Weekly News. — 1890-11-20 (Blandford, Dorset, England)

BOURNE VALLEY MYSTERY.  THE PRISONERS AT THE  ASSIZES.  The four prisoners. Jaws Ware (23), alias " Jimmy the Whip," Thomas Doris (26), alias " Taff" and "Welshman," Thomas Sa 'ma,. (30). alias " The Stinger" and " Tommy the Stinger," and John Frampton (16), all labourers of Bourne Valley, were brought up at the Dorchester Assizes on 'Wednesday, us • charge that they did "Feloniously, wilfully, and of their malice aforethought kill, and murder one Ambrose Selby. at Kinson, on September 21st, 1890."  The circumstances of the ease, which have been reported at length by us, and the evidence taken at the inquest, and the various remands and magisterial inquiry at the Wimberne Police Court, given very fully, are fresh, no doubt, in the remembrance of all, and are to a great extent recapitulated in the following report of the. trial. Considerable credence had been given to reports that one or other of the four prisoners had turned Queen's evidence, in fart, so busy has the public mind been exereised in considering the mysterious death of the labourer Selby, and so great has been the interest taken in the case, that the rumours that have at one time or another gained ground, have been very numerous, and this all the more as the police have been very reticent throughout. On Tuesday, the Hon. Sir William Grantham, who had been appointed Judge of Assize, in the place of Baron Huddleston, in giving his charge, said that, in looking over the calendar, he could not congratulate the county, which had usually borne so good a character in previous years, and was celebrated for its immunity from crime of any serious nature, on its present freedom front crime. They had not only one very serious case—indeed, interfering with the liberty of fear men, in their county—but their had also several ethers., which showed that at , the present time, at any rate, there was more crime than one liked to see in counties of that kind, where they had not large masses of population as was the case in other counties. After referring to one or two minor charges on the calendar, the learned , Judge again mentioned the case in duestion, which he said was of so serious a nature that it would be tuieless for him to address them in detail, unless he went through the whole of the circumstances one by one. They must be aware that in such canes it depended a great deal en closely following the movements of thoae men, and the statements they had made. They could understand that unless he were to do that in detail it would be unwise for him to do it otherwise and publicly, therefore they would do their duty when the time came—and he might say that he would not hear the ease that day (Tuesday—in hearing the evidence and weighing it. He understood that the prisoners Ware and Sansom were defended, and that the other two were not defended. He thought it was a case in which be should scarcely like to have the men undetended before him, therefore he would ask Mr. Simmonds if he would oblige him by watching the ease on behalf of Frampton and Davis. The case would be taken on the following day. Mr. Vincent Budge and the Hon. Evelyn Cecil, instructed by Mr. F. H. Tanner, solicitor, and clerk to the magistrates at Wimborne, prosecuted on behalf of the Treasury, and the prisoners were defended by Mr. E. P. Willes and Mr. Simmonds.  _ . ........ A large number of witnesses and persons interested in the trial went up on Tuesday from Bourne Valley and neighbourhood, most of whom remained in Dorchester until the case came on. - - - .  (Me ease was proceeding yesterday (Wednesday: when we went to press.