150 YEARS AGO THIS WEEK (11th - 17th OCTOBER 1871)
This week's stories include the St Helens vicar accused of indecency, the Sutton copper worker who brutalised his wife for not having any beer, the father and son who died down Peasley Cross Colliery, a murderous assault in Eccleston, the captain who dumped his boat in St Helens and a vivid report on the Great Chicago Fire.
We begin on the 14th when the Warrington Examiner was published and featured this piece: "On Saturday last, Mr. John Johnson, farmer, Crow-lane, Newton, proceeded along with his farm servants to work in some fields adjacent to his farm, leaving his house in charge of a reformatory boy, named Gee. On his return, after an absence of a few hours, he found that the lad was missing.
"His suspicious were at once aroused, and proceeding up-stairs he found that the drawers had been forced open, and £30 in money stolen. Information was promptly given to the police, but up the present time no traces of the thief have been discovered. A few years ago Mr. Johnson was robbed in a similar manner of £40. On that occasion, also, the thief got away." I've been unable to find out anything further about this case.
During the evening of the 14th, the members of the Sons of Temperance Lodge attended a concert in the Assembly Rooms in Market Street, Earlestown. Many of these events involved amateurs from the district performing songs, recitations and readings. The comic ones often went down the best, as was a rendition at the concert of "Out of the frying-pan into the fire," by Mr. T. Jones, who the Warrington Examiner described as: "…a great favourite here; the “get-up” of this gentleman was perfect, and set the house in a roar before he opened his mouth, and it is useless to add that he brought down the house and gained a most enthusiastic encore." The Examiner also mentioned that a woman had given the sum of £30,000 to the "Lancaster Asylum for Idiots". I'll pass no comment!
Probably the two most popular forms of entertainment enjoyed by the working class in the 1870s were serio-comics and black minstrel shows. The former adopted the dry, comedic style of the future Les Dawson and the latter were either "negro" entertainers or white men blacked up via burnt cork make-up. Whichever they were, a grotesque parody of the black man with exaggerated mannerisms was on show. On the 15th The Era newspaper published this article, which showed that both forms of entertainment were doing well in St Helens in the building we know as the Citadel (pictured above):
"THEATRE ROYAL CONCERT HALL (Lessee, C. Pitman.) – This place of amusement is now doing a good business. This week we have Mr. Wood and his two clever sons in the “Ni**er” business. We have also Harry Dales in the “burnt cork” line, and his stump speech keeps the audience in roars of laughter. Miss Kate Clifton, known as the Female Irishman, meets with a good reception, and has to respond to four recalls nightly, Miss Lizzie Packer (serio-comic) and Harry Garside (comic) complete the company."
In St Helens Petty Sessions on the 16th, William Jones was charged with assaulting his wife, Hannah. The couple appeared to live in Peckers Hill Road in Sutton, with the husband a 34-year-old copper worker and his wife aged 27. This is how the St Helens Newspaper reported the case:
"The complainant's evidence went to show that the husband demanded beer to his dinner, when she had no money to procure it. He gave her the alternative of providing the beer or putting up with a drubbing which would spoil her face. The wife took the precaution of opening the door that the neighbours might hear his conduct, and he then got up, closed the door, and gave her an unmistakable beating. She asserted that whenever he got any drink – which was frequently – he kept his money and ill-treated his family. Jones had no defence to make. He was ordered to find sureties to keep the peace for three months, and give 24 hours' notice of bail."
The Wigan Observer reported on the 16th that James Moore had appeared in St Helens Petty Sessions charged with a "murderous assault" on Patrick Conway. Both men were neighbours living in High Street Court in Eccleston and the 30-year-old Conway had had an altercation with some of Moore's family. That led to the 39-year-old labourer knocking Conway down with a large piece of what was described as "glass-pot metal" and then beating him while on the floor, "inflicting eight dangerous wounds on his head".
The prisoner was committed to the assizes but at his trial was surprisingly cleared of the charge, without any explanation given in the newspapers. Violence as I've often said was tolerated to a degree – but not usually "murderous assaults". I can only presume that there had been considerable provocation.
In a separate case there was another one of those charges that you don't just get these days when William Whittaker was prosecuted for deserting a vessel at St Helens. No, not many ships get abandoned in the town today – apart from the odd model boat that might sink on Taylor Park lake!
Whittaker came from Widnes and was a captain of a flat – which was a boat like a barge. For some reason he had dumped his vessel on the St Helens canal on September 26th. As Whittaker didn't show up to court, a warrant was issued for his arrest – although I've been unable to find further accounts of the flatman. Perhaps he bought another boat and simply sailed off into the sunset...
In August 1869 a commission of inquiry had sat at the Lion Hotel Assembly Rooms in Warrington to consider a serious charge against the Rev. James Cheel. The vicar of Holy Trinity Church in Traverse Street in Parr had been accused of committing adulterous sex with a woman called Ellen Abbott. This had resulted in the birth of two children, one of whom had died in infancy. The Bishop of Chester considered the charge proved and the decision was taken to suspend Rev. Cheel from the Church of England for three years.
However, Cheel retained his position as the Vicar of Holy Trinity but was now "unbenificed" – on what we might call unpaid "gardening leave" today. But things went from bad to worse for Cheel, as on July 1st 1871 he was convicted at Bath of indecently assaulting a child. The 59-year-old was sentenced to two months in prison and was reported as having been removed from the court vehemently protesting his innocence. But then he had also vigorously denied the charges that Ellen Abbot had made against him two years earlier. This week, on the 16th, the Liverpool Daily Post wrote:
"The Ecclesiastical Commission appointed to inquire into the alleged indecent conduct of the Rev. James Cheel, vicar of Holy Trinity Church, St. Helens, commenced its labours at the Weston (Bath) Court-house on Wednesday morning." A number of witnesses had provided damning evidence against the man, including Sergeant Millburne. The officer spoke of receiving numerous complaints of the indecent conduct of a gentleman towards children prior to Cheel's conviction, after which the complaints ceased.
But the Church's covering up of child abuse allegations (seemingly) goes back a long way. After nearly an hour's deliberation in private – and despite the criminal conviction – the Commission brought in a verdict of acquittal against Cheel. "The defendant, who was much affected, thanked the Commissioners for their patient attention", wrote the Daily Post. In the 1881 census and now aged 69, Cheel is listed as a curate in Wiltshire, having married a woman 26 years younger than him.
During the evening of the 16th, the choir of the Wesleyan Methodists of Haydock held a concert of recitations, readings and musical performances. A collection was made on behalf of the colliery explosion fund and this amounted to £1 17s.
On the 17th, James Burrows, senior and junior, from Glover Street (off Liverpool Road) died together down Peasley Cross Colliery. The pair was working near a disused part of the pit when the 42-year-old father sent his son a short distance to tap a wall. That was to see if it was covering a cavity where gas might have collected. The 13-year-old did not come back and his father went to find him – but also failed to return. Their bodies were subsequently found having both been gassed and it took some time before they could be extricated because of the poisonous atmosphere.
And finally, the Great Fire of Chicago (remnants pictured above) occurred this week and so I'm concluding with two articles published in The Times from their correspondent in Philadelphia: "LATEST INTELLIGENCE. AWFUL FIRE AT CHICAGO – A great fire broke out in Chicago on Sunday night in the southern part of the city. The wind was blowing a gale from the south and carried the fire through the heart of the city for miles. Thousands of buildings are destroyed; among them are all the banks, the railway depots, the Courthouse, the Waterworks, and the principal hotel and stores, six grain elevators, and a multitude of private dwelling houses. In the central portion of the city the buildings are of stone, but in the other parts chiefly wood, and the street pavements are also wood.
"The telegraphs being deranged, it is difficult to get particulars. One-half of the city is burnt, including the entire business section. The fire is still raging. Efforts have been made to stop the flames by blowing up buildings with gunpowder, but ineffectually. There being no supply of water, the firemen are powerless. The loss is estimated at $300,000,000. The Mayor of Chicago is sending to other cities for aid and food for the destitute numbers of people being homeless. There is great excitement throughout the country, and aid has been sent from Cincinnati, St. Louis, Milwaukee, and Detroit. The President has ordered food and clothing to be distributed from the military store in Chicago.
"EVENING. The burnt section of Chicago covers upwards of two square miles in the heart of the city. It extends from Twelfth-street northwards. Everything has been burnt from the lake shore inland nearly one mile. The fire is still raging, but fireman from other places are arriving and checking its progress towards south and west. 100,000 people are homeless. Many have been killed. Aid is being sent from all quarters."
"WEDNESDAY 1 A.M. – The great fire at Chicago began in a stable on Sunday night. A boy took a kerosene lamp into the stable in order to milk a cow. The animal kicked the lamp over, which set fire to the place. The burning fluid ran onto the wooden pavements and caused an extension of the disaster. The people became crazy with excitement, and many were trampled to death, others were burnt.
"The loss of life is estimated at 500. Several incendiaries [arsonists] were caught yesterday, and were either shot or hanged. The money loss is estimated now in Chicago at $300,000,000. The fire is now extinguished in the southern part of the city, whence these reports come. Indirect reports from St. Louis state that the fire is still burning in the northern part, while crowds of starving people threaten a riot."
Next week's stories will include the drunken cooks at Whiston Workhouse, the state of the streets of St Helens, the fever sheds at Whiston, the German emigrants' railway accident, the death of a Rainford platelayer and bowling in Newton.
We begin on the 14th when the Warrington Examiner was published and featured this piece: "On Saturday last, Mr. John Johnson, farmer, Crow-lane, Newton, proceeded along with his farm servants to work in some fields adjacent to his farm, leaving his house in charge of a reformatory boy, named Gee. On his return, after an absence of a few hours, he found that the lad was missing.
"His suspicious were at once aroused, and proceeding up-stairs he found that the drawers had been forced open, and £30 in money stolen. Information was promptly given to the police, but up the present time no traces of the thief have been discovered. A few years ago Mr. Johnson was robbed in a similar manner of £40. On that occasion, also, the thief got away." I've been unable to find out anything further about this case.
During the evening of the 14th, the members of the Sons of Temperance Lodge attended a concert in the Assembly Rooms in Market Street, Earlestown. Many of these events involved amateurs from the district performing songs, recitations and readings. The comic ones often went down the best, as was a rendition at the concert of "Out of the frying-pan into the fire," by Mr. T. Jones, who the Warrington Examiner described as: "…a great favourite here; the “get-up” of this gentleman was perfect, and set the house in a roar before he opened his mouth, and it is useless to add that he brought down the house and gained a most enthusiastic encore." The Examiner also mentioned that a woman had given the sum of £30,000 to the "Lancaster Asylum for Idiots". I'll pass no comment!
"THEATRE ROYAL CONCERT HALL (Lessee, C. Pitman.) – This place of amusement is now doing a good business. This week we have Mr. Wood and his two clever sons in the “Ni**er” business. We have also Harry Dales in the “burnt cork” line, and his stump speech keeps the audience in roars of laughter. Miss Kate Clifton, known as the Female Irishman, meets with a good reception, and has to respond to four recalls nightly, Miss Lizzie Packer (serio-comic) and Harry Garside (comic) complete the company."
In St Helens Petty Sessions on the 16th, William Jones was charged with assaulting his wife, Hannah. The couple appeared to live in Peckers Hill Road in Sutton, with the husband a 34-year-old copper worker and his wife aged 27. This is how the St Helens Newspaper reported the case:
"The complainant's evidence went to show that the husband demanded beer to his dinner, when she had no money to procure it. He gave her the alternative of providing the beer or putting up with a drubbing which would spoil her face. The wife took the precaution of opening the door that the neighbours might hear his conduct, and he then got up, closed the door, and gave her an unmistakable beating. She asserted that whenever he got any drink – which was frequently – he kept his money and ill-treated his family. Jones had no defence to make. He was ordered to find sureties to keep the peace for three months, and give 24 hours' notice of bail."
The Wigan Observer reported on the 16th that James Moore had appeared in St Helens Petty Sessions charged with a "murderous assault" on Patrick Conway. Both men were neighbours living in High Street Court in Eccleston and the 30-year-old Conway had had an altercation with some of Moore's family. That led to the 39-year-old labourer knocking Conway down with a large piece of what was described as "glass-pot metal" and then beating him while on the floor, "inflicting eight dangerous wounds on his head".
The prisoner was committed to the assizes but at his trial was surprisingly cleared of the charge, without any explanation given in the newspapers. Violence as I've often said was tolerated to a degree – but not usually "murderous assaults". I can only presume that there had been considerable provocation.
In a separate case there was another one of those charges that you don't just get these days when William Whittaker was prosecuted for deserting a vessel at St Helens. No, not many ships get abandoned in the town today – apart from the odd model boat that might sink on Taylor Park lake!
Whittaker came from Widnes and was a captain of a flat – which was a boat like a barge. For some reason he had dumped his vessel on the St Helens canal on September 26th. As Whittaker didn't show up to court, a warrant was issued for his arrest – although I've been unable to find further accounts of the flatman. Perhaps he bought another boat and simply sailed off into the sunset...
In August 1869 a commission of inquiry had sat at the Lion Hotel Assembly Rooms in Warrington to consider a serious charge against the Rev. James Cheel. The vicar of Holy Trinity Church in Traverse Street in Parr had been accused of committing adulterous sex with a woman called Ellen Abbott. This had resulted in the birth of two children, one of whom had died in infancy. The Bishop of Chester considered the charge proved and the decision was taken to suspend Rev. Cheel from the Church of England for three years.
However, Cheel retained his position as the Vicar of Holy Trinity but was now "unbenificed" – on what we might call unpaid "gardening leave" today. But things went from bad to worse for Cheel, as on July 1st 1871 he was convicted at Bath of indecently assaulting a child. The 59-year-old was sentenced to two months in prison and was reported as having been removed from the court vehemently protesting his innocence. But then he had also vigorously denied the charges that Ellen Abbot had made against him two years earlier. This week, on the 16th, the Liverpool Daily Post wrote:
"The Ecclesiastical Commission appointed to inquire into the alleged indecent conduct of the Rev. James Cheel, vicar of Holy Trinity Church, St. Helens, commenced its labours at the Weston (Bath) Court-house on Wednesday morning." A number of witnesses had provided damning evidence against the man, including Sergeant Millburne. The officer spoke of receiving numerous complaints of the indecent conduct of a gentleman towards children prior to Cheel's conviction, after which the complaints ceased.
But the Church's covering up of child abuse allegations (seemingly) goes back a long way. After nearly an hour's deliberation in private – and despite the criminal conviction – the Commission brought in a verdict of acquittal against Cheel. "The defendant, who was much affected, thanked the Commissioners for their patient attention", wrote the Daily Post. In the 1881 census and now aged 69, Cheel is listed as a curate in Wiltshire, having married a woman 26 years younger than him.
During the evening of the 16th, the choir of the Wesleyan Methodists of Haydock held a concert of recitations, readings and musical performances. A collection was made on behalf of the colliery explosion fund and this amounted to £1 17s.
On the 17th, James Burrows, senior and junior, from Glover Street (off Liverpool Road) died together down Peasley Cross Colliery. The pair was working near a disused part of the pit when the 42-year-old father sent his son a short distance to tap a wall. That was to see if it was covering a cavity where gas might have collected. The 13-year-old did not come back and his father went to find him – but also failed to return. Their bodies were subsequently found having both been gassed and it took some time before they could be extricated because of the poisonous atmosphere.
"The telegraphs being deranged, it is difficult to get particulars. One-half of the city is burnt, including the entire business section. The fire is still raging. Efforts have been made to stop the flames by blowing up buildings with gunpowder, but ineffectually. There being no supply of water, the firemen are powerless. The loss is estimated at $300,000,000. The Mayor of Chicago is sending to other cities for aid and food for the destitute numbers of people being homeless. There is great excitement throughout the country, and aid has been sent from Cincinnati, St. Louis, Milwaukee, and Detroit. The President has ordered food and clothing to be distributed from the military store in Chicago.
"EVENING. The burnt section of Chicago covers upwards of two square miles in the heart of the city. It extends from Twelfth-street northwards. Everything has been burnt from the lake shore inland nearly one mile. The fire is still raging, but fireman from other places are arriving and checking its progress towards south and west. 100,000 people are homeless. Many have been killed. Aid is being sent from all quarters."
"WEDNESDAY 1 A.M. – The great fire at Chicago began in a stable on Sunday night. A boy took a kerosene lamp into the stable in order to milk a cow. The animal kicked the lamp over, which set fire to the place. The burning fluid ran onto the wooden pavements and caused an extension of the disaster. The people became crazy with excitement, and many were trampled to death, others were burnt.
"The loss of life is estimated at 500. Several incendiaries [arsonists] were caught yesterday, and were either shot or hanged. The money loss is estimated now in Chicago at $300,000,000. The fire is now extinguished in the southern part of the city, whence these reports come. Indirect reports from St. Louis state that the fire is still burning in the northern part, while crowds of starving people threaten a riot."
Next week's stories will include the drunken cooks at Whiston Workhouse, the state of the streets of St Helens, the fever sheds at Whiston, the German emigrants' railway accident, the death of a Rainford platelayer and bowling in Newton.
This week's stories include the St Helens vicar accused of indecency, the Sutton copper worker who brutalised his wife for not having any beer, the father and son who died down Peasley Cross Colliery, a murderous assault in Eccleston, the captain who dumped his boat in St Helens and a vivid report on the Great Chicago Fire.
We begin on the 14th when the Warrington Examiner was published and featured this piece:
"On Saturday last, Mr. John Johnson, farmer, Crow-lane, Newton, proceeded along with his farm servants to work in some fields adjacent to his farm, leaving his house in charge of a reformatory boy, named Gee.
"On his return, after an absence of a few hours, he found that the lad was missing.
"His suspicious were at once aroused, and proceeding up-stairs he found that the drawers had been forced open, and £30 in money stolen.
"Information was promptly given to the police, but up the present time no traces of the thief have been discovered.
"A few years ago Mr. Johnson was robbed in a similar manner of £40. On that occasion, also, the thief got away."
I've been unable to find out anything further about this case.
During the evening of the 14th, the members of the Sons of Temperance Lodge attended a concert in the Assembly Rooms in Market Street, Earlestown.
Many of these events involved amateurs from the district performing songs, recitations and readings.
The comic ones often went down the best, as was a rendition at the concert of "Out of the frying-pan into the fire," by Mr. T. Jones, who the Warrington Examiner described as:
"…a great favourite here; the “get-up” of this gentleman was perfect, and set the house in a roar before he opened his mouth, and it is useless to add that he brought down the house and gained a most enthusiastic encore."
The Examiner also mentioned that a woman had given the sum of £30,000 to the "Lancaster Asylum for Idiots". I'll pass no comment!
Probably the two most popular forms of entertainment enjoyed by the working class in the 1870s were serio-comics and black minstrel shows.
The former adopted the dry, comedic style of the future Les Dawson and the latter were either "negro" entertainers or white men blacked up via burnt cork make-up.
Whichever they were, a grotesque parody of the black man with exaggerated mannerisms was on show.
On the 15th The Era newspaper published this article, which showed that both forms of entertainment were doing well in St Helens in the building we know as the Citadel (shown above):
"THEATRE ROYAL CONCERT HALL (Lessee, C. Pitman.) – This place of amusement is now doing a good business. This week we have Mr. Wood and his two clever sons in the “Ni**er” business.
"We have also Harry Dales in the “burnt cork” line, and his stump speech keeps the audience in roars of laughter.
"Miss Kate Clifton, known as the Female Irishman, meets with a good reception, and has to respond to four recalls nightly, Miss Lizzie Packer (serio-comic) and Harry Garside (comic) complete the company."
In St Helens Petty Sessions on the 16th, William Jones was charged with assaulting his wife, Hannah.
The couple appeared to live in Peckers Hill Road in Sutton, with the husband a 34-year-old copper worker and his wife aged 27. This is how the St Helens Newspaper reported the case:
"The complainant's evidence went to show that the husband demanded beer to his dinner, when she had no money to procure it.
"He gave her the alternative of providing the beer or putting up with a drubbing which would spoil her face.
"The wife took the precaution of opening the door that the neighbours might hear his conduct, and he then got up, closed the door, and gave her an unmistakable beating.
"She asserted that whenever he got any drink – which was frequently – he kept his money and ill-treated his family.
"Jones had no defence to make. He was ordered to find sureties to keep the peace for three months, and give 24 hours' notice of bail."
The Wigan Observer reported on the 16th that James Moore had appeared in St Helens Petty Sessions charged with a "murderous assault" on Patrick Conway.
Both men were neighbours living in High Street Court in Eccleston and the 30-year-old Conway had had an altercation with some of Moore's family.
That led to the 39-year-old labourer knocking Conway down with a large piece of what was described as "glass-pot metal" and then beating him while on the floor, "inflicting eight dangerous wounds on his head".
The prisoner was committed to the assizes but at his trial was surprisingly cleared of the charge, without any explanation given in the newspapers.
Violence as I've often said was tolerated to a degree – but not usually "murderous assaults". I can only presume that there had been considerable provocation.
In a separate case there was another one of those charges that you don't just get these days when William Whittaker was prosecuted for deserting a vessel at St Helens.
No, not many ships get abandoned in the town today – apart from the odd model boat that might sink on Taylor Park lake!
Whittaker came from Widnes and was a captain of a flat – which was a boat like a barge.
For some reason he had dumped his vessel on the St Helens canal on September 26th.
As Whittaker didn't show up to court, a warrant was issued for his arrest – although I've been unable to find further accounts of the flatman. Perhaps he bought another boat and simply sailed off into the sunset...
In August 1869 a commission of inquiry had sat at the Lion Hotel Assembly Rooms in Warrington to consider a serious charge against the Rev. James Cheel.
The vicar of Holy Trinity Church in Traverse Street in Parr had been accused of committing adulterous sex with a woman called Ellen Abbott.
This had resulted in the birth of two children, one of whom had died in infancy.
The Bishop of Chester considered the charge proved and the decision was taken to suspend Rev. Cheel from the Church of England for three years.
However, Cheel retained his position as the Vicar of Holy Trinity but was now "unbenificed" – on what we might call unpaid "gardening leave" today.
But things went from bad to worse for Cheel, as on July 1st 1871 he was convicted at Bath of indecently assaulting a child.
The 59-year-old was sentenced to two months in prison and was reported as having been removed from the court vehemently protesting his innocence.
But then he had also vigorously denied the charges that Ellen Abbot had made against him two years earlier.
This week, on the 16th, the Liverpool Daily Post wrote:
"The Ecclesiastical Commission appointed to inquire into the alleged indecent conduct of the Rev. James Cheel, vicar of Holy Trinity Church, St. Helens, commenced its labours at the Weston (Bath) Court-house on Wednesday morning."
A number of witnesses had provided damning evidence against the man, including Sergeant Millburne.
The officer spoke of receiving numerous complaints of the indecent conduct of a gentleman towards children prior to Cheel's conviction, after which the complaints ceased.
But the Church's covering up of child abuse allegations (seemingly) goes back a long way.
After nearly an hour's deliberation in private – and despite the criminal conviction – the Commission brought in a verdict of acquittal against Cheel.
"The defendant, who was much affected, thanked the Commissioners for their patient attention", wrote the Daily Post.
In the 1881 census and now aged 69, Cheel is listed as a curate in Wiltshire, having married a woman 26 years younger than him.
During the evening of the 16th, the choir of the Wesleyan Methodists of Haydock held a concert of recitations, readings and musical performances.
A collection was made on behalf of the colliery explosion fund and this amounted to £1 17s.
On the 17th, James Burrows, senior and junior, from Glover Street (off Liverpool Road) died together down Peasley Cross Colliery.
The pair was working near a disused part of the pit when the 42-year-old father sent his son a short distance to tap a wall. That was to see if it was covering a cavity where gas might have collected.
The 13-year-old did not come back and his father went to find him – but also failed to return.
Their bodies were subsequently found having both been gassed and it took some time before they could be extricated because of the poisonous atmosphere.
And finally, the Great Fire of Chicago (remnants pictured above) occurred this week and so I'm concluding with two articles published in The Times from their correspondent in Philadelphia:
"LATEST INTELLIGENCE. AWFUL FIRE AT CHICAGO – A great fire broke out in Chicago on Sunday night in the southern part of the city. The wind was blowing a gale from the south and carried the fire through the heart of the city for miles.
"Thousands of buildings are destroyed; among them are all the banks, the railway depots, the Courthouse, the Waterworks, and the principal hotel and stores, six grain elevators, and a multitude of private dwelling houses.
"In the central portion of the city the buildings are of stone, but in the other parts chiefly wood, and the street pavements are also wood.
"The telegraphs being deranged, it is difficult to get particulars. One-half of the city is burnt, including the entire business section.
"The fire is still raging. Efforts have been made to stop the flames by blowing up buildings with gunpowder, but ineffectually.
"There being no supply of water, the firemen are powerless. The loss is estimated at $300,000,000.
"The Mayor of Chicago is sending to other cities for aid and food for the destitute numbers of people being homeless.
"There is great excitement throughout the country, and aid has been sent from Cincinnati, St. Louis, Milwaukee, and Detroit.
"The President has ordered food and clothing to be distributed from the military store in Chicago.
"EVENING. The burnt section of Chicago covers upwards of two square miles in the heart of the city.
"It extends from Twelfth-street northwards. Everything has been burnt from the lake shore inland nearly one mile.
"The fire is still raging, but fireman from other places are arriving and checking its progress towards south and west. 100,000 people are homeless. Many have been killed. Aid is being sent from all quarters.
"WEDNESDAY 1 A.M. – The great fire at Chicago began in a stable on Sunday night. A boy took a kerosene lamp into the stable in order to milk a cow.
"The animal kicked the lamp over, which set fire to the place. The burning fluid ran onto the wooden pavements and caused an extension of the disaster.
"The people became crazy with excitement, and many were trampled to death, others were burnt. The loss of life is estimated at 500.
"Several incendiaries [arsonists] were caught yesterday, and were either shot or hanged. The money loss is estimated now in Chicago at $300,000,000.
"The fire is now extinguished in the southern part of the city, whence these reports come.
"Indirect reports from St. Louis state that the fire is still burning in the northern part, while crowds of starving people threaten a riot."
Next week's stories will include the drunken cooks at Whiston Workhouse, the state of the streets of St Helens, the fever sheds at Whiston, the German emigrants' railway accident, the death of a Rainford platelayer and bowling in Newton.
We begin on the 14th when the Warrington Examiner was published and featured this piece:
"On Saturday last, Mr. John Johnson, farmer, Crow-lane, Newton, proceeded along with his farm servants to work in some fields adjacent to his farm, leaving his house in charge of a reformatory boy, named Gee.
"On his return, after an absence of a few hours, he found that the lad was missing.
"His suspicious were at once aroused, and proceeding up-stairs he found that the drawers had been forced open, and £30 in money stolen.
"Information was promptly given to the police, but up the present time no traces of the thief have been discovered.
"A few years ago Mr. Johnson was robbed in a similar manner of £40. On that occasion, also, the thief got away."
I've been unable to find out anything further about this case.
During the evening of the 14th, the members of the Sons of Temperance Lodge attended a concert in the Assembly Rooms in Market Street, Earlestown.
Many of these events involved amateurs from the district performing songs, recitations and readings.
The comic ones often went down the best, as was a rendition at the concert of "Out of the frying-pan into the fire," by Mr. T. Jones, who the Warrington Examiner described as:
"…a great favourite here; the “get-up” of this gentleman was perfect, and set the house in a roar before he opened his mouth, and it is useless to add that he brought down the house and gained a most enthusiastic encore."
The Examiner also mentioned that a woman had given the sum of £30,000 to the "Lancaster Asylum for Idiots". I'll pass no comment!
Probably the two most popular forms of entertainment enjoyed by the working class in the 1870s were serio-comics and black minstrel shows.
The former adopted the dry, comedic style of the future Les Dawson and the latter were either "negro" entertainers or white men blacked up via burnt cork make-up.
Whichever they were, a grotesque parody of the black man with exaggerated mannerisms was on show.
"THEATRE ROYAL CONCERT HALL (Lessee, C. Pitman.) – This place of amusement is now doing a good business. This week we have Mr. Wood and his two clever sons in the “Ni**er” business.
"We have also Harry Dales in the “burnt cork” line, and his stump speech keeps the audience in roars of laughter.
"Miss Kate Clifton, known as the Female Irishman, meets with a good reception, and has to respond to four recalls nightly, Miss Lizzie Packer (serio-comic) and Harry Garside (comic) complete the company."
In St Helens Petty Sessions on the 16th, William Jones was charged with assaulting his wife, Hannah.
The couple appeared to live in Peckers Hill Road in Sutton, with the husband a 34-year-old copper worker and his wife aged 27. This is how the St Helens Newspaper reported the case:
"The complainant's evidence went to show that the husband demanded beer to his dinner, when she had no money to procure it.
"He gave her the alternative of providing the beer or putting up with a drubbing which would spoil her face.
"The wife took the precaution of opening the door that the neighbours might hear his conduct, and he then got up, closed the door, and gave her an unmistakable beating.
"She asserted that whenever he got any drink – which was frequently – he kept his money and ill-treated his family.
"Jones had no defence to make. He was ordered to find sureties to keep the peace for three months, and give 24 hours' notice of bail."
The Wigan Observer reported on the 16th that James Moore had appeared in St Helens Petty Sessions charged with a "murderous assault" on Patrick Conway.
Both men were neighbours living in High Street Court in Eccleston and the 30-year-old Conway had had an altercation with some of Moore's family.
That led to the 39-year-old labourer knocking Conway down with a large piece of what was described as "glass-pot metal" and then beating him while on the floor, "inflicting eight dangerous wounds on his head".
The prisoner was committed to the assizes but at his trial was surprisingly cleared of the charge, without any explanation given in the newspapers.
Violence as I've often said was tolerated to a degree – but not usually "murderous assaults". I can only presume that there had been considerable provocation.
In a separate case there was another one of those charges that you don't just get these days when William Whittaker was prosecuted for deserting a vessel at St Helens.
No, not many ships get abandoned in the town today – apart from the odd model boat that might sink on Taylor Park lake!
Whittaker came from Widnes and was a captain of a flat – which was a boat like a barge.
For some reason he had dumped his vessel on the St Helens canal on September 26th.
As Whittaker didn't show up to court, a warrant was issued for his arrest – although I've been unable to find further accounts of the flatman. Perhaps he bought another boat and simply sailed off into the sunset...
In August 1869 a commission of inquiry had sat at the Lion Hotel Assembly Rooms in Warrington to consider a serious charge against the Rev. James Cheel.
The vicar of Holy Trinity Church in Traverse Street in Parr had been accused of committing adulterous sex with a woman called Ellen Abbott.
This had resulted in the birth of two children, one of whom had died in infancy.
The Bishop of Chester considered the charge proved and the decision was taken to suspend Rev. Cheel from the Church of England for three years.
However, Cheel retained his position as the Vicar of Holy Trinity but was now "unbenificed" – on what we might call unpaid "gardening leave" today.
But things went from bad to worse for Cheel, as on July 1st 1871 he was convicted at Bath of indecently assaulting a child.
The 59-year-old was sentenced to two months in prison and was reported as having been removed from the court vehemently protesting his innocence.
But then he had also vigorously denied the charges that Ellen Abbot had made against him two years earlier.
This week, on the 16th, the Liverpool Daily Post wrote:
"The Ecclesiastical Commission appointed to inquire into the alleged indecent conduct of the Rev. James Cheel, vicar of Holy Trinity Church, St. Helens, commenced its labours at the Weston (Bath) Court-house on Wednesday morning."
A number of witnesses had provided damning evidence against the man, including Sergeant Millburne.
The officer spoke of receiving numerous complaints of the indecent conduct of a gentleman towards children prior to Cheel's conviction, after which the complaints ceased.
But the Church's covering up of child abuse allegations (seemingly) goes back a long way.
After nearly an hour's deliberation in private – and despite the criminal conviction – the Commission brought in a verdict of acquittal against Cheel.
"The defendant, who was much affected, thanked the Commissioners for their patient attention", wrote the Daily Post.
In the 1881 census and now aged 69, Cheel is listed as a curate in Wiltshire, having married a woman 26 years younger than him.
During the evening of the 16th, the choir of the Wesleyan Methodists of Haydock held a concert of recitations, readings and musical performances.
A collection was made on behalf of the colliery explosion fund and this amounted to £1 17s.
On the 17th, James Burrows, senior and junior, from Glover Street (off Liverpool Road) died together down Peasley Cross Colliery.
The pair was working near a disused part of the pit when the 42-year-old father sent his son a short distance to tap a wall. That was to see if it was covering a cavity where gas might have collected.
The 13-year-old did not come back and his father went to find him – but also failed to return.
Their bodies were subsequently found having both been gassed and it took some time before they could be extricated because of the poisonous atmosphere.
"LATEST INTELLIGENCE. AWFUL FIRE AT CHICAGO – A great fire broke out in Chicago on Sunday night in the southern part of the city. The wind was blowing a gale from the south and carried the fire through the heart of the city for miles.
"Thousands of buildings are destroyed; among them are all the banks, the railway depots, the Courthouse, the Waterworks, and the principal hotel and stores, six grain elevators, and a multitude of private dwelling houses.
"In the central portion of the city the buildings are of stone, but in the other parts chiefly wood, and the street pavements are also wood.
"The telegraphs being deranged, it is difficult to get particulars. One-half of the city is burnt, including the entire business section.
"The fire is still raging. Efforts have been made to stop the flames by blowing up buildings with gunpowder, but ineffectually.
"There being no supply of water, the firemen are powerless. The loss is estimated at $300,000,000.
"The Mayor of Chicago is sending to other cities for aid and food for the destitute numbers of people being homeless.
"There is great excitement throughout the country, and aid has been sent from Cincinnati, St. Louis, Milwaukee, and Detroit.
"The President has ordered food and clothing to be distributed from the military store in Chicago.
"EVENING. The burnt section of Chicago covers upwards of two square miles in the heart of the city.
"It extends from Twelfth-street northwards. Everything has been burnt from the lake shore inland nearly one mile.
"The fire is still raging, but fireman from other places are arriving and checking its progress towards south and west. 100,000 people are homeless. Many have been killed. Aid is being sent from all quarters.
"WEDNESDAY 1 A.M. – The great fire at Chicago began in a stable on Sunday night. A boy took a kerosene lamp into the stable in order to milk a cow.
"The animal kicked the lamp over, which set fire to the place. The burning fluid ran onto the wooden pavements and caused an extension of the disaster.
"The people became crazy with excitement, and many were trampled to death, others were burnt. The loss of life is estimated at 500.
"Several incendiaries [arsonists] were caught yesterday, and were either shot or hanged. The money loss is estimated now in Chicago at $300,000,000.
"The fire is now extinguished in the southern part of the city, whence these reports come.
"Indirect reports from St. Louis state that the fire is still burning in the northern part, while crowds of starving people threaten a riot."
Next week's stories will include the drunken cooks at Whiston Workhouse, the state of the streets of St Helens, the fever sheds at Whiston, the German emigrants' railway accident, the death of a Rainford platelayer and bowling in Newton.