The Poole Telegram. — 1881-05-06 (Poole, Dorset, England)

MURDEROUS ASSAULT AND BURGLARY AT OAKSTEAD.—Ephraim niggles, a tramp, was charged on remand with having, on the 23rd ultimo, broken into the dwellinghouse of Simon Leggat, at Oakstead, witn mg five pounds nine shillings, a watch, and other article, and with violently assaulting the said Simon Leggat: This brutal assault, of which we published a full account at the time, it will be retnerubered was committed between the hours of one and two p.m. on the 23rd ultimo. The prisoner was found on the following day sleeping in abaru at Coney Omen, with blood on his clothes fuel bands. None of the missing property was found upon him, though it is alleged that he was seen in the neighbourhood of Leggat's cottage on the day preceding the assault. Log. gat still lies in a very critical state, and the magistrates granted a further remand till Wednesday next. The , prisoner, who looked very haggard and listless, denied that he was guilty, though he said he had deserved any. that might happen to him." Farmer Tubbs slowly spelt out this paragraph; read it, and re-read it till ho knew it by heart. It was about one o'clock on the 23rd of July that lie bad met with his mysterious accident; and full twenty miles away, almost at the same moment, as it seemed, this outrage had been committed. The coincidence appeared to puzzle him; his pipe went out, and yet he sat there with it in his mouth for a good hour. apparently unconscious of the fact. The man, Ephraim Diggles, was committed for trial at the Assizes, and when the day came round, Farmer Tubbs would fain be there to see. The court was crowded, for the case had excited much interest. The prisoner, with a worn and weary look upon his face, pleaded " Net guilty " in a hard, mechanical tone. He was undefended. He asked but few questions, and those in a careless and indifferent way, He admitted twine in the lane on the night preceding the burglary, having conversed with the several witnesses, and he acknowledged that the substance of his conversation had ' been given accurately enough. Some mistakes had been made, but what did it matter? He had never entered Leggat's cottage, he said, and at the time the assault took place he was twenty miles away, for he had walked the rreater part of the night Asked if he had any witnesses to cull, he said, "No, none." The judge was about to ittai up, when a clear voice was heard at the back of the :ouit—" My lord, ay can tell suthin' about tbis." At the sound of this voice, the prisoner started, his face became ashy-white and rigid, the eyes fixed ; he clutched the Jock convulsively, and stood visibly shivering, and with suspended breath. Through the whole court, for an instant, :hero was a dead hush, and every eye was riveted on the prisoner. In that instant Fanner Tubbs stepped forward, pale, but smiling encouragingly at Ephraim Diggles, chose eye, however, no sooner lighted on the honest farmer, than uttering a deep groan, he fell heavily. swooning on the ground. When the commotion had subsided, and the prisoner was sufficiently recovered, the nearing of the case was resumed. Then Farmer Tubbs bore witnes that on the 23rd of July, at one o'clock p.m., the prisoner, Ephraim Diggles, had been with him, twenty miles away from the scene of the burglary. In the simplicity of his honest soul he had believed that this would be enough, that the prisoner would be at once discharged, and he had determined to tell no more. But the lawyers wormed the whole story outof him. The substance may be told in a few words. Ephraim Diggles was a younger brother of limner Tubbs, and had once been the petted, spoiled, and self-willed joy of a widowed mother. He had, as a young man, betted and gambled, till his portion was wasted ; he had then been assisted more than once by his brother, who some years ago had supplied him with the means of,emigrating. He lad gone to California, and had for a time done well; but his passion for play had again ruined him, and, loathing himself for his weakness and folly, he had caused a report of his death to be sent to his brother, and 'ld assumed the name of Ephraim Diggles. The two brothers had met, sail recognised each other. tiomas had pressed hisibrotherito come home, and had threatened to carry him there if hedid not accompany him, and Ephraim, in trying to ward him off, had swung his stick round and accidentally struck him to the earth. Of course Ephraim was acquitted.