The Dorset County Express and Agricultural Gazette.
Dorchester, Dorset, England, 1881-11-08 00:00:00

B ILIDPOBT.

THII MONICTPAL FlMT.—Tbere mum° opposition on
nomivation day, as etated Litt week. On Tuesday,
November Let notices were affixed on the doors of the
Town Hall, given under thc hen le of Aldermsn If. Co.
and J. Beech, that the following rent'emen were duly
elected :—North Ward—Daniel Ewen, Siddisiombe,
James Guopy, and Frederick Jones. South Ward--
Charles Edmunds, Charlie Felstone, and Henry

THE CHARGE 0? STEALING rams A YACHT—Before
C. Edmunds, Esq. (Mayor) and Messrs. K Cox, Dr.
Ray, M.D., and 'T. H. Edo unds, on Tuesday.—John
Gush, of Bridp-rt Harbour, appeared on remand,
charged with stealing from a yacht, belonging to H.
B. Hounsell and Co., merchant of Bridpoit, a piece
of rope value ls., on the 26th ult.—Thomas Cole, pilot,
said be was in charge of • yacht, in the absence of
Captain Cornick ; on the morning of the 26th tilt, he
missed a rope, which the night previous was place'
on a water-cask on deck. He at once communicated
with the p dice, " The rope (now produced in frag-
ment.), looks like that missed from the yacht," Wit-
ness saw prieoner on t e afternoon of the 25th lookint
at the yacht from the quay.— Hannah Hill, dealer in
marine stores, said prisoner came to her house on the
27th saying he bad some old raga. He brought them
in • bar, and witness weighed them in the bag, and
threw its cootental into an outhouse. Next morning
she 'tiw there were pieces of rope with ths rags, which
she dii not know when prisoner came. She mat it
for sale by her daughter next morning.—The daughter
was then called and proved belling the please of rope
with rags to Mrs. Stembridge, of West-street. —bliss
Laura Stanbridir• said she receive i7slet. 12Ibs. of
rags from the last witness on the 28th ult., and she did
MK notice •ripe arnong.t them until 4ergeant Hazzard
cm-the same day aid took the pirc 'a into hisp AMY ion.
—P.C. Hoare deposed receiving information front Mr.
Col end he afterwards visited Hill's premises and
of Mn,. Stembridge with Sergeant Hsuard.
p eces of ripe being found at Mrs. Stembridge's,
thee were shown to Cole, who said to the best of his
belief they belonged to the missing rope. He spore-
handed the p lamer, who made no statement.—Ser.
Remit Han ird said he accompanied P.C. Hoare, and
woe .ede Ito corrobtrate his evidence. The Serge int
further deposed that on his way to the station prisoner
mode thi• statement to him, "The matistrates Gant
do Gooli ti me ; I did not steal it, but I know the man
who Ii I; if you go there you would find E. 5 worth;
but I am not bound to tell you who the manic."—
Prisoner now strongly denied having said he knew who
the man was. Being now formally charged, priaoner
preferred summary jurisdiction to a trial by jury, and
owned being in posseenion of the rope, but denied
stealing it. Here's the prisoner's defence :—" I got
got up very early on the morning of the 26th and
walked about the harbour; pained the crane honse and
went to the pier head. At the crane house I saw a
light. as if a man was then lighting his pipe. Hid not
see the man but my foot caught in • piece of rope.
placed it net- some boor, and took it home the same
day."—However ingenious the defence, the Bench
entirely set aside prisoner's assertion that "they could
not do much," as the masi-trates ordered him • month
at Dorchester Cantle with hard labour, in the default
of paying El 9s. There was no prospect of the money,
and prisoner warn just leaving the dock for Dorchester,
when his wife appeared and made a statement, which
spoke very lightly of her conjugal felicity. "The
month will do him good—l want a protection order."
The applicant stated her inability to live any longer
with the prisoner, and on the previous night he had
ass.ulted her stain, and had thr-a•ened her life and
that of her son's.—The Bench felt they could not at
present act, and prisoner was removed.