The Dorset County Express and Agricultural Gazette.
Dorchester, Dorset, England, 1859-07-19 00:00:00

Sontersetsb ire.

TADNTON. —A few days ago a relique of tho Mon-
mouth rebellion was dug up in front of the White
Hart Hotel. Some men were excavating for laying
the pipes for the Taunton Water Company, when a
large oak post, about three feet in length, which
undoubtedly formed an upright part of the gallows
erected by Judge Jefferies, was taken out. The
wood is in good preservation, cud is now in the
poeseesion of Mr. Robert White, surveyor.

CUR ERNI? RAILWAY.— OUr railway station
building is begun, and the works on the Exeter
Extension of the South-Western Railway are pro-
greasing very fast, the masonry, brickwork, Lc.,
being now in a great measure completed. Ou two-
thirds of the entire line the permanent way ia laid,
although not all ballasted. The Honiton tunnel is
in an advanced state, and the brick lining will pro-
bably be completed in about two months. Several
of the station buildings are now in hand, and we
think the state of the works such as to
,justify our
supposition that the line will be in a tit state for
opening at the latter end of this, or at latest, very
early in the beguming of the next year.

Pottcz.—On Monday Ita/pA Corns, a navvie, was
brought up before T. Hoakuui and W. C. Lambert,
Fags., charged with maiming and maltreating Police-
constable Coggan. It appears that on the 11th of June
last the prisoner (Corns) and °dr navvies were drink-
ing together at the Five Bells beerhouse in this town'
where he had been very abusive during the evening.
Just before 12 o'clock the landlord John Brooks, not
being able to get clear of his pests, sent off for the
assistance of the police. ilouge. and Coggan, police-
constables, went to the spot end cleared the house, but
no sooner was this doe, than they were assailed by
language most abusive, the glass was smashed, and the
police in endeavouring to secure the parties were
roughly handled. Coggan had his staff taken from him,
and was knocked down by Corns and kicked in the
forehead, receiving &scalp wound from one to two inches
in length, which rendered him insensible for a time.
The party then left and the constable was laid up under
medical treatment for • fortnight. The prisoner (Corns)
made himself soiree directly after, bat was ultimately
captured at Kirkdale, and brought between 2 and 300
miles to justice. He was fined, penalty and costa,
£23 Ss. 6d., which was paid.
Gi-ssrossuev. —Fatal Attack by a Bull. —A
serious and fatal accident happened on Friday even-
ing week to Mr. Edmund Willcot, a respectable
fanner, of Godncy, near this town. It appears Mr.
Willcot returned home from Glastonbury about
eight o'clock on Friday evening • little the worse
for liquor. At nine o'clock he attempted to take a ,
bucket of water to an extraordinary tino bull, which
he had tied up in • stall in rather a dark situation.
His daughters tried to prevent his doing so by pull-
ing him by the coat, but on becoming rather warm
in his temper left him. In a few minutes they heard
his cries, when they ran to his assistance and found
him down under the bulL They dragged him out
and saw that his bowels were protruding through
his clothes, which had been riaped open by the
animal's horns. It seems that he must have fallen
over a piece of wood under the bull's head, which
so frightened the animal that it commenced the
attack on him. Dr. Barger, of this town, was sent
for, and he was soon in attendance, but his service
was of no avail, the decesaed expired about one
o'clock Saturday morning. lie was quite sensible
to the last. The bull MU always very docile before,
and it is supposed that he was so frightened, it being
dusk, that he did not recognize his master.
WILLIS. —Charge of Poisoning. —(.ln Thursday
week, a lad named Thomas Grist. WM brought
up in custody, ;before J. G. Everitt, and W. J.
Welsh, Emits, city maipstrates, charged with
attempting kJ poison Mr. Thomas Lovelace, a shoe-
maker, and his wife. It appeared that Grist had
been an out-door apprentice to Mr. Lovelace, about
two years, during which time he had absconded
from his master's service on several occasions, and
otherwise misbehaved himiseU, so as to neceesitate an
application to the police as lately is last Tuesday.
On Wednesday morning Mr. Lovelace made himself
a cup of tea, about 7 o'clock, which he and his wife
drank without feeling any ill-effects from it. A
little before 8 his wife made tea for their breakfast
and drank a small quantity before her husband
came in from his shop. She immediately found
something was wrong, and threw • portion of the
tea out of her mouth, and called her husband, who
tasted the tea and thought someone had put vinegar
into the water, as it was so sour. Mrs. Lovelace soon
complained of • burning sensation in her throat and
stomach, and felt mink. Her husband obtained an
ernes.; but this did not relieve her. Snspiciocs
then arose that poison had been put in the water,
which was confirmed by the discolounestion of the
metal tea-pot and other circumstances. Mr. Love.
lace went to his shop in search of • small box in
which he kept sonic oxalic acid for use in his busi-
ness, and missed the larger portion of that which
had been there on the previous day. He then
charged Grist with an attempt to potion himself and
his wife, and the prisoner replied by asking what
he (Lovelace) meant. ?Ars. Lovelace (who was suf-
fering considerable pain), her husband, journeyman,
and two apprentices were examined, as was also If.
W. Live, Esq., surgeon, who had been called in,
and who exhibited before the magistrates some skil-
ful tests as to the presence of poison in the tea, bat
stated that he should desire the tee, ao, to be tested
by an analytical chemist, which was ordered to be
done. The prisooer (who is about 16 years old) was
fully committed for trial at the ageism
CIIIDDAIL—Dead 0/a (criiiirrOM
at laSozicoJioL
An inquest was held last week, before
Sieges Fry, ?, oonsity coroner, on the body of
Fmk Wall, nine years, an illegitimate child of
Ellen Wall, single woman. It appeared from the
evidence that deceased, who was employed on the

I previous Saturday by Mr. Albert Hill, in Ids hay-
field. had been sent for a gallon of cider, and that
he Ara* absent for three hours. On his return it ap-
peared that nearly throe quarts of the cider had
beeu drunk, and it was supposed by the thietaced.
lie was in a fearful state of intoxication, and AWLS
I Keen to jump into the water several times, and per. Corns violent antics, more in =oM:um with one de-
• ranged than otherwise. The child was allowed to
remain in the field till nearly ten o'clock at night,
sal at last one of the witnesses, a labouring man,
icd tho humanity to take the poor little fellow hum.
Mr. Lawrence, surgeon, wu sent for the next morn-
ing who found the lad in a cenaeless state, and he
dim\ a few hours afterwards. Mr. Lawrence was of
opinion that deceased had died from apoplexy, aris-
ing from immersion in cold water whilst under the
in'aienee of lapior, anil from the heat in the system
produced thereby. The jury returned a verdict in
meortlance with the Etas. Thu case created the
greatest possible excitement in the parish. from a
rumour wide!' was in circulation that whiskey hail
been mixed with the cider for brutal sport, and that
the dectased had also been thrown into the water.
These allegations, however, the evidence failed to
prove • the witnesses, one and all, distinctly swear-
ing that &ceased was not injured in any way, or
improperly treated. The coroner observed that it
would have been more to the credit of those prtsent
if they had taken the child home Lather, instead of
suffering him to have reinained so long in the hay-
field in the state he was, as without doubt, the
me:am:holy r..%alt might have been averted.
Bilis-rob biro/m.4.—Th° duties received at Bris-
tol for the month ending the 3lith of June last, were
as follows :—Brandy, a:4,467 12s. tkl. ; coffee,
£514 Its. 7.1. ; (lour, CIO 19s. 3d. ; fruit,
£37 12s. ld. ; grain, £3...9 19, ; Geneva,
£54 14s. 6d.; runs, 1:4,120 54. 4.1.; sugar,
£126,343 las. 3d.; tea, .0,910 Os. 9.1.; tobacco,
£17,h17 ilk ad. ; wine; .C 5,050 3s. 3.1. ; wood
(sawn), £1,250 ss. 71. ; ditto (hewn), .*:4os 12s.
11d. ; ditto (other), £9 15s. ; other gouda,
£762 14s. 6d. ; total, £172,099 2s. 7.1.