IOO YEARS AGO THIS WEEK (10th - 16th JANUARY 1922)
This week's many stories include the boy toy thieves of Liverpool Road, the downright lazy fellow from Rainford, the Reporter Man's adventures around town, the Rainford Junction railway robbery, Rainhill's FA Cup Final referee is honoured and the dumbbell brute from Bank Street is sentenced.
We begin on the 10th when Nicholas Gilligan from Liverpool Road (pictured above) appeared in the St Helens County Police Court charged with trespassing in pursuit of game. The man had been catching rabbits in a field in Eccleston that belonged to Lord Derby. Gilligan told the court that he had been out of work for 15 weeks and his only source of income was the ungenerous unemployment pay. However, he would have to find 30 shillings out of his dole money to pay a fine or go to prison for 28 days.
Children in court were no longer routinely identified in the newspapers and their ages and addresses revealed. So all we know about those who appeared in St Helens Police Court on the 10th was that they were described as young boys charged with stealing toys. These were to the value of 7 shillings and had been taken out of the window of Ada Dent's premises in Liverpool Road.
A solicitor for one of the lads told the court: "This was not a case where the defendants had been going about looking for shops they could rob. It was a case of sudden temptation." That was because the glass in the shop window had been slightly cracked and so they were able to force a hole large enough to put a hand through. The Bench gave them a strong warning and bound the boys over.
Maggie Monks from Higher Parr Street also appeared in the Police Court charged with bigamy after marrying Peter Painter at St Peter's Church in Parr. Her defence was that her legal husband – from whom she had been separated for some years – had claimed to have seen a solicitor and told her it would be lawful for her to re-marry. The 53-year-old was committed for trial at the Liverpool Assizes and a fortnight later was sentenced to just one day's imprisonment.
It was panto week this week with both of the town's theatres engaging in seasonal silliness. The Hippodrome abandoned its usual music hall entertainment for performances of 'Cinderella' and the Theatre Royal presented 'Little Miss Muffet' featuring comedians Loch & Lomond.
'The Return of Tarzan' was the big film showing at the Picturedrome in Bridge Street during the first few days of this week. "The greatest of all Tarzan films", said the advert in the Reporter, although a silent Tarzan without the jungle man's famous yell does not sound particularly appealing. Later in the week, cowboy Tom Mix starred in the western 'Three Gold Coins'. A western without audible gunshots does also seem odd to us. However, I've been told that sometimes staff in St Helens cinemas in the 1920s would attempt to imitate gunfire by using a cap gun – although I can't imagine it produced a very realistic sound.
On the 11th James Wilson from Bunker's Hill near Mossborough Road in Rainford appeared in St Helens County Police Court charged with neglecting his children. The prosecutor told the magistrates: "During the last two years defendant has only worked eight months, and the greater part of his time he has spent in bed, smoking cigarettes." Two separate witnesses described the 22-year-old as a "lazy fellow" and "downright lazy" and he had been sacked from one job for neglecting work.
However, it was mentioned in passing that Wilson had served three years in the army, had been slightly wounded in the leg and suffered the skin disease known as trench fever. When asked to explain himself in court, the man could only mumble a few words – seemingly about trench fever. And so I do wonder if his wartime experiences were responsible for his behaviour? His health was described as good – but that, of course, only meant physical health. The magistrates decided to give the man another chance – but warned him that he would be severely dealt with if brought before them again. The St Helens Reporter's article on James Wilson was headlined "The Perfect Life" – although I suspect it wasn't.
During the evening of the 11th, Job Davies of Rainhill was presented with what was described as a handsome clock at the YMCA building on the corner of Duke Street and North Road in St Helens (pictured above). The gift of the timepiece was to commemorate his achievement in refereeing last year's FA Cup Final at Stamford Bridge when Tottenham Hotspur beat Wolves 1 - 0. There was a huge crowd of 72,805, with King George V in attendance.
Jock – as he was apparently known – was then employed at the Helsby Electrical Works but became a licensee at the Coach and Horses in Rainhill in 1923 and gave up refereeing. Jock had a short career as a top referee but was highly respected and praised regularly in the newspapers for the way he handled matches. The St Helens Reporter called him "The knight of the whistle"!
On the 12th Ellis Wilkinson of Billinge appeared in Prescot Police Court charged with breaking and entering the booking offices of Rainford Junction station and stealing a coat and other items worth £20. DC Riley told the court that he had seen Wilkinson and his wife in St Helens Road in Prescot and thought the Macintosh coat he was wearing "not in keeping with his position in life". So the detective asked him to remove the coat and upon examining its inside saw the letters “L” and “Y” stamped on it – standing for Lancashire & Yorkshire Railway. Initially Wilkinson claimed to have bought it in Liverpool but later admitted stealing it from the station. A remand was granted.
Uncle Ben in this week's Children's Reporter wrote: "My Dear Nephews and Nieces. Once more we are settling down to work after the holidays. Judging from the letters I have received, many of you have had a real, rollicking time during the Christmas festivities. I, too, have had a jolly time, playing games, dancing, singing, etc., along with some of my very own nephews and nieces. What a noise we have made!"
Also on the 13th, the "Reporter Man" described this week's unannounced visits to parts of St Helens to ask householders if they had a copy of the paper. If they were able to produce the latest edition of the Reporter, their reward was a prize of five shillings – or a "dollar", as he sometimes called it. It's a long time since 25p was the rate of exchange for the US currency, although I can remember when 2s 6d was sometimes called half a dollar.
Anyway, the "Reporter Man" had visited the flooded Sutton district and quipped about running pleasure boats on the lake that had formed behind Berry's Lane and Nook Lane. I expect the exasperated residents did not find much humour in their situation. One regular problem was for people to locate the paper from within their home after the Reporter Man had knocked on their door. Some turned their houses upside down searching for it. At one house he had to wait a full five minutes while the paper search took place.
Another common feature was for the Reporter having been posted on to some family member or friend once it had been read. In Hammond Street the Reporter was shown and five bob paid out just before it was going to be mailed on to New Brighton. "Nothing for you today", was what he was told by one householder in Ramford Street, after being mistaken for some collector.
The paper also reported that a number of mainly Methodist churches in St Helens had collected over £20 for the Russian Famine Fund via their Sunday Schools.
On the 14th Peter Mather from Bank Street, off Prescot Road, returned to court charged with an aggravated assault on one of his daughters after hitting her on the head with a dumbbell. The man had been remanded for a week for a medical examination but continued to blame his wife for his troubles. At the previous hearing he made allegations over her supposed drinking habits. Now he complained to the Bench about his wife’s "tantalising ways and sarcastic tongue".
Mather had previously been in Winwick Asylum and complained he had been "tantalised to death" by his wife through her threatening to have him returned to the institution. Mather claimed the assault on his daughter had been an accident after she had got in between him and his wife. Presumably, he would have bashed his wife with the dumbbell if it had not been for his daughter's intervention.
But his other seven sons and daughters gave other accounts of violence by their father and he was sentenced to two months in prison in the second division. This was a class of prisoner who were granted certain privileges. These included being allowed to wear clothes of a different colour to the standard prison issue and being able to receive more frequent visits and letters than other prisoners. Upon being sentenced Mather said to the Bench, "Thank you, sir. I am quite satisfied."
Next Week's stories will include the simple-minded suicidal Sutton girl, the Corporation gravediggers whose stench was considered objectionable, the runaway car in Westfield Street and the Colonel and the Colonials in City Road.
Children in court were no longer routinely identified in the newspapers and their ages and addresses revealed. So all we know about those who appeared in St Helens Police Court on the 10th was that they were described as young boys charged with stealing toys. These were to the value of 7 shillings and had been taken out of the window of Ada Dent's premises in Liverpool Road.
A solicitor for one of the lads told the court: "This was not a case where the defendants had been going about looking for shops they could rob. It was a case of sudden temptation." That was because the glass in the shop window had been slightly cracked and so they were able to force a hole large enough to put a hand through. The Bench gave them a strong warning and bound the boys over.
Maggie Monks from Higher Parr Street also appeared in the Police Court charged with bigamy after marrying Peter Painter at St Peter's Church in Parr. Her defence was that her legal husband – from whom she had been separated for some years – had claimed to have seen a solicitor and told her it would be lawful for her to re-marry. The 53-year-old was committed for trial at the Liverpool Assizes and a fortnight later was sentenced to just one day's imprisonment.
It was panto week this week with both of the town's theatres engaging in seasonal silliness. The Hippodrome abandoned its usual music hall entertainment for performances of 'Cinderella' and the Theatre Royal presented 'Little Miss Muffet' featuring comedians Loch & Lomond.
'The Return of Tarzan' was the big film showing at the Picturedrome in Bridge Street during the first few days of this week. "The greatest of all Tarzan films", said the advert in the Reporter, although a silent Tarzan without the jungle man's famous yell does not sound particularly appealing. Later in the week, cowboy Tom Mix starred in the western 'Three Gold Coins'. A western without audible gunshots does also seem odd to us. However, I've been told that sometimes staff in St Helens cinemas in the 1920s would attempt to imitate gunfire by using a cap gun – although I can't imagine it produced a very realistic sound.
On the 11th James Wilson from Bunker's Hill near Mossborough Road in Rainford appeared in St Helens County Police Court charged with neglecting his children. The prosecutor told the magistrates: "During the last two years defendant has only worked eight months, and the greater part of his time he has spent in bed, smoking cigarettes." Two separate witnesses described the 22-year-old as a "lazy fellow" and "downright lazy" and he had been sacked from one job for neglecting work.
However, it was mentioned in passing that Wilson had served three years in the army, had been slightly wounded in the leg and suffered the skin disease known as trench fever. When asked to explain himself in court, the man could only mumble a few words – seemingly about trench fever. And so I do wonder if his wartime experiences were responsible for his behaviour? His health was described as good – but that, of course, only meant physical health. The magistrates decided to give the man another chance – but warned him that he would be severely dealt with if brought before them again. The St Helens Reporter's article on James Wilson was headlined "The Perfect Life" – although I suspect it wasn't.
Jock – as he was apparently known – was then employed at the Helsby Electrical Works but became a licensee at the Coach and Horses in Rainhill in 1923 and gave up refereeing. Jock had a short career as a top referee but was highly respected and praised regularly in the newspapers for the way he handled matches. The St Helens Reporter called him "The knight of the whistle"!
On the 12th Ellis Wilkinson of Billinge appeared in Prescot Police Court charged with breaking and entering the booking offices of Rainford Junction station and stealing a coat and other items worth £20. DC Riley told the court that he had seen Wilkinson and his wife in St Helens Road in Prescot and thought the Macintosh coat he was wearing "not in keeping with his position in life". So the detective asked him to remove the coat and upon examining its inside saw the letters “L” and “Y” stamped on it – standing for Lancashire & Yorkshire Railway. Initially Wilkinson claimed to have bought it in Liverpool but later admitted stealing it from the station. A remand was granted.
Uncle Ben in this week's Children's Reporter wrote: "My Dear Nephews and Nieces. Once more we are settling down to work after the holidays. Judging from the letters I have received, many of you have had a real, rollicking time during the Christmas festivities. I, too, have had a jolly time, playing games, dancing, singing, etc., along with some of my very own nephews and nieces. What a noise we have made!"
Also on the 13th, the "Reporter Man" described this week's unannounced visits to parts of St Helens to ask householders if they had a copy of the paper. If they were able to produce the latest edition of the Reporter, their reward was a prize of five shillings – or a "dollar", as he sometimes called it. It's a long time since 25p was the rate of exchange for the US currency, although I can remember when 2s 6d was sometimes called half a dollar.
Anyway, the "Reporter Man" had visited the flooded Sutton district and quipped about running pleasure boats on the lake that had formed behind Berry's Lane and Nook Lane. I expect the exasperated residents did not find much humour in their situation. One regular problem was for people to locate the paper from within their home after the Reporter Man had knocked on their door. Some turned their houses upside down searching for it. At one house he had to wait a full five minutes while the paper search took place.
Another common feature was for the Reporter having been posted on to some family member or friend once it had been read. In Hammond Street the Reporter was shown and five bob paid out just before it was going to be mailed on to New Brighton. "Nothing for you today", was what he was told by one householder in Ramford Street, after being mistaken for some collector.
The paper also reported that a number of mainly Methodist churches in St Helens had collected over £20 for the Russian Famine Fund via their Sunday Schools.
On the 14th Peter Mather from Bank Street, off Prescot Road, returned to court charged with an aggravated assault on one of his daughters after hitting her on the head with a dumbbell. The man had been remanded for a week for a medical examination but continued to blame his wife for his troubles. At the previous hearing he made allegations over her supposed drinking habits. Now he complained to the Bench about his wife’s "tantalising ways and sarcastic tongue".
Mather had previously been in Winwick Asylum and complained he had been "tantalised to death" by his wife through her threatening to have him returned to the institution. Mather claimed the assault on his daughter had been an accident after she had got in between him and his wife. Presumably, he would have bashed his wife with the dumbbell if it had not been for his daughter's intervention.
But his other seven sons and daughters gave other accounts of violence by their father and he was sentenced to two months in prison in the second division. This was a class of prisoner who were granted certain privileges. These included being allowed to wear clothes of a different colour to the standard prison issue and being able to receive more frequent visits and letters than other prisoners. Upon being sentenced Mather said to the Bench, "Thank you, sir. I am quite satisfied."
Next Week's stories will include the simple-minded suicidal Sutton girl, the Corporation gravediggers whose stench was considered objectionable, the runaway car in Westfield Street and the Colonel and the Colonials in City Road.
This week's many stories include the boy toy thieves of Liverpool Road, the downright lazy fellow from Rainford, the Reporter Man's adventures around town, the Rainford Junction railway robbery, Rainhill's FA Cup Final referee is honoured and the dumbbell brute from Bank Street is sentenced.
We begin on the 10th when Nicholas Gilligan from Liverpool Road (pictured above) appeared in the St Helens County Police Court charged with trespassing in pursuit of game.
The man had been catching rabbits in a field in Eccleston that belonged to Lord Derby.
Gilligan told the court that he had been out of work for 15 weeks and his only source of income was the ungenerous unemployment pay.
However, he would have to find 30 shillings out of his dole money to pay a fine or go to prison for 28 days.
Children in court were no longer routinely identified in the newspapers and their ages and addresses revealed.
So all we know about those who appeared in St Helens Police Court on the 10th was that they were described as young boys charged with stealing toys.
These were to the value of 7 shillings and had been taken out of the window of Ada Dent's premises in Liverpool Road. A solicitor for one of the lads told the court:
"This was not a case where the defendants had been going about looking for shops they could rob. It was a case of sudden temptation."
That was because the glass in the shop window had been slightly cracked and so they were able to force a hole large enough to put a hand through.
The Bench gave them a strong warning and bound the boys over.
Maggie Monks from Higher Parr Street also appeared in the Police Court charged with bigamy after marrying Peter Painter at St Peter's Church in Parr.
Her defence was that her legal husband – from whom she had been separated for some years – had claimed to have seen a solicitor and told her it would be lawful for her to re-marry.
The 53-year-old was committed for trial at the Liverpool Assizes and a fortnight later was sentenced to just one day's imprisonment.
It was panto week this week with both of the town's theatres engaging in seasonal silliness.
The Hippodrome abandoned its usual music hall entertainment for performances of 'Cinderella' and the Theatre Royal presented 'Little Miss Muffet' featuring comedians Loch & Lomond.
'The Return of Tarzan' was the big film showing at the Picturedrome in Bridge Street during the first few days of this week.
"The greatest of all Tarzan films", said the advert in the Reporter, although a silent Tarzan without the jungle man's famous yell does not sound particularly appealing.
Later in the week, cowboy Tom Mix starred in the western 'Three Gold Coins'. A western without audible gunshots does also seem odd to us.
However, I've been told that sometimes staff in St Helens cinemas in the 1920s would attempt to imitate gunfire by using a cap gun – although I can't imagine it produced a very realistic sound.
On the 11th James Wilson from Bunker's Hill near Mossborough Road in Rainford appeared in St Helens County Police Court charged with neglecting his children. The prosecutor told the magistrates:
"During the last two years defendant has only worked eight months, and the greater part of his time he has spent in bed, smoking cigarettes."
Two separate witnesses described the 22-year-old as a "lazy fellow" and "downright lazy" and he had been sacked from one job for neglecting work.
However, it was mentioned in passing that Wilson had served three years in the army, had been slightly wounded in the leg and suffered the skin disease known as trench fever.
When asked to explain himself in court, the man could only mumble a few words – seemingly about trench fever.
And so I do wonder if his wartime experiences were responsible for his behaviour? His health was described as good – but that, of course, only meant physical health.
The magistrates decided to give the man another chance – but warned him that he would be severely dealt with if brought before them again.
The St Helens Reporter's article on James Wilson was headlined "The Perfect Life" – although I suspect it wasn't.
During the evening of the 11th, Job Davies of Rainhill was presented with what was described as a handsome clock at the YMCA building on the corner of Duke Street and North Road in St Helens (pictured above).
The gift of the timepiece was to commemorate his achievement in refereeing last year's FA Cup Final at Stamford Bridge when Tottenham Hotspur beat Wolves 1 - 0. There was a huge crowd of 72,805, with King George V in attendance.
Jock – as he was apparently known – was then employed at the Helsby Electrical Works but became a licensee at the Coach and Horses in Rainhill in 1923 and gave up refereeing.
Jock had a short career as a top referee but was highly respected and praised regularly in the newspapers for the way he handled matches. The St Helens Reporter called him "The knight of the whistle"!
On the 12th Ellis Wilkinson of Billinge appeared in Prescot Police Court charged with breaking and entering the booking offices of Rainford Junction station and stealing a coat and other items worth £20.
DC Riley told the court that he had seen Wilkinson and his wife in St Helens Road in Prescot and thought the Macintosh coat he was wearing "not in keeping with his position in life".
So the detective asked him to remove the coat and upon examining its inside saw the letters “L” and “Y” stamped on it – standing for Lancashire & Yorkshire Railway.
Initially Wilkinson claimed to have bought it in Liverpool but later admitted stealing it from the station. A remand was granted.
Uncle Ben in this week's Children's Reporter wrote:
"My Dear Nephews and Nieces. Once more we are settling down to work after the holidays. Judging from the letters I have received, many of you have had a real, rollicking time during the Christmas festivities. I, too, have had a jolly time, playing games, dancing, singing, etc., along with some of my very own nephews and nieces. What a noise we have made!"
Also on the 13th, the "Reporter Man" described this week's unannounced visits to parts of St Helens to ask householders if they had a copy of the paper.
If they were able to produce the latest edition of the Reporter, their reward was a prize of five shillings – or a "dollar", as he sometimes called it.
It's a long time since 25p was the rate of exchange for the US currency, although I can remember when 2s 6d was sometimes called half a dollar.
Anyway, the "Reporter Man" had visited the flooded Sutton district and quipped about running pleasure boats on the lake that had formed behind Berry's Lane and Nook Lane. I expect the exasperated residents did not find much humour in their situation.
One regular problem was for people to locate the paper from within their home after the Reporter Man had knocked on their door.
Some turned their houses upside down searching for it. At one house he had to wait a full five minutes while the paper search took place.
Another common feature was for the Reporter having been posted on to some family member or friend once it had been read.
In Hammond Street the Reporter was shown and five bob paid out just before it was going to be mailed on to New Brighton.
"Nothing for you today", was what he was told by one householder in Ramford Street, after being mistaken for some collector.
The paper also reported that a number of mainly Methodist churches in St Helens had collected over £20 for the Russian Famine Fund via their Sunday Schools.
On the 14th Peter Mather from Bank Street, off Prescot Road, returned to court charged with an aggravated assault on one of his daughters after hitting her on the head with a dumbbell.
The man had been remanded for a week for a medical examination but continued to blame his wife for his troubles. At the previous hearing he made allegations over her supposed drinking habits.
Now he complained to the Bench about his wife’s "tantalising ways and sarcastic tongue".
Mather had previously been in Winwick Asylum and complained he had been "tantalised to death" by his wife through her threatening to have him returned to the institution.
Mather claimed the assault on his daughter had been an accident after she had got in between him and his wife.
Presumably, he would have bashed his wife with the dumbbell if it had not been for his daughter's intervention.
But his other seven sons and daughters gave other accounts of violence by their father and he was sentenced to two months in prison in the second division.
This was a class of prisoner who were granted certain privileges. These included being allowed to wear clothes of a different colour to the standard prison issue and being able to receive more frequent visits and letters than other prisoners.
Upon being sentenced Mather said to the Bench, "Thank you, sir. I am quite satisfied."
Next Week's stories will include the simple-minded suicidal Sutton girl, the Corporation gravediggers whose stench was considered objectionable, the runaway car in Westfield Street and the Colonel and the Colonials in City Road.
The man had been catching rabbits in a field in Eccleston that belonged to Lord Derby.
Gilligan told the court that he had been out of work for 15 weeks and his only source of income was the ungenerous unemployment pay.
However, he would have to find 30 shillings out of his dole money to pay a fine or go to prison for 28 days.
Children in court were no longer routinely identified in the newspapers and their ages and addresses revealed.
So all we know about those who appeared in St Helens Police Court on the 10th was that they were described as young boys charged with stealing toys.
These were to the value of 7 shillings and had been taken out of the window of Ada Dent's premises in Liverpool Road. A solicitor for one of the lads told the court:
"This was not a case where the defendants had been going about looking for shops they could rob. It was a case of sudden temptation."
That was because the glass in the shop window had been slightly cracked and so they were able to force a hole large enough to put a hand through.
The Bench gave them a strong warning and bound the boys over.
Maggie Monks from Higher Parr Street also appeared in the Police Court charged with bigamy after marrying Peter Painter at St Peter's Church in Parr.
Her defence was that her legal husband – from whom she had been separated for some years – had claimed to have seen a solicitor and told her it would be lawful for her to re-marry.
The 53-year-old was committed for trial at the Liverpool Assizes and a fortnight later was sentenced to just one day's imprisonment.
It was panto week this week with both of the town's theatres engaging in seasonal silliness.
The Hippodrome abandoned its usual music hall entertainment for performances of 'Cinderella' and the Theatre Royal presented 'Little Miss Muffet' featuring comedians Loch & Lomond.
'The Return of Tarzan' was the big film showing at the Picturedrome in Bridge Street during the first few days of this week.
"The greatest of all Tarzan films", said the advert in the Reporter, although a silent Tarzan without the jungle man's famous yell does not sound particularly appealing.
Later in the week, cowboy Tom Mix starred in the western 'Three Gold Coins'. A western without audible gunshots does also seem odd to us.
However, I've been told that sometimes staff in St Helens cinemas in the 1920s would attempt to imitate gunfire by using a cap gun – although I can't imagine it produced a very realistic sound.
On the 11th James Wilson from Bunker's Hill near Mossborough Road in Rainford appeared in St Helens County Police Court charged with neglecting his children. The prosecutor told the magistrates:
"During the last two years defendant has only worked eight months, and the greater part of his time he has spent in bed, smoking cigarettes."
Two separate witnesses described the 22-year-old as a "lazy fellow" and "downright lazy" and he had been sacked from one job for neglecting work.
However, it was mentioned in passing that Wilson had served three years in the army, had been slightly wounded in the leg and suffered the skin disease known as trench fever.
When asked to explain himself in court, the man could only mumble a few words – seemingly about trench fever.
And so I do wonder if his wartime experiences were responsible for his behaviour? His health was described as good – but that, of course, only meant physical health.
The magistrates decided to give the man another chance – but warned him that he would be severely dealt with if brought before them again.
The St Helens Reporter's article on James Wilson was headlined "The Perfect Life" – although I suspect it wasn't.
The gift of the timepiece was to commemorate his achievement in refereeing last year's FA Cup Final at Stamford Bridge when Tottenham Hotspur beat Wolves 1 - 0. There was a huge crowd of 72,805, with King George V in attendance.
Jock – as he was apparently known – was then employed at the Helsby Electrical Works but became a licensee at the Coach and Horses in Rainhill in 1923 and gave up refereeing.
Jock had a short career as a top referee but was highly respected and praised regularly in the newspapers for the way he handled matches. The St Helens Reporter called him "The knight of the whistle"!
On the 12th Ellis Wilkinson of Billinge appeared in Prescot Police Court charged with breaking and entering the booking offices of Rainford Junction station and stealing a coat and other items worth £20.
DC Riley told the court that he had seen Wilkinson and his wife in St Helens Road in Prescot and thought the Macintosh coat he was wearing "not in keeping with his position in life".
So the detective asked him to remove the coat and upon examining its inside saw the letters “L” and “Y” stamped on it – standing for Lancashire & Yorkshire Railway.
Initially Wilkinson claimed to have bought it in Liverpool but later admitted stealing it from the station. A remand was granted.
Uncle Ben in this week's Children's Reporter wrote:
"My Dear Nephews and Nieces. Once more we are settling down to work after the holidays. Judging from the letters I have received, many of you have had a real, rollicking time during the Christmas festivities. I, too, have had a jolly time, playing games, dancing, singing, etc., along with some of my very own nephews and nieces. What a noise we have made!"
Also on the 13th, the "Reporter Man" described this week's unannounced visits to parts of St Helens to ask householders if they had a copy of the paper.
If they were able to produce the latest edition of the Reporter, their reward was a prize of five shillings – or a "dollar", as he sometimes called it.
It's a long time since 25p was the rate of exchange for the US currency, although I can remember when 2s 6d was sometimes called half a dollar.
Anyway, the "Reporter Man" had visited the flooded Sutton district and quipped about running pleasure boats on the lake that had formed behind Berry's Lane and Nook Lane. I expect the exasperated residents did not find much humour in their situation.
One regular problem was for people to locate the paper from within their home after the Reporter Man had knocked on their door.
Some turned their houses upside down searching for it. At one house he had to wait a full five minutes while the paper search took place.
Another common feature was for the Reporter having been posted on to some family member or friend once it had been read.
In Hammond Street the Reporter was shown and five bob paid out just before it was going to be mailed on to New Brighton.
"Nothing for you today", was what he was told by one householder in Ramford Street, after being mistaken for some collector.
The paper also reported that a number of mainly Methodist churches in St Helens had collected over £20 for the Russian Famine Fund via their Sunday Schools.
On the 14th Peter Mather from Bank Street, off Prescot Road, returned to court charged with an aggravated assault on one of his daughters after hitting her on the head with a dumbbell.
The man had been remanded for a week for a medical examination but continued to blame his wife for his troubles. At the previous hearing he made allegations over her supposed drinking habits.
Now he complained to the Bench about his wife’s "tantalising ways and sarcastic tongue".
Mather had previously been in Winwick Asylum and complained he had been "tantalised to death" by his wife through her threatening to have him returned to the institution.
Mather claimed the assault on his daughter had been an accident after she had got in between him and his wife.
Presumably, he would have bashed his wife with the dumbbell if it had not been for his daughter's intervention.
But his other seven sons and daughters gave other accounts of violence by their father and he was sentenced to two months in prison in the second division.
This was a class of prisoner who were granted certain privileges. These included being allowed to wear clothes of a different colour to the standard prison issue and being able to receive more frequent visits and letters than other prisoners.
Upon being sentenced Mather said to the Bench, "Thank you, sir. I am quite satisfied."
Next Week's stories will include the simple-minded suicidal Sutton girl, the Corporation gravediggers whose stench was considered objectionable, the runaway car in Westfield Street and the Colonel and the Colonials in City Road.