IOO YEARS AGO THIS WEEK THIS WEEK 7 - 13 OCTOBER 1924
This week's many stories include the shocking murder and suicide in Robins Lane, the violent row over linnets in Bridge Street, the case of grievous bodily harm over a kettle in Salisbury Street, the madcap Milk Street neighbours, the Oddfellows smoking concert in Thatto Heath and the coming of age party in Kirkland Street.
There was only one big talking point in St Helens this week and that was the mysterious and motiveless murder of Agnes Roberts by her nephew Frederick Sneyde in Sutton. The 23-year-old seemingly had no ill feeling towards his aunt and was not believed to have been mentally ill. But he had bludgeoned Mrs Roberts to death at the home they both shared in Robins Lane (pictured above). After committing the cruel murder, Sneyde wrote out several notes and then swallowed the deadly poison that he had bought at Boots the Chemist.
The joint inquest of Sneyde and Mrs Roberts was held at the start of this week in St Helens Town Hall – and all the usual motives for such a crime were ruled out. The shocking attack and suicide did not take place in the heat of the moment and both acts had, seemingly, been premeditated.
In his summing up, the coroner Frank Jones told the inquest jury that they must not conjecture that Sneyde had been insane. The man had told a lie to obtain the poison, which, the coroner argued, clearly showed that Sneyde had it in his mind to murder his aunt and kill himself. In conclusion, Mr Jones said they must not "mistake wickedness by calling it insanity".
After a few minutes absence, the jury returned to the room to deliver a verdict of "Wilful Murder" against Sneyde and a second verdict that he had committed suicide. However the jury felt that there was no evidence to show the young man's state of mind at the time of these two acts.
On October 8th the council's Health Committee considered an application by St Helens Hospital to expand its site in Peasley Cross. Plans were submitted for an extension that would include a maternity ward and a nurses' home.
Also wanting to enlarge was St Nicholas Church in Sutton, as they required more room to bury their dead. Five acres of land between the existing churchyard and Eaves Lane had been offered to the church for £300. One hundred pounds had already been raised and a bazaar was going to be held at the end of the month to try and obtain the balance.
Uncle Ben in the Children's Reporter was in reality the paper's editor, William Gentry. Competitions played a large part in his column and this week on the 10th, Uncle Ben announced the winner of his latest. Members had been invited to pick their favourite motto and Frank Burrows from Clipsley Lane in Haydock had won the contest by choosing the saying "Truth Conquers All Things". For that Frank won a self-filling fountain pen.
The Reporter described two types of event that had taken place in St Helens over the last few days, both of which are no longer held. The Oddfellows had presented a smoking concert at the Railway Hotel in Thatto Heath. The Vicar of Ravenhead had been in attendance, along with a councillor and a Greenalls brewery boss.
As well as lots of puffing away on cigarettes and cigars, the all-male affair listened to a history of friendly societies, songs were sung and a concertina solo was given. On the same evening the Eagle and Child Bowling Club in Rainford held their annual "smoker".
Coming of age parties are also no longer held and the Reporter described how Nellie Doward had celebrated her 21st birthday do inside the Conservative Rooms in Kirkland Street. The large gathering had enjoyed a "capital tea", games and dancing. The various performers included a baritone singer, an elocutionist, a humourist and Miss Marie Green.
The latter was described as a "nimble little sprite", who gave an exhibition of what was called toe dancing. The Reporter added: "The evening passed over in pleasant fashion. Handsome presents were received."
People had arguments over strange things a century ago. This week Charles Harrison of Havelock Street was charged in St Helens Police Court with committing a breach of the peace and assault. Sergeant Harvey gave evidence of being on duty in Bridge Street on the previous Saturday night and at 10:50pm he had seen Harrison with his coat off striking a man named Richard Hatton.
The latter told the court that he had been returning home and had been crossing the wasteland near the market in Bridge Street when he saw Harrison talking to someone about linnets and a row ensued. Harrison agreed that he had been discussing linnets but claimed that Hatton had come up to him and he had told him to go away.
He claimed Hatton then took up a "fighting attitude" and said he would fight him anywhere. At that point in the proceedings Superintendent Dunn asked Harrison if these linnets were not streaky brown birds but Irishmen that he went looking for on Saturday nights, presumably to fight. To that question the defendant answered that he did not go out on Saturday nights, despite the fact of him being collared in Bridge Street on the previous Saturday night! The magistrates fined him £1.
Another row that ended up in court this week had been over a pot and a kettle and that had had more serious consequences. John Dolan was accused of inflicting grievous bodily harm on Matthew Whalley in a Market Street lodging house. The latter's head was swathed in bandages when he told the court that Dolan had struck him in their kitchen for simply taking a kettle off the fire and replacing it with a pot.
Matthew Whalley said the blow he received had knocked him unconscious but Dolan claimed self-defence, reckoning that Whalley had started the row by holding his fist up to him. He also claimed that Whalley had fallen against a chair or a form after being struck and so had really knocked himself out.
Dr Eric Reid was the police surgeon and he told the court that when he examined the victim he found he had lost his sight in one eye. An eye specialist was called in and considered Whalley's sight to be permanently damaged unless an operation took place to save it.
Dr Reid also considered that a direct blow could only have caused such an injury. Dolan was committed for trial at the next Quarter Sessions. Bail was allowed but he would have to pay a £10 surety himself and find two persons prepared to put up sureties of £5 each, which was a big ask.
Casey's Court was a madcap music hall act (and later a comic strip) that was so popular it became a generic term for uproar – just like bedlam. The cast of mischievous street urchins who impersonated policemen and burglars included Charlie Chaplin and Tommy Trinder. And when Thomas and Mary Kelly appeared in St Helens Police Court on the 10th charged with committing a breach of the peace, a magistrate compared Milk Street to Casey's Court.
Two police officers stated that they had been in Church Street at about 11pm on the previous Saturday night when they heard a disturbance involving lots of shouting and swearing coming from the direction of Milk Street. When they arrived on the scene they found a crowd with Kelly stripped to the waist in a "most excited condition".
After a bit of persuasion Kelly and his wife went back inside their home but the man reappeared a few minutes later and began shouting, "No ________ Black and Tans will stop me." The pair refused to go back in for some time and they were told they would be reported. In court Kelly explained that he was a night shift worker and the trouble arose from the fact that his neighbours' children were very noisy during the day when he was sleeping.
His wife had told off one of the children and ever since then he claimed his neighbours had "persecuted" him and Mary. The Reporter described Kelly's evidence: "On the Saturday night in question, a man pulled him up in the yard and asked him to wait a minute. While waiting, two other men came up and started arguing and quarrelling with him. It was a put-up job.
"There was a gang of women neighbours who did a lot of chattering, and did not believe in work. They knew when the police were coming and could run through the front door and out again in Brook-street before they could be caught." Mrs Kelly blamed the trouble on two of their neighbours who, she claimed, were trying to get them out of their house. Both of the Kellys were bound over for three months in sureties of £1 each.
St Helens Reporter courtesy St Helens Archive Service at Eccleston Library
Next Week's stories will include the difficulties the impending General Election was causing in St Helens, the Parr poker bashing for spying, the landlady conned in Stanhope Street and it's announced that the first telephone kiosks are to be installed in St Helens.
The joint inquest of Sneyde and Mrs Roberts was held at the start of this week in St Helens Town Hall – and all the usual motives for such a crime were ruled out. The shocking attack and suicide did not take place in the heat of the moment and both acts had, seemingly, been premeditated.
In his summing up, the coroner Frank Jones told the inquest jury that they must not conjecture that Sneyde had been insane. The man had told a lie to obtain the poison, which, the coroner argued, clearly showed that Sneyde had it in his mind to murder his aunt and kill himself. In conclusion, Mr Jones said they must not "mistake wickedness by calling it insanity".
After a few minutes absence, the jury returned to the room to deliver a verdict of "Wilful Murder" against Sneyde and a second verdict that he had committed suicide. However the jury felt that there was no evidence to show the young man's state of mind at the time of these two acts.
On October 8th the council's Health Committee considered an application by St Helens Hospital to expand its site in Peasley Cross. Plans were submitted for an extension that would include a maternity ward and a nurses' home.
Uncle Ben in the Children's Reporter was in reality the paper's editor, William Gentry. Competitions played a large part in his column and this week on the 10th, Uncle Ben announced the winner of his latest. Members had been invited to pick their favourite motto and Frank Burrows from Clipsley Lane in Haydock had won the contest by choosing the saying "Truth Conquers All Things". For that Frank won a self-filling fountain pen.
The Reporter described two types of event that had taken place in St Helens over the last few days, both of which are no longer held. The Oddfellows had presented a smoking concert at the Railway Hotel in Thatto Heath. The Vicar of Ravenhead had been in attendance, along with a councillor and a Greenalls brewery boss.
As well as lots of puffing away on cigarettes and cigars, the all-male affair listened to a history of friendly societies, songs were sung and a concertina solo was given. On the same evening the Eagle and Child Bowling Club in Rainford held their annual "smoker".
Coming of age parties are also no longer held and the Reporter described how Nellie Doward had celebrated her 21st birthday do inside the Conservative Rooms in Kirkland Street. The large gathering had enjoyed a "capital tea", games and dancing. The various performers included a baritone singer, an elocutionist, a humourist and Miss Marie Green.
The latter was described as a "nimble little sprite", who gave an exhibition of what was called toe dancing. The Reporter added: "The evening passed over in pleasant fashion. Handsome presents were received."
People had arguments over strange things a century ago. This week Charles Harrison of Havelock Street was charged in St Helens Police Court with committing a breach of the peace and assault. Sergeant Harvey gave evidence of being on duty in Bridge Street on the previous Saturday night and at 10:50pm he had seen Harrison with his coat off striking a man named Richard Hatton.
The latter told the court that he had been returning home and had been crossing the wasteland near the market in Bridge Street when he saw Harrison talking to someone about linnets and a row ensued. Harrison agreed that he had been discussing linnets but claimed that Hatton had come up to him and he had told him to go away.
He claimed Hatton then took up a "fighting attitude" and said he would fight him anywhere. At that point in the proceedings Superintendent Dunn asked Harrison if these linnets were not streaky brown birds but Irishmen that he went looking for on Saturday nights, presumably to fight. To that question the defendant answered that he did not go out on Saturday nights, despite the fact of him being collared in Bridge Street on the previous Saturday night! The magistrates fined him £1.
Another row that ended up in court this week had been over a pot and a kettle and that had had more serious consequences. John Dolan was accused of inflicting grievous bodily harm on Matthew Whalley in a Market Street lodging house. The latter's head was swathed in bandages when he told the court that Dolan had struck him in their kitchen for simply taking a kettle off the fire and replacing it with a pot.
Matthew Whalley said the blow he received had knocked him unconscious but Dolan claimed self-defence, reckoning that Whalley had started the row by holding his fist up to him. He also claimed that Whalley had fallen against a chair or a form after being struck and so had really knocked himself out.
Dr Eric Reid was the police surgeon and he told the court that when he examined the victim he found he had lost his sight in one eye. An eye specialist was called in and considered Whalley's sight to be permanently damaged unless an operation took place to save it.
Dr Reid also considered that a direct blow could only have caused such an injury. Dolan was committed for trial at the next Quarter Sessions. Bail was allowed but he would have to pay a £10 surety himself and find two persons prepared to put up sureties of £5 each, which was a big ask.
Casey's Court was a madcap music hall act (and later a comic strip) that was so popular it became a generic term for uproar – just like bedlam. The cast of mischievous street urchins who impersonated policemen and burglars included Charlie Chaplin and Tommy Trinder. And when Thomas and Mary Kelly appeared in St Helens Police Court on the 10th charged with committing a breach of the peace, a magistrate compared Milk Street to Casey's Court.
Two police officers stated that they had been in Church Street at about 11pm on the previous Saturday night when they heard a disturbance involving lots of shouting and swearing coming from the direction of Milk Street. When they arrived on the scene they found a crowd with Kelly stripped to the waist in a "most excited condition".
After a bit of persuasion Kelly and his wife went back inside their home but the man reappeared a few minutes later and began shouting, "No ________ Black and Tans will stop me." The pair refused to go back in for some time and they were told they would be reported. In court Kelly explained that he was a night shift worker and the trouble arose from the fact that his neighbours' children were very noisy during the day when he was sleeping.
His wife had told off one of the children and ever since then he claimed his neighbours had "persecuted" him and Mary. The Reporter described Kelly's evidence: "On the Saturday night in question, a man pulled him up in the yard and asked him to wait a minute. While waiting, two other men came up and started arguing and quarrelling with him. It was a put-up job.
"There was a gang of women neighbours who did a lot of chattering, and did not believe in work. They knew when the police were coming and could run through the front door and out again in Brook-street before they could be caught." Mrs Kelly blamed the trouble on two of their neighbours who, she claimed, were trying to get them out of their house. Both of the Kellys were bound over for three months in sureties of £1 each.
St Helens Reporter courtesy St Helens Archive Service at Eccleston Library
Next Week's stories will include the difficulties the impending General Election was causing in St Helens, the Parr poker bashing for spying, the landlady conned in Stanhope Street and it's announced that the first telephone kiosks are to be installed in St Helens.
This week's many stories include the shocking murder and suicide in Robins Lane, the violent row over linnets in Bridge Street, the case of grievous bodily harm over a kettle in Salisbury Street, the madcap Milk Street neighbours, the Oddfellows smoking concert in Thatto Heath and the coming of age party in Kirkland Street.
There was only one big talking point in St Helens this week and that was the mysterious and motiveless murder of Agnes Roberts by her nephew Frederick Sneyde in Sutton.
The 23-year-old seemingly had no ill feeling towards his aunt and was not believed to have been mentally ill. But he had bludgeoned Mrs Roberts to death at the home they both shared in Robins Lane (pictured above).
After committing the cruel murder, Sneyde wrote out several notes and then swallowed the deadly poison that he had bought at Boots the Chemist.
The joint inquest of Sneyde and Mrs Roberts was held at the start of this week in St Helens Town Hall – and all the usual motives for such a crime were ruled out.
The shocking attack and suicide did not take place in the heat of the moment and both acts had, seemingly, been premeditated.
In his summing up, the coroner Frank Jones told the inquest jury that they must not conjecture that Sneyde had been insane.
The man had told a lie to obtain the poison, which, the coroner argued, clearly showed that Sneyde had it in his mind to murder his aunt and kill himself. In conclusion, Mr Jones said they must not "mistake wickedness by calling it insanity".
After a few minutes absence, the jury returned to the room to deliver a verdict of "Wilful Murder" against Sneyde and a second verdict that he had committed suicide.
However the jury felt that there was no evidence to show the young man's state of mind at the time of these two acts.
On October 8th the council's Health Committee considered an application by St Helens Hospital to expand its site in Peasley Cross.
Plans were submitted for an extension that would include a maternity ward and a nurses' home.
Also wanting to enlarge was St Nicholas Church in Sutton, as they required more room to bury their dead.
Five acres of land between the existing churchyard and Eaves Lane had been offered to the church for £300.
£100 of that amount had already been raised and a bazaar was going to be held at the end of the month to try and obtain the balance.
Uncle Ben in the Children's Reporter was in reality the paper's editor, William Gentry.
Competitions played a large part in his column and this week on the 10th, Uncle Ben announced the winner of his latest.
Members had been invited to pick their favourite motto and Frank Burrows from Clipsley Lane in Haydock had won the contest by choosing the saying "Truth Conquers All Things". For that Frank won a self-filling fountain pen.
The Reporter described two types of event that had taken place in St Helens over the last few days, both of which are no longer held.
The Oddfellows had presented a smoking concert at the Railway Hotel in Thatto Heath.
The Vicar of Ravenhead had been in attendance, along with a councillor and a Greenalls brewery boss.
As well as lots of puffing away on cigarettes and cigars, the all-male affair listened to a history of friendly societies, songs were sung and a concertina solo was given.
On the same evening the Eagle and Child Bowling Club in Rainford held their annual "smoker".
Coming of age parties are also no longer held and the Reporter described how Nellie Doward had celebrated her 21st birthday do inside the Conservative Rooms in Kirkland Street.
The large gathering had enjoyed a "capital tea", games and dancing. The various performers included a baritone singer, an elocutionist, a humourist and Miss Marie Green.
The latter was described as a "nimble little sprite", who gave an exhibition of what was called toe dancing. The Reporter added:
"The evening passed over in pleasant fashion. Handsome presents were received."
People had arguments over strange things a century ago. This week Charles Harrison of Havelock Street was charged in St Helens Police Court with committing a breach of the peace and assault.
Sergeant Harvey gave evidence of being on duty in Bridge Street on the previous Saturday night and at 10:50pm he had seen Harrison with his coat off striking a man named Richard Hatton.
The latter told the court that he had been returning home and had been crossing the wasteland near the market in Bridge Street when he saw Harrison talking to someone about linnets and a row ensued.
Harrison agreed that he had been discussing linnets but claimed that Hatton had come up to him and he had told him to go away.
He claimed Hatton then took up a "fighting attitude" and said he would fight him anywhere.
At that point in the proceedings Superintendent Dunn asked Harrison if these linnets were not streaky brown birds but Irishmen that he went looking for on Saturday nights, presumably to fight.
To that question the defendant answered that he did not go out on Saturday nights, despite the fact of him being collared in Bridge Street on the previous Saturday night! The magistrates fined him £1.
Another row that ended up in court this week had been over a pot and a kettle and that had had more serious consequences.
John Dolan was accused of inflicting grievous bodily harm on Matthew Whalley in a Market Street lodging house.
The latter's head was swathed in bandages when he told the court that Dolan had struck him in their kitchen for simply taking a kettle off the fire and replacing it with a pot.
Matthew Whalley said the blow he received had knocked him unconscious but Dolan claimed self-defence, reckoning that Whalley had started the row by holding his fist up to him.
He also claimed that Whalley had fallen against a chair or a form after being struck and so had really knocked himself out.
Dr Eric Reid was the police surgeon and he told the court that when he examined the victim he found he had lost his sight in one eye.
An eye specialist was called in and considered Whalley's sight to be permanently damaged unless an operation took place to save it.
Dr Reid also considered that a direct blow could only have caused such an injury.
Dolan was committed for trial at the next Quarter Sessions. Bail was allowed but he would have to pay a £10 surety himself and find two persons prepared to put up sureties of £5 each, which was a big ask.
Casey's Court was a madcap music hall act (and later a comic strip) that was so popular it became a generic term for uproar – just like bedlam.
The cast of mischievous street urchins who impersonated policemen and burglars included Charlie Chaplin and Tommy Trinder.
And when Thomas and Mary Kelly appeared in St Helens Police Court on the 10th charged with committing a breach of the peace, a magistrate compared Milk Street to Casey's Court.
Two police officers stated that they had been in Church Street at about 11pm on the previous Saturday night when they heard a disturbance involving lots of shouting and swearing coming from the direction of Milk Street.
When they arrived on the scene they found a crowd with Kelly stripped to the waist in a "most excited condition".
After a bit of persuasion Kelly and his wife went back inside their home but the man reappeared a few minutes later and began shouting, "No ________ Black and Tans will stop me."
The pair refused to go back in for some time and they were told they would be reported.
In court Kelly explained that he was a night shift worker and the trouble arose from the fact that his neighbours' children were very noisy during the day when he was sleeping.
His wife had told off one of the children and ever since then he claimed his neighbours had "persecuted" him and Mary. The Reporter described Kelly's evidence:
"On the Saturday night in question, a man pulled him up in the yard and asked him to wait a minute. While waiting, two other men came up and started arguing and quarrelling with him. It was a put-up job.
"There was a gang of women neighbours who did a lot of chattering, and did not believe in work. They knew when the police were coming and could run through the front door and out again in Brook-street before they could be caught."
Mrs Kelly blamed the trouble on two of their neighbours who, she claimed, were trying to get them out of their house. Both of the Kellys were bound over for three months in sureties of £1 each.
St Helens Reporter courtesy St Helens Archive Service at Eccleston Library
Next Week's stories will include the difficulties the impending General Election was causing in St Helens, the Parr poker bashing for spying, the landlady conned in Stanhope Street and it's announced that the first telephone kiosks are to be installed in St Helens.
The 23-year-old seemingly had no ill feeling towards his aunt and was not believed to have been mentally ill. But he had bludgeoned Mrs Roberts to death at the home they both shared in Robins Lane (pictured above).
After committing the cruel murder, Sneyde wrote out several notes and then swallowed the deadly poison that he had bought at Boots the Chemist.
The joint inquest of Sneyde and Mrs Roberts was held at the start of this week in St Helens Town Hall – and all the usual motives for such a crime were ruled out.
The shocking attack and suicide did not take place in the heat of the moment and both acts had, seemingly, been premeditated.
In his summing up, the coroner Frank Jones told the inquest jury that they must not conjecture that Sneyde had been insane.
The man had told a lie to obtain the poison, which, the coroner argued, clearly showed that Sneyde had it in his mind to murder his aunt and kill himself. In conclusion, Mr Jones said they must not "mistake wickedness by calling it insanity".
After a few minutes absence, the jury returned to the room to deliver a verdict of "Wilful Murder" against Sneyde and a second verdict that he had committed suicide.
However the jury felt that there was no evidence to show the young man's state of mind at the time of these two acts.
On October 8th the council's Health Committee considered an application by St Helens Hospital to expand its site in Peasley Cross.
Plans were submitted for an extension that would include a maternity ward and a nurses' home.
Five acres of land between the existing churchyard and Eaves Lane had been offered to the church for £300.
£100 of that amount had already been raised and a bazaar was going to be held at the end of the month to try and obtain the balance.
Uncle Ben in the Children's Reporter was in reality the paper's editor, William Gentry.
Competitions played a large part in his column and this week on the 10th, Uncle Ben announced the winner of his latest.
Members had been invited to pick their favourite motto and Frank Burrows from Clipsley Lane in Haydock had won the contest by choosing the saying "Truth Conquers All Things". For that Frank won a self-filling fountain pen.
The Reporter described two types of event that had taken place in St Helens over the last few days, both of which are no longer held.
The Oddfellows had presented a smoking concert at the Railway Hotel in Thatto Heath.
The Vicar of Ravenhead had been in attendance, along with a councillor and a Greenalls brewery boss.
As well as lots of puffing away on cigarettes and cigars, the all-male affair listened to a history of friendly societies, songs were sung and a concertina solo was given.
On the same evening the Eagle and Child Bowling Club in Rainford held their annual "smoker".
Coming of age parties are also no longer held and the Reporter described how Nellie Doward had celebrated her 21st birthday do inside the Conservative Rooms in Kirkland Street.
The large gathering had enjoyed a "capital tea", games and dancing. The various performers included a baritone singer, an elocutionist, a humourist and Miss Marie Green.
The latter was described as a "nimble little sprite", who gave an exhibition of what was called toe dancing. The Reporter added:
"The evening passed over in pleasant fashion. Handsome presents were received."
People had arguments over strange things a century ago. This week Charles Harrison of Havelock Street was charged in St Helens Police Court with committing a breach of the peace and assault.
Sergeant Harvey gave evidence of being on duty in Bridge Street on the previous Saturday night and at 10:50pm he had seen Harrison with his coat off striking a man named Richard Hatton.
The latter told the court that he had been returning home and had been crossing the wasteland near the market in Bridge Street when he saw Harrison talking to someone about linnets and a row ensued.
Harrison agreed that he had been discussing linnets but claimed that Hatton had come up to him and he had told him to go away.
He claimed Hatton then took up a "fighting attitude" and said he would fight him anywhere.
At that point in the proceedings Superintendent Dunn asked Harrison if these linnets were not streaky brown birds but Irishmen that he went looking for on Saturday nights, presumably to fight.
To that question the defendant answered that he did not go out on Saturday nights, despite the fact of him being collared in Bridge Street on the previous Saturday night! The magistrates fined him £1.
Another row that ended up in court this week had been over a pot and a kettle and that had had more serious consequences.
John Dolan was accused of inflicting grievous bodily harm on Matthew Whalley in a Market Street lodging house.
The latter's head was swathed in bandages when he told the court that Dolan had struck him in their kitchen for simply taking a kettle off the fire and replacing it with a pot.
Matthew Whalley said the blow he received had knocked him unconscious but Dolan claimed self-defence, reckoning that Whalley had started the row by holding his fist up to him.
He also claimed that Whalley had fallen against a chair or a form after being struck and so had really knocked himself out.
Dr Eric Reid was the police surgeon and he told the court that when he examined the victim he found he had lost his sight in one eye.
An eye specialist was called in and considered Whalley's sight to be permanently damaged unless an operation took place to save it.
Dr Reid also considered that a direct blow could only have caused such an injury.
Dolan was committed for trial at the next Quarter Sessions. Bail was allowed but he would have to pay a £10 surety himself and find two persons prepared to put up sureties of £5 each, which was a big ask.
Casey's Court was a madcap music hall act (and later a comic strip) that was so popular it became a generic term for uproar – just like bedlam.
The cast of mischievous street urchins who impersonated policemen and burglars included Charlie Chaplin and Tommy Trinder.
And when Thomas and Mary Kelly appeared in St Helens Police Court on the 10th charged with committing a breach of the peace, a magistrate compared Milk Street to Casey's Court.
Two police officers stated that they had been in Church Street at about 11pm on the previous Saturday night when they heard a disturbance involving lots of shouting and swearing coming from the direction of Milk Street.
When they arrived on the scene they found a crowd with Kelly stripped to the waist in a "most excited condition".
After a bit of persuasion Kelly and his wife went back inside their home but the man reappeared a few minutes later and began shouting, "No ________ Black and Tans will stop me."
The pair refused to go back in for some time and they were told they would be reported.
In court Kelly explained that he was a night shift worker and the trouble arose from the fact that his neighbours' children were very noisy during the day when he was sleeping.
His wife had told off one of the children and ever since then he claimed his neighbours had "persecuted" him and Mary. The Reporter described Kelly's evidence:
"On the Saturday night in question, a man pulled him up in the yard and asked him to wait a minute. While waiting, two other men came up and started arguing and quarrelling with him. It was a put-up job.
"There was a gang of women neighbours who did a lot of chattering, and did not believe in work. They knew when the police were coming and could run through the front door and out again in Brook-street before they could be caught."
Mrs Kelly blamed the trouble on two of their neighbours who, she claimed, were trying to get them out of their house. Both of the Kellys were bound over for three months in sureties of £1 each.
St Helens Reporter courtesy St Helens Archive Service at Eccleston Library
Next Week's stories will include the difficulties the impending General Election was causing in St Helens, the Parr poker bashing for spying, the landlady conned in Stanhope Street and it's announced that the first telephone kiosks are to be installed in St Helens.