IOO YEARS AGO THIS WEEK (19th - 25th OCTOBER 1920)
This week's stories include the domestic servant's brainless theft in Cowley Hill Lane, a young woman's dreadful accident at St Helens Station, the battling Sinn Feiner in Corporation Street, the contingency plans for a long coal strike and the grand reopening of the Hippodrome Music Hall.
We begin on the 20th at a meeting in the Town Hall of the council's Parks and Cemetery Committee. Their members were told that this year's receipts from the bowling and tennis activities in the town's parks were higher than last year but only by a modest amount. However there had been a wet summer and this had led to a big drop in revenue from boating and bathing charges in Taylor Park.
That was in spite of a motor launch being available to hire this year – in addition to the usual rowing boats. The re-introduction of bathing in the lake had brought in just £2 6s. The Surveyor reported that the bandstand in Queen's Recreation Ground (now Queens Park) was in a bad way but was told there was no cash available to fix it until the next financial year.
A national coal strike over pay began this week. It only lasted a fortnight but no one knew that at the time, of course, and the concern was that the dispute could be long lasting. So the authorities drew up contingency plans for the feeding of St Helens schoolchildren, who would in the event of a prolonged strike, receive three meals a day, 7 days a week.
The strike caused great concern in St Helens with a considerable number of families directly or indirectly dependent upon the coal industry. The 1921 census revealed that there were as many 10,500 mineworkers living in St Helens, comprising 27% of the male workforce. Other industries were highly dependent on coal and a long strike would have led to the laying off of their workers too. On the 20th a meeting of 5 - 6,000 miners took place on the wasteland in Bridge Street (where the Savoy cinema would be built) and they vowed not to compromise on their demands.
Not only did the miners lose their pay during a strike but they also received no concessionary coal and so some wives would turn to theft. On the 21st Emma Wilkinson was the first miner's wife to face charges of stealing in the present dispute, having been seen by PC Hall carrying a sack in Warrington Road.
However the 52-year-old woman had only picked some coal off a "stuff heap" at the Cannington Shaw bottleworks. This was largely waste material that contained some pieces of coal and sometimes firms would allow people to help themselves. Fifty years earlier Emma would probably have been sent to prison but the magistrates were more sympathetic now and she was told to just pay the costs of the hearing.
Matthew Pendleton sounds like a charming character! The labourer from Exeter Street appeared in the Police Court on the 22nd charged with failing to report the finding of a stray dog. His dubious defence for keeping the animal was that the dog had followed him home and he had unsuccessfully tried to "stone it away". I don't think any dog would want to remain with a stranger flinging stones at it! Pendleton admitted to the Bench that he had known who the dog's owner was and he was fined 2/6.
Every week motorists appeared in court charged with not having lights on their vehicle at night and often came up with unusual excuses. That said the convoluted lighting systems then in use did offer more potential for creative defences than today. Claude Fillingham's reason for not illuminating his motorcycle and sidecar with a red rear light was a corker. He told the Bench that his lady passenger "must have sat on the gas connecting tube" and Fillingham was fined 5 shillings.
Susan Billinge is this week's candidate for the most brainless theft award. The 18-year-old lived in Fenton Street, which no longer exists but was near Kirkland Street. Albert Birchall of Cowley Hill Lane had employed the girl as a domestic servant and she'd taken £4 from his cash box. Why Susan thought the money would not be missed and she not be considered the prime suspect I cannot say – other than, perhaps, low intelligence. This was especially so as she had only worked for Albert for a month.
The girl was clearly not cut out for crime as Susan burst into tears upon being questioned by the police, telling them: "I bought a pair of boots with the first £2, two pairs of stockings and a hat with the second, and I have been to the pictures and theatre with the other." As it was her first offence, Susan was bound over for two years and ordered to pay back the money.
In the days when there were bobbies on the beat with an in-depth knowledge of their patch, offenders could be quickly identified. On the 23rd Margaret White from Bold Street was charged in court with stealing coal from Phoenix Colliery. PC Reynolds had spotted the woman with some others coming away from a railway siding carrying sacks. They ran off as soon as they saw the officer but he shouted to Margaret White, "It's no use running away, White, I know you." The woman insisted that she had been at a concert that evening but the police identification was good enough for the Bench and they fined her 20 shillings.
There was a dreadful accident at St Helens Station on the morning of the 25th. Katie Conroy had attempted to board the 7.15am train to Liverpool and somehow slipped between the platform and the line. The 23-year-old from Westfield Street had her right leg severed above the knee, although the exact circumstances were not yet known.
Miss Conroy was speedily removed to Providence Hospital and it was hoped she would survive. Interestingly the 1911 census reveals that Katie had been born in Chicago. Her parents had emigrated from Ireland to the USA about 1895 before coming to St Helens some six, or so, years later.
There was a full house when the "Grand Reopening" of the Hippodrome Music Hall took place on the 25th. The theatre was now under new management and had been renovated. The improvements included the fitting of a new balcony, the installation of a "perfect" system of heating and ventilation and the addition of "novel" lighting effects and "new and splendid" scenery.
This week’s turns included: The Meteor Trio ("Comedy flying gymnasts"); The Heywoods ("Dainty instrumentalists"); Pharos ("Presents his magical act assisted by Miss Turie") and Alf Sims ("Comedian, in song and story").
For several years the "what's on" adverts under the previous Hippodrome management always said: "Usual prices apply" – which was not very helpful if you didn't know what the prices were usually! Now under the new regime we learn that the cost of admission ranged from 6d in the balcony (plus entertainment tax of 2d) to 3 shillings for a seat in a private box. A seat in the grand circle cost 1/6 and in the stalls it was 2 shillings, plus tax. As the new balcony had been fitted with upholstered seats and cork carpets that seems like very good value for the working classes, many of whom were now earning over £3 a week.
The St Helens Reporter commended the "up-to-date" method of booking seats in the theatre. Under the previous management a booking fee had been imposed but this was now scrapped with advance bookings greatly encouraged.
George Watson was another battling Sinn Feiner when drunk but whose commitment to the cause dissipated quickly in the dock. The Liverpool labourer appeared in St Helens Police Court on the 25th charged with being drunk and disorderly in Corporation Street (pictured above). Sergeant Connors gave evidence that the man had been trying to get people to fight him and it took four constables to take him to the station.
When charged Watson declared himself to be a Sinn Feiner and he "invited the people to draw their revolvers and to shoot some of the _____________ policemen." The St Helens Reporter deleted the expletive but reported that in court Watson pleaded ignorance of Sinn Fein, adding: "As a matter of fact I dislike them very much." He was fined 10 shillings.
William Swift from Elephant Lane was charged with stealing two pieces of timber from the property of some person unknown. Just before midnight on the previous Saturday night, a constable had observed Swift in Thatto Heath carrying two planks over his shoulder. Upon arriving at the Empire Picture Palace, the unemployed labourer was seen pushing the timber over railings.
Initially Swift claimed he had bought the wood but eventually confessed to stealing it. He was fined ten shillings with the alternative of seven days in prison. Having been out of work for six weeks and with no income, the married man may well have accepted the latter punishment.
The Frederick ice cream family were also in court again, this time accused of making ice cream in insanitary premises. The St Helens Medical Officer of Health, Dr. Cates, had visited Louis and Anthony Frederick's property in Duke Street and found ice cream being made in a dirty shed at the rear. The brothers argued that the shed was cleaned every day but it got dirty very quickly and were fined £2 each.
In the 1911 census there were fourteen members of the Italian immigrant family crammed into the same house in Duke Street. Quite a few would no doubt have been sleeping in the same bed but they were now dispersed into other parts of St Helens with a bit more breathing and sleeping space!
Next week's stories will include the comeuppance of the Boundary Road wife-beater, the alleged influence of Lenin in St Helens elections, the first female councillor is elected and two women battle it out in Liverpool Road.
That was in spite of a motor launch being available to hire this year – in addition to the usual rowing boats. The re-introduction of bathing in the lake had brought in just £2 6s. The Surveyor reported that the bandstand in Queen's Recreation Ground (now Queens Park) was in a bad way but was told there was no cash available to fix it until the next financial year.
A national coal strike over pay began this week. It only lasted a fortnight but no one knew that at the time, of course, and the concern was that the dispute could be long lasting. So the authorities drew up contingency plans for the feeding of St Helens schoolchildren, who would in the event of a prolonged strike, receive three meals a day, 7 days a week.
The strike caused great concern in St Helens with a considerable number of families directly or indirectly dependent upon the coal industry. The 1921 census revealed that there were as many 10,500 mineworkers living in St Helens, comprising 27% of the male workforce. Other industries were highly dependent on coal and a long strike would have led to the laying off of their workers too. On the 20th a meeting of 5 - 6,000 miners took place on the wasteland in Bridge Street (where the Savoy cinema would be built) and they vowed not to compromise on their demands.
Not only did the miners lose their pay during a strike but they also received no concessionary coal and so some wives would turn to theft. On the 21st Emma Wilkinson was the first miner's wife to face charges of stealing in the present dispute, having been seen by PC Hall carrying a sack in Warrington Road.
However the 52-year-old woman had only picked some coal off a "stuff heap" at the Cannington Shaw bottleworks. This was largely waste material that contained some pieces of coal and sometimes firms would allow people to help themselves. Fifty years earlier Emma would probably have been sent to prison but the magistrates were more sympathetic now and she was told to just pay the costs of the hearing.
Matthew Pendleton sounds like a charming character! The labourer from Exeter Street appeared in the Police Court on the 22nd charged with failing to report the finding of a stray dog. His dubious defence for keeping the animal was that the dog had followed him home and he had unsuccessfully tried to "stone it away". I don't think any dog would want to remain with a stranger flinging stones at it! Pendleton admitted to the Bench that he had known who the dog's owner was and he was fined 2/6.
Every week motorists appeared in court charged with not having lights on their vehicle at night and often came up with unusual excuses. That said the convoluted lighting systems then in use did offer more potential for creative defences than today. Claude Fillingham's reason for not illuminating his motorcycle and sidecar with a red rear light was a corker. He told the Bench that his lady passenger "must have sat on the gas connecting tube" and Fillingham was fined 5 shillings.
Susan Billinge is this week's candidate for the most brainless theft award. The 18-year-old lived in Fenton Street, which no longer exists but was near Kirkland Street. Albert Birchall of Cowley Hill Lane had employed the girl as a domestic servant and she'd taken £4 from his cash box. Why Susan thought the money would not be missed and she not be considered the prime suspect I cannot say – other than, perhaps, low intelligence. This was especially so as she had only worked for Albert for a month.
The girl was clearly not cut out for crime as Susan burst into tears upon being questioned by the police, telling them: "I bought a pair of boots with the first £2, two pairs of stockings and a hat with the second, and I have been to the pictures and theatre with the other." As it was her first offence, Susan was bound over for two years and ordered to pay back the money.
In the days when there were bobbies on the beat with an in-depth knowledge of their patch, offenders could be quickly identified. On the 23rd Margaret White from Bold Street was charged in court with stealing coal from Phoenix Colliery. PC Reynolds had spotted the woman with some others coming away from a railway siding carrying sacks. They ran off as soon as they saw the officer but he shouted to Margaret White, "It's no use running away, White, I know you." The woman insisted that she had been at a concert that evening but the police identification was good enough for the Bench and they fined her 20 shillings.
There was a dreadful accident at St Helens Station on the morning of the 25th. Katie Conroy had attempted to board the 7.15am train to Liverpool and somehow slipped between the platform and the line. The 23-year-old from Westfield Street had her right leg severed above the knee, although the exact circumstances were not yet known.
Miss Conroy was speedily removed to Providence Hospital and it was hoped she would survive. Interestingly the 1911 census reveals that Katie had been born in Chicago. Her parents had emigrated from Ireland to the USA about 1895 before coming to St Helens some six, or so, years later.
There was a full house when the "Grand Reopening" of the Hippodrome Music Hall took place on the 25th. The theatre was now under new management and had been renovated. The improvements included the fitting of a new balcony, the installation of a "perfect" system of heating and ventilation and the addition of "novel" lighting effects and "new and splendid" scenery.
This week’s turns included: The Meteor Trio ("Comedy flying gymnasts"); The Heywoods ("Dainty instrumentalists"); Pharos ("Presents his magical act assisted by Miss Turie") and Alf Sims ("Comedian, in song and story").
For several years the "what's on" adverts under the previous Hippodrome management always said: "Usual prices apply" – which was not very helpful if you didn't know what the prices were usually! Now under the new regime we learn that the cost of admission ranged from 6d in the balcony (plus entertainment tax of 2d) to 3 shillings for a seat in a private box. A seat in the grand circle cost 1/6 and in the stalls it was 2 shillings, plus tax. As the new balcony had been fitted with upholstered seats and cork carpets that seems like very good value for the working classes, many of whom were now earning over £3 a week.
The St Helens Reporter commended the "up-to-date" method of booking seats in the theatre. Under the previous management a booking fee had been imposed but this was now scrapped with advance bookings greatly encouraged.
When charged Watson declared himself to be a Sinn Feiner and he "invited the people to draw their revolvers and to shoot some of the _____________ policemen." The St Helens Reporter deleted the expletive but reported that in court Watson pleaded ignorance of Sinn Fein, adding: "As a matter of fact I dislike them very much." He was fined 10 shillings.
William Swift from Elephant Lane was charged with stealing two pieces of timber from the property of some person unknown. Just before midnight on the previous Saturday night, a constable had observed Swift in Thatto Heath carrying two planks over his shoulder. Upon arriving at the Empire Picture Palace, the unemployed labourer was seen pushing the timber over railings.
Initially Swift claimed he had bought the wood but eventually confessed to stealing it. He was fined ten shillings with the alternative of seven days in prison. Having been out of work for six weeks and with no income, the married man may well have accepted the latter punishment.
The Frederick ice cream family were also in court again, this time accused of making ice cream in insanitary premises. The St Helens Medical Officer of Health, Dr. Cates, had visited Louis and Anthony Frederick's property in Duke Street and found ice cream being made in a dirty shed at the rear. The brothers argued that the shed was cleaned every day but it got dirty very quickly and were fined £2 each.
In the 1911 census there were fourteen members of the Italian immigrant family crammed into the same house in Duke Street. Quite a few would no doubt have been sleeping in the same bed but they were now dispersed into other parts of St Helens with a bit more breathing and sleeping space!
Next week's stories will include the comeuppance of the Boundary Road wife-beater, the alleged influence of Lenin in St Helens elections, the first female councillor is elected and two women battle it out in Liverpool Road.
This week's stories include the domestic servant's brainless theft in Cowley Hill Lane, a young woman's dreadful accident at St Helens Station, the battling Sinn Feiner in Corporation Street, the contingency plans for a long coal strike and the grand reopening of the Hippodrome Music Hall.
We begin on the 20th at a meeting in the Town Hall of the council's Parks and Cemetery Committee.
Their members were told that this year's receipts from the bowling and tennis activities in the town's parks were higher than last year but only by a modest amount.
However there had been a wet summer and this had led to a big drop in revenue from boating and bathing charges in Taylor Park.
That was in spite of a motor launch being available to hire this year – in addition to the usual rowing boats.
The re-introduction of bathing in the lake had brought in just £2 6s.
The Surveyor reported that the bandstand in Queen's Recreation Ground (now Queens Park) was in a bad way but was told there was no cash available to fix it until the next financial year.
A national coal strike over pay began this week. It only lasted a fortnight but no one knew that at the time, of course, and the concern was that the dispute could be long lasting.
So the authorities drew up contingency plans for the feeding of St Helens schoolchildren, who would in the event of a prolonged strike, receive three meals a day, 7 days a week.
The strike caused great concern in St Helens with a considerable number of families directly or indirectly dependent upon the coal industry.
The 1921 census revealed that there were as many 10,500 mineworkers living in St Helens, comprising 27% of the male workforce.
Other industries were highly dependent on coal and a long strike would have led to the laying off of their workers too.
On the 20th a meeting of 5 - 6,000 miners took place on the wasteland in Bridge Street (where the Savoy cinema would be built) and they vowed not to compromise on their demands.
Not only did the miners lose their pay during a strike but they also received no concessionary coal and so some wives would turn to theft.
On the 21st Emma Wilkinson was the first miner's wife to face charges of stealing in the present dispute, having been seen by PC Hall carrying a sack in Warrington Road.
However the 52-year-old woman had only picked some coal off a "stuff heap" at the Cannington Shaw bottleworks.
This was largely waste material that contained some pieces of coal and sometimes firms would allow people to help themselves.
Fifty years earlier Emma would probably have been sent to prison but the magistrates were more sympathetic now and she was told to just pay the costs of the hearing.
Matthew Pendleton sounds like a charming character! The labourer from Exeter Street appeared in the Police Court on the 22nd charged with failing to report the finding of a stray dog.
His dubious defence for keeping the animal was that the dog had followed him home and he had unsuccessfully tried to "stone it away".
I don't think any dog would want to remain with a stranger flinging stones at it!
Pendleton admitted to the Bench that he had known who the dog's owner was and he was fined 2/6.
Every week motorists appeared in court charged with not having lights on their vehicle at night and often came up with unusual excuses.
That said the convoluted lighting systems then in use did offer more potential for creative defences than today.
Claude Fillingham's reason for not illuminating his motorcycle and sidecar with a red rear light was a corker.
He told the Bench that his lady passenger "must have sat on the gas connecting tube" and Fillingham was fined 5 shillings.
Susan Billinge is this week's candidate for the most brainless theft award.
The 18-year-old lived in Fenton Street, which no longer exists but was near Kirkland Street.
Albert Birchall of Cowley Hill Lane had employed the girl as a domestic servant and she'd taken £4 from his cash box.
Why Susan thought the money would not be missed and she not be considered the prime suspect I cannot say – other than, perhaps, low intelligence.
This was especially so as she had only worked for Albert for a month.
The girl was clearly not cut out for crime as Susan burst into tears upon being questioned by the police, telling them:
"I bought a pair of boots with the first £2, two pairs of stockings and a hat with the second, and I have been to the pictures and theatre with the other."
As it was her first offence, Susan was bound over for two years and ordered to pay back the money.
In the days when there were bobbies on the beat with an in-depth knowledge of their patch, offenders could be quickly identified.
On the 23rd Margaret White from Bold Street was charged in court with stealing coal from Phoenix Colliery.
PC Reynolds had spotted the woman with some others coming away from a railway siding carrying sacks.
They ran off as soon as they saw the officer but he shouted to Margaret White, "It's no use running away, White, I know you."
The woman insisted that she had been at a concert that evening but the police identification was good enough for the Bench and they fined her 20 shillings.
There was a dreadful accident at St Helens Station on the morning of the 25th.
Katie Conroy had attempted to board the 7.15am train to Liverpool and somehow slipped between the platform and the line.
The 23-year-old from Westfield Street had her right leg severed above the knee, although the exact circumstances were not yet known.
Miss Conroy was speedily removed to Providence Hospital and it was hoped she would survive.
Interestingly the 1911 census reveals that Katie had been born in Chicago.
Her parents had emigrated from Ireland to the USA about 1895 before coming to St Helens some six, or so, years later.
There was a full house when the "Grand Reopening" of the Hippodrome Music Hall took place on the 25th.
The theatre was now under new management and had been renovated.
The improvements included the fitting of a new balcony, the installation of a "perfect" system of heating and ventilation and the addition of "novel" lighting effects and "new and splendid" scenery.
This week’s turns included: The Meteor Trio ("Comedy flying gymnasts"); The Heywoods ("Dainty instrumentalists"); Pharos ("Presents his magical act assisted by Miss Turie") and Alf Sims ("Comedian, in song and story").
For several years the "what's on" adverts under the previous Hippodrome management always said: "Usual prices apply" – which was not very helpful if you didn't know what the prices were usually!
Now under the new regime we learn that the cost of admission ranged from 6d in the balcony (plus entertainment tax of 2d) to 3 shillings for a seat in a private box.
A seat in the grand circle cost 1/6 and in the stalls it was 2 shillings, plus tax.
As the new balcony had been fitted with upholstered seats and cork carpets that seems like very good value for the working classes, many of whom were now earning over £3 a week.
The St Helens Reporter commended the "up-to-date" method of booking seats in the theatre.
Under the previous management a booking fee had been imposed but this was now scrapped with advance bookings greatly encouraged.
George Watson was another battling Sinn Feiner when drunk but whose commitment to the cause dissipated quickly in the dock.
The Liverpool labourer appeared in St Helens Police Court on the 25th charged with being drunk and disorderly in Corporation Street (pictured above).
Sergeant Connors gave evidence that the man had been trying to get people to fight him and it took four constables to take him to the station.
When charged Watson declared himself to be a Sinn Feiner and he "invited the people to draw their revolvers and to shoot some of the _____________ policemen."
The St Helens Reporter deleted the expletive but reported that in court Watson pleaded ignorance of Sinn Fein, adding: "As a matter of fact I dislike them very much." He was fined 10 shillings.
William Swift from Elephant Lane was charged with stealing two pieces of timber from the property of some person unknown.
Just before midnight on the previous Saturday night, a constable had observed Swift in Thatto Heath carrying two planks over his shoulder.
Upon arriving at the Empire Picture Palace, the unemployed labourer was seen pushing the timber over railings.
Initially Swift claimed he had bought the wood but eventually confessed to stealing it.
He was fined ten shillings with the alternative of seven days in prison.
Having been out of work for six weeks and with no income, the married man may well have accepted the latter punishment.
The Frederick ice cream family were also in court again, this time accused of making ice cream in insanitary premises.
The St Helens Medical Officer of Health, Dr. Cates, had visited Louis and Anthony Frederick's property in Duke Street and found ice cream being made in a dirty shed at the rear.
The brothers argued that the shed was cleaned every day but it got dirty very quickly and were fined £2 each.
In the 1911 census there were fourteen members of the Italian immigrant family crammed into the same house in Duke Street.
Quite a few would no doubt have been sleeping in the same bed but they were now dispersed into other parts of St Helens with a bit more breathing and sleeping space!
Next week's stories will include the comeuppance of the Boundary Road wife-beater, the alleged influence of Lenin in St Helens elections, the first female councillor is elected and two women battle it out in Liverpool Road.
Their members were told that this year's receipts from the bowling and tennis activities in the town's parks were higher than last year but only by a modest amount.
However there had been a wet summer and this had led to a big drop in revenue from boating and bathing charges in Taylor Park.
That was in spite of a motor launch being available to hire this year – in addition to the usual rowing boats.
The re-introduction of bathing in the lake had brought in just £2 6s.
The Surveyor reported that the bandstand in Queen's Recreation Ground (now Queens Park) was in a bad way but was told there was no cash available to fix it until the next financial year.
A national coal strike over pay began this week. It only lasted a fortnight but no one knew that at the time, of course, and the concern was that the dispute could be long lasting.
So the authorities drew up contingency plans for the feeding of St Helens schoolchildren, who would in the event of a prolonged strike, receive three meals a day, 7 days a week.
The strike caused great concern in St Helens with a considerable number of families directly or indirectly dependent upon the coal industry.
The 1921 census revealed that there were as many 10,500 mineworkers living in St Helens, comprising 27% of the male workforce.
Other industries were highly dependent on coal and a long strike would have led to the laying off of their workers too.
On the 20th a meeting of 5 - 6,000 miners took place on the wasteland in Bridge Street (where the Savoy cinema would be built) and they vowed not to compromise on their demands.
Not only did the miners lose their pay during a strike but they also received no concessionary coal and so some wives would turn to theft.
On the 21st Emma Wilkinson was the first miner's wife to face charges of stealing in the present dispute, having been seen by PC Hall carrying a sack in Warrington Road.
However the 52-year-old woman had only picked some coal off a "stuff heap" at the Cannington Shaw bottleworks.
This was largely waste material that contained some pieces of coal and sometimes firms would allow people to help themselves.
Fifty years earlier Emma would probably have been sent to prison but the magistrates were more sympathetic now and she was told to just pay the costs of the hearing.
Matthew Pendleton sounds like a charming character! The labourer from Exeter Street appeared in the Police Court on the 22nd charged with failing to report the finding of a stray dog.
His dubious defence for keeping the animal was that the dog had followed him home and he had unsuccessfully tried to "stone it away".
I don't think any dog would want to remain with a stranger flinging stones at it!
Pendleton admitted to the Bench that he had known who the dog's owner was and he was fined 2/6.
Every week motorists appeared in court charged with not having lights on their vehicle at night and often came up with unusual excuses.
That said the convoluted lighting systems then in use did offer more potential for creative defences than today.
Claude Fillingham's reason for not illuminating his motorcycle and sidecar with a red rear light was a corker.
He told the Bench that his lady passenger "must have sat on the gas connecting tube" and Fillingham was fined 5 shillings.
Susan Billinge is this week's candidate for the most brainless theft award.
The 18-year-old lived in Fenton Street, which no longer exists but was near Kirkland Street.
Albert Birchall of Cowley Hill Lane had employed the girl as a domestic servant and she'd taken £4 from his cash box.
Why Susan thought the money would not be missed and she not be considered the prime suspect I cannot say – other than, perhaps, low intelligence.
This was especially so as she had only worked for Albert for a month.
The girl was clearly not cut out for crime as Susan burst into tears upon being questioned by the police, telling them:
"I bought a pair of boots with the first £2, two pairs of stockings and a hat with the second, and I have been to the pictures and theatre with the other."
As it was her first offence, Susan was bound over for two years and ordered to pay back the money.
In the days when there were bobbies on the beat with an in-depth knowledge of their patch, offenders could be quickly identified.
On the 23rd Margaret White from Bold Street was charged in court with stealing coal from Phoenix Colliery.
PC Reynolds had spotted the woman with some others coming away from a railway siding carrying sacks.
They ran off as soon as they saw the officer but he shouted to Margaret White, "It's no use running away, White, I know you."
The woman insisted that she had been at a concert that evening but the police identification was good enough for the Bench and they fined her 20 shillings.
There was a dreadful accident at St Helens Station on the morning of the 25th.
Katie Conroy had attempted to board the 7.15am train to Liverpool and somehow slipped between the platform and the line.
The 23-year-old from Westfield Street had her right leg severed above the knee, although the exact circumstances were not yet known.
Miss Conroy was speedily removed to Providence Hospital and it was hoped she would survive.
Interestingly the 1911 census reveals that Katie had been born in Chicago.
Her parents had emigrated from Ireland to the USA about 1895 before coming to St Helens some six, or so, years later.
There was a full house when the "Grand Reopening" of the Hippodrome Music Hall took place on the 25th.
The theatre was now under new management and had been renovated.
The improvements included the fitting of a new balcony, the installation of a "perfect" system of heating and ventilation and the addition of "novel" lighting effects and "new and splendid" scenery.
This week’s turns included: The Meteor Trio ("Comedy flying gymnasts"); The Heywoods ("Dainty instrumentalists"); Pharos ("Presents his magical act assisted by Miss Turie") and Alf Sims ("Comedian, in song and story").
For several years the "what's on" adverts under the previous Hippodrome management always said: "Usual prices apply" – which was not very helpful if you didn't know what the prices were usually!
Now under the new regime we learn that the cost of admission ranged from 6d in the balcony (plus entertainment tax of 2d) to 3 shillings for a seat in a private box.
A seat in the grand circle cost 1/6 and in the stalls it was 2 shillings, plus tax.
As the new balcony had been fitted with upholstered seats and cork carpets that seems like very good value for the working classes, many of whom were now earning over £3 a week.
The St Helens Reporter commended the "up-to-date" method of booking seats in the theatre.
Under the previous management a booking fee had been imposed but this was now scrapped with advance bookings greatly encouraged.
George Watson was another battling Sinn Feiner when drunk but whose commitment to the cause dissipated quickly in the dock.
Sergeant Connors gave evidence that the man had been trying to get people to fight him and it took four constables to take him to the station.
When charged Watson declared himself to be a Sinn Feiner and he "invited the people to draw their revolvers and to shoot some of the _____________ policemen."
The St Helens Reporter deleted the expletive but reported that in court Watson pleaded ignorance of Sinn Fein, adding: "As a matter of fact I dislike them very much." He was fined 10 shillings.
William Swift from Elephant Lane was charged with stealing two pieces of timber from the property of some person unknown.
Just before midnight on the previous Saturday night, a constable had observed Swift in Thatto Heath carrying two planks over his shoulder.
Upon arriving at the Empire Picture Palace, the unemployed labourer was seen pushing the timber over railings.
Initially Swift claimed he had bought the wood but eventually confessed to stealing it.
He was fined ten shillings with the alternative of seven days in prison.
Having been out of work for six weeks and with no income, the married man may well have accepted the latter punishment.
The Frederick ice cream family were also in court again, this time accused of making ice cream in insanitary premises.
The St Helens Medical Officer of Health, Dr. Cates, had visited Louis and Anthony Frederick's property in Duke Street and found ice cream being made in a dirty shed at the rear.
The brothers argued that the shed was cleaned every day but it got dirty very quickly and were fined £2 each.
In the 1911 census there were fourteen members of the Italian immigrant family crammed into the same house in Duke Street.
Quite a few would no doubt have been sleeping in the same bed but they were now dispersed into other parts of St Helens with a bit more breathing and sleeping space!
Next week's stories will include the comeuppance of the Boundary Road wife-beater, the alleged influence of Lenin in St Helens elections, the first female councillor is elected and two women battle it out in Liverpool Road.