The Dorset County Express and Agricultural Gazette.
Dorchester, Dorset, England, 1859-10-18 00:00:00

6 orottsbirt.

Wrruortit. Reopening qf Baptiet Chapel.
—Special services in celebration of this event were
held on Thursday week. Sermons in the morning
were Pre•Ched by the Rev. J. Aldis, of Reading,
and the other parts of the service conducted by the
Rev. James, of Yeovil, and Rev. J. Miller, of
Dombrater. The exterior of the chapel is consider-
ably improved by the erection of a handsome front
in the eWee order of architectnre, and is a very
great addition to the appearance of the Esplanade,
as weU as an honourable 'monument of the spirit,
energy,. and liberality of the congregation. The
to. east of the building (including new school
ream) is €BOO. Of this £5OO had been already paid
be the builder, and another .£lOO was announced to
be paid off in a few days, leaving a balance of £2OO
mnliquidated ; this encumbrance, however, will no
doubt be wiped off in a very short time, for the
Weymouth dissenters never do things by halves.
A public tea was held in aid of the fund on Thurs-
day last. Cot. Freastun has liberally
_given .C2O in
addition to his previous donation, and W. 8. Ferris,
Esq., has contributed a like sum, with a promise of
doubling the arnotuat if the debt is paid by the end
of this year.
BALL —A fashionable hall took place at the Royal
Hotel Assembly Boma, on Tuesday evening last,
the stewards being R. Brooks, Esq., M.P., W. H.
P. Weston, F. 1., Commander Luckraft, H. N., F.
Allen, Ermi., Major Hawkins, R. A. Wroth, and A.
Lethbridge, Ke'q. The company amounted to about
eighty, among whom were Gen. and Mrs. Faddy,
Capt. King, Major Nugent, Major Hawkins, M.
Desiongerais, ()wt. B. Browne, Misses Ashford,
Mies Pretor, Misses Mortimer, Miss Chapman, Mr.
Peters, Mr. Codrington, Mr. and Mr. Farm, Mrs. C.
Hering, Mr. Crawley, Major V. Pane, Lieut. Blair,
RN., Mrs, and Misses Fryer, Mr. John Freer. Mr.
Ellis, Captain Thornton, Mrs. and Mines Fcowtok,
Capt., Mrs., and Misses Nlusgrave, Mrs. and Miss
Alacgregor, Mr. Halifax, Mimes Pigou, Capt.
Helyer, Mimes Wahly, Mr. N'andeleur, Mr. E.
Vandeleur, Miss Vandeleur, Mies M. Vandeleur,
lilies Mecham, Miss Warrington, Mr. Owen, Capt.
and Mrs. Grayson, Mr. Lucas, Capt. Disney Roe-
buck, Capt. Hinds, Mrs. and Misses Barker, Mr.
Barker, Mrs. and Mies Pearson, Capt. and Mrs.
Smith, Miss Bridge Mrs. and Mils Woodland,
Commander Luckraft, R.N., Mr. Campbell, Miss
Bowden, Mr. and Mrs Weston, Mr. W. Lethbridge,
Mr. and Mrs. Brooks, Mies Brooks, Messrs. Brooks,
jun., Captain Lithgow, Mr. and Missal Green, &c.
Beele's quadrille band attended.
WEYMOUTH POLICE, Tuesday.—Present, R. Griffin,
and W. Symonds, Esqrs.—JoAn Perla was summoned
by Francis Williams for an assault. A medical certifi-
cate fees. Mr. Fenonlhet, was put in, certifying that
complainant was unable to attend from illness. The
samumana was adjourned.
Jaws Knight, wheel chairnian, was summoned for an
assault on Emily Miller. Mr. Howard for defendant.
It appeared that defendant and wife were having • ma-
trimonial squabble, and complainant, who lodged in the
house, endeavoured to prevent him from striking his
wife, who went into the bed-room, whereupon defen-
dant knocked her head against the wall, and kicked her.
Ile then turned her out of the house, and struck her
again. Groan examined: Took tea with defendant and
his wile the same day after the row, end defendant told
her ehe must leave his house. After that she took out •
SUIMISOftI against him. Did not make Knight's face
bleed. It was bleeding when she came into the room.
—Mr. Howard called William Knight, son of the defen-
dant, who stated that complainant, when his father and
mother were quarrelling, came down and flew at defen-
dant, caught him by the hair of the head, threw him on
the bed, and clawed his face. Defendazt ordered her
out, and on her refusal he just "scourged" her on the
head with the back of his hand. Did'et strike her at
all. He then turned her into the street. —Einem Croc-
ker deposed to having asked complainant why she caught
Knight by the hair of his head, and she said it was from
pauses. Witness said that was the way to increase
strife, and for her part she should have "cained" in
'without anything of the sort. Complainant and his
wife, afterwards came to the hours of defendant, lied a
<mart of beer, and shook hands all round.—A witness,
named Eliza Perry, who had been previously sent for,
now made her appearance, and stated that she lived
near defendant's house, and saw complainant pushed out
by Knight ; he took her by the shoulders, and after she
was in the street he struck her in the face and used bad
language towards her. Mr. Knight was quite a nuisance
to the street. Mr. Griffin said that the Bench had oun-
sidered the case, and he MUNE confess that notwithstand-
ing all that had been said, they were of opinion the case
had been clearly proved. Complainant had interfered
to protect Mrs. Knight from her husband, who appeared
to have slapped her in the face, and she struck him in
self defence. If persons are assaulted they are not to
take the law in their own hands, and especially
when all danger is past, if a persons strikes • blow he
commits assault amid battery. There was no question but
that Knight did strike coinplainant outside the door (as
bad been proved by the witness Perry) after all danger
was past, and therefore he had been guilty of an as-
sault. With regard to the testimony of Knight's son
as to a little woman like complainant knocking d.iwn so
tall and strong • man as defendant, that was ridiculous.
Knight was not justified in his conduct to Mrs. Miller.
but there were some mitigating circumstances in the case,
web as the parties having drank together after the quar-
rel. This the Bench took into consideration, and would
oaly inflict • fine of Is. and expense,. Defendant and
his friends became very noisy over the matter, and in-
timated their intention of taking out • summons against
complainant. They, however, paid the fine, expressing
thankfulness that they "lied plenty of money."

SIILRIORNE--77te Railway. —The making of the
line is being proceeded with in this neighbour-
hood with great vigour and speed. Right
and left of the town the rails are laid down,
and from Castleton bridge to Buckhorn tunnel, the
permanent way is completed. There is a small em-
bankment running through l'urlieu and the adjacent
meadows down to West Bridge. This is being
made at a rate which 'amnesia to allow of the pan-
e:we of an engine entirely through the parish in the
course of A wceili or ton days. Ihe line will then he
traversable from Bradford to Temple Coombe. The
station at Sherborne is also being vigorously pro-
ceeded with. It will be "a first•e6se. station, and
of handsome design. It is being built from the
ordinary stone found in the quarries to the north of
the town, underneath which lies a whitish stone
that has been usually left as "nut paying for quar-
rying." .

EZARD Or HEALTH.— IVater Stipp! y.—A meeting
of this body was held on Wednesday afternoon,
when Mr. Kingdon's tender for printing 2.50 copies
of the bye•laws in dewy octavo, with 3 dozen inter-
leaved, fur 2 guineas, was accepted. A general dis-
trict rate was ordered to be prepared by the next
meeting. The Water Committee presented a report
from Mr. Newman, stating that the railway works
had so completely disorganised his plans of obtaining
water at Castleton that they could not now be pro-
ceeded with but at a very considerable expense,
which one of the members estimated at several
hundreds of pounds. It was of course resolved to
suspend all operations for the present, and to con-
sider the subject at • future meeting. We fear that
this report puts an end to the prospect of obtaining
water in the way pointed out in Mr. Newmaa's
report.
t the weekly meeting of the Board of Guardians
on Thursday, a communication was received from
the Poor Law Board, enclosing • long, elaborate, and
ably•writteu defence by the medical officer who had
been accused of using intemperate language to a
woman at Holweld The medical officer positively
denied having used any oaths, and the Guardians,
considering it was due to both parties—to the poor
on the one hand, and to the party accused on the
other, that the truth of the charge should be tho.
roughly gone into—determined to convey to the
Poor Law Board their opinion that the Board above
should institute an inquiry into the case; especially
as the woman herself had not yet been examined
The last Lkeset county rate (at Id.) levied on the
union, amounted to C 235 Ma. tid., and the police
rate (at Id.) to £176 19a., making a sum of
£412 17s. Sd., in addition to which the Somerset
county and police rate for those parishes of the
union that are in Somerset, were 1:53 Os., ma-
king £4l*s 12s. titl. abstracted from the poor rates in
the quarter, for purposes not connected with the
relief of the poor.

LITIMARY INKTITUTION.—The lecture session for
the present year was opened at the Institution
Rooms, on fuesday evening Ira by the Her. W.
Heal, who has kindly rendered his valuable services
to the Institution on several previous occasions, by
the delivery of a lecture entitled "Man Moral, and
Ancient Worships: their Dawn and Decline." The
lecture, which profaned to be only an historical out.
line, evidenced deep research, intense study, and
careful compilation, and therefore proved to be both
interesting and instructive. For an opening lecture
the attendance was small, and the Chairman (Mr.
Avery) in proposing their thanks to Mr. Beal, ex-
pressed their regret thereat, remarking that a thin
audience not only damped the spirits of the lecturer
but materially embarrassed the committee when ar-
ranging for • series of lectures, as they naturally
hesitated to invite gentlemen to lecture when they
occasionally saw the benches only partially tine&
The leant return that members 01111 make for the loin
of tune, inconveinence, and expense incurred by
gentlemen who undertake to contribute to their
instruction and amusement during the winter even-
ings, is to give their attendance on such occasions.
INQUEST.—The usually quiet village of North
Wootton was on Thursday last thrown into some
excitement by a report that a newborn illegitimate
child tad disappeared under auspicious circum-
stinces. It transpired that • young woman named
/Iminah Collis, who resides with her mother and
grunlmother in wretched apartments at North
Wootton, was on Thursday week delivered of an
illegitimate child,. Mr. Collis, farmer, of the above
village (fur whom the niother and daughter worked).
Nina them absent on Thursday, and suspecting the ,
cause, he at once dispatched a messenger to Or. I
Ilighmore, at Sherburne, and that gentleman pro-
ceeed d to the Louse, where be found the Young
woumn in bed, and the admitted that she had been
omfinc.l. He asked her where the child was, and
Ole aid she did not know what had become of it.
Her mother, Mary Collis, who had at first denied
the charge subsequently went to the privy, and
took the body from the soil. Dr. Highmore then
communicated with the coroner, J. Y. Melmoth,
Esq., who ordered a post modem examination to be
made. On examining the body he discovered that
the child-1 feniale—was of full period, and well.
grown. There were no bruises or external injuries ;

the umbilical cord had been cut, but not tied. Ha
opened the cheat to examine the lungs and the heart,
when it became evident that the child had not
breathed since its birth. In his opinion if a proper
person had attended the girl in her confinement, the
child's life might have been saved. The jury having
viewed the body, and evidence in accordance with
the above facts having been given, a verdict of "still
born" was returned.