The Dorset County Express and Agricultural Gazette.
Dorchester, Dorset, England, 1861-11-12 00:00:00

mons.--A(fred Priee, charged by P.C. }Wh-
ined with being drunk and disorderly at half-
past twelve o'clock on the wombs* of the 25th
of October, was fined 10s., including amts.--
John Madera was charged with refusing to con-
tribute towards the support of his daughter, Sarah
Masters, of Ili:hurter, at present in a reformatory
in the county; the unfortunate defendant (a hard-
working blacksmith), having placed her there
through her misconduct. The magistrates ordered
him to pay fel per week towards her maintenance,
which be noted to do, and be was discharged.—
Ethrin (Mee, landlord of the White Hart, was
summoned by P.C. Holwell, for having served beer
lat 9 o'clock oc Sunday morning, the 3rd inst. The
defendant, as is usual in such cases, said he supplied
the beer, believing the parties whom he served to be
travellers. The magistrates reminded him that he
had not been long in possession of the house, and
they hoped ho would be more careful for the future.
Fined 100 and costa.
PORTIS HEA D.—To x DIa•PPOINTeD POulige.
• -On Saturday James Gregory, a notorious poacher,
residing fat l'ortishead, was brought up before
Colonel Burrows and Captain Pilgrim, at the Petty
Sessions House, Long Ashton, and sentenced to
two months' imprisonment, with hard labour, and
at the expiration of that term to find sureties tor
his good behaviour for 12 months. He was to be
married in a fortnight, thus verifying the obi adage,
that there's many a slip between the cup and the
lip.
MIDSUMMER NORTON.—Peoroser. RAILWAY
FOR Nonni 80MiRtigT.—On Friday last an impor-
tent meeting was held at the Townhall, for the pro-
motion of anew railway scheme, vie, for the con-
struction of a line on the broad guage principle from
Radstock to Keynsham, to be worked by the Great
Western Railway Company There were 100 of the !
local landowners and occupiers present. The Great
Western, it appeared, have agreed to take £50,000
of shares in the proposed line, to guarantee the
interest on £50,000 more, leaving £60,000 to be
raised by the public in the locality. It was stated
that the South-Western. Railway Company were
preparing to go to Parliament for powers to lay down
a line from Gillingham to Bristol, for the accommo-
dation of the district, and giving a new independent
route to London from the latter city. A motion was
made, on the part of the promoters of the latter
scheme, for * week's adjournment, to enable the
South-Western Company to present their plans.
This was negatived bye merely nominal majority,
and a motion in favour of the Radstock and Keyn-
sham line was carried by a majority of eight.
WESTON -SUPER.DIARE. POLICE, FRIDAY.
—The Cans OF • CsT.—Caroline Pinning was
charged by Nicholas Mark with assaulting and
beating him on the 29th October last, and also with
wilfully and maliciously poisoning his cat, sod
likewise with threatening to poison complainant.
. From the evidence of Mr. Nicholas Mark it appeared
that on Sunday Mrs. Vinning and Mrs. Mark (wife
of complainant) had some words concerning a kitten,
the Aiming of the unfortunate member of the
. feline tribe who met its death by poison. The
expressions used on both sides were by no means
edifying, and complainant went on to say that
defendant had threatened to poison the cat, ob-
serving "there would be no cat there by the
Saturday night." On the following Monday evening
he mine home with a friend and found the cat very
bad • he told his wife he believed it was poisoned,
but she remarked "it was worth a dozen dead 'una
yet." On the following day poor pussy died, and
, the fina person who informed him of its untimely
end was Mrs. Caroline Vinning. In the course of
his evidence Mark asserted that he had also
been threatened with "a cup of cold poison," he
, being accused of poisoning the animal. Mrs.
, Vinning was indignant, and • slight altercation
ensued between the parties, Mrs. Vinning striking
, Mr. Mark on the hoed and arm with a broom, and
the latter gentleman using just sufficient force with
his foot to kick the lady from the top of the stairs
to the bottom. Complainant's wife confirmed
portions of the above. A witness named Mitchell,
called on behalf of Mark, stated that all she knew
about it was that Mark slll "intoxicated drunk."
In defence Mrs. Vinning totally denied having
poisoned the oat, although she admitted that if no
one liked cats better than herself they would poison
them. Mark was very drunk. After she had been
knocked down stairs she lay as if dead, and had Led
pains in the back ever since. After a great deal of
conflicting evidence the magetzate decided that as
there was no proof as to the defendant poisoning the
animal, be must therefore dismiss the case.
BRlSTOL.—Murscnohy Cass or Poisoerso.
One of those numerous melancholy oases of death
occasioned by poison administered by mistake oc-
current in this city on Tuesday, the sth inst., when
the victim was a fine little boy scarcely two years
old, son el Mr. Fisher, ticket writer, fic., Castle
Mill Street. It appears that Mr. Fisher and his
family resided some time age in Cardiff, when Mrs.
Fisher, in consequence of • slight illness of her little
boy (the deceased), went into a chemist's shop in
that town, and purchased a small packet of cooling
powder, a quantity of which she immediately ad.
ministered to the child, who found great relief from
its effects. Some time after that Mr. Fisher lived at
Easton, and being much troubled with rata, a packet
of " Maradses'e poimn fur killing rata" was pur-
chased, and 'pow° of it was then used. These rackets
are folded almost exactly in the same ways,s ordinary
cooling powders, and the poison is covered by • thin,
printed paper, upon which is printed the word
"Poison," in small capital letters, and directions for
using the same. The packets are usually wrapped
up in a piece of paper, upon which is printed a
number of testimonials of the efficacy of the poison. ,
On Tuesday the deceased child was suffering from
teething, aud its mother remembered that she bought
a packet of powder at Cardiff for the child, which
had a desirable effect., and thought that a portion of
that packet was still left in the house, and on search-
ing the place where she thought that it was deposited 1
she found the packet of rat-poison, and, concluding
that it was the one she was searching br, immedi-
atelv mixed a quantity of it with sugar, and admin-
istered it to the child, who, strange to say, swallowed '
it readily, and did not show in any way for sume
time that the fatal dose had such an effect. It was
nearly an hour before the symptoms usually attend-
ing that deadly poison, strychnine, made their ap.
psarance, and then the child clenched its teeth sad
hands, and appeared to be in violent convulsions.
Some of the neighbours were called in, and one of
them oomforted the unfortunate mother by &Lying
that there was nothing dangerous the matter with
the chill; that the convulsions arose from the effects
of teething. It was then determined to send for a
medical man, and Dr. Granville, of Surrey-street,
Portland-square, immediately attended, who on
going to the house, saw the child, and at once
applied the usual remedies in such cases. Mr. H
Cooper, of Clifton, and Mr. Wilson, of Bridge.
street, also mine and rendered all the assistance in
their power, but the ill-fated child was beyoud the
reach of medical aid, and soon died in great agony.
At the inquest held next day, Dr. Granville was
WAS examined at some length, and explained the
effects of the poison upon the deceased child • and
also the effects of strychnine upon the human body.
The parents of the deceased child were also examined,
and the Jury returned a verdict to the effect that the
deceased was "accidentally poisoned by strychnine,
administered instead of soothing medicine.'
IMPUTATIONS Ao•INNT a CLINOTS•N.—On Thurs-
day the case of Jane Gilbert,. Valentine was tried at ,
the Bristol County Court before Sir J. E. E. Wilmot,
Judge. The action WAS brought by a widow against
the defendant, a clergyman of the Church of England,
for the recovery of £9 10a. for work and labour done.—
The plaintiff Mated that the defendant came to her
house to engage her as 'errant. He had visited her as
a parishoner. She consented to go and "do" for him. ,
He said he was almost going to make hers lady. She
was • widow, and be wombed to do • good thing for
her little boy. He was living at 44, Armoury Pima.
She kept no account of the time she was with him,
trusting him because he was a minister; but she I
believed it SW from the 4th June to the Bth October.
She asked Lim for money to pay her rent and debts, and
he gave her • shilling, and told her she was no: to
trouble about paying rent or debts; her creditors could
not hurt her. He only gave her a shilling altogether,
but told her be would do • great deal for her. On one
occasion she asked him for money, and he told I.er he
had given away some of her money to the poor, and the
rent he was about to lay out iu books. He refused to
give her anything. Cross-mamined : She went to the
defendant's house about the 4th of Jane ' • it was soon !
after he visited her. She did not think, he being •
minister, that she need be very particular. The defend-
ant was living in apartments at Mrs. Saunders's, in
Aruaoury Soars. After leaving there he went to live
at Andean's, in Broad-street. (laughter.) He told her
if she would give up the party she was living with, and
go to Andover, he would pey her Is. or ea a week, and
see her occasionally. Mr. Hill for the defendant: What
seethe first thing you did for him after you got into his
service ?—Plaintiff: I cooked his dinner. Mr. Hill:
What bad be got for dinner ? Plaintiff: A calf's Mad.
(leinghter.) I was running about for the defendant all
day long, fetching proviaions and carrying letters. I
had no tone for daring. When I was cooking at one
time he flue' 4s. 6d. down the stairs to get • dress for
nie to go to church on the Sunday to hear him preach.
That was not enough to get the dress, and I paid Mrs.
Slocombe. The day before Mr. Valentine left
he gave him • Bible and Prayer Book, on which
he wrote for me • testimonial of good character.
Time defendant said be was incumbent of the district of
St. Thomas, Stepney, and he wu in his 75th 'sat. In
the spring of 1860 he mine to Bristol to assist Mr.
Wellsted in the district parish of St. Jade. On the
&lid of June he went to lire at Mrs. Sounder's, in
Armoury Square. On visiting • person named Cross he
passed the plaintiff 'a room, but had any conver-
sation with her about her ooming into his service. He
never thought of engaging her in his service in any
shape. So far as these services were concerned they
were forced upon her by others. Fetching milk from
Mrs. Slocombe's was one of the first things she did, and I
he told Mrs. Slocombe that he did not wish her to
trouble any person to bring the milk. He never asked
the plaintiff to bring the milk, and deprecated her
doing it. Occasionally, when she had come, be had '
sent her on errands, but he had paid her from time
to time more than double the amount which he need
pay another person, but he knew Iwo- circumstames.
He had also given her cold meat, and a large quantity
of butter which he bad received from Devonshire. She
applied to him for money as wage* He advanced
her money on • eaturday evening for the purpose of her
going to church. He had often mired her to go, and had
given her a Bible and Prayer Book, and cc that evening
she said that she had no clothes except what were in
pledge. She said 4s. 6d. was neeemay to take out her
clothes, and he handed her the money. She afterwards
EOM* and said that that was not enough, and he gave