PETERSFIELD
Agent — Mr. G. DUPLOCK
PETERSFIELD PETTY SESSIONS.
TUESDAY.—Present: Hon. J. J. Carnegie (chairman), Sir W. W. Knighton, Bart., Sir A. K. Macdonald, Bart., and Major Briggs.
William Spiers pleaded guilty to a charge of taking two heifers into Petersfield market with a "fat stock" instead of a "store stock" license, and was fined 1s. and 9s. 6d. costs.
John Newman pleaded guilty to a charge of stealing, in the parish of Catherington, on Tuesday, the 13th inst:, one calico shirt, one flannel shirt, and one slop, of the value of 4s., the property of Robert Sturges, and was sentenced to three months’ imprisonment with hard labour.
John Donohue pleaded guilty to a charge of stealing, on the same day, at Horndean, one table cloth, value 3s., the property of Charlotte Edney. He was sentenced to tw months’ imprisonment with hard labour.
Emily Langtree "swore the peace" against her husband, William Langtree, who was required to enter into his own recognizance in the sum of 20l., and to find a surety in the like sum, to keep the peace for 12 months, or, in default, to be imprisoned for three months. He was removed from court in custody, but his father subsequently became bail for him.
STEALING BAVINS.—William Bignall and William Carpenter were charged, on the information of James Cray, with stealing, in Woolmer-forest, on the 13th July last, a quantity of fir bavins, value 1s. 6d., the property of the Queen.—Mr. Cousins (Portsea) appeared for the prisoners.—James Cray deposed as follows: I am chief-warder of Woolmer-forest. On the 13th July I was on duty about twelve o’clock, when I saw the prisoners with a horse and cart. Bignall was stacking some fir bavins in the cart, and Carpenter was pitching them up to him. I asked Bignall what he was doing, and he said he was taking away some rubbish which Mr. Berry had given him leave to do. I told him Mr. Berry had no authority to give him leave, and that he was taking away property which did not belong to him. He then admitted that Mr. Berry had not given him leave, and he begged me very hard to overlook it. I told him I should not do so, and ordered him to unload the bavins, which he did. The value is about 1s. 6d. Witness explained that after the extensive fire which occurred in the forest some years ago, the timber was sold in lots, and the "lop" was made up into bavins, and disposed of by the purchasers of the timber to lime-burners and others. Prisoners were on lot № 9, and must have passed through lot № 10 to get there. Mr. Yates, of Aldeshot, was the purchaser of lot № 9, and Mr. Hull, of Godalming, bought № 10. Nignall did not purchase a stick of timber at the sale. Notices were served on the purchasers that all lots should be cleared off by a given time, and that anything remaining after that time would be forfeited to the Crown, and the bavins in question not having been cleared off within the time specified had reverted to the Queen.—Mr. Cousins addressed the bench at some length, calling attention to the fact that these bavins were rotten and almost useless, and that it was notorious that scores of other people besides the prisoners were in the habit of taking them as. rubbish to mend roads, and for such like purposes; and although the witness Cray must have been fully aware of this, he had never interefered with other parties, but he had pounced upon the prisoners in a spirit of vindictiveness, owing to some ill-feeling that had for some time existed between him and the prisoner Bignall. He (Mr. Cousins) would not attempt to raise any technical objection to the evidence, as proving an "asportavit," but he submitted that taking all the circumstances of the case into consideration, there was not the remotest probability of a jury convicting on such evidence, and he felt sure that if the magistrates were of that opinion they would at once dismiss the case. At all events there could be no case against Carpenter, as he was acting in the capacity of servant to Bignall.—The Chairman remarked that the point in the evidence which pressed most hardly on the prisoner Bignall was that he at first said he had Mr. Berry's permission, and afterwards stated that he had not, and begged the warder to overlook the case.—Carpenter was discharged, and Bignall was committed for trial at the leading quarter sessions. Bail was accepted for his appearance.