Blandford, Wimborne and Poole Telegram. — 1878-03-29 (Blandford, Dorset, England)

THE RED-HOT POKER ASSNULT.  Richard Barter, an inoffensive looking man, Was brought up in eustod s, in remand. charged with a murderous assault lllion J dm St iyner. —aim previous hearing of the Case Will be foun.l rep.mteul iii another The evidence taken at the previous exatuin Lti in W is read over. Toe primmer, in his statement, said on Frid iv night lam, about quarter to ten he WU in bed at hits hottei iii F irdington, arid he heard cries of lire and murder. Ile got up and looked out of his window, an I :vice,' some women who were present what was the matter, and in conseqnence of what they said he got up an.l came down, when he got down he found Barter coining out of tire house, which Was situate a c mole of doors irtf. Prisort-r then went up awl deliberately struck a Uri; Garrett with his tist, lie went to protect her and pushed hum into his lodgings. Whilst doing so the prisurie-r kicked him severely, causing a great loss of blood After he had got him in the house he remained with him about twenty minutes, and then ai he got up and Was going house ttie prisoner took the poker out of the tire and struck him a blow across the upper part of his head. P.C. Gould then came and sent him to the hospital, wiser his head was dressed, and he afterwards returned Innilff. The poker was red•hot ! ant the blood after he was struck rats down his heal and clothes. After prisoner hit him fie knocked him down. In the previous row he did not strike him at ell, but he struggled with him to get hint in-doors. Prisoner had been drinking.  The prisoner had no questions to ask the prosecutor. Mrs. Elizabeth Derrick said she lived at Fordinzton. and Barter lodged in her house. List Friday she saw hint take a poker and strike the prisoner over the head. He caused a wound which bled very much. The poker was red-hot. When eshe came home that eveniew she found Barter by the fire, and she corn planed to him that. he had too much tire, as she Was afraid he would set the place on fire. Someone outside called out fire. She did not know who. Mrs. Garrett came down. and in consequence of what she said, toll Barrett he had too much fire, and he then went out and struck her. Stavner took her part and struck B arrett. They returned to her house and remained talking some little time, and Stayner tried to persuade him to go to bed. After about twenty minutes, when Stayner was leaving, and had his hand on the handle of the door, Barter took the poker and struck him. There had been no quarreling Ictweeit them previously, Called upon for his defence, the prisoner Barter said be ha,l nothing to say. The Mayor told him it was a most violent assault, and might have cost the prosecutor his life Ttte blow itself was quite sufficient to have caused serious injury, without the fact of the poker being red-hot, and consequently there had been a remand to see if erysipelas set in. He could not be let off without a heavy punishment; drunkenness was no excu-e for such a murderous assault. The punishment the Bench were about to inflict would be severe, but net more severe than he deserved, and they trusted it would Ks a warning to hint. lie would be imprisoned in the County Gaol for two months' with hard labour.  1 hat appropriately named quarter, Mill•st rent, Fordington—for there are more flute-cuff quarrels there than in any other part of Dorchester, of course, had a case. Kiss Amelia Bu'l—it ought to be Bulley—was summoned by Mary L •gg and Caroline Mitchell for using obscene language. The case had been settled out of court. [lt is a pity magistrates allow this sort of procedure. We believe we ,are not overstating it when we say the language heard in our streets would disgrace the Seven John Lamb, of Sherhorne, was charged before Mr. M. Devenish and Mr. Gregory, with beimr a deserter from the Dorset Militia since the &la of June, 1871. He gave himself up. The Bench discharged him.