The Dorset County Express and Agricultural Gazette.
Dorchester, Dorset, England, 1859-08-16 00:00:00

2ssig futellignicr.

WESTERN CIRCUIT.

WELLS, Arcusr

The commission fur holding the Assizes for the county
of Somerset was opened in this city yesterday afternoon.
The crimin‘l busineqs is heavy, there being :13 prisoners
for trial. The following Is a summary 'statement of the
offences with which the IR isoliers stand charged :--Ad-
' "...tering poison with intent, lie., 1 ; arson, 3; assault
with intent, 1; assaulting e police-constable, 2 ; beasti-
silty, 5; burglary, 4; congealment of birth, 3; uttering
forged document, 1 ; forgery, 1 ; housebreaking, 1;
larceny, 12; maliciously wounding, $; manslaughter, 5;
usbulemeanour, 5; murder, 1. In the civil court there
are nine cases entered. . _

This morning the courts were opened, Mr. Justice
rompton presiding in the Crown Court, and Mr. Baron
Bramwell sitting at Nisi Prim.
CROWN COURT.—(Before Mr. Jut ice CROMPTON.)

_
Alexander Richmond was put up for sentence. The
prisoner had been indicted at the last assizes for uttering
a paper which purported to be a process issued by the
County Court. It appeared at the time of the trial
that the prisoner had obtained a number of blank forms,
and a man named Snooks owing him money, he had
filled up the form and caused It to be delivered to Snooks,
more perhaps by way of intimidation than otherwise.
The primmer was tried befo-e Mr. Baron Watson, and
was convicted, but the learmd Baron postponed passing
sentence until he had taken the opinion of the
Court for the Consideratioi of Crown Cases Reserved
as to whether the case calm within the Act of l'arlia-
went. . . .

----
Mr. Justice Crompton told the prisoner that the Court
above had decided that his csse was within the statute.

- .- -
It was a very bad offence, and required a severe punish-
ment, and he should theretote sentence him to be impri-
soned tor two months.

Joseph Hodder was indicter.' for setting fire to • barn I
at Stowey.
Mr. H. T. Cole prosecuted.
It appeared that the priscner was • dissolute person,
having left his wife, and sleeping under hedges and in
barns. This liarn was burnt down, and the prisoner
afterwards said to a man who appeared as a witness that
he would tell him a secret, as:le knew lie could trust him,
and he then told him that he had set the barn on fire;
that he had no home to go to, as he bad set his own
home on fire, and had burnt it down. The witness asked
hilll if he knew he lied injuied Mrs. Farthing and Sir
Peregrine Acland. The prisoner replied that he did not
care ad— for them, for they had never given him a
farthing in their lives. The witness then collared him
and said he should fetch • cotstable. Upon this the pri-
soner knocked him down. Tie witness got up and again
collared the prisoner, who knocked him down a second
time. Sonia one cause up and the prisoner was secured.
The witness admitted that both he and the prisoner were
drunk at the time of the conversation. The prisoner had
toll another person the same story.
The prisone: said that nut one out of ten words deposed
to by the witness was true.
The jury found the prisoner Guilty.
The Judge said there could be no doubt of the prisoner's
guilt, and it was • very great crime. He must be kept
in penal servitude for four years.
His Lordship desired that the governor and surgeon
of the gaol would have the prisoner watched, as he had
hear.l there was something the matter with his mind,
and this should be attended to.
. . .

Mr. °Ailey said Le woula take care it ahookt be
attended to.

THURSDAY.

CROWN COl'RT.—(Behre .VP. Juice CROMPTON).

. .
William Wiltshire was indicted for breaking and
entering the dwellinghouse of the Rev. Richard Daw-
kins and stealing therefrom a quantity of articles.
Mr. Thring prosecuted; and Mr. H. T. Cole defended
the prisoner.
The prisoner hail been a policeman, and was stationed
at Weston Zoylard, and he was promoted, at the
instance of Mr. Dawkins, who was the clergyman of the
parish. In the coursa of the year 1858 many articles
and money were continually being nabsed from the
prosecutor's house. Ile spoke to the prisoner upon the
subject, who said that it was evident the robberies must
have been committed by some of the servants, because
he said any other person doing it would have taken all
the things and all the money they could find. It was at
last, discovered that the preperty was always stolen
during the time the family were at church on Sundays,
when the house was locked up. Suspicion was at len;:th
excited, and on Good Friday, 22nd of April, Mr.
Dawkins told the prisoner that his sou, an undergradu-
ate at Oxford, who had been staying at home, was
about to go on a visit for Easter, and he siiahisl the
prisoner to be extremely watchful, as he was timid
during his son's absence. The prisoner assured him lie
would be very attentive, aid lie might rest assured that
verything should be right. On Saturday, the 23rd, the
prosecutor's sou drove through the village with a carpet-
bag in a gig, as if about to take a journey, ind did this
as publicly as possible ; but he left the gig when he had
gone a little way, and returned through the fields to his
father's house. On the next mourning, Easter Sunday,
all the faauily, with the exception of the son, went to
church. The son posted himself in a room with the
shutters shut, and • candle, where lie could hear every-
thing. In a very short time the son heard • noise at
the lock of the front door, and the lock was withdrawn.
Mr. Dawkins's sun heard some one open the door and
enter the house; he then, according to previous arrange-
ment, fired off a gun. Mr. Dawkins, who was perform-
ing the duty in his church, upon hearing the report of
the gun, told the congregation that he coald not proceed
any further, as his house was being robbed. The
congregation instantly rushed out, followed by the
prosecutor, and they found the prisoner in the hall.
The prosecutor went up to the prisoner, and said,
" Well, Wiltshire, caught at last?" The prisoner said
"I am here in the performance of my duty, Sir." Mr.
Dawkins told a constable who was there to search the
prisoner at once. He, however, refused to allow him to
do no until the superintendent came. The prosecutor,
however, insisted upon the search being made at once.
The constable then proceeded to search the prisoner, and
found round his neck a hair guard which had belonged
to Mrs. Dawkins, and which had been stolen out of Mrs.
1/awlcins's dressing-case, which had always been kept
lucked in her bedroom. This guard had been stolen,
together with three valuable rings, on the Bth of Decem-
ber, 1857. A large bunch of 50 or 60 keys was also
found upon the prusorer. A piece of wire, bent so as to
form • picklock, was likewise found in his pocket.
Mr. Cole addressed the jury in a very ingenious
speech for the prisoner. He first remarked upon the
fact of the prosecutor having departed from the truth
in telling the prisoner that his son was going to leave
the house, and therefore requested the prisoner ua be
diligent in watching the house, thereby completely lay-
ing a trap for the prisoner. He then urged that the
prisoner, seeing a light in the room through the shutter.,
and believing some one to be improperly in the house,
was unly carrying out the desires of the prosecutor in
getting into the house to apprehend the person who
was, VI he considered, in the house for the purpose of a
robbery. His conduct was that of • constable who was
strictly discharging his duty, and when spoken to by the
prosecutor lie at once said, "1 am here. Sir, in the dis-
charge of my duty." As regarded the hair chain found
upon hint, there was a great question as to its identity,
because the jury might be aware that although persons
sent their hair to • manufacturer of these chains to be
honied into • chain, yet it often happened that those
persons kept ready made chains formed of the beautiful
hair of some German girls, and that they substituted
those for the hair sent to them, taking care, of course,
that the dillerenth air chains should resemble each other
as nearly as possible in point of colour. Mrs. Dawkins
might therefore be mistakeri in her belief that the chain
was hers. The prisoner would not be likely to have worn
• chain which he had stolen, and, being a police officer,
he would have been far too motions to have acted so
indiscreetly, and it was very probable that he might
have purchased one of the chains to which he had
alluded. The prisoner's premhes were searched, but no
rings or other
were found. The learned counsel animadverted very
strongly on the circumstance of the rev. prosecutor
Property which Mrs. Dawkins had lost
having broken up his solemn service in the church
bee'''e he thought his home was being robbed. Under
all the circumstances he submitted to the jury that
there was no much doubt in the case that they would
hardly think themselves justified in convicting the
prisoner.
The learned Judge having summed up,
The jury found the primmer guilty.
The mune Pi-loner we.o thee convicted of another
robbery. and there were uveral other indictments
against the prisoner,
The Judge told the prisoner that his was an exceed-
ingly bad ease. The p.,bbe looked to the police for
protecting their prol„rry, and they had facilities
afforded them and confidence placed in them on amount
of their position. Where that confidence was abused
in such a manner && had been shown in this case lie
should visit the offender with • ulost severe punishment.
The sentence V&A that the prisoner ehould be kept in
penal servitude for 10 years.
John siles.tuplar ,For Ge. was indicted for uttering and
Publi'hing lit uhuuene arid indecent letter with intent
to debauch and corrwnt Adelaide Lucy Fenton, and to
make her commit • breech of the peace at Bath, On
the 23rd of June.

The defendant, who is • colonel in the army, had
,
been admitted to hail by the Mayer of Bath. lie was
called on his recognisanoe but did not appear.
The Judge said that the libel was not only degrading
to an officer and a geogemsa, but to a human being.
kinistrot" ihould be extremely particular in admit-
ting to bad penon cb.d with so atrocious an
°ffen°°. They should take care to bare such bail as
would ensure the appearance of the party charged.
One Perim in this instance had been taken as bail,
and in coiy the sum 01 £4OO.
lt is saki that the mewed has gene to Frail".