IOO YEARS AGO THIS WEEK 16 - 22 DECEMBER 1924
This week's many stories include the tragedy at the Royal Alfred, the St Helens man's dole fraud while working for the Employment Exchange, the husband who preferred his dog to his wife, the Duke Street thieves that attempted to make their getaway on a tram and the Sutton Manor man for whom it never rains than it pours.
We begin on the 16th with the front page of the Liverpool Evening Express, which described a "wave" of cat-burglaries, mainly in London. But the opposite had taken place in St Helens, as nestled amongst the stories was a brief account of the death of Phyllis Thorpe. Instead of entering a property, the daughter of the landlord of the Royal Alfred Hotel in Shaw Street had fallen thirty feet out of a bedroom window into the street below. The pub was preparing for Christmas and it was stated that she had died accidentally while cleaning the glass.
However, that proved not to be the case. But before detailing what really happened, let me describe how on the same day Daniel Ford of South John Street in St Helens had appeared before Liverpool magistrates after becoming embroiled in a dole fraud. In 1921 Ford had been working for St Helens' grocer Frank Lennon (the father of Terence Lennon) and hearing he was losing his job as he was only on trial, he had absconded with £190 of Lennon's cash. But two days later Ford handed himself into Liverpool police.
It was subsequently revealed in St Helens Police Court that he had been wounded in the head during the war and suffered from shell shock. Ford said he was extremely sorry for what he had done and he could not offer any explanation for why he had taken the money. The man's solicitor told the magistrates that virtually the whole of the cash had now been returned and said there was no doubt that his client was not in a normal condition. And so the St Helens Bench decided to take a lenient view and imposed a fine of £5 with 30 shillings costs.
The Employment Exchange in Lime Street in Liverpool also appeared to have taken a lenient view of the man's conviction (assuming they knew of it) as they hired him as a clerk. Ford had worked for them since 1921 and was paid £3 1s 4d a week and his job was to assess the level of unemployment benefits due to applicants. But working with some unidentified person outside the Exchange, an application for dole had recently been faked and nearly £10 in cash had been withdrawn over a number of weeks.
That led to Ford's court appearance this week and on this occasion no leniency was shown and the 32-year-old was sentenced to two months hard labour. But now let me take you back to the first story this week – the tragic death of Phyllis Thorpe, as it was connected to Daniel Ford. She had not been cleaning windows. The inquest into Phyllis's demise was held on the 17th and heard that the young woman had flung herself out of her third-storey bedroom window in the Royal Alfred after getting mixed up with Ford.
Phyllis had been in a relationship with the man who was married with one child. Recently her father had discovered this and got Ford to sign a letter promising not to see his daughter again. Just whether Phyllis had known that Ford was a married man was a little unclear. But her father told the coroner that at first she was upset with his intervention but then seemed to accept it.
But on the same day that her boyfriend was sent to prison, Phyllis rose from the dining table saying, "I am going, goodbye" and dashed to her room to commit suicide. Alfred Thorpe told the inquest that his daughter was due to have a music examination and he thought that might also have been preying on her mind. But the coroner was full of criticism of Daniel Ford and said he had no doubt that Phyllis had been distracted and "in a state of agony" after discovering what a blackguard the man was.
At the beginning of 1923 Joseph Freeman of Forest Road in Sutton Manor had been sent to prison for 18 months after being convicted of stealing £126. The 36-year-old was treasurer of the local miners' union and he had staged a fake break-in at his home claiming burglars had emptied his safe. Freeman had reported the supposed robbery at 3:15am on New Year's Day – just hours before his books were going to be audited.
He also co-owned a drapery business and the police soon learnt it was in financial difficulties. And so Freeman had been borrowing money from union funds, which he had hoped to be able to repay. Freeman's defence counsel told the judge that his client had been "a man at his wit's end" who could think of no other way of saving himself than robbing his own safe.
The man was now out of prison but the repercussions of his actions were continuing, with the expression "it never rains but it pours" being an apt one for him. During his absence Freeman's wife had left him and now a Manchester firm called Alfred Chapman and Co. was suing the man for £59 6s. Freeman’s wife had run the drapery business from her Forest Road home having ordered many goods from Chapman's.
But these had not all been paid for and the Manchester supplier argued that the business was jointly run with the husband, although Freeman denied any involvement. That was not how it had been reported when he was sent to prison and the cheques for goods that had been paid for had been drawn on an account that the husband held. And so in St Helens County Court on the 17th, Judge Dowdall found in the Manchester firm's favour and so Freeman now had the large sum of £60 to find.
On the 18th Alfred Smith and Minnie Hall appeared in St Helens Police Court accused of stealing two rolls of cloth from the Duke Street shop of George Barnes. The phrase to place someone "in charge" or "in the charge" of a policeman was often used in the past to describe the making of an arrest. And when George Barnes' father saw Alfred Smith place two lengths of cloth under his coat while his son was being distracted by Minnie Hall, he shouted to him: "Give that man in charge".
Upon hearing that cry, Smith bolted from the shop dropping one of the lengths of cloth and his accomplice ran after him. A policeman was called but the couple were lost in the chase. But acting on a hunch, Detective Sergeant Latus in North Road jumped on a tram on the Windle City route that bore the nickname "Winsome Winnie" and found Smith and Hall sitting at the rear.
The woman pleaded to the officer, "Don't lock him up; I will pay you anything you like." And she meant it – at least up to £79 as the sum of £65 was found on Smith and his lady friend was carrying £14. But DS Latus could not be bought and after a remand Alfred Smith – who had a very bad record – was sentenced to six months hard labour. The 22-year-old Minnie Hall was a married woman from Newcastle and Smith had lodged with her and her husband before running away with her. Minnie was bound over on probation.
Also on the 18th the foundation stone was laid for the new maternity block and private wards that would be built at St Helens Hospital. The maternity unit would accommodate 15 patients and would be equipped with "every modern convenience".
During the evening of the 18th the Rainford Cycle Club held their annual dinner at the Eagle and Child Inn, which served as their HQ. The 50 guests enjoyed their meal and then held a concert in the pavilion at the rear of the hotel which was reported to have been "tastefully decorated for the occasion". Opposition was expressed at the gathering against proposals to re-introduce the red rear light on bikes.
Joseph Benyon from Williamson Street in Smithy Brow was a firm believer in the saying that a dog is a man's best friend. In fact his wife told the St Helens Police Court this week that her husband preferred his mutt to her. Benyon rather unusually pleaded guilty to a charge of having deserted his wife, although the case was in reality about obtaining a separation order with maintenance.
Sarah Benyon certainly did not want any reconciliation. She told the court that her husband had deserted her after three years of marriage in which they'd had two children. Upon being asked why he had left her, Mrs Benyon replied: "He would rather have the dog than me and the children." She claimed that her husband regularly came home with his dog at 2 am and when she complained he would say that if his animal was not wanted, he would not stay. The dog would even go upstairs and jump on their bed.
The husband left home after Mrs Benyon's father had said to him, "You are a nice man to have a dog rather than your wife and two little children." To that it was alleged that the husband had replied that he would stick to his dog first. The court probation officer asked for a month's adjournment to see if something could be done to save their marriage.
The courts were reluctant to grant separation orders after a relatively short period of married life. Mrs Benyon objected to the suggestion, saying: "This is the second time he has left me. I have done my best for him. I have tried to make him a good wife, but he has not made himself a good husband." However, the hearing was still adjourned for a month.
St Helens Reporter courtesy St Helens Archive Service at Eccleston Library
Next Week's article will be a Christmas special with stories including the visit by Father Christmas to the district's hospitals, the Rainford Potteries Christmas party, Uncle Ben's Christmas greetings and the panto at the Theatre Royal.
We begin on the 16th with the front page of the Liverpool Evening Express, which described a "wave" of cat-burglaries, mainly in London. But the opposite had taken place in St Helens, as nestled amongst the stories was a brief account of the death of Phyllis Thorpe. Instead of entering a property, the daughter of the landlord of the Royal Alfred Hotel in Shaw Street had fallen thirty feet out of a bedroom window into the street below. The pub was preparing for Christmas and it was stated that she had died accidentally while cleaning the glass.
However, that proved not to be the case. But before detailing what really happened, let me describe how on the same day Daniel Ford of South John Street in St Helens had appeared before Liverpool magistrates after becoming embroiled in a dole fraud. In 1921 Ford had been working for St Helens' grocer Frank Lennon (the father of Terence Lennon) and hearing he was losing his job as he was only on trial, he had absconded with £190 of Lennon's cash. But two days later Ford handed himself into Liverpool police.
It was subsequently revealed in St Helens Police Court that he had been wounded in the head during the war and suffered from shell shock. Ford said he was extremely sorry for what he had done and he could not offer any explanation for why he had taken the money. The man's solicitor told the magistrates that virtually the whole of the cash had now been returned and said there was no doubt that his client was not in a normal condition. And so the St Helens Bench decided to take a lenient view and imposed a fine of £5 with 30 shillings costs.
The Employment Exchange in Lime Street in Liverpool also appeared to have taken a lenient view of the man's conviction (assuming they knew of it) as they hired him as a clerk. Ford had worked for them since 1921 and was paid £3 1s 4d a week and his job was to assess the level of unemployment benefits due to applicants. But working with some unidentified person outside the Exchange, an application for dole had recently been faked and nearly £10 in cash had been withdrawn over a number of weeks.
That led to Ford's court appearance this week and on this occasion no leniency was shown and the 32-year-old was sentenced to two months hard labour. But now let me take you back to the first story this week – the tragic death of Phyllis Thorpe, as it was connected to Daniel Ford. She had not been cleaning windows. The inquest into Phyllis's demise was held on the 17th and heard that the young woman had flung herself out of her third-storey bedroom window in the Royal Alfred after getting mixed up with Ford.
Phyllis had been in a relationship with the man who was married with one child. Recently her father had discovered this and got Ford to sign a letter promising not to see his daughter again. Just whether Phyllis had known that Ford was a married man was a little unclear. But her father told the coroner that at first she was upset with his intervention but then seemed to accept it.
But on the same day that her boyfriend was sent to prison, Phyllis rose from the dining table saying, "I am going, goodbye" and dashed to her room to commit suicide. Alfred Thorpe told the inquest that his daughter was due to have a music examination and he thought that might also have been preying on her mind. But the coroner was full of criticism of Daniel Ford and said he had no doubt that Phyllis had been distracted and "in a state of agony" after discovering what a blackguard the man was.
At the beginning of 1923 Joseph Freeman of Forest Road in Sutton Manor had been sent to prison for 18 months after being convicted of stealing £126. The 36-year-old was treasurer of the local miners' union and he had staged a fake break-in at his home claiming burglars had emptied his safe. Freeman had reported the supposed robbery at 3:15am on New Year's Day – just hours before his books were going to be audited.
He also co-owned a drapery business and the police soon learnt it was in financial difficulties. And so Freeman had been borrowing money from union funds, which he had hoped to be able to repay. Freeman's defence counsel told the judge that his client had been "a man at his wit's end" who could think of no other way of saving himself than robbing his own safe.
The man was now out of prison but the repercussions of his actions were continuing, with the expression "it never rains but it pours" being an apt one for him. During his absence Freeman's wife had left him and now a Manchester firm called Alfred Chapman and Co. was suing the man for £59 6s. Freeman’s wife had run the drapery business from her Forest Road home having ordered many goods from Chapman's.
But these had not all been paid for and the Manchester supplier argued that the business was jointly run with the husband, although Freeman denied any involvement. That was not how it had been reported when he was sent to prison and the cheques for goods that had been paid for had been drawn on an account that the husband held. And so in St Helens County Court on the 17th, Judge Dowdall found in the Manchester firm's favour and so Freeman now had the large sum of £60 to find.
Upon hearing that cry, Smith bolted from the shop dropping one of the lengths of cloth and his accomplice ran after him. A policeman was called but the couple were lost in the chase. But acting on a hunch, Detective Sergeant Latus in North Road jumped on a tram on the Windle City route that bore the nickname "Winsome Winnie" and found Smith and Hall sitting at the rear.
The woman pleaded to the officer, "Don't lock him up; I will pay you anything you like." And she meant it – at least up to £79 as the sum of £65 was found on Smith and his lady friend was carrying £14. But DS Latus could not be bought and after a remand Alfred Smith – who had a very bad record – was sentenced to six months hard labour. The 22-year-old Minnie Hall was a married woman from Newcastle and Smith had lodged with her and her husband before running away with her. Minnie was bound over on probation.
Also on the 18th the foundation stone was laid for the new maternity block and private wards that would be built at St Helens Hospital. The maternity unit would accommodate 15 patients and would be equipped with "every modern convenience".
Joseph Benyon from Williamson Street in Smithy Brow was a firm believer in the saying that a dog is a man's best friend. In fact his wife told the St Helens Police Court this week that her husband preferred his mutt to her. Benyon rather unusually pleaded guilty to a charge of having deserted his wife, although the case was in reality about obtaining a separation order with maintenance.
Sarah Benyon certainly did not want any reconciliation. She told the court that her husband had deserted her after three years of marriage in which they'd had two children. Upon being asked why he had left her, Mrs Benyon replied: "He would rather have the dog than me and the children." She claimed that her husband regularly came home with his dog at 2 am and when she complained he would say that if his animal was not wanted, he would not stay. The dog would even go upstairs and jump on their bed.
The husband left home after Mrs Benyon's father had said to him, "You are a nice man to have a dog rather than your wife and two little children." To that it was alleged that the husband had replied that he would stick to his dog first. The court probation officer asked for a month's adjournment to see if something could be done to save their marriage.
The courts were reluctant to grant separation orders after a relatively short period of married life. Mrs Benyon objected to the suggestion, saying: "This is the second time he has left me. I have done my best for him. I have tried to make him a good wife, but he has not made himself a good husband." However, the hearing was still adjourned for a month.
St Helens Reporter courtesy St Helens Archive Service at Eccleston Library
Next Week's article will be a Christmas special with stories including the visit by Father Christmas to the district's hospitals, the Rainford Potteries Christmas party, Uncle Ben's Christmas greetings and the panto at the Theatre Royal.
This week's many stories include the tragedy at the Royal Alfred, the St Helens man's dole fraud while working for the Employment Exchange, the husband who preferred his dog to his wife, the Duke Street thieves that attempted to make their getaway on a tram and the Sutton Manor man for whom it never rains than it pours.
We begin on the 16th with the front page of the Liverpool Evening Express, which described a "wave" of cat-burglaries, mainly in London.
But the opposite had taken place in St Helens, as nestled amongst the stories was a brief account of the death of Phyllis Thorpe.
Instead of entering a property, the daughter of the landlord of the Royal Alfred Hotel in Shaw Street had fallen thirty feet out of a bedroom window into the street below.
The pub was preparing for Christmas and it was stated that she had died accidentally while cleaning the glass.
However, that proved not to be the case. But before detailing what really happened, let me describe how on the same day Daniel Ford of South John Street in St Helens had appeared before Liverpool magistrates after becoming embroiled in a dole fraud.
In 1921 Ford had been working for St Helens' grocer Frank Lennon (the father of Terence Lennon) and hearing he was losing his job as he was only on trial, he had absconded with £190 of Lennon's cash. But two days later Ford handed himself into Liverpool police.
It was subsequently revealed in St Helens Police Court that he had been wounded in the head during the war and suffered from shell shock.
Ford said he was extremely sorry for what he had done and he could not offer any explanation for why he had taken the money.
The man's solicitor told the magistrates that virtually the whole of the cash had now been returned and said there was no doubt that his client was not in a normal condition.
And so the St Helens Bench decided to take a lenient view and imposed a fine of £5 with 30 shillings costs.
The Employment Exchange in Lime Street in Liverpool also appeared to have taken a lenient view of the man's conviction (assuming they knew of it) as they hired him as a clerk.
Ford had worked for them since 1921 and was paid £3 1s 4d a week and his job was to assess the level of unemployment benefits due to applicants.
But working with some unidentified person outside the Exchange, an application for dole had recently been faked and nearly £10 in cash had been withdrawn over a number of weeks.
That led to Ford's court appearance this week and on this occasion no leniency was shown and the 32-year-old was sentenced to two months hard labour.
But now let me take you back to the first story this week – the tragic death of Phyllis Thorpe, as it was connected to Daniel Ford.
She had not been cleaning windows. The inquest into Phyllis's demise was held on the 17th and heard that the young woman had flung herself out of her third-storey bedroom window in the Royal Alfred after getting mixed up with Ford.
Phyllis had been in a relationship with the man who was married with one child.
Recently her father had discovered this and got Ford to sign a letter promising not to see his daughter again.
Just whether Phyllis had known that Ford was a married man was a little unclear.
But her father told the coroner that at first she was upset with his intervention but then seemed to accept it.
But on the same day that her boyfriend was sent to prison, Phyllis rose from the dining table saying, "I am going, goodbye" and dashed to her room to commit suicide.
Alfred Thorpe told the inquest that his daughter was due to have a music examination and he thought that might also have been preying on her mind.
But the coroner was full of criticism of Daniel Ford and said he had no doubt that Phyllis had been distracted and "in a state of agony" after discovering what a blackguard the man was.
At the beginning of 1923 Joseph Freeman of Forest Road in Sutton Manor had been sent to prison for 18 months after being convicted of stealing £126.
The 36-year-old was treasurer of the local miners' union and he had staged a fake break-in at his home claiming burglars had emptied his safe.
Freeman had reported the supposed robbery at 3:15am on New Year's Day – just hours before his books were going to be audited.
He also co-owned a drapery business and the police soon learnt it was in financial difficulties.
And so Freeman had been borrowing money from union funds, which he had hoped to be able to repay.
Freeman's defence counsel told the judge that his client had been "a man at his wit's end" who could think of no other way of saving himself than robbing his own safe.
The man was now out of prison but the repercussions of his actions were continuing, with the expression "it never rains but it pours" being an apt one for him.
During his absence Freeman's wife had left him and now a Manchester firm called Alfred Chapman and Co. was suing the man for £59 6s.
Freeman’s wife had run the drapery business from her Forest Road home having ordered many goods from Chapman's.
But these had not all been paid for and the Manchester supplier argued that the business was jointly run with the husband, although Freeman denied any involvement.
That was not how it had been reported when he was sent to prison and the cheques for goods that had been paid for had been drawn on an account that the husband held.
And so in St Helens County Court on the 17th, Judge Dowdall found in the Manchester firm's favour and so Freeman now had the large sum of £60 to find.
On the 18th Alfred Smith and Minnie Hall appeared in St Helens Police Court accused of stealing two rolls of cloth from the Duke Street shop of George Barnes.
The phrase to place someone "in charge" or "in the charge" of a policeman was often used in the past to describe the making of an arrest.
And when George Barnes' father saw Alfred Smith place two lengths of cloth under his coat while his son was being distracted by Minnie Hall, he shouted to him: "Give that man in charge".
Upon hearing that cry, Smith bolted from the shop dropping one of the lengths of cloth and his accomplice ran after him. A policeman was called but the couple were lost in the chase.
But acting on a hunch, Detective Sergeant Latus in North Road jumped on a tram on the Windle City route that bore the nickname "Winsome Winnie" and found Smith and Hall sitting at the rear.
The woman pleaded to the officer, "Don't lock him up; I will pay you anything you like."
And she meant it – at least up to £79 as the sum of £65 was found on Smith and his lady friend was carrying £14.
But DS Latus could not be bought and after a remand Alfred Smith – who had a very bad record – was sentenced to six months hard labour.
The 22-year-old Minnie Hall was a married woman from Newcastle and Smith had lodged with her and her husband before running away with her. Minnie was bound over on probation.
Also on the 18th the foundation stone was laid for the new maternity block and private wards that would be built at St Helens Hospital.
The maternity unit would accommodate 15 patients and would be equipped with "every modern convenience".
During the evening of the 18th the Rainford Cycle Club held their annual dinner at the Eagle and Child Inn, which served as their HQ.
The 50 guests enjoyed their meal and then held a concert in the pavilion at the rear of the hotel which was reported to have been "tastefully decorated for the occasion".
Opposition was expressed at the gathering against proposals to re-introduce the red rear light on bikes.
Joseph Benyon from Williamson Street in Smithy Brow was a firm believer in the saying that a dog is a man's best friend.
In fact his wife told the St Helens Police Court this week that her husband preferred his mutt to her.
Benyon rather unusually pleaded guilty to a charge of having deserted his wife, although the case was in reality about obtaining a separation order with maintenance.
Sarah Benyon certainly did not want any reconciliation. She told the court that her husband had deserted her after three years of marriage in which they'd had two children.
Upon being asked why he had left her, Mrs Benyon replied: "He would rather have the dog than me and the children."
She claimed that her husband regularly came home with his dog at 2 am and when she complained he would say that if his animal was not wanted, he would not stay. The dog would even go upstairs and jump on their bed.
The husband left home after Mrs Benyon's father had said to him, "You are a nice man to have a dog rather than your wife and two little children."
To that it was alleged that the husband had replied that he would stick to his dog first.
The court probation officer asked for a month's adjournment to see if something could be done to save their marriage.
The courts were reluctant to grant separation orders after a relatively short period of married life.
Mrs Benyon objected to the suggestion, saying: "This is the second time he has left me. I have done my best for him. I have tried to make him a good wife, but he has not made himself a good husband."
However, the hearing was still adjourned for a month.
St Helens Reporter courtesy St Helens Archive Service at Eccleston Library
Next Week's article will be a Christmas special with stories including the visit by Father Christmas to the district's hospitals, the Rainford Potteries Christmas party, Uncle Ben's Christmas greetings and the panto at the Theatre Royal.
We begin on the 16th with the front page of the Liverpool Evening Express, which described a "wave" of cat-burglaries, mainly in London.
But the opposite had taken place in St Helens, as nestled amongst the stories was a brief account of the death of Phyllis Thorpe.
Instead of entering a property, the daughter of the landlord of the Royal Alfred Hotel in Shaw Street had fallen thirty feet out of a bedroom window into the street below.
The pub was preparing for Christmas and it was stated that she had died accidentally while cleaning the glass.
However, that proved not to be the case. But before detailing what really happened, let me describe how on the same day Daniel Ford of South John Street in St Helens had appeared before Liverpool magistrates after becoming embroiled in a dole fraud.
In 1921 Ford had been working for St Helens' grocer Frank Lennon (the father of Terence Lennon) and hearing he was losing his job as he was only on trial, he had absconded with £190 of Lennon's cash. But two days later Ford handed himself into Liverpool police.
It was subsequently revealed in St Helens Police Court that he had been wounded in the head during the war and suffered from shell shock.
Ford said he was extremely sorry for what he had done and he could not offer any explanation for why he had taken the money.
The man's solicitor told the magistrates that virtually the whole of the cash had now been returned and said there was no doubt that his client was not in a normal condition.
And so the St Helens Bench decided to take a lenient view and imposed a fine of £5 with 30 shillings costs.
The Employment Exchange in Lime Street in Liverpool also appeared to have taken a lenient view of the man's conviction (assuming they knew of it) as they hired him as a clerk.
Ford had worked for them since 1921 and was paid £3 1s 4d a week and his job was to assess the level of unemployment benefits due to applicants.
But working with some unidentified person outside the Exchange, an application for dole had recently been faked and nearly £10 in cash had been withdrawn over a number of weeks.
That led to Ford's court appearance this week and on this occasion no leniency was shown and the 32-year-old was sentenced to two months hard labour.
But now let me take you back to the first story this week – the tragic death of Phyllis Thorpe, as it was connected to Daniel Ford.
She had not been cleaning windows. The inquest into Phyllis's demise was held on the 17th and heard that the young woman had flung herself out of her third-storey bedroom window in the Royal Alfred after getting mixed up with Ford.
Phyllis had been in a relationship with the man who was married with one child.
Recently her father had discovered this and got Ford to sign a letter promising not to see his daughter again.
Just whether Phyllis had known that Ford was a married man was a little unclear.
But her father told the coroner that at first she was upset with his intervention but then seemed to accept it.
But on the same day that her boyfriend was sent to prison, Phyllis rose from the dining table saying, "I am going, goodbye" and dashed to her room to commit suicide.
Alfred Thorpe told the inquest that his daughter was due to have a music examination and he thought that might also have been preying on her mind.
But the coroner was full of criticism of Daniel Ford and said he had no doubt that Phyllis had been distracted and "in a state of agony" after discovering what a blackguard the man was.
At the beginning of 1923 Joseph Freeman of Forest Road in Sutton Manor had been sent to prison for 18 months after being convicted of stealing £126.
The 36-year-old was treasurer of the local miners' union and he had staged a fake break-in at his home claiming burglars had emptied his safe.
Freeman had reported the supposed robbery at 3:15am on New Year's Day – just hours before his books were going to be audited.
He also co-owned a drapery business and the police soon learnt it was in financial difficulties.
And so Freeman had been borrowing money from union funds, which he had hoped to be able to repay.
Freeman's defence counsel told the judge that his client had been "a man at his wit's end" who could think of no other way of saving himself than robbing his own safe.
The man was now out of prison but the repercussions of his actions were continuing, with the expression "it never rains but it pours" being an apt one for him.
During his absence Freeman's wife had left him and now a Manchester firm called Alfred Chapman and Co. was suing the man for £59 6s.
Freeman’s wife had run the drapery business from her Forest Road home having ordered many goods from Chapman's.
But these had not all been paid for and the Manchester supplier argued that the business was jointly run with the husband, although Freeman denied any involvement.
That was not how it had been reported when he was sent to prison and the cheques for goods that had been paid for had been drawn on an account that the husband held.
And so in St Helens County Court on the 17th, Judge Dowdall found in the Manchester firm's favour and so Freeman now had the large sum of £60 to find.
The phrase to place someone "in charge" or "in the charge" of a policeman was often used in the past to describe the making of an arrest.
And when George Barnes' father saw Alfred Smith place two lengths of cloth under his coat while his son was being distracted by Minnie Hall, he shouted to him: "Give that man in charge".
Upon hearing that cry, Smith bolted from the shop dropping one of the lengths of cloth and his accomplice ran after him. A policeman was called but the couple were lost in the chase.
But acting on a hunch, Detective Sergeant Latus in North Road jumped on a tram on the Windle City route that bore the nickname "Winsome Winnie" and found Smith and Hall sitting at the rear.
The woman pleaded to the officer, "Don't lock him up; I will pay you anything you like."
And she meant it – at least up to £79 as the sum of £65 was found on Smith and his lady friend was carrying £14.
But DS Latus could not be bought and after a remand Alfred Smith – who had a very bad record – was sentenced to six months hard labour.
The 22-year-old Minnie Hall was a married woman from Newcastle and Smith had lodged with her and her husband before running away with her. Minnie was bound over on probation.
Also on the 18th the foundation stone was laid for the new maternity block and private wards that would be built at St Helens Hospital.
The maternity unit would accommodate 15 patients and would be equipped with "every modern convenience".
The 50 guests enjoyed their meal and then held a concert in the pavilion at the rear of the hotel which was reported to have been "tastefully decorated for the occasion".
Opposition was expressed at the gathering against proposals to re-introduce the red rear light on bikes.
Joseph Benyon from Williamson Street in Smithy Brow was a firm believer in the saying that a dog is a man's best friend.
In fact his wife told the St Helens Police Court this week that her husband preferred his mutt to her.
Benyon rather unusually pleaded guilty to a charge of having deserted his wife, although the case was in reality about obtaining a separation order with maintenance.
Sarah Benyon certainly did not want any reconciliation. She told the court that her husband had deserted her after three years of marriage in which they'd had two children.
Upon being asked why he had left her, Mrs Benyon replied: "He would rather have the dog than me and the children."
She claimed that her husband regularly came home with his dog at 2 am and when she complained he would say that if his animal was not wanted, he would not stay. The dog would even go upstairs and jump on their bed.
The husband left home after Mrs Benyon's father had said to him, "You are a nice man to have a dog rather than your wife and two little children."
To that it was alleged that the husband had replied that he would stick to his dog first.
The court probation officer asked for a month's adjournment to see if something could be done to save their marriage.
The courts were reluctant to grant separation orders after a relatively short period of married life.
Mrs Benyon objected to the suggestion, saying: "This is the second time he has left me. I have done my best for him. I have tried to make him a good wife, but he has not made himself a good husband."
However, the hearing was still adjourned for a month.
St Helens Reporter courtesy St Helens Archive Service at Eccleston Library
Next Week's article will be a Christmas special with stories including the visit by Father Christmas to the district's hospitals, the Rainford Potteries Christmas party, Uncle Ben's Christmas greetings and the panto at the Theatre Royal.