IOO YEARS AGO THIS WEEK 20 - 26 MAY 1924
This week's many stories include the burglar hiding under a Kiln Lane bed, two lino conmen are brought to book, the rescued kitten trapped down an old shaft, the wooden huts that served as shops in Carr Mill, Providence Hospital's annual Flower Day, the annoyance of threepenny bits in church collections and why the keep off the grass signs in Queen's Park were considered useless.
There seems to be a long history of men knocking on doors and peddling false or exaggerated stories of having been undertaking work in the neighbourhood and, as a result, were in a position to sell householders cut-price goods or services. When Alfred Ashton and John Lee from Liverpool called at an address in Chapel Street in St Helens they said they'd been laying linoleum at the convent in North Road. The pair told Mrs Marchant that they had two rolls of high quality lino left over – each 10 yards in length – and were prepared to let her have them both at the reduced price of £9 10 shillings.
Mrs Marchant knocked them down to £9 and thought she had a bargain – but when her husband saw the lino he told her she'd been cheated. He measured the rolls and found they were only 6 yards long and were of poor quality. The two men were tracked down and on the 20th in St Helens Police Court, Ashton and Lee were convicted of obtaining the £9 by false pretences. They were both fined £5 and were also ordered to make a £5 refund to the purchaser.
During the night of the 20th a well-known music teacher called Mary Unsworth and her daughter had a somewhat frightening experience. They slept together in a room on the ground floor of a house in Kiln Lane in St Helens. Just after midnight the daughter woke and in putting her hand out of her bed she touched the head of a man who was crouching underneath.
She screamed and the man immediately dashed for the window, opened it and ran off. The alarm was raised and the police later arrested a young chap named William Hall from Durham. He had been found sleeping in premises in Knowsley Road and on the following morning in St Helens Police Court, Hall was remanded in custody for further inquiries to be made.
Last week a cat had been rescued from the roof of Higher Grade School in North Road and on the 21st another feline found itself in distress and required rescuing – but this time from down below. A kitten had fallen down an old disused shaft in Jockeys Brow, near Burtonhead Road, and was reported to have been "meowing piteously". Police Sergeant Harry Latham procured a rope, tied it around his waist and bystanders proceeded to lower him 50 feet down the shaft. Before long he was hauled back to the top again with the kitten secure in his arms.
A year ago Sgt. Latham had performed a similar feat at the same spot when he had rescued a dog and the RSPCA had then awarded him their bronze medal. The officer based in Thatto Heath was now expected to receive the society’s silver medal. Perhaps next year the sergeant will go for gold, unless, of course, common sense prevails and they either fill in the shaft or put a fence round it.
It appears that nobody took any notice of the "Keep off the grass" signs in St Helens' parks. At least that was what was suggested at a meeting of the council's Parks Committee on the 21st as being the situation in the Queen's Recreation Ground, now known as Queens Park. Land that had previously been used for allotments had recently been seeded with grass and an access gate had been closed to allow the grass to grow.
Cllr. Ellen McCormick told the meeting that someone who had opened a shop to sell ice cream had complained that he was losing trade while the gate was closed and she wondered if it could be reopened. Mrs McCormick suggested noticeboards saying "keep off the grass" could be installed. But the Chairman of the committee described those as "useless" and criticised the "respectable, well-educated people who walk across the tender young grass, and who should be an example to others".
Another councillor mentioned the park keeper being on site to warn trespassers off the grass but the Chairman said people took no notice of him! Alderman Phythian said the trouble was that folk would always take the shortest cut. They would not use the footpath to walk around the grass if they could go straight across it. So it appears that people were just as lazy 100 years ago as they are today! Eventually, it was decided on a vote that the gate at Queens Park would be opened.
"My God! Absolutely innocent! I can prove an alibi," was said to be the response of Patrick Fagan when arrested on a charge of indecently assaulting a six-year-old girl. The labourer – who was staying at Grimshaw’s lodging house in Salisbury Street – appeared in court this week as a result of an incident on some wasteland at the rear of Park Road.
As a result of police inquiries being made Fagan had been arrested and identified by the girl's brother as the person he had seen near where the assault took place. The police requested extra time for further inquiries to be made and Fagan was remanded in custody.
There were many wooden huts in St Helens, some serving as temporary accommodation for workers, such as at Sutton Manor Colliery. Others were used as small shops and we learn from a court case this week that there were at least three such buildings in Carr Mill. That was when four youths from Merton Bank and Parr appeared in St Helens Police Court charged with loitering with intent.
PC Parkinson had found the foursome at 11:45 pm at the open door of a hut rented by John Jones from where he sold such delights as sweets and mineral waters. The four lads bolted when they saw the constable but one called Thomason was caught and the others were eventually arrested.
Thomason claimed that it was a practical joke more than anything else and they had no intention of stealing anything. Superintendent Dunn told the court that the police had recently received reports of thefts from two other huts in the neighbourhood, including the stealing of cigarettes and a box of Easter eggs. All four youths were fined and advised to be better citizens in future.
On the 22nd the Liverpool Echo published this report on silver collections at churches: "The St. Helens Wesley Choir, who are arranging with Mr. Robert Radford and other prominent vocalists to assist them at the musical service of Choir Sunday, June 1, are at present grappling with the problem of the silver collection. At Christmas, when “The Messiah” was given with expensive soloists, the silver collection included 500 threepenny pieces. On one occasion they had close on 700 in a silver collection.
"Notwithstanding the fact that they take a lot of counting, 500 only amount to £6 5s, which sum is quite inadequate for ordinary travelling expenses. No doubt if a campaign were started to abolish the threepenny piece, clergy and church workers of all denominations would be keen to assist in the movement for doing away with this nuisance of a coin, which enables apparently well-to-do people to satisfy their conscience and camouflage their generosity."
The churches needed to talk to Francis Walls who claimed to be able to convert threepenny bits into pounds! He appeared in St Helens Police Court on the 22nd charged with peddling racing tips on the street without a hawker's licence. PC Reynolds said he had heard the man shouting "Twenty bob for threepence" and on his coat he had a badge that had the words "Turf Adviser" on it. He was fined 10 shillings.
One of the oddities of newspapers from one hundred years ago was how adverts could be presented as news items – something that would not be permitted today. And so this week within the Reporter's 'St. Helens and District News' page that contained short reports was this piece describing a new offer at Oxley's store in Barrow Street that they called Babyland:
"For quite a long time, St. Helens folk have protested against the continued high tram fares which place them at a serious disadvantage compared with neighbouring cities. Almost every housewife in St. Helens is familiar with the Oxley slogan, “It pays to walk to Babyland” (twelve shops in one), and to further extend their numerous customers they have started a new campaign to prove that not only does it pay to walk to Babyland, but it will also pay you to ride – let Oxley's pay your fare home. Don't throw your inward tram, train or ‘bus tickets away, but bring them to-day and get full details of the new offer which has already been well taken up."
During the evening of the 23rd, Walter Gurney of Waterdale Crescent in Sutton died in St Helens Hospital from injuries received earlier in the day at Sherdley Colliery. The 15-year-old had fractured his skull after being struck by the haulage rope, which had knocked his head violently against a pulley. On the same day John Lyon of Marshalls Cross Road suffered a skull fracture after the 21-year-old was injured at Lea Green Colliery (pictured above) but was said to be progressing favourably in hospital.
It was Providence Hospital's annual Flower Day on the 24th with the intention of raising £500 to pay for a bed in their new surgical ward for women. Last year students from Liverpool University had assisted with the street collections wearing what was reported as being "fantastic costumes".
And they were back again this year making what the Reporter called a "handsome and merry injection" into the proceedings. The paper added: "There was a colossal array of beautiful flowers, and a charming army of lovely damsels out early on the streets to dispose of them."
St Helens Reporter courtesy St Helens Archive Service at Eccleston Library
Next Week's stories will include the annual St Helens Horse Show, the British Empire Exhibition, two more deaths in the canal, the Theatre Royal's orchestra go on strike and the patriotic celebrations of the Children's Loyalty League.
There seems to be a long history of men knocking on doors and peddling false or exaggerated stories of having been undertaking work in the neighbourhood and, as a result, were in a position to sell householders cut-price goods or services. When Alfred Ashton and John Lee from Liverpool called at an address in Chapel Street in St Helens they said they'd been laying linoleum at the convent in North Road. The pair told Mrs Marchant that they had two rolls of high quality lino left over – each 10 yards in length – and were prepared to let her have them both at the reduced price of £9 10 shillings.
Mrs Marchant knocked them down to £9 and thought she had a bargain – but when her husband saw the lino he told her she'd been cheated. He measured the rolls and found they were only 6 yards long and were of poor quality. The two men were tracked down and on the 20th in St Helens Police Court, Ashton and Lee were convicted of obtaining the £9 by false pretences. They were both fined £5 and were also ordered to make a £5 refund to the purchaser.
During the night of the 20th a well-known music teacher called Mary Unsworth and her daughter had a somewhat frightening experience. They slept together in a room on the ground floor of a house in Kiln Lane in St Helens. Just after midnight the daughter woke and in putting her hand out of her bed she touched the head of a man who was crouching underneath.
She screamed and the man immediately dashed for the window, opened it and ran off. The alarm was raised and the police later arrested a young chap named William Hall from Durham. He had been found sleeping in premises in Knowsley Road and on the following morning in St Helens Police Court, Hall was remanded in custody for further inquiries to be made.
Last week a cat had been rescued from the roof of Higher Grade School in North Road and on the 21st another feline found itself in distress and required rescuing – but this time from down below. A kitten had fallen down an old disused shaft in Jockeys Brow, near Burtonhead Road, and was reported to have been "meowing piteously". Police Sergeant Harry Latham procured a rope, tied it around his waist and bystanders proceeded to lower him 50 feet down the shaft. Before long he was hauled back to the top again with the kitten secure in his arms.
A year ago Sgt. Latham had performed a similar feat at the same spot when he had rescued a dog and the RSPCA had then awarded him their bronze medal. The officer based in Thatto Heath was now expected to receive the society’s silver medal. Perhaps next year the sergeant will go for gold, unless, of course, common sense prevails and they either fill in the shaft or put a fence round it.
It appears that nobody took any notice of the "Keep off the grass" signs in St Helens' parks. At least that was what was suggested at a meeting of the council's Parks Committee on the 21st as being the situation in the Queen's Recreation Ground, now known as Queens Park. Land that had previously been used for allotments had recently been seeded with grass and an access gate had been closed to allow the grass to grow.
Cllr. Ellen McCormick told the meeting that someone who had opened a shop to sell ice cream had complained that he was losing trade while the gate was closed and she wondered if it could be reopened. Mrs McCormick suggested noticeboards saying "keep off the grass" could be installed. But the Chairman of the committee described those as "useless" and criticised the "respectable, well-educated people who walk across the tender young grass, and who should be an example to others".
Another councillor mentioned the park keeper being on site to warn trespassers off the grass but the Chairman said people took no notice of him! Alderman Phythian said the trouble was that folk would always take the shortest cut. They would not use the footpath to walk around the grass if they could go straight across it. So it appears that people were just as lazy 100 years ago as they are today! Eventually, it was decided on a vote that the gate at Queens Park would be opened.
"My God! Absolutely innocent! I can prove an alibi," was said to be the response of Patrick Fagan when arrested on a charge of indecently assaulting a six-year-old girl. The labourer – who was staying at Grimshaw’s lodging house in Salisbury Street – appeared in court this week as a result of an incident on some wasteland at the rear of Park Road.
As a result of police inquiries being made Fagan had been arrested and identified by the girl's brother as the person he had seen near where the assault took place. The police requested extra time for further inquiries to be made and Fagan was remanded in custody.
There were many wooden huts in St Helens, some serving as temporary accommodation for workers, such as at Sutton Manor Colliery. Others were used as small shops and we learn from a court case this week that there were at least three such buildings in Carr Mill. That was when four youths from Merton Bank and Parr appeared in St Helens Police Court charged with loitering with intent.
PC Parkinson had found the foursome at 11:45 pm at the open door of a hut rented by John Jones from where he sold such delights as sweets and mineral waters. The four lads bolted when they saw the constable but one called Thomason was caught and the others were eventually arrested.
Thomason claimed that it was a practical joke more than anything else and they had no intention of stealing anything. Superintendent Dunn told the court that the police had recently received reports of thefts from two other huts in the neighbourhood, including the stealing of cigarettes and a box of Easter eggs. All four youths were fined and advised to be better citizens in future.
On the 22nd the Liverpool Echo published this report on silver collections at churches: "The St. Helens Wesley Choir, who are arranging with Mr. Robert Radford and other prominent vocalists to assist them at the musical service of Choir Sunday, June 1, are at present grappling with the problem of the silver collection. At Christmas, when “The Messiah” was given with expensive soloists, the silver collection included 500 threepenny pieces. On one occasion they had close on 700 in a silver collection.
"Notwithstanding the fact that they take a lot of counting, 500 only amount to £6 5s, which sum is quite inadequate for ordinary travelling expenses. No doubt if a campaign were started to abolish the threepenny piece, clergy and church workers of all denominations would be keen to assist in the movement for doing away with this nuisance of a coin, which enables apparently well-to-do people to satisfy their conscience and camouflage their generosity."
The churches needed to talk to Francis Walls who claimed to be able to convert threepenny bits into pounds! He appeared in St Helens Police Court on the 22nd charged with peddling racing tips on the street without a hawker's licence. PC Reynolds said he had heard the man shouting "Twenty bob for threepence" and on his coat he had a badge that had the words "Turf Adviser" on it. He was fined 10 shillings.
One of the oddities of newspapers from one hundred years ago was how adverts could be presented as news items – something that would not be permitted today. And so this week within the Reporter's 'St. Helens and District News' page that contained short reports was this piece describing a new offer at Oxley's store in Barrow Street that they called Babyland:
"For quite a long time, St. Helens folk have protested against the continued high tram fares which place them at a serious disadvantage compared with neighbouring cities. Almost every housewife in St. Helens is familiar with the Oxley slogan, “It pays to walk to Babyland” (twelve shops in one), and to further extend their numerous customers they have started a new campaign to prove that not only does it pay to walk to Babyland, but it will also pay you to ride – let Oxley's pay your fare home. Don't throw your inward tram, train or ‘bus tickets away, but bring them to-day and get full details of the new offer which has already been well taken up."
It was Providence Hospital's annual Flower Day on the 24th with the intention of raising £500 to pay for a bed in their new surgical ward for women. Last year students from Liverpool University had assisted with the street collections wearing what was reported as being "fantastic costumes".
And they were back again this year making what the Reporter called a "handsome and merry injection" into the proceedings. The paper added: "There was a colossal array of beautiful flowers, and a charming army of lovely damsels out early on the streets to dispose of them."
St Helens Reporter courtesy St Helens Archive Service at Eccleston Library
Next Week's stories will include the annual St Helens Horse Show, the British Empire Exhibition, two more deaths in the canal, the Theatre Royal's orchestra go on strike and the patriotic celebrations of the Children's Loyalty League.
This week's many stories include the burglar hiding under a Kiln Lane bed, two lino conmen are brought to book, the rescued kitten trapped down an old shaft, the wooden huts that served as shops in Carr Mill, Providence Hospital's annual Flower Day, the annoyance of threepenny bits in church collections and why the keep off the grass signs in Queen's Park were considered useless.
There seems to be a long history of men knocking on doors and peddling false or exaggerated stories of having been undertaking work in the neighbourhood and, as a result, were in a position to sell householders cut-price goods or services.
When Alfred Ashton and John Lee from Liverpool called at an address in Chapel Street in St Helens they said they'd been laying linoleum at the convent in North Road.
The pair told Mrs Marchant that they had two rolls of high quality lino left over – each 10 yards in length – and were prepared to let her have them both at the reduced price of £9 10 shillings.
Mrs Marchant knocked them down to £9 and thought she had a bargain – but when her husband saw the lino he told her she'd been cheated.
He measured the rolls and found they were only 6 yards long and were of poor quality. The two men were tracked down and on the 20th in St Helens Police Court, Ashton and Lee were convicted of obtaining the £9 by false pretences.
They were both fined £5 and were also ordered to make a £5 refund to the purchaser.
During the night of the 20th a well-known music teacher called Mary Unsworth and her daughter had a somewhat frightening experience.
They slept together in a room on the ground floor of a house in Kiln Lane in St Helens.
Just after midnight the daughter woke and in putting her hand out of her bed she touched the head of a man who was crouching underneath.
She screamed and the man immediately dashed for the window, opened it and ran off. The alarm was raised and the police later arrested a young chap named William Hall from Durham.
He had been found sleeping in premises in Knowsley Road and on the following morning in St Helens Police Court, Hall was remanded in custody for further inquiries to be made.
Last week a cat had been rescued from the roof of Higher Grade School in North Road and on the 21st another feline found itself in distress and required rescuing – but this time from down below.
A kitten had fallen down an old disused shaft in Jockeys Brow, near Burtonhead Road, and was reported to have been "meowing piteously".
Police Sergeant Harry Latham procured a rope, tied it around his waist and bystanders proceeded to lower him 50 feet down the shaft.
Before long he was hauled back to the top again with the kitten secure in his arms.
A year ago Sgt. Latham had performed a similar feat at the same spot when he had rescued a dog and the RSPCA had then awarded him their bronze medal.
The officer based in Thatto Heath was now expected to receive the society’s silver medal.
Perhaps next year the sergeant will go for gold, unless, of course, common sense prevails and they either fill in the shaft or put a fence round it.
It appears that nobody took any notice of the "Keep off the grass" signs in St Helens' parks.
At least that was what was suggested at a meeting of the council's Parks Committee on the 21st as being the situation in the Queen's Recreation Ground, now known as Queens Park.
Land that had previously been used for allotments had recently been seeded with grass and an access gate had been closed to allow the grass to grow.
Cllr. Ellen McCormick told the meeting that someone who had opened a shop to sell ice cream had complained that he was losing trade while the gate was closed and she wondered if it could be reopened.
Mrs McCormick suggested noticeboards saying "keep off the grass" could be installed.
But the Chairman of the committee described those as "useless" and criticised the "respectable, well-educated people who walk across the tender young grass, and who should be an example to others".
Another councillor mentioned the park keeper being on site to warn trespassers off the grass but the Chairman said people took no notice of him!
Alderman Phythian said the trouble was that folk would always take the shortest cut. They would not use the footpath to walk around the grass if they could go straight across it.
So it appears that people were just as lazy 100 years ago as they are today! Eventually, it was decided on a vote that the gate at Queens Park would be opened.
"My God! Absolutely innocent! I can prove an alibi," was said to be the response of Patrick Fagan when arrested on a charge of indecently assaulting a six-year-old girl.
The labourer – who was staying at Grimshaw’s lodging house in Salisbury Street – appeared in court this week as a result of an incident on some wasteland at the rear of Park Road.
As a result of police inquiries being made Fagan had been arrested and identified by the girl's brother as the person he had seen near where the assault took place.
The police requested extra time for further inquiries to be made and Fagan was remanded in custody.
There were many wooden huts in St Helens, some serving as temporary accommodation for workers, such as at Sutton Manor Colliery.
Others were used as small shops and we learn from a court case this week that there were at least three such buildings in Carr Mill.
That was when four youths from Merton Bank and Parr appeared in St Helens Police Court charged with loitering with intent.
PC Parkinson had found the foursome at 11:45 pm at the open door of a hut rented by John Jones from where he sold such delights as sweets and mineral waters.
The four lads bolted when they saw the constable but one called Thomason was caught and the others were eventually arrested.
Thomason claimed that it was a practical joke more than anything else and they had no intention of stealing anything.
Superintendent Dunn told the court that the police had recently received reports of thefts from two other huts in the neighbourhood, including the stealing of cigarettes and a box of Easter eggs.
All four youths were fined and advised to be better citizens in future.
On the 22nd the Liverpool Echo published this report on silver collections at churches:
"The St. Helens Wesley Choir, who are arranging with Mr. Robert Radford and other prominent vocalists to assist them at the musical service of Choir Sunday, June 1, are at present grappling with the problem of the silver collection.
"At Christmas, when “The Messiah” was given with expensive soloists, the silver collection included 500 threepenny pieces. On one occasion they had close on 700 in a silver collection.
"Notwithstanding the fact that they take a lot of counting, 500 only amount to £6 5s, which sum is quite inadequate for ordinary travelling expenses.
"No doubt if a campaign were started to abolish the threepenny piece, clergy and church workers of all denominations would be keen to assist in the movement for doing away with this nuisance of a coin, which enables apparently well-to-do people to satisfy their conscience and camouflage their generosity."
The churches needed to talk to Francis Walls who claimed to be able to convert threepenny bits into pounds!
He appeared in St Helens Police Court on the 22nd charged with peddling racing tips on the street without a hawker's licence.
PC Reynolds said he had heard the man shouting "Twenty bob for threepence" and on his coat he had a badge that had the words "Turf Adviser" on it. He was fined 10 shillings.
One of the oddities of newspapers from one hundred years ago was how adverts could be presented as news items – something that would not be permitted today.
And so this week within the Reporter's 'St. Helens and District News' page that contained short reports was this piece describing a new offer at Oxley's store in Barrow Street that they called Babyland:
"For quite a long time, St. Helens folk have protested against the continued high tram fares which place them at a serious disadvantage compared with neighbouring cities.
"Almost every housewife in St. Helens is familiar with the Oxley slogan, “It pays to walk to Babyland” (twelve shops in one), and to further extend their numerous customers they have started a new campaign to prove that not only does it pay to walk to Babyland, but it will also pay you to ride – let Oxley's pay your fare home.
"Don't throw your inward tram, train or ‘bus tickets away, but bring them to-day and get full details of the new offer which has already been well taken up."
During the evening of the 23rd, Walter Gurney of Waterdale Crescent in Sutton died in St Helens Hospital from injuries received earlier in the day at Sherdley Colliery.
The 15-year-old had fractured his skull after being struck by the haulage rope, which had knocked his head violently against a pulley.
On the same day John Lyon of Marshalls Cross Road suffered a skull fracture after the 21-year-old was injured at Lea Green Colliery (pictured above) but was said to be progressing favourably in hospital.
It was Providence Hospital's annual Flower Day on the 24th with the intention of raising £500 to pay for a bed in their new surgical ward for women.
Last year students from Liverpool University had assisted with the street collections wearing what was reported as being "fantastic costumes".
And they were back again this year making what the Reporter called a "handsome and merry injection" into the proceedings. The paper added:
"There was a colossal array of beautiful flowers, and a charming army of lovely damsels out early on the streets to dispose of them."
St Helens Reporter courtesy St Helens Archive Service at Eccleston Library
Next Week's stories will include the annual St Helens Horse Show, the British Empire Exhibition, two more deaths in the canal, the Theatre Royal's orchestra go on strike and the patriotic celebrations of the Children's Loyalty League.
There seems to be a long history of men knocking on doors and peddling false or exaggerated stories of having been undertaking work in the neighbourhood and, as a result, were in a position to sell householders cut-price goods or services.
When Alfred Ashton and John Lee from Liverpool called at an address in Chapel Street in St Helens they said they'd been laying linoleum at the convent in North Road.
The pair told Mrs Marchant that they had two rolls of high quality lino left over – each 10 yards in length – and were prepared to let her have them both at the reduced price of £9 10 shillings.
Mrs Marchant knocked them down to £9 and thought she had a bargain – but when her husband saw the lino he told her she'd been cheated.
He measured the rolls and found they were only 6 yards long and were of poor quality. The two men were tracked down and on the 20th in St Helens Police Court, Ashton and Lee were convicted of obtaining the £9 by false pretences.
They were both fined £5 and were also ordered to make a £5 refund to the purchaser.
During the night of the 20th a well-known music teacher called Mary Unsworth and her daughter had a somewhat frightening experience.
They slept together in a room on the ground floor of a house in Kiln Lane in St Helens.
Just after midnight the daughter woke and in putting her hand out of her bed she touched the head of a man who was crouching underneath.
She screamed and the man immediately dashed for the window, opened it and ran off. The alarm was raised and the police later arrested a young chap named William Hall from Durham.
He had been found sleeping in premises in Knowsley Road and on the following morning in St Helens Police Court, Hall was remanded in custody for further inquiries to be made.
Last week a cat had been rescued from the roof of Higher Grade School in North Road and on the 21st another feline found itself in distress and required rescuing – but this time from down below.
A kitten had fallen down an old disused shaft in Jockeys Brow, near Burtonhead Road, and was reported to have been "meowing piteously".
Police Sergeant Harry Latham procured a rope, tied it around his waist and bystanders proceeded to lower him 50 feet down the shaft.
Before long he was hauled back to the top again with the kitten secure in his arms.
A year ago Sgt. Latham had performed a similar feat at the same spot when he had rescued a dog and the RSPCA had then awarded him their bronze medal.
The officer based in Thatto Heath was now expected to receive the society’s silver medal.
Perhaps next year the sergeant will go for gold, unless, of course, common sense prevails and they either fill in the shaft or put a fence round it.
It appears that nobody took any notice of the "Keep off the grass" signs in St Helens' parks.
At least that was what was suggested at a meeting of the council's Parks Committee on the 21st as being the situation in the Queen's Recreation Ground, now known as Queens Park.
Land that had previously been used for allotments had recently been seeded with grass and an access gate had been closed to allow the grass to grow.
Cllr. Ellen McCormick told the meeting that someone who had opened a shop to sell ice cream had complained that he was losing trade while the gate was closed and she wondered if it could be reopened.
Mrs McCormick suggested noticeboards saying "keep off the grass" could be installed.
But the Chairman of the committee described those as "useless" and criticised the "respectable, well-educated people who walk across the tender young grass, and who should be an example to others".
Another councillor mentioned the park keeper being on site to warn trespassers off the grass but the Chairman said people took no notice of him!
Alderman Phythian said the trouble was that folk would always take the shortest cut. They would not use the footpath to walk around the grass if they could go straight across it.
So it appears that people were just as lazy 100 years ago as they are today! Eventually, it was decided on a vote that the gate at Queens Park would be opened.
"My God! Absolutely innocent! I can prove an alibi," was said to be the response of Patrick Fagan when arrested on a charge of indecently assaulting a six-year-old girl.
The labourer – who was staying at Grimshaw’s lodging house in Salisbury Street – appeared in court this week as a result of an incident on some wasteland at the rear of Park Road.
As a result of police inquiries being made Fagan had been arrested and identified by the girl's brother as the person he had seen near where the assault took place.
The police requested extra time for further inquiries to be made and Fagan was remanded in custody.
There were many wooden huts in St Helens, some serving as temporary accommodation for workers, such as at Sutton Manor Colliery.
Others were used as small shops and we learn from a court case this week that there were at least three such buildings in Carr Mill.
That was when four youths from Merton Bank and Parr appeared in St Helens Police Court charged with loitering with intent.
PC Parkinson had found the foursome at 11:45 pm at the open door of a hut rented by John Jones from where he sold such delights as sweets and mineral waters.
The four lads bolted when they saw the constable but one called Thomason was caught and the others were eventually arrested.
Thomason claimed that it was a practical joke more than anything else and they had no intention of stealing anything.
Superintendent Dunn told the court that the police had recently received reports of thefts from two other huts in the neighbourhood, including the stealing of cigarettes and a box of Easter eggs.
All four youths were fined and advised to be better citizens in future.
On the 22nd the Liverpool Echo published this report on silver collections at churches:
"The St. Helens Wesley Choir, who are arranging with Mr. Robert Radford and other prominent vocalists to assist them at the musical service of Choir Sunday, June 1, are at present grappling with the problem of the silver collection.
"At Christmas, when “The Messiah” was given with expensive soloists, the silver collection included 500 threepenny pieces. On one occasion they had close on 700 in a silver collection.
"Notwithstanding the fact that they take a lot of counting, 500 only amount to £6 5s, which sum is quite inadequate for ordinary travelling expenses.
"No doubt if a campaign were started to abolish the threepenny piece, clergy and church workers of all denominations would be keen to assist in the movement for doing away with this nuisance of a coin, which enables apparently well-to-do people to satisfy their conscience and camouflage their generosity."
The churches needed to talk to Francis Walls who claimed to be able to convert threepenny bits into pounds!
He appeared in St Helens Police Court on the 22nd charged with peddling racing tips on the street without a hawker's licence.
PC Reynolds said he had heard the man shouting "Twenty bob for threepence" and on his coat he had a badge that had the words "Turf Adviser" on it. He was fined 10 shillings.
One of the oddities of newspapers from one hundred years ago was how adverts could be presented as news items – something that would not be permitted today.
And so this week within the Reporter's 'St. Helens and District News' page that contained short reports was this piece describing a new offer at Oxley's store in Barrow Street that they called Babyland:
"For quite a long time, St. Helens folk have protested against the continued high tram fares which place them at a serious disadvantage compared with neighbouring cities.
"Almost every housewife in St. Helens is familiar with the Oxley slogan, “It pays to walk to Babyland” (twelve shops in one), and to further extend their numerous customers they have started a new campaign to prove that not only does it pay to walk to Babyland, but it will also pay you to ride – let Oxley's pay your fare home.
"Don't throw your inward tram, train or ‘bus tickets away, but bring them to-day and get full details of the new offer which has already been well taken up."
During the evening of the 23rd, Walter Gurney of Waterdale Crescent in Sutton died in St Helens Hospital from injuries received earlier in the day at Sherdley Colliery.
The 15-year-old had fractured his skull after being struck by the haulage rope, which had knocked his head violently against a pulley.
It was Providence Hospital's annual Flower Day on the 24th with the intention of raising £500 to pay for a bed in their new surgical ward for women.
Last year students from Liverpool University had assisted with the street collections wearing what was reported as being "fantastic costumes".
And they were back again this year making what the Reporter called a "handsome and merry injection" into the proceedings. The paper added:
"There was a colossal array of beautiful flowers, and a charming army of lovely damsels out early on the streets to dispose of them."
St Helens Reporter courtesy St Helens Archive Service at Eccleston Library
Next Week's stories will include the annual St Helens Horse Show, the British Empire Exhibition, two more deaths in the canal, the Theatre Royal's orchestra go on strike and the patriotic celebrations of the Children's Loyalty League.