The Dorset County Express and Agricultural Gazette.
Dorchester, Dorset, England, 1868-08-18 00:00:00

Itampsbirc.

To! Museum at M inchaster has had an Ahyrdnian
scroll of paper which was found at Magdala presented
to it.

M AAAAA AL INSTINCT.—One day lad week a fire
occurred in Red Lodge Nursery, a mile and a half from
Southampton, and burnt about ten rods of furze. There
was no wind at the time. When the fire was ex-
tinguished some labouring men noticed that • little plot
of heath in the centre of where the fire had been was
not burnt, and that the fire had burnt everything round
the heath, and had sperm/shed close to it. In looking
about the men discovered a phessant's nest oontaining
six eggs among the heath. A few hours afterwards the
pheasant was seen sitting on the eggs. Some time after
the nest was visited, and tbe parent bird was absent.
but the eggs were nearly hatched. When the nest was
again visited the pheasant had hatched the ens, and
tarried off the young birds. It is remarkable that the
heath was not burnt, as it was perfectly dry, and it is
believed that the pheasant had by dapping her wings
kept the fire off.
CRIMINAL CHARON AGAINST A illt.rraltr 0771CR1.
At the Portsmouth Poliesecourt on Tuesday, Captain
William Henry Bell, of the 67th Regiment, stationed
at Anglesea Barracks, Portsea, was charged with bavinr
committed a rape upon the person of Elizabeth Stanley,
• girl eighteen years of age. The prisoner's wife was
present during the bearing of the ease—The prosecutrix
said that she had been general servant to the prisoner,
who resided at Aubrey-rinse Smithies. About half-
past four o'clock on the previous Friday afternoon her
mistress, the nursemaid, and the male servant being
out, the prisoner called her, and she went up to answer
his call. He was standing in the dinieg-room, and he
took hold of her round the weist and kissed her. She
tried to let away, but could not do so, and be led her
towards the sofa, upou which he placed her. She told
him she would tell her mistress, and to leave off. Ho
Mid he was not hurting her; he was only playing with
her, and he would make her • handsome present. She
said, "I don't want your present." She waa so far ex-
hausted with the heat that she could not remember
what she was doing with her hands. She had been
▪ truggling with him for about ten minutes up to this
time. The prosecutrix then gave evidence as to tbe
perpetration of the offence, which she said was against
her will. After the offence had been committed there
was a knock at the door, and the pnsoner got up. She
said nothing to him, but ma to the door and let her
mistress in. She took no notice of her, but walked
straight in, and asked where the captain was. Prose.
*atria said she did not know, andlwent down Into the
hitches. About an hour afterwards her master and
mistress went out. She spoke to the nursemaid on the
subjeet as aeon as she came in, and she also told the
man-servant when he came in, which was about half-an.
hour after the nursemaid. She also sent for her dater and
told let, and the same evening she told her mistress.
The next morning she walked to Fareham, and told her
mother about it, and the latter returned with her to
Soutlisea, and saw her master and mistress.—ln cross-
examination the prosecutrix said that, with the 'seep-
lion that her petticoat was torn out of the gathers, her
clothes were not injured. She had no bruises about her.
She was in the parlour with the prisoner altogether
, about • qsarter of an hour, and was struggling with all
her force during that time—The proseentrix's mother
deposed to the nature of the interview with the
prisoner. She said to him, 'Oh, air, what have you
.done to my child r and he made no answer. She said,
Did she ever give you any liberties to cause you to
use her in the way you haver He said, "No, far
from it. She suite our house very well, and my wife is
very much pleased with her" She said," What did
you think you had in your house? Did you think you
had a prostituter He said, "No, far from that. Pray
don't say anything more about it; 11l be a friend to
her. Pray let her rein; it will be such a disgrace ;"
but she refused to do so, and took her away.-11r. J.
Blight, surgeon, deposed to having examined the prom-
°ldris, and found corroborative indications, but there
did not appear any marks of violence. In his cross-
examination, the witness said he found no indicatioue
such as would arise from a young girl wrestling with the
prisoner. If she had done so he should have expected
to find external marks of violence—Other evidence
having been given, Mr. Cousins, soliaitor, of Portaea,
said the prisoner utterly and entirely repudiated the
charge, but admitting, for the sake of argument, that
the girls evidence was true, he urged that the girl had
not offered sufficient resistance to constitute Um offence,
and that, at most, it was not more than a case of seduc-
tion. —For the defence, Elizabeth Rpm, the prisoner's
nursemaid, was called. She said prosecutrix had tea
as usual with her on the afternoon in question, and
rwmred in good spirits. Her cheek was just a little
re& and she mired her if anything ailed her, sod she
told her "Nothing." She said to her, "You are very
hot," and the prosecute: replied, "It's the heat of the
weather." She did not tell her of this matter until after
her sister had first told her.—The magistrates eounaitted
the prisoner for trial at the arises, but accepted
himself in IWO and two sureties in £250 each,

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Tandy, &mast Id, INS