The Dorset County Express and Agricultural Gazette.
Dorchester, Dorset, England, 1874-01-13 00:00:00

TRIALS OF PRISONERS.

Sarah Beekingham (16), who was on ball, was indicted for
dealing from the person of George Thome, a purse containing
111 4. Id., at Wimborne Bt, Giles Prisoner pleaded not guilty.
She was a well-dressed young woman, and cried hysterically
when arraigned—Mr. nooks-Woodlurde prosecuted, and Mr.
Castle defended.
Pmescutor, a middle-aged man, employed as under-keeper
for the Earl of Shaftesbury, on 14th November haring "had a
drop" too much, was sitting on a bank by the side of the read
at 10 p.m., on his way home front apublichoune.
rr : You were in the ditch, Thorne.
o&tairman : You must not interrupt, prisoner
Priaoner : I can't boar it.
The Chairnuut : You mud bear it.
Prosecutor went on to say that the prisoner and her sister
mum up, and told him to get up When he had done.., the
'insular put her hand into his waletorst pocket, and then lute
hip breeches' pocket, where vraa his puttee. lier sister
Come on, Sarah, lane him alone; don't pull him about."
Prisoner : Oh, you liar !
o.mplainant said they went away, and then he missed hip
purse Half a mile on he met. constable, and told what had
occurred Next morning he went to prisoner's house at Sutton,
with a policeman, and asked prisoner for the money she picked
out ,d his pocket the previous night. !he denied the 4e:tce.
lie told her he could moor she had her hand in his breeches'
pocket the precious night. She said "As God's in heaven I
never did," and repcatml it several tines

Prisoner : You villain, you insulted me, you did !
Complainant went on to say prisoner •verred there way only
a halfpenny in the house. Ile said he should give her in
. 'Alen she called hint said, and whispered whispered "I have
7.:Zrge money :I Woe it out of your pocket to prevent your
losing it. I was going to give it you again." lie bohl her he
didn't believe she would have done had hems got a 'yaks:man.
Then she took the 1- he had lost the mantel piece, and
gave it to the constable. lie asked fur the purse. She said
there was none. Ile told her he could meter there was Pri•
mines sister came down stairs at the thue, and said Don't
bring Me Into it, harah, I didn't know you picked his pocket."
Then the conetable picked the NUM; "tit or UK. fin.
" "

Itukoner called the 1-;auttbooll, and ran 4141,411 the
dock towards him shaking her flat at him. She %as swam
adsised to be quiet, but nolgody could restnilii her interter-
tainia in daprecation of the varion• ststemento made aka not
her.
Prosecutor llnisliiil t m
,s in she said she would have given
bun up the money had he Colllc alone,
Crordoexaniiiied : Ile pald In. NI. for drink, which would
fetch three quarts of beeir. Ile kat hi the ditch with his brad
up against the bank. Ile had a gun IT hid iiute, loadest
Didn't know whether it was capped, the policeman said It
was. Stew the prisoner was taking his vurtie ; didn't
andi her because he knew her and thought he would sec what
alue wouki do, lie only told her to go on. The .ipiddkid
ait, 'ether, lilt hod tell pitiginer it would ruin hit., if it got to
chi-irked him with being drunk. NMI he had to pay !Ss.
earg. Oki not take liberlied 14 Ith her, said
Ili% e her the 111.1.11 Cy. The polirettian found hini lying down hi
the road ith his gun under bun.
Tlm Verwood (visitable (P.C. Brakl(e) gave corroborathe
olden.e. Prisoner said bile put the pone In the Are bccauso
g win. dirty.
i Vries-examined lie found proseceitPr about 12 n'ehirk,
lying titian in the aniline el tbe road. lie was staggering

drunk, but quite setudble ! Able to take are of himself, but
not of hie gun.
Mr. rfooks-Woodforde summed up the caee for the iwo-
elocution.

------
On behalf of the prittoner, Mr. Castle said the ease was of •
painful nature. The prisoner was a woman of respectable
appearance, although less under self-control than one liked to
see. Ills care was that the prosecutor was sitting by the road-
side in a drtutken state, when these women came up and had
some conversation with him Certain intimacies were pre-
ferred by prosecutor, which the prisoner repubol, and the
matter was hashed up by his triviiite her the purse. She took
rare of it, and, as she said, would have freely retunicel it to
;f him had lie come to her Wetly. lie commented on the fact
that prosecutor, althoug quite cape.ble, made no attempt to
iirevent h,.T from takin he purse, and that no attempt was
made to recover it the RI lc slight. As to her denial of having
the parse, ho attributes it to momentary alarm on seeing a
polioetnan. From all the facts he argued that she had no
intention of keeping the purse; and that prosecutor got into
difficulty about it through his own disgraceful conduct,
The Chairman briefly ituneuell up the evidence.
The Jury found prisoner not guilty.
Before discharging her, the Chairman warned prisoner
against such conduct as had brought her into trouble on this
oceasion, and hoped it would be useful to her for the rust of
her life.