The Blandford and Wimbourne Telegram. — 1882-05-12 (Blandford, Dorset, England)

VERDICT AND SENTENCE.  On Wednesday the trial was resumed. Prior to continuing the trial of Brand, Richard Rycroft, 19, the saeond hand on Brand's fishing-smack, was put to the bar, charged with doing grievous bodily harm to William Pepper. He pleaded guilty to a common assault, and Mr. Waddy accepted that ploa on behalf of the Crown. The Judge directed the jury to acquit Rycroft on the other charge. The sentence upon him was three months' hard labour. The proceedings in 0. Brand's case were then resumed with the examination of one of the crew named Blackburn. He admitted that sometimes prisener had -hewn kindness to deceased. He said the eroastress were 13 feet above the deck, and the lad would have been hoisted that height if the trees had not broken. The prisoner kept hitting deceased with a thick stick all the while he was being hoisted out of the dill-hole. David Gates, two years an apprentice to Brand, was the next witness, and began by deposing to the rope-beating off Spurn Island, and said from that day to Friday before Christmas Day the prisoner thrashed deceased more or less every day. On one occasion Brand thrashed the lad ten or fifteen minutes, and then threw 20 buckets of water over him. One day he put the jib tackle repo round Pepper's neck, saying, " I'll finish you," and drew both ends tight. Mr. Kershaw said the deceased had, according to the usual discipline, been punished for disobedience, no doubt; but the skipper had no idea that the boy was so extremely weak, and he suspected him of shamming. The learned courriel strongly insisted that a verdict of manslaughter would amply meet the justice of the case. The Judge, in his summing up, remarked that it was a simple case, but one the gravity and solemnity of which were enough to prevent the jury from giving way to prejudice. He doubted whether there was any alternative but an acquittal or murder, for it was difficult to see that the deceased had done anything calling for correction. His lordship said he would not distress the jury by going over the details of the i.rualty ; nor would he trust himself to speak about any of the more flagrant and inhuman deeds of which they had heard. He put it to the jury whether they could come to any other conclusion than that the prisoner abused, and so excessively injured, this lad that he took away his life in a way which made him responsible for it, and so as to make him guilty of the high crime of murder. His lordship, however, mentioned with emphasis, in order to assist the jury in finding out a motive, that when the lad appeared to be in articuto ?mortis, and Blackburn recommended that brandy should be given to him, the prisoner said he would not broach a bottle of brandy for any such a boy. The jury retired for ten minutes, and then returned a verdict of Guilty. The prisoner, on being called upon, said, "I am not guilty of wilful murder, your worship." The Judge said the crime was the most atrocious he ever hoard of, and the evidence must have carried conviction to all who heard it. Sentence of death was then passed in the.usual form, his lordship holding out no hope of mercy.