The Dorset County Express and Agricultural Gazette.
Dorchester, Dorset, England, 1881-07-19 00:00:00

MUNICIPAL MATTERS.

yt wag generally belisved there woul I have been a
conteeted election of a Town Councillor to fill the
the death of the late Mr. Frost.
vacancy abused by
Mr Reginald Thornton and Mr. George Davis were
nominated, and there was every appearance of a
.tout contest ; but with good common nee. and
with • spirit for which he cles.rves all praise, Mr. Davis
retired from the field in favour of Mr. rboroton, wbq, ae
everybody will agree, will he a most desirable acquisi-
tion to our Municipal IN dy. Mr. Davis, however
promisee to be in the field at the next vacancy, and we
an only my he deserves to succeed.

ALLEGED BURGLARY BY AN ARTILLERYMAN.
William Albert Curtis, artilleryman, with one good
conduct stripe, was hr rught up in custody last
Thursday morning, before tbd Mayor, charged with
breaking and entering the dwelling-house of Charles
Denton. of Mill-street. Fordington, on June 7th, and
'Leanne thereform a preeentation.plock and a purse.—
Charles Denton, 15 years old, of Fo dington, said on
Monday, June 7th, ho went to bed at a quarter to
eleven He bolted the back dow and planed a chair
ageing the front door, whirh w ii frowned be a latch.
It woe not I,cked, as his father was out. The front
door opened into a pawage which common:ratted with
the street. The clock was left on the mantelplec4,
being attached to the will by • crook to i rerent it
Ira.. falling. His father came home some time
ofterwards, and asked if be had taken the clock I
zt,=. He did not hear anyone c3me in.—
Denton, the father, said on the night in '
qnsetlion It• left the clock at the house. He WAS a
peasioser, and it bad been preeented to him when he
isfe the 14 Batter,. 2nd lartgede, B. A. When he
weed at base about two o'clock be found the door
vide oS.,the • chair having been pushed away, and

the clock was gone. He his. mimed • parse, which Ise I
bad left by the side of :he clock. The purse con abed
no mope. A b4tle containing some beer, which had
been left by his Ron, had hoop emptied. He also
missed about three quarter, of a lb. of butter. He
'PT. information to the police. On the 3rd inst. be
heard of the whereabouts of the clock, and he went
with P.S. Mitchell to the artillery barracks. He
found the clock in the quart. re of a married s3ldier
named Wrighton. He identified the c(ook (pro-
duced) aa his property. It was worth about V.
Prisoner : Did you 641111 Ole at your bones ?—Witnese
No. I did not see any soldier there. I have never
seen you before.—William Wrighton, gunner in the
battery, who lives in the married men's quarters, said
on the night of the 17th of June the prisoner can,e to
him, and asked him if he would do him a favour.
He asked him what it was, and he then took him to
the room where the clock was on the shelf. He had
frequently seen the clock before, and always in the
same Plane. The favour he asked was that he (witness)
should take the clock and keep it for him, Si he war(
going to Okshampton. He said it belonged to someone
in the town, and would he keep it till called lot? If
it was not fetched be was to return it t. him (prisoner).
He did not say who it belooged to. Witness gave it
to his wife, with instructions to give it up if called for.
Witness left for Okebross pt us on the following Monday.
—Elizabeth Wrightoo, wife of last witness, deposed
she rectived the Clock from her husband on the 17th
June, and kept it until Sunday week, when she gave
it up to P.S. Mitchell and the prosecutor, who Identi-
fied it as his property. ---Sergt. Mitchell stated he
received the clock fr ,m last wise«se on the 3rd July
and on the 13th saw prisoner and .7. Wrightoo on their
return from Okth 'laptop. He told the latter
of the theft, and that the clock wee found in
his quarters, and handed to him by his
(Wrighton's) wife. Prisoner than said " I woke up
one morning and found the clock near the coal box,
and when I went to camp I left it with this man's
wife Witness afterwards apprehended prisoner, who
said he did not kn .1r anything at all about breaking
Into the house of prisoner. In answer to the charge,
rev, over by the magistrates' clerk, prisoner said be
found the clock in his bedroom one morning, and shoved
It to the other men, and after they had looked at
it, it was pieced on a shelf where it remained for two
week,. Who, the time came for them to go Okeb amp-
ton, he thought, as he was the first man in the room
who saw the clo .Ic, be would try and talcs care of it,
and let Gunner Wrighton'a w.fe have IL The men in
the room said they did not koow who the clock
belonged to, and it was open to anyone who
owned it to come and take it away. None
of them knew how ths dock camas there. Gunner
Sunward was called by pauper, and in
corroborating bin statement as to the finding of the
clock—Witness said he saw the clock while he was
dreaing.—Priaoner said if anyone met the owner in
the town they were to tell him the clock was there.—
Witness did not know who was the first to see the
clock. —Gunuer White and other men who slept in
the room the saute night gave corroborative evidence.
At the close of the evidence, the Mayor said there
appeared to be some doubt about the case, and the
prisoner was discharged.