The Express.
London, England, 1861-01-05 00:00:00

DISGRACEFUL GAME LAW PROSECUTION.

At the Cirencester Petty Sessions, a few days
since—the magietrates present being the Rev. Henry
Grippes (chairman), and Messrs. Cripps, Morris, and Hart-
hind—Thomas Hall, a simple-lookuig countryman, who
l i bordering on starvation, and whose clothes hung
about him rags, was brought up iu custody, charged with
being out in pursuit of game in the preserves of Earl
Bathurst.

I.linionnatiott wan laid by King, head garnekeeper to
Lord Bathurst, and he called a witness, who deposed that
he met the prisoner at twelve o'cloca at night, and went
with him through the woods in search of pheasants. Saw
him shoot at • hird which was roosting in • tree. He struck
it but did nut kill it. He fired several shots at it but wita
the same result.

Prisoner, on being called on fur his defence, said he was
in bed it his own cottage on the night in question, that
the lag witness came and knocked him up, and asked him
to go with him and shoot a pheasant, adding that he was
very " bard up," and that he bad shot a hate the evening
before, and sold it for 2s. td. in Cirencester, and if prisoner
would come and shoot him a pheasant, he would be very
glad. Witness was a stranger to him, and he had never
seen him before. He (prisoner) bud no gun, but the wit.
MN produced a gun and loaded it, and as they were going
along the Tithess pointed to a pheasant in one of the trees
and tithed him to shoot it. He shot, but did not hit it,
and the witness loaded the gun three or four times for him
(prisoner) to fire, but he killed nothing. He should not
have thought of going out if the witness had not called him
up and brought the gun and loaded it for him.
The Chairman said the bench considered the case proved.
The prisoner admitted that he shot at the pheasants. Ile
had been convicted for poaching in 185 e, and the sentence
now was that he be committed to prison for three mouths,
and at the expiration of that time find sureties for his good
behaviour for a further period of Ilk months.
The prisoner was again charged with a similar offence in
shooting a rabbit in Lord Bathurst's preserves.
King, the gamekeeper, deposed that on Sunday afternoon
he saw the prisoner and another man going along one of the
drives. They appeared as though they were looking for pm*,
but they were too tar off for him to see whether they bade
gun wit them. . .

Mr. Moths inquired how it was the other man was not in-
eluded in the charge.
King replied that the other man was his witness.
The same witness was again called in corroboration.
He stated that he went along with the prisoner by the
side of the hedge and pointed him out a rabbit ; the pri-
soner shot at it and killed it, and afterwards put it in his
pocket and went away '
with it.
Prisoner, in his defence, declared that he only went out
at the particular request of the man who now appeared
against him as a witness • that the witness pointed out the
nbbit,which be shot,and that the witness himself put it into
his pocket and carried it away. He (prismer) touched
it at all.
The magistrates were consulting on the cue, when
Mr. William Boodle who happened to be in court on
another case, asked to be allowed to say a few words. He
did not speak as an attorney, hut as an Englishman, and he
thought any man with English feeling must feel in-
dignant at the manner in which this poor starving
wretch had been trapped into crime. This witness bad been
brought from a distant part of the country to tempt this
poor man ;he had basely lent himself to the purpose ; he
had called the poor fellow out of bed, begged as a favour
that he would go with him, bad himself produced the gun
and ammunition, and was in fact the prime instigator of the
offence with which the prisoner was charged. He (Mr.
Boodle) bad hoped that the system pursued by Jonathan
Wild, of lint making men thieves and then taking blood-
money for their apprehension, bad been extinct in this
country mince that worthy was executed. But he aas sorry
to Ind it WY not so.

Yr. Boodle then asked the witness if he had a license, and
witness said "No." He thee asked him for his address ;
but Mr. Behr, the =vitiates' clerk, told him oot to answer
the question.
Mr. Boodle mid what be bad got out was quite enough.
The witness admitted having shot a bare, and being present
when the prisoner shot the pheasant and the rabbit, and
for each of these acts, not having a license, be was liable to
a penalty of 2W. He (Mr. Boodle) wt uld himself turn
common informer to enforce these penalties if nobody else
would.

Mr. Boodle then formally applied for an information
against the witness.
The witness refused to give his address, but admitted that
he had been brought up from a distant part of the country
for the express purpose of catching men as he had caught
the prisoner.
An odium of Inland Revenue, who happened to be pre-
seat, backed Mr. Boodle's application, and said he should
certainly bring the matter under the notice of the cola-

Mr. Boodle raid be would lay the information himself, sod
the revenue officer might have the whole of the penalties,
or they might be given to objects of charity, or laid out for
the benefit of the poor victim of this man's base conduct.
After what bad
_paseed, the magistrates refused to con-
vict in the second mar, and so great wee the excitement
against the witness by the parties in court that be bad to
be taken under the protection of the police, and let out
through a side door.
Mr. Boodle said he had never witnessed such disgraceful
proceedings in his whole life ; and he pledged hini.elf to
bring the case under the notice of the Secretary of State
with a view to obtain the prisoner's liberation.
The proceedinp caused intense excitement, and Mr.
Boodle's remarks were received with bursts of cheering
which it was impossible to reprevt.

THE LATE COLLISION' ON THE GRIIN MICH
RAlLWAY.—Yesterday an
'hob
from the railway de-
partment of the Board of paid an official visit to the
scene of the late collision on this line of railway. The result
of the inquiry prcrves that previous to the departure of the
rip.train from Greenwich, and which aims into oollision
with the engine coming from the direction of Deptford, it
had been telegraphed to the signalman at that station that
the line was " blocked, " the meaning of which was that no-
thing was to be allowed to pass down the line until the up-
train was clear of Deptford. These instructions were not
attended to, and the engine which was the cause of the
collision kept on its journey, the driver not being able,
owing to the fog which prevailed, to distinguish the ordi-
nary signal, there being no light exhibited in addition.
The man whose duty it was to have prevented the engine
passing the Deptford &igloo has been discharged from the
company's employment. The guard of the train, John
Varney, who wu considerably injured in the chest, by being
struck with the iron handle of the brake, which he was
holding :at the time of the collision,) the force of which
knocked him down, is still under medical treatment, and it
will be some time before he is sufficiently recovered to re-
mine his duties. The passengers in the train who were in-
jured are all reported to be progressing favourably
thoNtmo UOD LlTllit OIL.—In consumption and
some tither disown characterised by a rapid pulse. it Is abeo.
lately neetwary to reface It before any Improvement can take
place. Osonlied Cod Liver 011 1a the remedy which most quickly
and effectually accomplishes this object. Pee "Royal Medical
and Chlrurgleal Soeletr's Triumitotlntra" Tot. PI, for ISSN:
•' Lancet," July 9. Pharmaceutical Journal,- August I.
P 154. am Prepared only I.y ti. Borwick, sole licensee. 21, little
Ifoornelda London. Sold by all druggsta in Os. Od., Ss. W..
and bottles.--(Advertiserneat

B. Z. M. D. Y. U. 1.
Kazin= .. 30.19 28 W. 9 ta
023iisioc3 .. 30.21 91 8.11. 4 m
BawicE 30.10 11 W. 9
Corsmimmi 110.09 11
POMO= .. 30.16 29 8. o
GALWAY .... 3002 83 —8, tt
POLL
1.11.838301 30.24 27 LILL
VALUTIA 30.00 42 40 SILL 0
180320M.8 30.16 4! 41 18.0.
YAlltet,"71l
Lostta 311.23 28
Lail 'extreme 30.36 23 E.N.L 0
Bre 30.2{ 21 —N.N.L bru
DOVIR 110.20 34 33 N.
PORTSMOUTH 3923 31
PLYMOUTM
PINS•ICI
30.16 28 E.B.Z.
Ham
HATORRI 30.20 41 Zr
Luaus I
LSPLA.NATION.
B.—Barometer corrected and reduced to 3! deg. at mean sea
level : each 10 feet, of vertical rise, causing about one-hundredth
of an inch diminution : and each 10 des., above 3s deg., c6o•109

kora : enable
a/ an lacit
nearly Ussenbandi
in aback. IL—Mole
point). D.—Direction
1 to 12—estimated). C
e. clouds (detached) :
"hazy , o, overcast id
letter repeated anginas

PLANATION.
Jeted and reduced to 32 deg. at mean sea
vertical rise, causing about one-hundredth
I: and sack 10 deg., above at deg., canting
the increase. Y.—Exposed thermometer
,ened Nab (for evaporation and dew
of wind .tree--not magnetic). Y.—Force
I.—Cloud fl to 9). L —lnitials b, blue sky .
f, fogall snow;g re, misty
111) ; r, rain; a, t, thunder. A
sews, rr, much rain.

SHIPPING INTELLIGENCE.