Blandford Weekly News. — 1886-08-21 (Blandford, Dorset, England)

SAD END OF A BRIGHT CAREER.  At Winchester assizes, before Mr. Justice Hawkins, Neville Edmund Cornwall Legh, has been found guilty of having attempted to commit an abominable crime with a boy filmed Alexander. The prisoner was formerly a lieutenant in the Navy. Thera were throe other indictments against him for two similar offences, but these were not proceeded with. Counsel &kited his lordship to read some cart'. ficates respecting the prisoner's past history before passing sentence, and stated among other things that the prisoner was a member of the Royal Geographi. cal Society, and had received the Royal Humane Society's medal for saving life at sea. His lordship said he would do but at the same time it must be remembered that he should also have to consider what had been prows' against the prisoner and the other charges against him. When the prisoner was brought up for sentence, his lordship said he had read all the certificates handed tohim with a view of seeing if he could find any mitigating circlmstances, but he confeseed with great pain that he could find none. Ile had no alternative but to sentence the prisoner to 10 years' penal servitude.  CHALLENGING A DOCTOR TO A DUEL At the Liverpool police-court Franz Hoeffner, • foreigner, described as an artist, who resides in Islington, Liverpool, has Leon charged with having unlawfully threatened to assault Dr. John Earp Burton, en honorary surgeon at the Wine en'e Hospital, Shaw-street. Mr. Squirey, who appeared for the proQecuti n, said the matter arose out of a case tried at the recent Liverpool assize>, Casey v. Imlach. Dr. Burton was an honorary surgeon at the Wemen's Hospital in Sliew-street, and last year the prisoner's wife was admitted into the hospital suffering from some internal disease, for which she underwent an operation in August, ISBS, with her full consent. She afterwards recovered, and was dircharged. About March in this year the prisoner wrote a letter of thank. to Dr. Burton for the benefits which his wife had received, and the treatment the had undergone at the hospital. Nothing further trare-pired until Dr. Burton re. oeived from the prisoner a letter, dated 12th of August, and which was addressed to the Women's Hoi-pitel in Shaw-street. At the prisoner's excited request the letter was read. It said: "Dr. Burton, by your instructions my wife has told me a lie concerning her state of health after operation. That letter, which I sent you, is just the reverse of my opinion on the subject to-day. You are condemned by the laws of this realm to the gallows for perpetrating such helli,h outrages on women without even hinting to their husbands of what you are going to do to them nor even acquaint the unfortunate Woman hereelr of the consequences. You are a fiend which sacrifices tho happiness of hundreds of people to an Insane Idea, wihch can only originate (rem Satan himself. As you have putt cold steel in my wife and Ruined her for life. You shall not be taken unaware and Shot dead as you deserve, but if you have the spirits of a man You will give me satis:actien ; although you deserves to be rice; uted in that underhanded way as you kill your victims. I give you timely wariTng. Meet me on Sund.,y morning. You shall know on Saturday night all particulars. You will be there with your friend, and we will settle matters with a few sword trusts."-ePrisoner admitted the authorship of the letter, and repeated his desire to tight. —The magistrate, having pointed out the nature of the offence, the prisoner said : I will leave this country and never return if you will let ma go. Let me out of the country and I will leave them all I've got. Give me a separation and I will go and never return. This case is heart •breaking, it is murderous, it is atrocious. It is not English. The law does not interfere. The Parliament shall interfere, the Queen and every man and woman shall know. I come here in the interests of these poor women who are deluded. These operations are a fraud. The magistrate remanded him.