<CHARGE OF ARSON. ARREST OF A BIRMINGHAM MANUFACTURER. Bernard Dinwiddy Wilmot (42), electro-plate manufacturer, of 55, Headingly-road, Handsworth, was arrested yesterday morning by a Birmingham detective. The allegation against Wilmot is that he set fire to his business premises in Regent-place on Saturday. Wilmot will be charged at the Victoria Courts to-day.

The Fire Brigade report on the outbreak is as follows:— At 4.20 on Saturday afternoon, a man named Payton informed the firemen at Kenyon-street fire station that an outbreak had occurred at the premises of B. D. Wilmot, electro-plater, 36, Regent-place. The brigade were called to examine the premises, and three men from Kenyon-street went to the premises, when they found that the staircase leading from the ground floor was on fire. The outbreak was extinguished with a few buckets of water, the damage being only slight. The firemen's suspicions were aroused, and Chief Superintendent Tozer, who was communicated with, at once proceeded to the place. Mr. Tozer found that a quantity of paraffin had been upset on the staircase, and after locking up the premises, placed the matter in the hands of the police.>

Manchester Courier, October 2nd 1907, p.8:

<Bernard Dinwiddy Wilmot, a manufacturer well-known in the jewellery quarter of Birmingham, and one of the best known chess players in the Midlands, was remanded on bail for a week on a charge of arson. He was alleged to have been seen on his premises on Saturday, and a few minutes later they were discovered to be on fire. A paraffin oil can was found under the stairs, and traces of paraffin near the outbreak.>

Birmingham Gazette & Express, November 26th 1907, p.6:

<The hearing was concluded of the case in which Bernard Dinwoody Wilmot (42)„ electro-plater, was charged with maliciously setting fire to his premises at the back of 36, Regent-place, on September 28, with intent to defraud the London and Lancashire Fire lnsurance Company. There was a further charge of inciting Albert Adoock to fire the premises on September 13. Mr. Hurst (instructed by Mr. J. E. Hill) prosecuted. and Mr. Montague Shearman, K.C., and Mr. Joy (instructed by Messrs. Philip Baker and Co.) defended.

The evidence for the prosecution was taken on Saturday. It was to the effect that prisoner had an insurance upon the two-storey shop where the fire occurred. Early in September he commenced to remove the furniture in the shop to his other warehouse across the yard. Soon after prisoner was seen to leave the shop on September 28 the premises were found to be on fire. When this was extinguished traces of paraffin were discovered about the floor. Subsequently prisoner was asked if he was insured, and he answered "No." Arthur Adcock, a lad at one time employed by prisoner, said that Wilmot asked him to set the premises on fire, offering him money if he would do so.

Wilmot's defence was that he visited the premises on the particular Saturday afternoon for the purpose of sweeping up previous to resigning possession. He had sprinkled a little paraffin about to lay the dust. In the premises where the fire occurred there was no stock for which he could claim. Yesterday a number of witnesses as to character were called.

<Biographical note (added 10 Oct 2017): Bernard Dinwoody Wilmot, who scored 5/11 in First Class A, was to acquire a certain notoriety. (Note, this is his full, real name, but his surname was regularly spelt 'Willmott' in a chess context. 'Dinwiddy' in the press cutting below seems to be a typo.) In November 1907 he was sentenced to five years' penal servitude for setting fire to his premises in Regent Place, Birmingham (ref. Birmingham Daily Gazette, 26 November 1907 - further details of the case made be found in Birmingham Daily Gazette, 17 October 1907). In 1911 he was still serving this sentence in Maidstone Prison. He was born in West Bromwich in 1864, and died in Stratford-upon-Avon in 1949.>

http://www.rootschat.com/forum/inde...

RE: remission of sentence. (Not a phrase not used in the USA -btw)

I'd be surprised if it wasn't common in England back then, or even far before. I think remission is a very substantial and natural means of the State to use to encourage good behavior by inmates.

Think you can take it as read that I don't. That's assuming, of course, there is a mistake.

<RE: remission of sentence. (Not a phrase not used in the USA -btw)>

<B.O. Wilmot writes from the Singapore Chess Club:

Re Dr Lasker’s Manual and criticism on same, I note a grievous omission in the historical section, which the author could easily have found in The British Encyclopedia and in any work on Printing, i.e. ... that the first book printed on Caxton’s press at The Red Pale in The Almoney, and therefore the first book printed in England, was a treatise on chess, and this work was shown to King Edward IV on his visit to this establishment, date 1476 A.D. The name of the author of the treatise is not given. Could it have been López?’>.

I read it such, but one never truly knows given your demur coyness, especially in regards to that gallant Winter lad.

<That's assuming, of course, there is a mistake.>

See above.

<Is the double negative a mistake?>

Yes, sorry.

* * * * *

Of course, I could be (not not) wrong:

https://definitions.uslegal.com/r/r...

The above reads uslegal, but reads somewhat British to me. I think we usually use the term parole in the US, but there could be shades of meaning.

(E.g. there is however a big difference between being released on parole and being released because one's sentence has be commuted, or due to a pardon.)

I think this piece shows the more common use of the word in US law:

https://www.justice.gov/criminal-ml...