IOO YEARS AGO THIS WEEK (24th - 30th APRIL 1923)
This week's many stories include the Phythian Street wife beater, the conundrum of the unlicensed street trader, why St Helens Hospital had to charge patients for operations, the bobby that chased a bookie in Fingerpost and the Crab Street man accused of leaving his wife destitute.
We begin on the 24th in Sutton Park (pictured above) with a performance by the Parr Temperance Prize Band. The concert was part of the 'Music In The Park' summer season of band concerts organised by St Helens Corporation.
On the 25th Peter Murphy appeared in St Helens Police Court charged with "peddling without a certificate" – a hawker's licence in other words – after being caught illegally trading in Chapel Street. However, Mr Murphy explained his conundrum to the magistrates. He wanted a licence but the police refused to grant him one. So what was he supposed to do?
Chief Inspector Roe explained that the man had some time ago been convicted of burglary under the name of Arnold Tiller and so the police were not prepared to grant him a licence. The defendant said he had been known as Murphy for many years and wanted to earn an honest living. The Chairman of the Bench admitted that it was difficult to shed a bad reputation and upon receiving his promise to leave St Helens at once, discharged Murphy from the court.
The annual meeting of St Helens Hospital (pictured above) was held at the Town Hall on the 26th where it was revealed that colliery workers and their dependants comprised the lion's share of admissions. During 1922 there had been 853 such patients in the hospital out of 1,519 admissions and the miners' representatives present at the meeting called for all operations to be free.
Most patients subscribed to the hospital's insurance scheme in which a penny a week was deducted from workers' wages. This had recently been raised to twopence a week as the wartime inflation and post-war rate of unemployment had led to a big drop in both subscriptions and donations. But the hospital still had a considerable deficit in their accounts with an overdraft currently standing at £1,000 and as a result felt the need to charge for most operations.
It was the time of year to arrange outings to the country or seaside and in the St Helens Reporter on the 27th James Bridge & Sons of Ashcroft Street in Parr were advertising their "chara fleet". "Book now for a real comfortable outing", said the ad with charabanc coach trips to Chester Races also available.
Every year the Boy Scouts and Wolf Cubs of St Helens would publicly renew their oath of allegiance. The Reporter described how earlier in the week about 200 boys had assembled in Victoria Square and the Mayor of St Helens, Ald. Peter Phythian, had asked them to restate their Scout promise. The lads' reply was: "I promise, on my honour, to do my duty to God and the King; to help others at all times; to obey the Scout law." The Mayor then addressed the boys and told them that by adhering to the Scout promise they were playing a great part towards establishing world peace.
The paper also described a court case in which the magistrates were told that a woman and her children had at 11 o’clock at night fled their home in Phythian Street in St Helens. They were in their night attire screaming but had not been fleeing a fire. Instead they had been escaping from the wrath of a drunken husband and father. PC Kitchen told the court that when he arrived on the scene he found a large crowd had gathered and he'd asked Laurence Smith why he had thrown his family out. His reply was: "I will break her _________ back."
In the witness box Bridget Smith gave a lengthy account of her 14 months of marriage and explained how she had unsuccessfully tried to change her husband's ways. "All he thinks of is drink", she bemoaned. Mrs Smith explained how on the day before the incident, she and her husband had a dispute over some money that he resolved by "knocking me from one side of the room to another". She said she had tried to get out of the house but he'd followed her. So she'd thrown a small enamel pot at him and he then "dazed me with thumps".
The woman added that she had had enough and wanted nothing more to do with her violent husband. "He has knocked me about six times, and I have forgiven him every time", she said. "He thinks I will forgive him this time, but I will not." In his defence Laurence Smith protested about his wife's quickness to take offence, saying: "If you say a word it is simply a case of anything she can lay her hands on, and you aren't going to let a woman bash you about with plates and anything she can get hold of."
It was very common for violent husbands to put the blame on their wives. Any form of self-defence by women – such as the throwing of the pot, as in this case – was seized upon as evidence of a violent wife. But Laurence Smith was not being prosecuted for his violence. The charge that he faced was simply breaching the peace and he was bound over to be of good behaviour for six months.
Another court case covered in the Reporter bore the headline: "Husband Who Left Wife Destitute". However, the behaviour of James Timmons did not appear to fully justify such criticism. The labourer from Crab Street in St Helens had spent 18 months in Rainhill Hospital and on the day of his discharge had returned home. But within hours he had supposedly walked out on his wife leaving her penniless and nothing further was heard of the man for several months.
Timmons's wife needed to receive relief payments from the Prescot Guardians that totalled about £25 – and they wanted their money back. But the man explained to the magistrates that he had gone to Ireland upon the death of his mother, as he had needed to look after a farm for his sister for a while. Timmons said he thought he had left sufficient money for his wife and insisted he had asked her to go to Ireland along with him but she had refused.
Mrs Timmons admitted that had been the case, something she appears not to have previously told the authorities. "If she had come along with me she would have been all right", her husband told the court. Prison sentences were common for men leaving their wives chargeable to the Prescot Guardians. But Timmons was given the opportunity to look for work and repay his debt and the case was adjourned for two months.
Men taking bets on the street would either run like mad once the police showed their hand – or calmly wait to be arrested knowing the bookie they worked for would pay their fine. George Griffiths chose the former option after PC Reynolds had approached him after having kept the man under observation for a while. The constable told a court this week how from his vantage point in Bolton Street in Fingerpost he had seen Griffiths accept betting slips and cash.
But when the man took to his heels, PC Reynolds said he lost sight of him but knew Griffiths' address in Pocket Nook Street and so arrested him there. At the time of the arrest Griffiths told the officer: "You don't blame me for running away, you would do the same yourself?" However, in court the defendant was highly critical of the constable for entering his home without a warrant – although PC Reynolds claimed his wife had invited him in. "He put his foot inside the door and spragged it open", insisted Griffiths, who was given the usual £10 fine for street betting offences.
And finally, an open verdict was returned on the 30th at the inquest on Thomas Crompton of Parr Stocks Road who'd been found drowned in a works reservoir. However, the death appeared to have been suicide, as the 66-year-old engine winder at Ashtons Green Colliery was out of work and had been told he needed an operation by his doctor.
St Helens Reporter courtesy St Helens Archive Service at Eccleston Library
Next week's stories will include the blind doormat thief, work begins on building the new parish church, Labour's great rally at Carr Mill Dam, a rogue talent agent is sent to prison and the man nicknamed Liverpool Johnny causes mayhem in Sutton.
On the 25th Peter Murphy appeared in St Helens Police Court charged with "peddling without a certificate" – a hawker's licence in other words – after being caught illegally trading in Chapel Street. However, Mr Murphy explained his conundrum to the magistrates. He wanted a licence but the police refused to grant him one. So what was he supposed to do?
Chief Inspector Roe explained that the man had some time ago been convicted of burglary under the name of Arnold Tiller and so the police were not prepared to grant him a licence. The defendant said he had been known as Murphy for many years and wanted to earn an honest living. The Chairman of the Bench admitted that it was difficult to shed a bad reputation and upon receiving his promise to leave St Helens at once, discharged Murphy from the court.
Most patients subscribed to the hospital's insurance scheme in which a penny a week was deducted from workers' wages. This had recently been raised to twopence a week as the wartime inflation and post-war rate of unemployment had led to a big drop in both subscriptions and donations. But the hospital still had a considerable deficit in their accounts with an overdraft currently standing at £1,000 and as a result felt the need to charge for most operations.
It was the time of year to arrange outings to the country or seaside and in the St Helens Reporter on the 27th James Bridge & Sons of Ashcroft Street in Parr were advertising their "chara fleet". "Book now for a real comfortable outing", said the ad with charabanc coach trips to Chester Races also available.
Every year the Boy Scouts and Wolf Cubs of St Helens would publicly renew their oath of allegiance. The Reporter described how earlier in the week about 200 boys had assembled in Victoria Square and the Mayor of St Helens, Ald. Peter Phythian, had asked them to restate their Scout promise. The lads' reply was: "I promise, on my honour, to do my duty to God and the King; to help others at all times; to obey the Scout law." The Mayor then addressed the boys and told them that by adhering to the Scout promise they were playing a great part towards establishing world peace.
The paper also described a court case in which the magistrates were told that a woman and her children had at 11 o’clock at night fled their home in Phythian Street in St Helens. They were in their night attire screaming but had not been fleeing a fire. Instead they had been escaping from the wrath of a drunken husband and father. PC Kitchen told the court that when he arrived on the scene he found a large crowd had gathered and he'd asked Laurence Smith why he had thrown his family out. His reply was: "I will break her _________ back."
In the witness box Bridget Smith gave a lengthy account of her 14 months of marriage and explained how she had unsuccessfully tried to change her husband's ways. "All he thinks of is drink", she bemoaned. Mrs Smith explained how on the day before the incident, she and her husband had a dispute over some money that he resolved by "knocking me from one side of the room to another". She said she had tried to get out of the house but he'd followed her. So she'd thrown a small enamel pot at him and he then "dazed me with thumps".
The woman added that she had had enough and wanted nothing more to do with her violent husband. "He has knocked me about six times, and I have forgiven him every time", she said. "He thinks I will forgive him this time, but I will not." In his defence Laurence Smith protested about his wife's quickness to take offence, saying: "If you say a word it is simply a case of anything she can lay her hands on, and you aren't going to let a woman bash you about with plates and anything she can get hold of."
It was very common for violent husbands to put the blame on their wives. Any form of self-defence by women – such as the throwing of the pot, as in this case – was seized upon as evidence of a violent wife. But Laurence Smith was not being prosecuted for his violence. The charge that he faced was simply breaching the peace and he was bound over to be of good behaviour for six months.
Another court case covered in the Reporter bore the headline: "Husband Who Left Wife Destitute". However, the behaviour of James Timmons did not appear to fully justify such criticism. The labourer from Crab Street in St Helens had spent 18 months in Rainhill Hospital and on the day of his discharge had returned home. But within hours he had supposedly walked out on his wife leaving her penniless and nothing further was heard of the man for several months.
Timmons's wife needed to receive relief payments from the Prescot Guardians that totalled about £25 – and they wanted their money back. But the man explained to the magistrates that he had gone to Ireland upon the death of his mother, as he had needed to look after a farm for his sister for a while. Timmons said he thought he had left sufficient money for his wife and insisted he had asked her to go to Ireland along with him but she had refused.
Mrs Timmons admitted that had been the case, something she appears not to have previously told the authorities. "If she had come along with me she would have been all right", her husband told the court. Prison sentences were common for men leaving their wives chargeable to the Prescot Guardians. But Timmons was given the opportunity to look for work and repay his debt and the case was adjourned for two months.
Men taking bets on the street would either run like mad once the police showed their hand – or calmly wait to be arrested knowing the bookie they worked for would pay their fine. George Griffiths chose the former option after PC Reynolds had approached him after having kept the man under observation for a while. The constable told a court this week how from his vantage point in Bolton Street in Fingerpost he had seen Griffiths accept betting slips and cash.
But when the man took to his heels, PC Reynolds said he lost sight of him but knew Griffiths' address in Pocket Nook Street and so arrested him there. At the time of the arrest Griffiths told the officer: "You don't blame me for running away, you would do the same yourself?" However, in court the defendant was highly critical of the constable for entering his home without a warrant – although PC Reynolds claimed his wife had invited him in. "He put his foot inside the door and spragged it open", insisted Griffiths, who was given the usual £10 fine for street betting offences.
And finally, an open verdict was returned on the 30th at the inquest on Thomas Crompton of Parr Stocks Road who'd been found drowned in a works reservoir. However, the death appeared to have been suicide, as the 66-year-old engine winder at Ashtons Green Colliery was out of work and had been told he needed an operation by his doctor.
St Helens Reporter courtesy St Helens Archive Service at Eccleston Library
Next week's stories will include the blind doormat thief, work begins on building the new parish church, Labour's great rally at Carr Mill Dam, a rogue talent agent is sent to prison and the man nicknamed Liverpool Johnny causes mayhem in Sutton.
This week's many stories include the Phythian Street wife beater, the conundrum of the unlicensed street trader, why St Helens Hospital had to charge patients for operations, the bobby that chased a bookie in Fingerpost and the Crab Street man accused of leaving his wife destitute.
We begin on the 24th in Sutton Park (pictured above) with a performance by the Parr Temperance Prize Band.
The concert was part of the 'Music In The Park' summer season of band concerts organised by St Helens Corporation.
On the 25th Peter Murphy appeared in St Helens Police Court charged with "peddling without a certificate" – a hawker's licence in other words – after being caught illegally trading in Chapel Street.
However, Mr Murphy explained his conundrum to the magistrates. He wanted a licence but the police refused to grant him one. So what was he supposed to do?
Chief Inspector Roe explained that the man had some time ago been convicted of burglary under the name of Arnold Tiller and so the police were not prepared to grant him a licence.
The defendant said he had been known as Murphy for many years and wanted to earn an honest living.
The Chairman of the Bench admitted that it was difficult to shed a bad reputation and upon receiving his promise to leave St Helens at once, discharged Murphy from the court.
The annual meeting of St Helens Hospital (pictured above) was held at the Town Hall on the 26th where it was revealed that colliery workers and their dependants comprised the lion's share of admissions.
During 1922 there had been 853 such patients in the hospital out of 1,519 admissions and the miners' representatives present at the meeting called for all operations to be free.
Most patients subscribed to the hospital's insurance scheme in which a penny a week was deducted from workers' wages.
This had recently been raised to twopence a week as the wartime inflation and post-war rate of unemployment had led to a big drop in both subscriptions and donations.
But the hospital still had a considerable deficit in their accounts with an overdraft currently standing at £1,000 and as a result felt the need to charge for most operations.
It was the time of year to arrange outings to the country or seaside and in the St Helens Reporter on the 27th James Bridge & Sons of Ashcroft Street in Parr were advertising their "chara fleet".
"Book now for a real comfortable outing", said the ad with charabanc coach trips to Chester Races also available.
Every year the Boy Scouts and Wolf Cubs of St Helens would publicly renew their oath of allegiance.
The Reporter described how earlier in the week about 200 boys had assembled in Victoria Square and the Mayor of St Helens, Ald. Peter Phythian, had asked them to restate their Scout promise. The lads' reply was:
"I promise, on my honour, to do my duty to God and the King; to help others at all times; to obey the Scout law."
The Mayor then addressed the boys and told them that by adhering to the Scout promise they were playing a great part towards establishing world peace.
The paper also described a court case in which the magistrates were told that a woman and her children had at 11 o’clock at night fled their home in Phythian Street in St Helens.
They were in their night attire screaming but had not been fleeing a fire. Instead they had been escaping from the wrath of a drunken husband and father.
PC Kitchen told the court that when he arrived on the scene he found a large crowd had gathered and he'd asked Laurence Smith why he had thrown his family out. His reply was: "I will break her _________ back."
In the witness box Bridget Smith gave a lengthy account of her 14 months of marriage and explained how she had unsuccessfully tried to change her husband's ways. "All he thinks of is drink", she bemoaned.
Mrs Smith explained how on the day before the incident, she and her husband had a dispute over some money that he resolved by "knocking me from one side of the room to another".
She said she had tried to get out of the house but he'd followed her. So she'd thrown a small enamel pot at him and he then "dazed me with thumps".
The woman added that she had had enough and wanted nothing more to do with her violent husband.
"He has knocked me about six times, and I have forgiven him every time", she said. "He thinks I will forgive him this time, but I will not."
In his defence Laurence Smith protested about his wife's quickness to take offence, saying:
"If you say a word it is simply a case of anything she can lay her hands on, and you aren't going to let a woman bash you about with plates and anything she can get hold of."
It was very common for violent husbands to put the blame on their wives. Any form of self-defence by women – such as the throwing of the pot, as in this case – was seized upon as evidence of a violent wife.
But Laurence Smith was not being prosecuted for his violence. The charge that he faced was simply breaching the peace and he was bound over to be of good behaviour for six months.
Another court case covered in the Reporter bore the headline: "Husband Who Left Wife Destitute".
However, the behaviour of James Timmons did not appear to fully justify such criticism.
The labourer from Crab Street in St Helens had spent 18 months in Rainhill Hospital and on the day of his discharge had returned home.
But within hours he had supposedly walked out on his wife leaving her penniless and nothing further was heard of the man for several months.
Timmons's wife needed to receive relief payments from the Prescot Guardians that totalled about £25 – and they wanted their money back.
But the man explained to the magistrates that he had gone to Ireland upon the death of his mother, as he had needed to look after a farm for his sister for a while.
Timmons said he thought he had left sufficient money for his wife and insisted he had asked her to go to Ireland along with him but she had refused.
Mrs Timmons admitted that had been the case, something she appears not to have previously told the authorities.
"If she had come along with me she would have been all right", her husband told the court.
Prison sentences were common for men leaving their wives chargeable to the Prescot Guardians.
But Timmons was given the opportunity to look for work and repay his debt and the case was adjourned for two months.
Men taking bets on the street would either run like mad once the police showed their hand – or calmly wait to be arrested knowing the bookie they worked for would pay their fine.
George Griffiths chose the former option after PC Reynolds had approached him after having kept the man under observation for a while.
The constable told a court this week how from his vantage point in Bolton Street in Fingerpost he had seen Griffiths accept betting slips and cash.
But when the man took to his heels, PC Reynolds said he lost sight of him but knew Griffiths' address in Pocket Nook Street and so arrested him there.
At the time of the arrest Griffiths told the officer: "You don't blame me for running away, you would do the same yourself?"
However, in court the defendant was highly critical of the constable for entering his home without a warrant – although PC Reynolds claimed his wife had invited him in.
"He put his foot inside the door and spragged it open", insisted Griffiths, who was given the usual £10 fine for street betting offences.
And finally, an open verdict was returned on the 30th at the inquest on Thomas Crompton of Parr Stocks Road who'd been found drowned in a works reservoir.
However, the death appeared to have been suicide, as the 66-year-old engine winder at Ashtons Green Colliery was out of work and had been told he needed an operation by his doctor.
St Helens Reporter courtesy St Helens Archive Service at Eccleston Library
Next week's stories will include the blind doormat thief, work begins on building the new parish church, Labour's great rally at Carr Mill Dam, a rogue talent agent is sent to prison and the man nicknamed Liverpool Johnny causes mayhem in Sutton.
The concert was part of the 'Music In The Park' summer season of band concerts organised by St Helens Corporation.
On the 25th Peter Murphy appeared in St Helens Police Court charged with "peddling without a certificate" – a hawker's licence in other words – after being caught illegally trading in Chapel Street.
However, Mr Murphy explained his conundrum to the magistrates. He wanted a licence but the police refused to grant him one. So what was he supposed to do?
Chief Inspector Roe explained that the man had some time ago been convicted of burglary under the name of Arnold Tiller and so the police were not prepared to grant him a licence.
The defendant said he had been known as Murphy for many years and wanted to earn an honest living.
The Chairman of the Bench admitted that it was difficult to shed a bad reputation and upon receiving his promise to leave St Helens at once, discharged Murphy from the court.
During 1922 there had been 853 such patients in the hospital out of 1,519 admissions and the miners' representatives present at the meeting called for all operations to be free.
Most patients subscribed to the hospital's insurance scheme in which a penny a week was deducted from workers' wages.
This had recently been raised to twopence a week as the wartime inflation and post-war rate of unemployment had led to a big drop in both subscriptions and donations.
But the hospital still had a considerable deficit in their accounts with an overdraft currently standing at £1,000 and as a result felt the need to charge for most operations.
It was the time of year to arrange outings to the country or seaside and in the St Helens Reporter on the 27th James Bridge & Sons of Ashcroft Street in Parr were advertising their "chara fleet".
"Book now for a real comfortable outing", said the ad with charabanc coach trips to Chester Races also available.
Every year the Boy Scouts and Wolf Cubs of St Helens would publicly renew their oath of allegiance.
The Reporter described how earlier in the week about 200 boys had assembled in Victoria Square and the Mayor of St Helens, Ald. Peter Phythian, had asked them to restate their Scout promise. The lads' reply was:
"I promise, on my honour, to do my duty to God and the King; to help others at all times; to obey the Scout law."
The Mayor then addressed the boys and told them that by adhering to the Scout promise they were playing a great part towards establishing world peace.
The paper also described a court case in which the magistrates were told that a woman and her children had at 11 o’clock at night fled their home in Phythian Street in St Helens.
They were in their night attire screaming but had not been fleeing a fire. Instead they had been escaping from the wrath of a drunken husband and father.
PC Kitchen told the court that when he arrived on the scene he found a large crowd had gathered and he'd asked Laurence Smith why he had thrown his family out. His reply was: "I will break her _________ back."
In the witness box Bridget Smith gave a lengthy account of her 14 months of marriage and explained how she had unsuccessfully tried to change her husband's ways. "All he thinks of is drink", she bemoaned.
Mrs Smith explained how on the day before the incident, she and her husband had a dispute over some money that he resolved by "knocking me from one side of the room to another".
She said she had tried to get out of the house but he'd followed her. So she'd thrown a small enamel pot at him and he then "dazed me with thumps".
The woman added that she had had enough and wanted nothing more to do with her violent husband.
"He has knocked me about six times, and I have forgiven him every time", she said. "He thinks I will forgive him this time, but I will not."
In his defence Laurence Smith protested about his wife's quickness to take offence, saying:
"If you say a word it is simply a case of anything she can lay her hands on, and you aren't going to let a woman bash you about with plates and anything she can get hold of."
It was very common for violent husbands to put the blame on their wives. Any form of self-defence by women – such as the throwing of the pot, as in this case – was seized upon as evidence of a violent wife.
But Laurence Smith was not being prosecuted for his violence. The charge that he faced was simply breaching the peace and he was bound over to be of good behaviour for six months.
Another court case covered in the Reporter bore the headline: "Husband Who Left Wife Destitute".
However, the behaviour of James Timmons did not appear to fully justify such criticism.
The labourer from Crab Street in St Helens had spent 18 months in Rainhill Hospital and on the day of his discharge had returned home.
But within hours he had supposedly walked out on his wife leaving her penniless and nothing further was heard of the man for several months.
Timmons's wife needed to receive relief payments from the Prescot Guardians that totalled about £25 – and they wanted their money back.
But the man explained to the magistrates that he had gone to Ireland upon the death of his mother, as he had needed to look after a farm for his sister for a while.
Timmons said he thought he had left sufficient money for his wife and insisted he had asked her to go to Ireland along with him but she had refused.
Mrs Timmons admitted that had been the case, something she appears not to have previously told the authorities.
"If she had come along with me she would have been all right", her husband told the court.
Prison sentences were common for men leaving their wives chargeable to the Prescot Guardians.
But Timmons was given the opportunity to look for work and repay his debt and the case was adjourned for two months.
Men taking bets on the street would either run like mad once the police showed their hand – or calmly wait to be arrested knowing the bookie they worked for would pay their fine.
George Griffiths chose the former option after PC Reynolds had approached him after having kept the man under observation for a while.
The constable told a court this week how from his vantage point in Bolton Street in Fingerpost he had seen Griffiths accept betting slips and cash.
But when the man took to his heels, PC Reynolds said he lost sight of him but knew Griffiths' address in Pocket Nook Street and so arrested him there.
At the time of the arrest Griffiths told the officer: "You don't blame me for running away, you would do the same yourself?"
However, in court the defendant was highly critical of the constable for entering his home without a warrant – although PC Reynolds claimed his wife had invited him in.
"He put his foot inside the door and spragged it open", insisted Griffiths, who was given the usual £10 fine for street betting offences.
And finally, an open verdict was returned on the 30th at the inquest on Thomas Crompton of Parr Stocks Road who'd been found drowned in a works reservoir.
However, the death appeared to have been suicide, as the 66-year-old engine winder at Ashtons Green Colliery was out of work and had been told he needed an operation by his doctor.
St Helens Reporter courtesy St Helens Archive Service at Eccleston Library
Next week's stories will include the blind doormat thief, work begins on building the new parish church, Labour's great rally at Carr Mill Dam, a rogue talent agent is sent to prison and the man nicknamed Liverpool Johnny causes mayhem in Sutton.