The Dorset County Express and Agricultural Gazette.
Dorchester, Dorset, England, 1861-04-02 00:00:00

BRIDPORT.

OPENING OF TRE CRICKET SKASON. —The mem-
ben of the Pymore Cricket Club will meet on
Thunda,y neat at the Town liall, 4 12 o'clock.
Tus FLOOD. —Serious damage hoe ben occasioned

by the floods of Tuesday end Wednesday last to the
gardens in the occupation et Messrs. Spooner, .
Hawker, and Lisnotube. Several parties have sus-
tained loss in garden seeds, itc.
The lecture delivered by Mr. Paramecia on Fnday.
March 22i01, was bet thinly attended, -which will
the more to be regretted, as the subject Amen,
Shetland and the Shetlanders," was one calculated .
not only to interest but to instruct. Unfortunately
at the present day more attention is paid to the mar.
voltam ILD4 fastitous, than to more maid and useful
subject,. We trust, howeier, that the efforts
made to indace a desire for a higher and more in-
tellectual feeling may be eventually crowned with
memos, and that whenever the worthy gentleman
may again favour the townspeople with another lec-
ture his services may be better appreciated.
CliUtUlt PASTOS AL Alb SUCULTY . —Sermons in
aid of this society were preached at the parish
church ou Sunday, March 28—in the morning
and evening by the Bev. J. C. Kelly, the deputa-
tion, and in the afternoon by the rector. The
annual meeting was held the following Monday
evening in the church schoolroom. The question as
to the fends for the payment of the evening see- •
vice was dimascd. ,nort:iiert.ply to Mr. Templeman,
Mr. Kelly st:/ted that. the A-dor was at liberty to
hold • third ser4ice in any ylnee he chose, and that
the society's gra.ol would lin continued if the third
service was held, e'een though. *at should not be
' held in the parish ci'..106.- A\ !hag discussion fol-
lowed, and the rector, in nipljit tirthe charge that .
the pew rents had been mints' suilSr imposed by him, .
dated that the raising of the Evening twevice Food, .
which was now found so moth fault vell, was M.
first voluntarily adopted by the parieleieuers, the*.
in ISEr2 Mr. INS/OpleMlill acted as tiwasarer. and'
I enquired how it wee that what was meadeval legal
in 1852, was held not to be so in 1601an1 1861.
After some farther remarks the subject dropped.
The sum of 16s. was sollected at the deers in
aid of the socady's funds.
At a meeting of the Town Conned, bell on
Wednesday, an address Of condolence to Her
Majesty on the death of the Duchess of Kent was
unanimously agreed to, and signed by the Mayer.
Aldermen, and other members of the Council.
At the Borough Petty
...Seesions, held on Tneeday,..
March 26th, before the Mayer (T. Beach, Esq.,) and I
Messrs. Whethan, Bernice*, and Cory, —Charles :
Nor man, of the Castle bus home, South-street,.
was charged with selling bear at melawful hoses, and
was fined 205., sad 'apeman 10a. 6d..—Mr. H. L.
Houma' was summoned for non-pigment of a high-
way rate, made in September last.. The case was •
adjourned till the following Thursday, when the •
Bench ordered that the defendant pay the rate
within fourteen days. Mr. Homiest' Mid he should
be under the necessity of appealing 110111H01 this
decision.

BURTON BRADSTOCN.
Ditarn room Vrouroce.—An inquest was bra
on Monday, March 25th, before S. S. Cory, Esq..,
coroner, touching the death of Mr. James Caimans,
of Burton, who expired on the previous Sunday, ,
owing, as was alleged, to injuries received in a
scuffle at fthipton. Previous to his death, the un-
fortunate man made a deposition before • =gig. •
trate implicating two men, named William and
Charles Crabb, as being the cause of his ir.jitries, and ,
they were brought up in custody, Mr. Gandry ;
appearing on their behalf.
The following evidence eraegiven
Robert Sin..: I live in triii parish of Shinten
Gorge, and lien • carpenter. I was at the New lon,.
Shipton. kept by John Manuel, about half-past live
&clock in the afternoon, on Saturday, March the 16th.
William Crabb and Charles Crabb Were there. Mr.
Junes COUSODS, of Burton, came in, and gave as two
quarts of eider. Mr. • Cousins had three pennyworth of
gin. The two Crabbs left the house with me, and after
going • short distance, William Crabb said be would go.
bock and call Mr. Cousins, as they bad promised to go.
home together. I then west into my own house, and
left William and Charles Crabb together. About five
minutes afterwards, I saw Wilfteno Crabb onteide my
window, with his jacket off, Libros loudly. He ap-
peared to be exasperated. Charles Crabb stood before
him and tried to prevent his going leek to the inn. I
afterwards saw Mr. Cousens at the inn door. Before
the two Crabbe left, M.:. Cousins sack "Mind the
soil at Town's Red, Bill, I'll let Wee Save en." I
usiderdood this to mean that he would' heal William
Ceabb. Mr. Consens did not complain lIP srs a any
Injury. He said nothing about any scuffle.
John Masuel: I ant an inn-keeper, in theionoish of
Illiipton Gorge, On Saturday afternoon Mania lath.
William Cr, Charles Cirabb, and Robert Stoats WWII
In my house drinking. About • quarter of air Lim
after they aims in, Mr. Imam Cousins came, and
asked for two 3 pennyworths of ins. He garo us (Wm:.
and C. Crabb, R. Stone, and myself) two quarts of cider;
which we four drank between us. When it was gone,.
Wm. and Chu. Crabb and R. Stone left the house. In ,
about three minutes Wm. Cribb returned, sat down,.
and asked Mr. Comas if be was going to Burton. Mr.
Cousins said,—" Bill, I have ing to do with you;
you are drunk." Wm. Crabb ore*iiid,—" You are •
liar. I itin not more drunk you are." Kr.
Cousins told him net to be saucy, to be would kick
him in a certain quarter. Win. Coalob then placed
himself against Mr. COWlelle bruit, awl Mr. Guineas
pushed him sway. Wm. Cribb this seised Mr.
Cense= by the coat. Both purled rowed, and fell
under the table sideways. Win. Cnobbilben tolled out
for Chas. Ctabb, who mime, and aftenspeed I. pell of
Mr. Cousins, but I seised him and pulled him away.
Ches. Crabb could have done Consigns no harm. We,.
Crabb them got up and went out of doors, Chas. Cribb
also went away. Mr. Comoros sat up on Vbe flow, and
said, " Oh ! John, if you had not been here, the issue
would have killed me." He complained of &wag re.
ceivedabl.wlotbeeye, and said he hod hurt his hood
in falling. lie did not complain of any other ropity.
He sat down, and remained about hall an hour. Hle
had threepennyworth more of gin, and then weint
home. He asked am to lend him • walking-stick, .
which I did, and he appeared to go away very well.
During the scuffle, no am was on C. Cousins, and I
saw no blows struck, but bode Ibis and William Crabb's
legs were moving. The three apes had had a little
drink, but they ;knew what they were about. Mr.
Cowen' lay on his right Ode, and Wm. Crabb faced
John Cousins: I am • yeoman, and reside in the
parish of Chideock. I know the person whose body the
jury have just viewed. He was called James Ceinosni,
and was 56 years of age. He was• farmer, and resided
at Burton &adstook. He died on Noonday, March 2.
Charles Cowdell, M.D., residing at Dorchester: I sax
• duly qualined doctor of medicine. I saw James
Cousins on Thursday afternoon. I found hem in bed.
complaining of pain in the abdomen, acomeopenied hr
frequent vomiting of the contents of the bower**, well
as of the stomach. He was evidently falling xi,idly
into a state of collapse. On ex/mining his hely. I
found but little tenderness over the &Women, wads,
marks of contusions in that part. There were two,
slight wounds on the front of the left leg, below Sin
knee, u if caused by • kick. His left eye was black.
I formed • very unfavourable opinion of him, and felt
almost certain he would die. I have this day assisted,
st a poet stortem examination of the body of James
Cousins. There were marks on it which I do not
remember having seen before death. On opening the
abdomen, the whole upper surface was semi to be
occupied with greatly distended small intestines. At
the upper part, the stomach was to be found greatly
distended and congested. Part of the bowel' presented
just such an appearance as would result from brimming
by any means. The condition of the stomach and
bowels was the true anatomical state correepondhsg
with the symptoms during life, and fully s 'eat to.
account for the death of the deceased. My opiaicia is
that death resulted from • portion of the bowels being.
bruised, and I think that that bruise must have been,
caused by some external violence.
M. Denziloe, surgeon, residing in the parish of Ar-
ington :lam a legally qualified medical man. I saw
James Ceusens on Wednesday evening. He then,
seemed to be suffering from slow infiammatory action
of the bowels. I did not think hint in imminent

--
danger, but thought ha might recover. I saw him
again on Saturday. Ile was then in a state of col-
lapse, and dying. I have this day made a post otorien
examination of the body. The bowels generally were
very much congested. On the upper part of the
ascending colon, just were it becomes transverse, there
was a bruise of the bowel, and this bruise was, un-
doubtedly, occasioned bye:ten:ma violence, and was quite
sufficient to account for death. I am of opinion thst
James Couzens came by his death from the bruise in
the bowels, and this bruise must have been caused by
external violence.

The Coroner here reed • sinieuseue made sad mess
to by the deemed in the presence of • magistrate. It.
was to the effect that deceased went to Shipton on the
16th and found three men drinking at Manners house.
One of these, Wm. Crabb then asked him for some
cider. He eve him a quart. Win. Cribb then asked
for another quart, which he also gave. Cribb asked
him (deceased) whether he was going home, and an
angry conversation, very much like that described by
the witness Manuel, ensued. Wm. Crabb then came to
him (Cousens) and pushed him about, and presently
pulled him off his seat. Both fell to the flour together.
The other man (Mae.. Crabb) then eame and fell on
Geuxens, and both Chas. and Wm. Crabb kicked and
stamped on him. Manuel palled them off. Coe's=
further stated that he returned home at eight o'clock,
and that he had felt the effects of the men's ill-usage
ever since. He was sober, but they were both drunk.
The Coroner in summing up said that, after hearing
Dr. Cowlell's and Mr. llteSilOeS evidence, be did not
think there could be any doubt as to the cause of death.
The question was, whether the bruise in the bowel was
produced by the men in credo*. If the jury could not
conscientiously say that it was proved to them that the
' injury to the intestine was really caused by Wm. Crabb,
they must find an open verdict.
After a few minutes consultation, the jury returned
• verdict, to the effect that James Consent died from a
bruise in the bowels, but there was not sufficient evi-
dance to show how that bruised was caused.
There was great excitement throughout the village
during the inquiry, and the verdict of the jury was
received with great satisfaction. Wm. Crabb was spoken
of by his neighbours as being generally • very quiet,
sober man.