The Weymouth, Portland and Dorchester Telegram. — 1862-08-21 (Weymouth, Dorset, England)

SLADI, Q.C.) TIM MUM= XVIUNLI Al' ROIL'. William Lancaster, 20, labourer; Albert Knowles, ta, plasterer; Frederick Knowles, 17, plasterer • lienjamin Day, 18, labourer; and Edward Hewlett, 17, labours+, were indicted for an assault on Samuel Thomas, at Worle, for stealing from his person the sum of 2s, and for attempting to drown Liao, with intent to kill and murder him. —Mr. Spoke was enema rf nigh* prosecution; Mr. Prideanx defended Lancaster, Day, and Hewlett; the other prisoners were not de• 'fended.—lt appeared Been the evidence that, cu the 19th of July, proseentor visited the New Inn, at Won., having gnee there or the purpose of paying for some bacon he bad previously bought there. He remained UM% a considerable time, sad indulged himself in swear, jags of beer; and, although when he left ho was net interleaf...l, nevertheless he bed had smash to realm him merry. The premiers were also at the 'New !inn, and with them proseseder got towing for drink. "they took advantage et him, played off • number of practkal jokes epos him, and at length iadneed him to " stand fiend" for iobadliq and beer. This was amtinned natal twelve o'clock, when the landlord refused to draw than any mere beer, and the prosecutor than left. Previous to sinctidE iimleverr, the Iresseut" higra to entertain some saspiehres as to the honesty of the company he had gad into, and in order to make them believe that he had so money he borrowed sixpenes of the landlord. After the prosecutor had left a :short time be arrived at a farm occupied by a farmer named Bean. Here the prisoners came up to him, and, with the exception of Day, handled him very roughly, asking him to pay for more beer for them. He refused, and they then dragged bin, down sad rubbed ri quantity of dirt in Oils eyes and mouth, so that he was inabl• to see distinctly what they did to him. They draged him aloof by the hair of his head, and rimed him in a most violent way, ending by throwing him into • pool of water three feet deep. Having done this the primaries went away for a short time, but afterwards returned, and, taking him out of the pond, dragged him along the road. At this time Lancaster called out, " Let us kill the b--, or else he'll have • warrant out against us." The other prisoners, however, prennted him from carrying this into effeet ; bet they marched his pockete, and took 26., which was all the mammy he had. They then left him, and he returned boom iA a most deplorable condition, about two o'clock on Bewley morning. He was got to bed, and on the Monday morning he gave information to a sergeant of police at Worts, who apprehended the primmer' on the eharge.—Mr. Prideaux, cm the part of his clients, said be could not deny that the prosecutor had been badly treated, but contended that the identity of the prisoners had not been satisfactorily made out.— The lammed Judge in slamming up, said the injuries which the prosecutor had received were too severe to have been the result of a drunken frolic. He did not think that the evidence was so strong against Day as against the other prisoners.—The jury acquitted Day, but found the other prisonen grulty.—lAnauter, Albert Knowles, and Frederick %monks were each menteared to three years' penal servitude, and Hewlett was sentenced to three months' imprisonment, with hard labour.  A