PETERSFIELD
PETTY SESSIONS, 24th ult.—Before the Hon. J. J. Carnegie, Chairman, J. Waddington, Esq., and J. B. Carter, Esq., M.P.
STOPPING HIS CREDIT—George Merritt was charged with assaulting William Simms on the 12th ult., at Eastmeon. Complainant keeps the George, public house, and deposed that on the 12th ult., about eleven o’clock at night, defendant came to his house, and wanted him to trust him with a gallon of beer, which he refused to do, as he already owed him a score, whereupon defendant flew into a rage, and struck complainant several blows. Fined 1s., and costs, 9s. 6d.
ANOTHER ASSAULT.—William Latter was charged with committing an assault on James Windebank. The parties live at Clanfield, and it appears that defendant’s younger brother was convicted some weeks back of stealing a loaf of bread, and complainant was a witness against him on that occasion. He now deposed that, on Saturday evening, the 14th ult., he was at the Rising Sun, at Clanfield, about half-past nine in the evening. Defendant was also there, and began to ‟twit” him about giving evidence against his brother, and finished with knocking him down. He was convicted, and the Chairman, in passing sentence, said the Court always punished severely any attempt to tamper with a witness in order to defeat the ends of justice. Fined £2 and 9s. 6d. costs, or go to prison for two months, with hard labour.
DAMAGING A PARISH REGISTER.—Thomas Amey, a farmer living at Steep, was charged by Ebenezer Durman, registrar of births and deaths for District No. 2 of the Petersfield Union, with damaging a certain registration book, and also with assaulting him, the said Ebenezer Durman, while in the execution of his duty. Mr. Durman, it seems, went to the defendant’s house at Steep, for the purpose of registering the birth of his defendant’s child. Defendant told him that he knew nothing about it, and abruptly left the room. Mr. Durman waited a short time, when defendant’s wife came into the room, and gave him the necessary information, and was in the act of signing the entry in the book, when defendant re-entered, and made a grasp at the book, and violently tearing it from Mr. Durman’s hand, threw it out of the door, and told complainant to take himself out also. Some merriment was created by the strange manner in which the defendant conducted himself and his case, and, on his application the hearing of the summons was adjourned in order to enable him to obtain professional assistance, defendant, of course, undertaking to pay complainant’s expenses for the day.
AN UNFORTUNATE FAMILY.—An application was made by Martha Trussler, to have Ann Envis bound over to keep the peace. The parties are sisters-in-law, and live at Concord, near Liphook. The complainant is the wife of George Trussler, who was convicted at the late assizes of manslaughter, he having, in a moment of ungovernable rage, killed his own father, for which he was sentenced to twelve months’ imprisonment. Defendant is Trussler’s sister, and her mother (the widow of the poor old man who was killed) appeared as a witness against her own daughter. The evidence disclosed as sad state of things existing between the parties, and the magistrates, after hearing the case, bound both the women, in their own recognizances of £5, to keep the peace towards each other for twelve months.
POACHING.—William Martin was charged, on the information of William Haylock, with night poaching on the 27th of November last. Complainant, who is gamekeeper to W. Green, Esq., of Ditcham Park, deposed that he was watching early in the morning of the 27th November, when he found a hare caught in a steel trap by the side of the railroad, in the parish of Chalton; he laid by it, and about six o’clock defendant came and took out the hare. Defendant, who works on the railway, stated that the rabbits had done great mischief to the crop in his garden, and also to the ‟quicks” at the side of the railroad, and he had been ordered to set traps for them, and finding the hare in the trap, he took it home. The magistrates having consulted, the Chairman said they were of opinion that it was not a case for punishment, as defendant appeared to have been misled by the instructions he had received from his employers. Dismissed, with a caution.
ROBBING THE RAILWAY COMPANY.—George Marshall, a porter in the employ of the South-Western Railway Company, at the Petersfield station, was charged with stealing two bundles of straw, belonging to the company, on the 28th of November last. It appeared from the evidence that the men employed about the goods department have been accustomed to sell the loose straw left by carters and others. On the 28th of November the company sent from Nine Elms two bundles of straw, for the use of horses at the Petersfield Station. These were placed in the goods shed by William King, who had charge of the horses, and the next day they were missed and were traced to the premises of Thomas Hall, in Back-lane, who deposed to having purchased two bundles of straw of defendant. Defendant pleaded guilty, and was sentenced to 21 days’ hard labour.
INTERESTING TO BENEFIT SOCIETIES.—James Deadman, a steward of the Union Benevolent Society, was summoned for non-payment of a weekly allowance of 8s. to Charles Pook, a member of the Society. It appears that complainant has, for some time, been partially blind, and he declared on the ‟box,” on the 23rd of November, and received two weeks’ pay, but his general health being good, he had been able to do certain kinds of work, and the stewards considered that he was not entitled to the pay. After a protracted hearing the parties came to an arrangement, whereby complainant is to receive 4s. a week, instead of 8s., and to be allowed to earn what he can.