This week's stories include the girl whirled to death at Clock Face Colliery, the wife beating Saints star, the man who called St Helens police liars and hypocrites, the sad story of a young Sutton couple and the Eccleston ex-soldier that hanged himself.

Beecham's made all sorts of claims in their advertising about the potency of their pills, despite them then being little more than laxatives. In the Sheffield Daily Telegraph on March 2nd they boasted of their ability as appetite restorers: "A course of the world-renowned Beecham's Pills will work wonders in a very short time, and you will soon pass from the unhappy state of Appetite Lost to the happy one of Appetite Regained." "Whirled To Her Death – Girl's Terrifying Experience", was the headline to an article in the St Helens Reporter on the fate of Mary Corbett at Clock Face Colliery (pictured above). The 17-year-old from Jersey Street was killed on the 4th while working on the colliery screens. This was the section of the mine where dirt was removed from coal and where it was sorted by size.

There had been a problem with a strap underneath the conveyor belts and Elizabeth unwisely chose to poke it with an iron bar. Ellen Derbyshire (also 17) from Crawford Street told Elizabeth to leave the strap alone as it was dangerous, which she did, although not soon enough. That was because the shafting caught her clothing and whirled her round at 70 revolutions per minute. Within a few minutes of being freed from the machinery, Elizabeth had died.

Isaac Myers has been featured in these articles on quite a few occasions. He was the man who the police once called a "loafer of no fixed abode" and who changed his army discharge papers so his conduct was described as "magnificent" instead of indifferent! Isaac had been before the St Helens Police Court on over twenty occasions and we last came across him in October when he was sent to prison for 28 days. That was for sleeping in a brick kiln at the works of the Ravenhead Sanitary Pipe and Brick Company.

Isaac returned to court on the 5th charged again with lodging out after PCs Shepherd and Reynolds had found him sleeping on wasteland in Park Road. Myers referred to the officers as "two dogs" that had harassed and hindered him on many occasions. Isaac also told the Bench that he had been to Pilkington's Bottom Works in Grove Street but had been overlooked for work.

"There is no justice in St Helens", he claimed. "And as for the policemen they are liars and hypocrites." The Bench told Isaac that as he had refused to find work there was no other option but to send him back to prison. Isaac countered that if he demanded work from prospective employers, the police would lock him up for creating a disturbance. He was sent to prison for 28 days.

There was a sad case heard in the Police Court on that day that concerned a young married couple from Sutton. James Turner from Worsley Brow was charged with deserting his wife, who was visibly distressed throughout the hearing. A solicitor who appeared for Maggie Turner said that before her marriage to James she had "walked out" with another young man who had "taken advantage" of her.

In August 1919 she began keeping company with James Turner and they soon became "intimate". In September it became clear that Maggie was pregnant and so the couple quickly got married. When Maggie gave birth in January her husband did the maths and it was obvious to him that he could not be the father of his wife's little girl. On the day after the birth James walked out on his wife, despite her pleading for him to forgive her and saying she would give the child to her aunt.

Maggie completely broke down when giving her evidence and said that if she'd known her condition she would never have married James. She still wanted to live with her husband but he was not interested and had not paid her any money since leaving her. James told the court that he was 21 years of age and earning about £4 a week. He was ordered to pay maintenance of 25 shillings per week to his wife.

According to Saints Heritage Society, Tom Durkin was a "tough and mobile, no-nonsense second row forward" who played 85 times for the Knowsley Road club between 1912 and 1920. He was also a wife beater. Durkin of Bruce Street was summoned to the Police Court on the 5th charged with persistent cruelty to his wife Sarah. She told the court that they had married in September 1915 and seven months later he had given her an "enormous thrashing" for which she had been in pain for a long time afterwards. When he was on leave from the army, Durkin took off his braces and slashed Sarah across the face with them, blackening both of his wife's eyes.

He would also push her out of bed and a week earlier had punched her in the ribs and struck her twice in the face, cutting her lip and giving her another black eye. As a result of this beating Sarah had run out of the house to get police protection. Tom Durkin showed his contempt for the proceedings by not showing up. However the magistrates granted a separation order and ordered that he pay his wife £2 per week maintenance.

John Noble Ltd had a small chain of fashion stores in Lancashire and Yorkshire. On the 5th in the Reporter his St Helens branch at 19 Church Street was advertising an early Spring Show displaying "delightful tweed coats" and "ladies' costumes, coat-frocks, gowns, skirts and raincoats". This was not a fashion show as such – Noble simply meant that he had the goods for viewing within the shop. The firm also made some of their own clothes and were a forerunner of many of today's fashion chain stores – although his clothes would be made in places like Manchester and not the Far East!

That said the making of clothes on retailers' premises was far from unusual. Rubin's was a ladies and gents tailor's that was also in Church Street and they were advertising their "Spring Suitings" in the Reporter. Blue serge suits were available for £4 15 shillings and they promised that every garment was made on their own premises with a large stock of ready-to-wear suits available.

Solomon Rubin was a Russian from Sefton Park who had founded the business. However at a bankruptcy hearing in 1926 he claimed that one of his sons had started one of what were then two St Helens' shops at the age of 15. The man had been made bankrupt seventeen years earlier and was clearly using his wife and sons as fronts for his activities and was heavily criticised by the official receiver for his obfuscation.

The Reporter also stated that work in constructing a new super-cinema in Bridge Street would commence in a few weeks time. It would replace the Bridge Street Picturedrome and be called The Savoy.

I have to wonder when an ex-soldier commits suicide whether their wartime experiences were the underlying reason – something that was never considered by coroners. The inquest on William Howard was held on the 8th at Eccleston Police Station. Four days earlier his wife Mary had found her husband hanging in the washhouse. The 31-year-old lived at Mill Brook Cottage and worked as a shunter at Pilkington's Bottom Works in Grove Street.

William had joined the army in 1914 and served in France for a year until he was shot in the arm and elbow. He had been off sick in the week before his death but had told his wife during the previous evening that he would return to work in the morning. When Mary woke up she found her husband had already risen and then discovered a note on a table saying he was tired of life and would be better off dead. William's death came completely out of the blue and the usual verdict of suicide while of unsound mind was returned at his inquest.

Frederick McKeode of no fixed abode appeared in St Helens Police Court on the 8th charged with being on enclosed premises with intent to commit a felony. The police had caught the 21-year-old breaking into the billiard hall in Bridge Street at 12:40am. In fact PC Manser had heard him banging and removing a window while he was on his beat in Tontine Street and was helped over a wall to get to the burglar.

The officer met McKeode as he was leaving by the back door and when charged at the police station the man said: "I have nothing to say. Tell the magistrates I hope it keeps fine for them". The prosecuting counsel said McKeode had been in a reformatory and had got beyond his father's control having been associating with bad companions. He was sent to prison for one month with hard labour.

Next week's stories will include the Church Street ironmonger who sold ammunition to children, the miners charged with violent behaviour in Ashtons Green Colliery, the 3-week-old marriage destroyed by interfering in-laws and the Salvation Army chimney sweep who deserted his family because his honour was questioned.