The Dorset County Express and Agricultural Gazette.
Dorchester, Dorset, England, 1874-07-07 00:00:00

Cp!IIP COVIITA.SLIes arroaT.

The Chief Constable reported the apprehension during the
quarter of 143 penal., being a deereace of 31. I/lecher:rod,
eurnimuily disposed of, 101; eonlinitted for trial, 13 "The
Mayor of Porto haring made an spOleation for the assistanoe
of tho comitabulary on th 3 213th of May, being the day of poll-
ing for the election of • Member of Parliament, 1, under the
towers granted to me by the Police Act of tote, I,l,CeOlied to
that borough with • strong detachment to render such assist-
ance to the Local Authorities u might be neeemary. The
out for the travelling and other allowances of the super-
intendents and amenities on duty has been forennled to
the returning °Meer." nuperiennulent Watts was return.
mended for a pension
ANOIHER GIPSY BRIDE,
On the reading of the Chief Constable's report,
The Rev. J. H. Austin said he had given notice to the
Chief Constable that he intended to bring this case forward.
lie did not know of it until he stepped into the train to-
day; but when he heard it he was determined to bring it
forward; he wished the Chief Constable to explain what
were his orders to his Superintendents. No doubt they
would all laugh when he said it was a gipsy eisee—Bt
laugh)—but still he hoped they would give attention to the
ease, and hear the facts. Some three weeks ago a poor
gipsy woman, a widow, came to him, and said she wished
to he married, and asked him to marry them. He replied
that she must keep her tent in one place for three weeks,
till he told them they could be married. They did so, and
yesterday they came and were married. Previously to
that, their donkey had been found on the highway, and
the Superintendent of police took out a summons against
her for letting the donkey stray. The sentence was • fine
of 10e, but she did not pay the tine. Afterwards she
was married, and when they came away, there was the
policeman waiting to take her Into custody. That might
be correct in law, hut he thought it was very sharp
practice on the part of the police. They never sophisd to
the magistrates to ask if there was any relief for seven
days or fourteen days; the superintendent never went to
the magistrates who sat on the case; but went to Colonel
Paget fora warrant, and brought her down to prison.
The Court should bear in mind that the conviction was
only fore penalty, the niagistrates were never consulted,
and yet the poor woman was brought down here to-day to
prison.
The Rev. Carr til.vs raid he was the chairman of the
magistrates on that occasion, and he was sure it Mall the
very last thing the magistrates would have wished to have
sent the woman to prison. If they had only been applied
to for relief they would have granted it. He thought after
that explanation Mr. Austen should leave the matter where
it WWI.

—fiiTelitioutut asked was there any imprisonment in
default iif payment
Rev. J. AUSTEN : There was nothing about that ; not a
word.
. . .

The : Th.rn WAY their lmsoWncu a tine of 10a,
without any addition 7
Mr. AUSTEN : Without anything.
The Citatawits : Then how Waal their wintenee ti lie
enforced? lie continued that the constable arta under
the orders of the ineeirtrate.
Rev. C. Gtrit : There wae no order of the magbdrates
at all; it warn the last thing they would have thought
of.

Mr. C Aire trr : Who granted the warrant?
Mr. AYSTRN : Colonel Paget. I have wen the warrant
to-day.
The CHAIRMAN said unless the Nvarratit was to be din.
puted they inull nut, especially in the absence of the
committing magistrate, take any action. They could
not presume in the absence of a magistrate, that he
would art otherwise than discreetly in the committal of
• prisoner.
Rev. .1. AUSTEN protested it was rather share practice
of the police. Might he now ask the mainetrates opinion
as to how long this woman waste, be kept in prison? Had
there been aen 'ttal in default, she might have gone
to prison for the term, and then she would have been
free. How long was she to stay nowt
A 111seternarg : For seven days.
Rev. J. Aurrns did not believe the committing magis-
trate even read the warrant.
Mr. C•i.eitsrr : Ageing whom Is this charge made?
Rev. J. AUSTEN: Against the Chief constable.
Mr. C•traarr: Was not the warrant signed by a
magistrate?
Rev. J. Ausrits : It all happened through the °niers
the Chief Constable gave to his superinteudenta.
Mr. CeLcaarr thought the superintendent might have
been found fault with if be had nut obeyed the warrant,
and brought the woman.
Rev. .1. AUSTEN : He had no right to get a warrant, and
bring the woman to gaol.
Rev. CARR GLYN thought Mr. Hammond might have
rent to the magistrates and enquired what their orders
were, before he took the warrant out, Ile was quite
certain the magistrates did not want to commit the
woman to gaol.
The Cu.% tamax thought it was rather irregular to disciois
the matter. Mr. Austen laiged his complaint against
the police; but the question was whether it really was
a matter of complaint against the police. The woman
was committal by the magistrates, and in due course of
law, and the complaint was of the police for executing
the order of the magistrate. Whatever information the
police laid most have been heard and determihed by the
mixeistrate before committing the person to prison. They
were bound to presume that a magistrate acted according
to law, ant that he acted with full discretion and know.
lodge of all the circumstances of the case, and was satisfied
that the constable was acting properly in dealing with
the case as be did. Every magistrate sending • person to
prison must satisfy himself that he acts properly, and
according to law. They could not raise the question
between brother 'magistrates whether it was • good sen-
tence which they paseeeL
Mr. B. lArn.F.neuus said still less should Mr. Austen
find fault with the conatable for executing the very work
he was required by the magistrate to do. If the police
did not execute the work they were called on to do, fault
might be found with them. The remedy for Mr. Austen
would have been to appeal to the Ceurt of Quarter
Sessions. And, moreover, there was a very simple course
which Mr. Austen could adopt—that was to go to the
gaol, pay the 1, and the woman would he let out—la
Rev. J. At:grnee exclaimed that he knew Mr. Hammond
exceeds his duty.
Mr. Lirmaggiree said Mr. Hammond was not before
the Court.
The CHAIRMAN said there ought not In In any
general reflections.
Rev. CARR GLYN did not think it ought to go birth that
they blamed their brother magistrate, Colonel Paget, for
granting that warrant.
Mr. AUSTEN: Oh, no. I happened to look at the
warrant to-day, and it was signed by him.
The Ciisinnsx ; Really, Mr. Austen, I do not think you
ought to go on in this kind of way. -- The Contagious
Diseases Animals' Act
The rev. gentleman than left the Court, posaibly to
adopt Mr Littlehalen suggestion, and release the Rimy
bride. . .

It waa afterwards stated that the eentence recorded
was; Ns. or In default seven days hard labour; and that
the warrant of commitment waa signed by Colonel Paget
and the Rev. Carr J. Glyn I

FOOT

MOUTH

rh. Chid ConsiSple-i;s;ted-100-Ht7d7uTouth disease has
larply prevailed, espedally In Shaftesbury aml Ruminant'
divisions The total umber d outbreaks ha. been 101, the
number of animals attacked 1,900, and of these 66 have died.
Thorn are at preowat 46 farms dectal with foot-and-mouth
disease.
POLICE.

COUNTY

Mr. Fitagrro• rea.d..iii..re;o7ts.:--
.. Your animate° have to report that the drainage at tne
Dorchester police nation Is again very defective, anal that there
have been nine cases of typhoid fever arising from this mule
at the head-quarters station The means adopted at Michaelmas,
1873 -viz., cutting off the rainfall from the cesspools -have
failed, and the County Surveyor recommends the connecting
the drains of the station with the town sewers and filling up
the iiresent cesspools at a cost of not exceeding £lOO, which
sum would eventually be saved, sa at present It costs about
CO every time the casspools are emptied. The adoption of
Earth closets Is esUmated U C 5, and there would be the addi-
tional expense of conducting the waste front the drains of the
'cutleries, urinals, lie, to the main sewer of the town. Your
committee again, therefore, recommend strongly the adoption
44 Mr. Gregory's estimate for carrying the whole drainage into
the town sewers, and that no time should he lost In doing Ito
The Chief Constable ha* received front all the Parliamentary
boroughs excepting Wareham, the expenses Incurred by the
police stationed there during the recent diction." The receipth,
Including 1.573 is. &I. balance, had been 0,130 7. 4d., and
the expenditure left a balance of £2,100 Is. The ensuing
quarter'. catimate is 0,747 10s. rid , and • penny rate was
recommended. To &mt. Watts, of Sherborne, who, atter 17
years' service, is unlit for further duty, the committee room-
niendod a pension of £73 per •LinUnl from the Superannuation
Fund. This fatal now amounts to £3,843 1. lid.

FIRST CoURT, Witmigensr.
Before Mr. .1. FLOTER, M.P. aMputy-('hairman), Col.
R. 11. BINGHAM, the Rev. C. W. BIIIMHAN. the Be.'. J. M.
Avert's, and Mr. K
The following gentlemen were sworn on the grand jury:
—Mr. G. H. Davis, of Dorchester, foremen; Messrs.
William Atkins, Wimborne ; G. R. Baverstock, Child
Okeford ; F. Bugg, Caundle Purse; Nathan Bird. Mel.
bury Bubb; Thomas Cox, HridPOrt He. W Compton.
Thoniford ; Jno. Gaines, nster ; Jno. Cake, Bin.
I comb.: ; Geo. Croom, Buckland Newton; Jno. Dominy,
Shillingstone ; K Drake, Haaelbury Brian: C. Edmunds,
Symondsbury ; F. Flower, Motcombe ; W. S. Greaves,
West Chickerell ; Clement Hall, Motounbe ; Samuel Hall,
Ashmore; Jno. Hussey, Martinstown ; Jno. Lipscombe,
Upwey ; William Parsons, Sherborne ; Thomas Smith,
Cattistock ; It. B. Warren, Child Okeford ; J. T. Young.
Sherborne.
In charging the grand jury, Mr. Flange said the
calendar contained the names of 11 prisoners for trial at
these Serious ; at the corresponding Sessions last year
there were 14, so that it rowed, thought not a large, yet
• rather material decreer in the number of offenders for
trial; and so far caulinued the favourable view of the
criminal rate of the county which he had expressed to
them before at the different Quarter Sessions for the last
IS months. On looking to another part of the calendar,
there was a return of the prisoners committed during the
garter just ended, which would lead to • different con-
clusion at Int sight. It showed the number of persons
committed dunag the pest quarter hid been 141 as aponst
121 in the correspoedur quarter of last year. If they
drew their conclusion simply from that return, perhaps
It would be drawing it from rather tooenow premises,
because in the Court on 'Tuesday the re of the Visiting
Justices of the prison, read by Mr. wird Williams,
dated that the average number of Khmers in custody