The Birkenhead News and Wirral General Advertiser. — 1880-11-06 (Birkenhead, Merseyside, England)

THE EASTHAM POACHERS.  AT Chester Assizes, on Saturday, James Locker, aged 45, wire-worker, of Latchford, James Claire, aged 46, groom, of Warrington, William Rustagge, 50, labourer, Latchford, and Thomas Smith, aged 50, labourer, of Warrington, was indicted for shooting at Evan Roberts, George Preston, and other,, gamekeepers on Mr. Naylor's estate, Hooton Park, with intent to murder them. There was also a second count charging them with entering on land at Esethana, in the occupation of Mr. W. E. Torr, for the purpose of taking game and violently assaulting Captain George Honshu and others, on the 24th September last. Mr. Bwetenham and Mr. Marshal prosecuted, and Mr. Higgins defended the prisoners. The facts were shortly these. About one o'clock on the morning of the affray some fifteen or twenty men, including the prisoners, landed on the river bank at Eastham from a small fishing smack called the "Old Jem." Bustagge, Locker, and Claire were foremost in the gang, and Swift kept guard behind. The men having been on the land some time, Captain Moneley, the agent of the estate, was apprised of the landing and posted himself with two or three keepers in a plantation at Bea Rough. At half-pset four in the morning the poachers appeared on the soene, and Captain Moueley and he party endeavoured to identify them. The gang, however, immediately advanced to the attack and volleys of stones were thrown, the keepers being obliged to retreat. Following them up the poachers raised a general shout of " bring that b— gun up." Captain Monsley was struck in the mouth with a stone and seriously hurt, and two of the keepers were struck with shot', the poachers firing the gun twice.  ta,,,,a711 „.. 7^%,.  Captain Mousley fired a gun into the My and on to the ground five or sin times, and the poachers then retreated to the smack, whieh was pursued by Captain Monaley and a number of men in a small boat. A party of the poachers, however, left the smack in • rowing boat and escaped to Liverpool, but with the aid of the tug " Wasp " the smack was captured and the prisoners were found on board, their clothes being covered with rabbit far. A bag containing rabbits was found floating in the river the following day, and a gun was left behind on the shore.—The count for intent to murder was not proceeded with, and the prisoners were tried for night poaching with assault. Mr. Higgins, in his address to the jury, contended that the prisoners had hired the boat to go out fishing and that the evidence of identity was not sufficient. His Lordship, having summed up, the jury found the prisoners guilty. His Lordship, in passing sentence on Looker, ' Claire, Rustagge, and Swift, who had been found guilty on the previous day of night poaching at Eastham, said the jury had rightly convicted them. It-was a very serious offence for a gang of men to go about with sticks and stones at night in the manner the prisoners had done, and although they had not been convicted of firing the gun with the intention of inflicting parlous bodily harm, there was no doubt that some of them shouted out and incited the man who had the gnu to fire it. They had been found guilty of a moet gross anl violent outrage, and the punishment must be severe. Such outrages too frequently ended in murder. They had all been previously convicted of different offences, some of them of a similar nature. Locker had been convicted twice of larceny, and had buffered as much as twelve months' imprisonment. Claire and Rnstagge had been previously convicted of assaulting gamekeepers, but not of felony. Swift had also been convicted of poaching. He (the judge) believed Swift was just as bad as the others—he having hired the vessel —but it was not shown that he had taken any further part in the outrage beyond keeping watch for the others. His Lordship then sentenced Locker to two years' imprisonment with hard labour, Claim and Rustagge to 18 months, and Swift to twelve months' imprisonment wit' hard labour.