, but it was nearly three quarters
of an hour before the poor fellow was extricated, lie
was subsequently removed to a cottage, and several
medical men were sent for, but at the time most of
them were unfortunately from home. Mr. Keurick,
of Melkaham, was the first to arrive, but finding that
amputation was absolutely necessary, he waited the
arrival of Messrs. Stapleton, from Trowbridge. The
shattered limb was then amputated, but the poor
fellow only survived the operation about ten
minutes.

NIALMEADUKY. —Sheep Stealing.—Sattirday, 26th
November, before T. Luce, and S. B. Brooke, Esqrs.
Matthew Arnold, a dealer, and John Edward Pic-
kett, a farmer's son, both of Somerford Keynes, were
brought up under remand, charged with stealing from
Long Newnton on the night of the ISth inst., a teg
sheep, the property of Mr. William Peacey. Mr.
Jones appeared on behalf of the prosecution, and Mr.
Pratt, of Wootton Bassett, defended the prisoners.
A great deal of interest was manifested in the pro-
ceedings owing to the prisoners position in life. A
gnat many witnesses were examined, and the prin-
cipal facts adduced were as follows :—On the night
in question a sheep was stolen from Mr. Peacey's fold
and immediate information WM given to the police,
wbo discovered the marks of a horse and trap, in the
old Foss (or Boman) road close to Mr. Peacey's fohL
FootmArks of a peculiar character were also found
hailing to the field, and a strict inquiry resulted in
tracing the horse and trap to the prisoners house.
Mr. Superintendent Staples interrogated Arnold as
to his whereabouts on the night of the robbery and
he accounted, but the statement he made proved to
be incorrect. l'ickett, acknowledged being with
Aniold on the night of the robbery, but their state-
ment thus totally disagreeing, they were both taken
into custody. A search was made and the entrails
and blood of a sheep were found in the wash-tub.
Thomas Packer deposed to meeting Arnold on Sa-
turday morning last, in Shorncott Lane, with his
horse and trap. They were both going to Cirences-
ter. Arnold asked him to buy the carcass of a sheep,
adding that it was not convenient for him to sell, as
he had vegetables in his trap. Packer eventually
bought it at 5.1 d. per lb. Next evening Arnold's
brother called on him and said he was sent by Ar-
nold's wife to say if any one called on him he was to
deny buying the sheep, or having any dealings.
Other corroborative evidence was given, and both
prisoners were committed for trial. Mr. Pratt
applied to bail Pickett, but the bench refused the
application.