Blandford, Wimborne and Poole Telegram. — 1876-02-04 (Blandford, Dorset, England)

TALE OF SMUCULERS AT POOLE. (Continued from our last.)  The murderers were not long undiscovered; thone.;ll the discovery .ef them was by accident. Whilst a gentleman named Stone was hunting on the liowns, his -dogs um earthed the hotly of Galley, and six miles off, in the well, was toned the corpse of Chater. Such a crime as this could not go unpunished. Seven of the fourteen men ! engaged in it were captured beforo t 'hritniss (1174 X and a Special Commission was issued fee their triarat Chichester in January, 1749. The whole of them were convicted, either as principals or accessories in the reunlers, and six .cf them (namely, Tapner, two men named Mills, fathtr and son, John (obby, and John Hammond- all Sussex men—and William Carter, a native of Hampshire) were executed—sonic of thou iu chains, fo• 'limner, on Rock's Hill, near Chichester, and Cobby ant Hammond on Selsey Island. The euth convict, Jacksfri, e icaped a similar fate by ISing in prison. The daring character of these men, and the danger which travellers ran, is illustrated liy a circumstance in connection with these trials. One of the executed, Richard Mills, had another suit liesides the one suffered with him, and this worthy petuatly proposed to his associates to stop the judges as they were travelling over Hind Heath and to rob them : in company with the Judges were officers of the Court and Coteniellors' altogether-enough to fill six coaches, each drawn by six horses, SO that the smugglers thought the risk was too great; and the Judges escitped this ticmger and the country a very great ...scandal.  to far, however, from the execution of 'these men, yot• ing as an example, the very same crime was, shortly afterwards, repeated, with the same, circumstances of brutality, and almost on the same ground. The sen of Mills above referred to. meetin; with one Hawkins, whom Mills and a party of fellow-smugglers accused of titcaling two bogs of tea, on his denying it they Hogged and kicked hint to •death, aud then, carrying his body to a pond in Parham d'ark, twelve miles off, sunk it there. Mills—the third of the family so suffering—was hung in chains on Slindon 'Common, and others of the gang were convicted at the same asezes, as highwaymen, and er.ecuted. Still there were some of the leaders in the attack on :Poole at large—amodgst them Perin, the concocter of it, and Kingston', the leader. Both .of them were however, betrayed by one of their gang, au( captured and 'convicted, with two others, named Glover and Fairhall. Their behaviour at the trial was most insolent. Fairhall threatened one of the witnesses and when Perin, whose body was directed to be given up to his friends, was lamenting the fate of his other associates—ant so favourably treated—Fairhall exclaimed We shal be hanging up ki the sweet air when you are rotting io your grave." The night before his execution, Fairhall kept smoking with his fritrals till he was ordered by his keeper to go to his cell, when he exclaimed: "Why in such a hurry? cannot you let me stay a little longer with my friends? shall not be able to drink with them to-morrow night." Kingstnilt-was only 2S, and Fairhall 0n1y:25 years of age, •at the time of their death.