The Dorset County Express and Agricultural Gazette. — 1862-12-09 (Dorchester, Dorset, England)

THE ROTDON HALL MUHDER.—The trial of the Itoydon Hall poachers took place before Mr.. Justice Byles, at Maidstone, on Wednesday. The history. of the ease is as follows :—Early in the morning, or just after midnight, on the 22nd of January last, on a fine moonlight night, an under-game-keeper of Major Cook, of Boyden-hall, East Peckham, in the parish of Nettlasted, and an assistant were out watching, and, bearing guns fired in a wood, they went and called up Gray, the head gatnekeeper, and, with four others, making seven in all, went through the wood towards where the report of the guns was heard. After passing through the wood they entered a meadow, and there saw a party of from 10 to 13 men walking towards another part of the wood on the opposite aid of the meadow. When the men saw the gamekeepers after them they turned round and faced them, being nearly twit* their number, and armed, whereas it did not appear that the gamekeepers had weapons, (except poor Gray, who had a flail) and drew up in a line. Gray, the deceased gamekeeper, and five of the aesistants, went forward towards the men, and on coming near them one of the prisoners cried out, " Halloa! where are you coming to ?" This man seemed to have a stick or • gun in his hand, and the man next to him had a gun, and fetid "If you come another step I'll shoot." The other said " Yesl shoot, shoot." The gamekeeper, Gray, said "You'll not be go cowardly as to shoot," and one of the poachers, with an oath, cried out that he would. What took place after this was, of course, involved in some doubt, as it appears that the men rushed on each other, and the poor gsmekeeper was shot through the thigh and fell. A short but terrible struggle took place, which resulted in the flight of the poachers, and In consequenoe of their go' at preponderance in number none of them were apprehended on the spot. They all made off towards Wateringbury, which is in the direotion of East Mailing, where two of the prisoners (Luck and Eversfield) resided. Poor Gray earnestly begged to be taken home. "Take me home," he said, "as quickly as you can, for lam dying. Let me see my dear wife and family once more before I die." He lingered a few hours in agony, and died. At the spot where the affray occurred gun-saps, &c., were found ; and on the route home a gun; and these were traced as the property of one of the prisoners. The great difficulty in the case was as to identity. Two of the men (Luck and Everefield) were indicted at the last assizes for manslaughter. In consequence, howevel, of the arrest of seven other men, and the discovery of fresh evidence, the caste was postponed, and bills for murder were at this assize preferred against the two men first named, who were !opposed to have been the the two men mentioned as having threatened to shoot. By the direction of the judge, the bill for wilful murder was ignored, and bills returned for manslaughter and poaching. The jury, however, after a lengthy trial, acquitted them of manslaughter, and the whole of the seven prisoners pleaded guilty of poaching. Luck and Burgess were sentenced to 12 months, and the others to 4 months' hard labour.