THE TICHBOURNE TRIAL.

Dunstan Times, Issue 518, 22 March 1872, Page 1 (Supplement)

THE TICHBOURNE TRIAL.

—o— William Davis: I was in the Carbineers from 1849 to 1801, and went through the Crimean and Indian Mutiny campaigns,, I know Mr, Tichborne in the regiment, and was in his company for four hours or four hours and a half every day for twelve months. I have seen the plaintiff, and told him that if he answered two questions I put, he must be the man or the Devil. (Laughter.) One was about a young donkey being put into his bed. (Laughter.) I asked him if he could tell me the man who fetched the young donkey out of his bed lie said “William Davis, I belieev.” That is me. I did fetch the donkey Out. .[ asked him what he gave mo three days’ drill for. He said he did not recollect it ; but afterwards said he had given me three days’ drill for rubbing an oil rag over my horse’s leg to make it shine. I had done it to hide tne dirt. It was the Sergeant-Major who found it out, and he brought me before Mr. Tichbourne. It was Ser-geant-Major Till. He was killed in the Indian Mutiny. Cross-examined : I am living at Hanley, in Staffordshire, and work five hundred and nine yards under the surface of the-earth. After the witnesses’s cross-examina-tion, the Lord Chief-Justice asked him: What did you do with the donkey ? When Air. Tichbourne went in he dropped the candle—l suppose in his fright—and ran out calling to me: “ Sentry, sentry (I was the sentry), the Devil is in my bed.” (Laughter) I said to him ; “I don’t want to s c the Devil, sir.” Renewed laughter.) But he says : “You must fetch him out of my bed.” I said : “ Sir, it is death to a soldier to desert his post until lie is properly relieved. You must get me relieved.” I did not want to go, for I was no hero then, an] I did not want to see the donkey ; or devil, as he called it. (Laughter.) He told me he would he answerable for my post, and I had to obey him. When I went in I picked up the candlestick. The candle fell out, and I was expecting every moment t';e Devil would take hold of me. He shouted to me : ‘ D—n you, you have let the candle out.” (Laughter )

The Lord Chief-Justice : “ What did you do with the donkey ? Witness : The donkey was tied clown to the bed I undid the fore-legs first. There was a night-cap on the donkey. When I undid the fore legs of the donkey, lie sat up, and . Sir Roger looked in and bolted again. (Laughter.) I shouted to him, “ Its a young donkey, sir,” and when he came a second time the donkey was going about the room. Tichbourne said: “D n you, don’t let him kick up a row here; let us carry him down.” I said : “ Take the fore-part, it is the lightestbut he said ; “No, I’d take the hind part.” The Lord Chief-Justice : But what did you do with the donkey? We carried it down, and put it into the barrack yard to run about.