The Dorset County Express and Agricultural Gazette.
Dorchester, Dorset, England, 1861-08-20 00:00:00

ACCIDEITS AND OFFENCES. 1

SHOCILINO FILATRWIDE.—The tranquillity of the town-
ship of Newborn flail, about six miles to the uestweril
of Newcastle, Was, OU Saturday, disturbsl by a S11101:kill,t
Act of fratricide, one brother lisving in the heat of a
paesion, deliberately shot • youeger brother dead m on
the siert. The scene of this painful tragedy Was
small farmhouse, situate at right Reels s with tho %hinges
of Throckley and Walbottle, wanting shout a
quarter of a mile to the east of the former. The farm
belongs to his Grace the Duke of Northumberhitid, and
is known by the name of The West Dukw Cottage. its
position is a lonely one. There resided in it Mr.
Christopher Atkinson, tenant of the farm, his two sons,
his daughter-in-law, and three grandchildren. The two
brothers, whose unties are Christopher and William
Atkinson, were both of a spirited disposition, and for
some time back it appears to have been the delight of
the deceased to torment his brother, whose patience he
tried too long. The deceased, Chri•teplier. WAS
upwards of six feet high, and was an indolent fellow,
living, together with his wife and three chddien,
upon the produce of ids father's labour. Formerly, he
followed the plough, but for the last couple of years he
liad been too lazy to do anything but drink, and that he
is said to have done whenever he had an opportunity.
The eldest brother, William, is of a sickly disposition.
For the last twelve months ho Mel been ill, and how•
ever willing, usable to render any res:s: let.; on the
farm. The who of the deeeased acted so houeekeeper,
whilst the deceased himself oecesionally came to
Newotetle market to sell vegetables, kc., the produce
of the laud. William was known throughoLt the village
to be of a much inure sober character than his brother,
and it is probable tluit irrieation at his brother's
diasipAtion caused bin to remonstrate hat ably with
Every time the dece.teed entered the houss drunk a
dispute arose between teem, and was .oin. times accom•
pauied by blue.. Both were of a violent temperament,
and Wahines had, previous to the preeent treusectiou,
threatened to shoot his younger brother. On Saturday
morning the deceased liad gone to Newcastle inset,
and returned home in the evening in a state of
inebtiation, and greatly excited. As soon as he
entered the honest, where Witham and his father were
seated, he raised a herse bridle which be had in his hand
and knocked his brother off the chair, without a word
between them. This so angered the brother that he
immediately rose, and, seising a leaded gun which was
euipeuded from the ceiling, without uttering a word,
ehut his brother dead ; and this too in the presence of
their aged father. The deceased fell to the ground and
never spoke again. Reports flew through the village,
and • polioe-conaitable, statioued at Waloottle, appre•
bended William, and conveyed him to the Moot Hall,
Neecastle. Ile has since evinced the greatest sorrow
for the iulturnan act which be hut committed. So great,
indeed, has been the effect upon the poor fellow's meld
that he is already greatly emaciated, and it is
doubted whether he will live to take his trial. He MIA
taken on Monday before B. Sauderson, Esq., and
remanded, and is now committed for trial at the aesises
upon the coroner's warrant.
FATAL BXSULT OP A DRUNEXN Fag (IL .—On Tuesday
inorniug, W. Carter, Esq., coroner for the eastern
division of "Surrey, held an inquest at the Swan Tavern.
Idaismore.plece, Perk-road, Peckham, on the body of
William George Fleming, aged 2, a labourer. It
appeared from the evidence that on Friday night
the deceased, who was of very intemperate habits, was
in thy King William the Fourth beer-house, near the
Kent Road Bridge of the Surrey Canal, when waking
use of an oath he expressed his deterininatiou to have
a swim with ins clothes on. He left the house for the
purpose, but is heu he gut to the Water's edge a fellow'
labourer pulled him away. The deceased, however,
gut rid of his companion, and after tucking up his
"mock frock jumped into the canal, but after two or
three minutes he threw up his arms and sank. An
alarm n was quickly raised, but the body Wila I,ot
recovered for nearly twenty minutes The Jury
returned a verlict, that the deceased lust his life by
jumping into the Grand Surrey Canal while in a state
of intoxication.
TUE L.)AN SOCIETY FRAUUS.—At the Liverpool
&seizes ou Tuesday, William Seabrook Chalkely was
placed at the bar, before Mr. Baron Martin, and
arraigned upon foir indictments, charging hint with
having to a very considerable extent defrauded the
Tradesmen's Loan Society, of which lie was secretary.
The first indictment charged him with embezzling the
solos of £lO and £100; the second and third with
having forged and uttered two promissory nutes for the
pa 3 meet of MOO and E. 360 respectively ; and the fourth.
with having obtained by false pretences two orders,
each for the payment of 1:185 es., and a third for the
payment of 10e. The prisoner pleaded not guilty
to the charge of forgery and embezzlement, but guilty
to the minor charge of obtaining money under (else
pretences. The prisoner was then tried upou the charge
of having forged and uttered • promissory note for
£2OO, and, alter sr eloquent address in his behalf by Mr.
Pope, the jury found Min guilty of feloniously uttering
the note. The hemmed judge, after severely censuring
the conduct of the prisoner, sentenced him to 15 years
penal servitude
A CHILD TILL) TO A COW.—A inquest was recently
held at Llarillwity Church, Llanllwny, on the body of
Mary Thome+, • child five years of age, who was killed
under the following singular circumstances :—Deceased
and her brother, aged nine years, was watching •
heifer, which was grazing on the roadside, and deceased,
it is said, asked her brother to tie her to the heifer ;
he did no, with& rope fastened round her waist to the
heifer's tail, and went awes'. Shortly afterwards, Ewan
Evana, of ‘'alindria, who was at work at his smithy,
saw the heifer count"; down the toad wall the deceased
fastened to her, aud dragging her along the ground
Evans ran out toeartls • brook which creased the road,
when the heifer stopsed, and John Thomas held
deceased while Evans cut the rope. The poor child
was alive, but was covered with blood, and died soon
after.—The jury returned a verdiut that deceased was
accidentsdly
Semen's CASK OP STABBING BY A Tom, go
About ten ,l'clock on Saturday morning a inset serious
affray occurred between a brother and sister, mrtniel
Carr, residie; in Chapel-lane. Devenport, near the
Raglan Barracks. The sister, who is only fifteen years
of age, went out to fetch a penoyworth of cream, and
on her return the brother, who is a man of about 25
years if age, and a scavenger, insisted on giving his
aged mother • portion of the cream in a cup of tea.
The girl kmk a knife from her pocket, and, approaching
her brother, thrust it in the site of his head, just
above the right ear, in the direction of the tetuple, pro-
ducing a wound of about an inch in diameter, and of
considereble depth, which it is stated laid the brain
open. She irnmediately fled from the. house. The
young man is in • very precarious state, but hopes are
entertaieed of his ultimate recovery.
SZIIIoUN CLlAltult OF CUTTINO ANL) WOUNDING.—At
the Petty Sessions, Gosport, on Saturday, John March,
remanded from the erevioue Saturday, charged with
wounding liie wife, Harriet Marsh, was brought up
again for examination. On the Monday following pri-
soner's remand, intimation was received by the magis-
trates that there were eymptome of cryeipelas coming
on, and that it would be desirable to lose no time in
taking the wife's deposition ' • and oonsequently the pri-
soner was taken to the house, and Captain Field
attended, when she was examined. She started that
about seven o'clock on the 26th July, she was 'standing
at her door with some needlework, whiten she saw the
prisoner coming down the street in • state of intoxica-
tion. She went in-doors and made things as comfort-
able for him as she could, and for • short time lie hail
down but suddenly rose up and used violent language
towards her, end attempted to strike her with his &tin
upon which she 'aid, "John, don't strike me." To
which he replied, 'No, I won't strike you, I would not
hurt a hair of your head." She then said, "No, you
base no reason to strike me or give me any angry
words, for I never interfered with you, do what you
may." Ile then went to the table upon which was
stainhog a teapot and basin, and toilettd some tea into
the banns and threw it over her head and face, and
repeated it a second time ; she put up her dress to save
herself, when lie intinedietely nolo.' at her with the
basin, and stru. k her with it in the face. The basin*
wies broke in pieces but she conld not nay whether it
broke by the blow or from falling on the floor. The
blood rubbed from her face. and she mu into the street
screaming, whets • neighbour led her into her house and
aent for a &sten Mr. Keeley, surgeon, promptly
Attended, Anil found the blood flowins, rapitly from her
face, upon which was an inches" wound exteusling from
the left eye nearly to the mouth, and on the right cheek
was a tmielveree wound about tWO inches ii: length, in
the direction of this right nostril. The loss of blood
was no great that the poor woman WAS exhausted.
The prisouer was committed for trial.
sieeesee Cseg Poiseteteo. An inquest was
held on Wednesday by Mr O. S. Brent, deputy-coroner
for West Middlesex, at the Buffalo's Head, Marylehone-
road, ou view of the tawly of Sirah tinnier, aged about
52, late resident of 20, North street, Manchester-repine,
who, (non the evidence adduced, died from the effects
of opium under the subioined eircumetances. On
Monday evening about nine o'clock poliee•constable
216 D found deeeased apparently drunk and insatiable
Oil the iloorztep of 8, Nortlitimberland.stree', with a
crowd .if persons round her. Ile asked her where she
lived ; first she said in Paradise-street, then in North-
street, and firstly she asserted that she belonged to the
workhowo. lie removed her to that institution, but
the porter knew treating of her, and therefore took her
to the High-street Police-station, charged her with being
drunk soil incapable, mid she was put into a cell. She
was antSciently sensible to give her name and address.
About an hone attempts!' she was found insensible ; the
divieional surgeon, Mr. Clarke, was sent for, and medi-
eine welt adinieistered, which shortly after appeared to
have effected her recovery. Another hour elapses', and
Ale was again found heavy and sleepy, and seemed
totally unconecious. Her friends were sent for, and in
comsequence of her stating that she had taken poison,
Mr. Clarke used the stomach pump, but she sank and
died before one sum. Mr. Clarke performed • post-
mortem esaluinatiou. and diroovered that death took
place from the effects of laudanum. The daughter of
the deceased stated that on the evening preceding her
death she entered MUSLIM'S room and exclaimed, " I
have taken it ; I have taken six pennyworth of latt-
&DOM," and threw a phial ma the floor, but witness did
not then pay any attention to it, as deceased had so fre-
quently thresiketed to-destroy herself. She had several
times before purchased landenum to kill herself, but
invariably threw it away after keeping it for • short
time, and on last Christina...day witness' found her
hanging by the neck, but in such a wanner that she
received no injury.—Verdict, " Suicide, in a state of
mind unknown."
CRUELTY BY A FATHER.—At the Manchester Police
Coint, on Monday, James Taylor, an assistant pawn-
broker, living in Medlock-street, Hulme, was charged
with ill-using the two eldest of his five children, one •
girl about V.l years of age, and the other ahoy six or
seven. The defendant is a widower, end was described
by the witnesses, who are his neighbours, as very
passionate. On Sunday night, according to custom, be
arrived home very late. The girl renionetrated, when
he struck her several violent blows on the back with a
stick, and then went upstairs and struck the little boy,
who was in bed, over the left eye with • strap, leaving
a severe black merit. He then turned the girl
out of the house the time being about one o'clock in
the morning. The defendant had no excuse to make
for his conduct, except that the girl used bash language
to hint when he came home; but the neighbours sold
she was a very good girl, and besides acting like a
mother to the other children, she took care of the shop.
The tnagistretes ordered the defendant to find two
sureties, in £l5 each, to keep the peace for sil nionths.
The defendant said thatnothing of the kind should weer

FATAL KICK num • Dltalf-llottsE.—On Thursday
morning Mr. Brent held an inquest at the Silver Gap,
Cromer-styes., Gray'sdnwroal, on the body of Ada
Gray, aged ruse years, who last her life through a kick
fr on • dray-horse. It appeared that on Tuesday week
the deceused was playing in the Old St. Pancras-road.
when she ran across the road towards Manhole-street
for the parpoae of joining other children, who, wills
oyster atolls in this ir kande, vivre enlisting the passers-
by to " remember the gent's,." As she cro-siesl the
roe I. a dray, belonging to Reid's Brewery, was tinning
I out of Ablenhaia-street, which was a slight decline in
the road. when the child, confuaed by *rubbish cid,
which Viol !ng at the same time, run against one
of the dray home, and fell. 'lle wheels wee prevented
from going over her by a man, who instantly seized her,
and finding blood priming from her body, he conyayeil
her to the Royal Free Ilespital. Mr. Hill, the house
surgeon, found that also has sustainesi a compound
fracture of the left leg through • terrible kick fl,nlll tIW
horse, scraping away all the soft party—the flesh,
arteries, awl larsai vowels—and exposing the hone.
The only chance of saving the child's life being by im-
mediate amputation, as otherwise mortification ioust
hove set in. the limb was skifully taken off at the thigh
by Mr. Gant. The poor child survived the operation
only three days, and on Friday she died from the shock
to the system. The mother of the deceased, a widow
of A clienikt'a assistant. was fetched from her work to
tint ber child in the pitiable csswlition above &indent.
Several n .Tectable witnoasas entirely row:elated the
striver of th- dray from all blame. The jery returned a
verdict of "Accidental death."
SINGULAR CATASTROMIL AT MANcRIUITEIL— On
Wednealay, sin accident, attended with fatal results,
took place at the yard of Messrs. Worthington, con-
nectors, Rusholine-road. Between nine and ten
o'clock, as a man named James Hamlet was bringing
• luny, with some weggons on it, out of the yard,
there were several boys standing near the gate, and a
labourer named Thomas Harold told them to get out
of the way. Thu moved away from the gate, and
stood ender the wall, which encloses the yarl. As the
lorry c inc out of the yard, role of the empty waggons
caught the well. which fell awl tsarist three of the boys
under the debris. A number of men &sainted to get
the boys (rout under the bricks and rubbish with which
they were covered. On being extricated, one of the
boys was found to be dead, • second died almost
iuiiUiS
diately afterwards, awl a third was taken to the Royal
I Infirmary .—Manchester Examiner.
THRCAT TO MURDER A WAUDER.—A tall. desverate
fellow, named James Harrison, • prisoner in the Leeds
borringh gaol, .1111 brought before the Ueda inagistretes
on Tuesday, charged with having threatened to murder
George Doleion. one of the warders. Dobson stated
that he bad been A warder at the gaol for about three
years. The prisoner had been confined there for about
six months, having been convicted of felony at the Leeds
sessions, and sentenced to 18 months' iinprisenuient.
Hilt cell was in the B ward, to which Dobson had to
attend. On Wednesday last the complainant was
palming the prisoner his food through the doer, when lie
(Harrison) threw some water on him, at the same time
remarking, "There's some oil and water to mix among
the aoitty," Dobson having previously reported the
prisoner for having putty in his cell. Harrison then
threatened " to du" for Dobson ; as lie bad also done
both previously and subsequently. On the day before
this occurred, the prisoner threw the lid of the water
closet violently at Dolmen, and threatened to "winds
his bands in his blood." His language being reported, '
he was taken before the visiting justices, in whose
presence lie egain declared that lie " would have
Dobson'', life on the first opportunity." The explanation
of the conduct of Harrison appeared to he that lie was
annoyed that Dobson hesl reverter' him for having
tobacco secreted in Isis cell, for which he avas removest
ont of the wing lie then occupied. and sentenced to three
days' solitary confinement. —John Linley, another
warder, corroborated the evidence of Dobson, and said
that the priosner threatened to " do for Dobson if he
swung for it." The deputy governor (Mr. Gosling) also
proved other threats of the prisoner. On one occasion,
pointing to some blood on the floor, he said, "lon see
those thirteen drops of blood there, and for every drop
I'll have a can fell of that—," meaning Poisson. On
being charged in the usual form ny the magistrates. he
replied' " Yes, I did threaten to minder him, and I do
yet." The megistrates committed him for trial at the
next borough session'. When asked to sign his state-
ment, he replied. "Yen, I'll sign it ; if its my death
warrant I'd sign it."
A MAN'S Eye SHOT OCT BY VOLUNTIRIDA—On
Wedneaday evening there wit, a review of volunteers
and yeomanry on the race course at Wolverhampton
The volunteers comprised about 350 men of the 4th
Staffordshire battalion. They were commanded by
Major Burrows, the major of the battalion. an iron-
master of Tipton, and were inspected by the Hon.
Arthur Wrottesley, major of the Ist Staffordshire
Militia. The occasion attracted a vast concosirse of
apectators. Part ssf the evolutions consistod of forming
companies and then in square to receive cavalry.
During the firing in square it was observed that the
ruen were brought into dangerous proximity to the
spectators in one rart of t'ae field, and the fears that
were entertained that an accident might happen proved
too well-gronnded. The firing had ecarcely ceased
before a messenger ran up to the staff of Major
Wrottesley, desiring that a surgeon might be sent to
the Persistence of one of the spectators who had him eye
shot out with one of the, blank cartridges that hail just
been fired. A surgeon of the volunteers of the cavalry
who WM present went at ouce to the man's assistance,
and found it was no reported. The man. a tailor, in
humble life, had totally lost his eye. He was removed
to the South Staffordshire Hospital. When the com-
mander drew up his men to fire in line, the mistake
that had been made before wan remedied, and a site
distance woo put between the men and the spectators
Rumen:se or A CANAL NEAR 13 terms:Y.—At an
early hour on Tuesday morning an alarm was raised
that the embankment of the canal at Keystone had
given way. At the time of the occurrence • sloop was
close to the spot, and was in 11411»12 danger from the
atoblen fell of the waher. The boatman WM the flout to
discover the flaw. which was at first snoposed to be
merely • surfeoe leak, and for which purpose the boat
was put alongside, no as to stop the gap. On this being
done, time water rapidly oozed out, carrying away the
side of the embankment the full length of the boat,
a hie') fell down a depth of nearly twelve feet, and was
floated along the fields • distance of 400 yards, where
it became safely enihedded amongst the standing corn,
and wa afterwards drawn to the canal by hones. Not
far from the embankmeet there was, fortunately, a cul-
vert, which took a good deal of the water. Fled the
accident taken plate on the lower embankment, it must
have carriesl away • considerable portion of the line of
railway which runs parallel with the canal. As it is, a
I good deal of damage has been done, whilst the minal
, has been drained for • distance of nearly eleven miles,
in no place being much over three feet in depth.
FATAL AFFRAY IN BELOIOII.—A few days since two
young men, named Gillis and Jardon, employed in •
mechanicirin's shop at Verniers. in Belgium, began
ouarrelling, when the latter threw some water in the
face of the former. Gillis, who happened to have a
piece of reddiot iron, which he held by a pincers, in
him hand, threw it at Jardon, and the iron running into
Ids ehrlomen burnt him in such • horrible manner that
he died in • few hours after. Gillis was *mated and
sant to prison. but his agitation and teinorse for what
he had done wee so great that it was found necessary
to send for medical assistance for him.

AN INNIEEPKR CANVICTED ON ARRON.—At the
Oloncester Aaaixes, on Saturday, Wes. Willey, 40, beer-
house-keeper, was charged with the capital offence of
feloniously setting fire to his own dwelling-house, his
wife and six children then being therein, on the 15th
of April. 1861, at Bristol. The prisoner wee the keeper
of a beer-chop. called the Hope Anchor, at No. 40, in
the Hotwell-road. Cliflon,where he resided with his wire
and sis childreo. On the oth of November. 1860,
lie effected an insitranep, with the Sun-nfflce, through
their Bristol agent, Pe the sum of £loo—viz.. ElOO
upon the house (of which he was only tenant). £75
upon his furniture, £5 upon engravings and pictures.
EIO upon china and glass, and £lO upon stock-in-trade.
In the early part of the present year he attempted to
effect another insurance noen the ARIIIIe property for
MO with the Royal Inauranceeiffice, but as the agent
of the latter company took the precaution to
examine the property its refused to insure it, and told
, the prisoner there was not I:5 worth of property to
be inanred. On the night of Sundae the 15th of
April last, the police on duty in the neighbourhood
saw fire ialoing from the roof of the prisoner's
house. They immediately sprang their rattles, and
sent for the fire-engines. and on coming to the house,
they found the etreet door wide open, and the prisoner
dressed, end with his hat on, in front of the howls'.
, On entering at the street-door the police found the
kitchen stairs on fire, and were driven out at the house
by the fire and smoke. It appeared that at Clifton
there is • high reservoir of water, and the police are
supplied with hose and stand,ipes by which they are
enabled to throw water upon fires, without the necessity
of waiting the arrival of regular fire engines. The
water was thus thrown on to the fire on the staircase,
and it was extinguished, and the Lose being mewed
through one of the two adjoining houses, both of which
were also rented by the prisoner, the fire on the roof
was extinguished also. Fire was then iliacovered in a
cupboard in the front parlour, in the cellar, in the
Ixelroonis upstairs, and, in short, in every part of the
house, which it was stated was burnt in as many IN
14 different places. They no sooner extinguished the
fire in one plaoe then they found it burning in another.
The prisoner interfered with the police, end abused
them for the efforts which they made to extinguish the
flames, and rather aseisted the fire by breaking the
window psneii with his fist, and thus adding to the
draught of air. When the fire was eitingnialied, the
house was taken possession of by the officers of the
insiirance-office, and the police. and an exami-
nation made of the premises from top to
bottom. The result was, that there was
scarcely an article of furniture in the whole house,
except one bedstead and a flock bed and mattress,
awl every room in the house Reamed to bare been pre-
pared for a rapid conflagration. Board+ had been
taken up froin the floors, and sticks and shavings
stuffed underneath. On the stairs, in corners, in
boxes, and cupboards an immense quantity of shavings
and sticks had been skilfully arranged so as to catch
fire and burn with rapidity, and • large quantity of tar
had been thrown upon the shavings and floor, ap-
parently with the same object. Just as the fire began
to burn the prisoner had got his family downstairs in
the backyard in their night clothes, and there they
dressed themselves.. When called upon by the police
for au explanation of the suspicious circumstances
attending the fire the prisoner said lie knew uothing
about it ; that he was sitting up; he went upstsirs to
fetch a candle, and when lie came downstairs and
struck a light the gas expanded. He was taken into
custody on the spot. and charged with setting are to
the house.—Mr. Crippa addressed the jury for the
prisoner, and endeavoured to account fot sonic of the
facts of the case, and suggested that the house might
have taken fire accidentally, as the prisoner himself
had said.—The jury found the prisoner guilty on the
second and third counts—Mr. Justice Keating, in
passing sentence, said be acquitted the prisoner of any
intention to injure his wife and children, but it was
clear that he had in the most deliberate
manner net fire to his house. His lordship then
sentenced the prisoner to 20 years' penal servitude. As
soon as the sentence was pronounced, • scene took
place in court which is not often equalled. The
wife and daughter of the prisoner uttered the most
piercing screams, and, although they were soon re-
moved to an adjoining roona, it was sometime before
the roofs of both courts teemed to echo with their
Nies.