The Sun.
London, England, 1858-09-17 00:00:00

FORGERY BY A POLICEMAN.

On Thursday, John Dustow was charged before
the Devonport magistrates by Mr. Robert Hitch-
man, superintendent of police, with forgery. The
prisoner was lately a constable at the Keyham
Yard, then a supernumerary in the Plymouth
force, next a policeman in the Devonport force,
and at the time of hs apprehension he was in the
Cornwall County Constabulary. On the 26th of
August the prisoner was appointed a police con-
stable in the Devonport police force on the faith of
four certificates which he produced, and without
which he would not have been selected. On the
following day he was medically examined and
reported fit for duty. He was then supplied with
uniform, and ordered to attend for duty at half-
past nine in the evening. He did not come at the
appointed hour, and not until some time afterwards,
when he came drunk, and in an unfit state for duty,

On the following morning Mr. Hitchman saw the
prisoner, and told him that it was his intention -to
report him to the Watch Committee, therefore he
was to attend on the following Thursday. He
did not do so, and was dismissed from the force.,,
Mr. Hitchman Rubsequently received information
that the prisoner had been previously in the Key-
ha,m Dockyard, although when asked, when being
sworn in, if he had ever belonged to a police force,
he replied in the negative. In consequence of this,
Mr, Hitchman applied to Sergeant Smithson, of the
Royal Marines, when it was discovered that
although the prisoner had purchased his discharge
from that corps, it was with an " indifferent cha-
racter" on his certificate, and the word indifferent
had been altered into " very good." Another cer-
tificate purporting to be signed by Messrs. North-
cote and Son, wheelwrights, Stoke, with whom the
prisoner had worked, was also found to be forged,
and a third certificate of good character, purporting
to be signed by. J. Yale, foreman of boiler-makers in
the Key-ham Yard, which was given eighteen
months since, had been altered, and on the face of
it it appeared that it was granted on the 18th of
July, during the present year. To the police qua-
lification certificate the name of Mr. Northcote had
been forged by the prisoner, and it was also signed
by Mr. Hiffiey, chemist, Devonport, and Mr. Hen-
mugs, painter, Morice Town. In consequence of
this the prisoner was apprehended, and on the
above facts being deposed to he was committed for
trial at the assizes.

STABBING AT LISKEA_RD.-COMMIT-
TAL FOR MURDER.

On Thursday the magistrates at Liskeard con-
cluded a long investigation into a fatal case of
stabbing which has occurred in that neighbour-
hood. • The deceased, Daniel Donnoway, was a
young Irishman of about 20 years of age, and,
with a brother, resided with and supported a
widowed mother at Trehane Mine, in Menheniot.
The prisoner, William Ball, is from St. Cleer, and
is a few years older than Donnoway. Both
were: miners. The facts are shortly as follows :
There was a party of miners drinking at Little-
ton's Bell Inn Tap on Saturday night. They ap-
pear to have gone in there about six o'clock, and
remained there until 12 at night. Shortly before
12 a row began about Donnoway's cap, which he
supposed Ball had. Donnoway seized Ball, and they
had a scuffle. The cap was produced by another
younc, man, and after having some more drink they
all lea together and proceeded up Church-street.
Just after passing Hancock's public-house, Donno-
way and Ball had some angry words, and the for-
mer struck Ball. Ball then asked Donnoway if he
would fight, to which he consented. Ball then
went back about ten or a dozen feet and made an
under blow at Donnoway, in the bowels. Donno-
way struck Ball and kicked him, upon which Ball
said, "If you don't stop your kicking I'll rip your
guts out ;" by this time Donnoway was by the side
of his brother, a young lad of 18, stooping down
and holding his stomach, groaning and complaining
that his wind was knocked out. He got sick and
wished to sit down to recover. He, however, went
on, leaning on two men all the way, and begging
them to let him lie down. When they came to
Stoneybridge•hill, half-a-mile out of town, he dis-
covered blood on his shirt, and found that he was
wounded in the abdomen. He was taken on to
Pengover and put in a house, whilst a doctor was
sent for. Mr. Donovin, of Liskeard, attended and
sewed up the wound, which had penetrated the
omentum and which was about three-quarters
of an inch long ; a stab was also found on the
left shoulder. Donnoway lingered on until
Monday, when he died of hemorrhage. Bell was
taken into custody at the Bell Tap. An inquest
was held on the body, on Wednesday, after a post
mortem examination, and a verdictreturned against
Ball of manslaughter. A full bench of magis-
trates, after a patient hearing of witnesses, com-
mitted Ball to take his trial for wilful murder at
the next assizes for the county.

A SAILOR KILLED.—Thomas Dodd, a seaman on
board the ship May Queen, lying in the Salthouse Dock,
Liverpool, was killed yesterday (Thursday) by a piece of
wood falling upon him.
A FEARFUL LEAP.—On Sunday week, as Mr.
Gumming, an upholsterer, of the Commercial-road East,
was travelling by the ordinary train from Stratford to
Laughton, while passino. the Leyton station (it not stopping
there) in full speed, wishing to alight, he sprang from the
carriage, and Caine with tremendous force against the but-
tress of the bridge, fracturing his skull and both bones of
the left arm, receiving also other extensive injuries. Dr.
Bankes,-thecompany's district surgeon, was called in, and
pronounced his case hopeless. The unfortunate man, it
afterwards 'appeared, had • once before performed a similar
leap with safety. He continued at Leyton until Thursday
afternoen) when. death terminated his sufferings,