PETERSFIELD.
COUNTY BENCH.—Tuesday.—Before J. Bonham-Carter, Esq., M.P., Sir W. W. Knighton, Bart., Major Briggs, W. Nicholson, Esq., M.P., and Capt. Sandeman.
William Winchester and George Winchester, of Frensham, brothers, were charged with cutting and stealing holly on land belonging to Mr. W. Chalcraft, at Bramshott, on Wednesday, the 18th December last.—Mr Geach, of Guildford, appeared for the defendants.—The principal witness was Arthur Player, a lad of about 14, who gave his evidence in a remarkably intelligent and straightforward manner.—Defendants were convicted and adjudged to pay a fine of 10s. each, with costs, 9s., and damage, 1s., which they were allowed a fortnight to pay.
Thomas Hobbs pleaded guilty to being drunk and riotous at the Volunteer Arms, at Petersfield, on the 10th of August last (defendant having absconded, the summons had not been served before), and was fined 5s., with 9s. 6d. costs, or 14 days’ imprisonment.—defendant was removed in custody.
William Deadman, a small farmer, was charged with stealing, in the parish of Eastmeon, on Sunday, the 5th inst., two gallons of cut turnips, belonging to Hannah Deadman. — Mr. Minty appeared for the defendant.— Fielder Deadman deposed that he lived with the prosecutrix , his grandmother, who had a cow-shed adjoining the premises occupied by the defendant. On Sunday, the 5th inst., he was ordered to place some cut turnips in the cow-shed, and to watch them. He placed about half a bushel at each end of the shed, and then went into another shed and peeped through a hole into the defendant's garden. He could see the end of the shed. About three o'clock he saw defendant standing in his garden feeding his sheep. He was about nine or ten strides from the shed. He looked round for a short time, as if to see if anyone was watching, and then went to the end of the shed and knelt down and removed a stone that propped up a loose board close to the ground, and then with his hands raked out about two gallons of the cuttings of turnips, and strewed them about among the sheep, which ate them up directly. Witness spoke to him through the hole and said, "That's a pretty game, William." He jumped up and said, "I only took a handful or two for my sheep." Witness said, "I see you did, and if you took these no doubt you took the others we have missed before." He said he had not taken any before, but he saw one of the lambs poke his nose in there one day.—George Lloyd deposed that the defendant had expressed sorrow to him for what he did on Sunday.—Defendant elected to be tried by the bench, and pleaded not guilty.—Mr. Minty said he was instructed that the cuttings of turnips had fallen through the loose board into the defendant's garden, and that this had happened through the negligence of complainant; and although he did not deny having picked them up and thrown them to his sheep, still it was not done with a felonious intention.—The defendant was sentenced to three weeks’ hard labour.