150 YEARS AGO THIS WEEK 29 SEPT - 5 OCT 1875
This week's many stories include the St Helens licensing blacklist, the violent storm that struck St Helens, Sutton Cricket Club play an unusual game, the indecent exposure in Dunriding Lane and the Prescot Guardians are told to stop claiming free meals when holding meetings.
Superintendent James Fowler was in charge of Prescot Police but he was retiring and on the 29th his officers and men presented him with a silver cup and a gold pencil case. Fowler had been in the police force for 35 years and in charge of the Prescot division for the last twenty. He was 62 but said he would have liked to have continued in his job for many more years.
But prior to taking over at Prescot, Fowler had been violently assaulted on 5 or 6 occasions and said he was still suffering badly from the injuries. In one attack in a riot in Garstang in 1840, he had lost the use of his right hand for some time. In 1869 Fowler's 18-year-old son drowned in the English Channel after falling overboard from a ship bound for Equatorial Guinea.
The St Helens licensing sessions were held on the 29th in which those pubs and beerhouses on the so-called blacklist applied for a renewal of their licence. These were licensees who had been convicted in court of offences, such as serving beer out of hours. The magistrates were told that William Collins of the Red, White and Blue beerhouse in Westfield Street had only been granted his licence in January but by June he had been convicted of serving drinks on a Sunday morning and fined 10 shillings.
The licensing hearing was told that consequently Greenall's brewery had given Collins notice to quit. But he had refused to leave and became "obstinate and stupid" and so Greenall's needed to take further court proceedings to get the man out. The brewery now applied to the court to transfer the licence to a man called Noah Lee and permission was granted.
Although the Prescot Board of Guardians who met fortnightly at Whiston Workhouse were unpaid, there was criticism that they were rather liberal with their expenses. And at every meeting they would indulge in a meal at the ratepayers' expense, despite being men of means themselves.
The Prescot Guardians ran Whiston Workhouse and also administered the outdoor relief to the extreme poor living in the community. The elected members reported to the Local Government Board and when the Guardians met on the 30th, they heard that the Board had written them a letter.
They had been informed of the Guardians' practice of having refreshments on the rates and stated that they could not condone it. The supply of water to the workhouse had been very irregular of late and the Guardians also decided to sink a well on the workhouse premises at a cost of £800.
Also on the 30th, Thomas Tatlock of Glover Street was killed at the Ravenhead Glass Works. The incident had taken place in the works' polishing room in which the man had been struck on the head by a falling rod that killed him almost instantaneously.
John Bold had an advert in the St Helens Newspaper on October 2nd offering "good dolly tubs, five shillings each". Based at the old workhouse in Baldwin Street (pictured above), Bold said he also sold churns and stable buckets with many items "made to order on the shortest notice".
The Newspaper described how the annual cricket match had taken place between the married and single members of Sutton Cricket Club, adding: "We ought, however, to say that the sides were 15 Single against 12 of the “Old uns.”" The fifteen unmarried members won by 8 runs and then they all trooped to the Prince of Wales Inn for a dinner.
There it was stated that of the ten matches they had played last season, Sutton had won 7, lost 2 and drawn 1. They had been so successful one committee member hoped the day would come when the All England Eleven would come to Sutton to play the team.
But the big story in the Newspaper was how "one of the severest storms which has visited St. Helens and district for many years" had taken place. The paper wrote how the gale had begun about 9 o’clock on the previous Sunday night and had gradually got more intense, "the violent squalls of wind being accompanied by heavy showers of rain, the houses in the neighbourhood being shaken to their foundations, so much so that many persons were afraid to go to bed, the roaring of the wind and pelting of the rain against the doors and windows being terrific."
Much damage was done with the streets said to have been literally covered with bricks, slates, and chimney pots. Two walls in the new glass works being erected at Pocket Nook were blown down flat; a portion of the cornice work in the tower of the new Town Hall was dislodged and its roof was also damaged in two places. The Newspaper wrote that at Cowley Hill, which they said was better known as "Windy Harbour", the whole of the skittle alley belonging to the Cowley Hill Tavern was blown down.
And in Bickerstaffe Street, a large portion of the 14-inch thick boundary wall of Greenall's brewery was knocked down. In Rainford a large elm tree in front of the police station was torn up by its roots and blown across the road, which was blocked for some time, and in Factory Row in Ravenhead, a bedroom window of one of the houses was completely blown in. Considerable havoc was also made with the telegraph poles and wires on the railway, with one long length extending from Crank Station to Moss Bank being blown by the wind right across the line.
Men were not only required to make maintenance payments to their separated wives, they also had to contribute to the maintenance of their sons in reformatories. And repeated failure to pay had the same ultimate penalty of a prison sentence.
This week Richard Baines was summoned to St Helens Petty Sessions for neglecting to contribute towards the maintenance of his son who had been sent to a reformatory. The man did not turn up to the hearing but in his absence was ordered to pay the full amount due for his son's maintenance or go to prison for a month.
On the 4th the Band and Boys of the Refuge from St Anne Street in Liverpool returned to St Helens to perform a concert in the Volunteer Hall. Whether Father James Nugent – the pioneering child welfare reformer who had founded the refuge and which the Nugent Care charity is named after – was with his boys was not stated. But the advert for the event was headlined "Nobody's Children".
There were two court cases heard on the 4th involving indecent exposure. But that could have different meanings and not necessarily mean a male "flashing" at a woman. Nude bathing in the canal or even running a race wearing skimpy shorts could be deemed indecent exposure. As usual, the Newspaper report contained minimal details of both cases.
But in one, Richard Fishwick, who was described as an elderly man – but censuses suggest he was only in his late 50s – was charged with exposing himself on two occasions to Frances Pennington in Dunriding Lane. However, Fishwick had hired a solicitor who persuaded the magistrates that the evidence was not conclusive and the charge was dismissed.
In the other case Thomas Spencer was charged with assaulting Mary Forrest and he pleaded guilty. However, the woman told the magistrates that she did not wish to press the case. When that occurred, it was usually because the complainant and defendant were related and pressure had been placed on the former to drop the case. Or, that the person making the complaint had been paid to withdraw the charge.
The magistrates were wise to that happening and, as in this case, often insisted upon hearing the evidence. Mrs Forrest then told her story somewhat reluctantly, stating that Spencer had come to her house in a drunken state and asked her for 3d or 6d. She said she told him she had no money and Spencer then made use of obscene language, took her by the waist and exposed himself to her.
Mrs Forrest's husband was also called to give evidence but all he did was give the defendant a good character. The Bench, clearly believing that an attempt had been made to compromise the case, said they were not disposed to overlook what had occurred and fined Spencer £2 and costs.
St Helens Newspaper courtesy St Helens Archive Service at Eccleston Library
Next Week's stories will include criticism of the drunkenness prevalent in St Helens, Hospital Saturday takes place, the malicious acts committed against the Lorne Hotel and the policeman that had his trousers torn to pieces.
Superintendent James Fowler was in charge of Prescot Police but he was retiring and on the 29th his officers and men presented him with a silver cup and a gold pencil case. Fowler had been in the police force for 35 years and in charge of the Prescot division for the last twenty. He was 62 but said he would have liked to have continued in his job for many more years.
But prior to taking over at Prescot, Fowler had been violently assaulted on 5 or 6 occasions and said he was still suffering badly from the injuries. In one attack in a riot in Garstang in 1840, he had lost the use of his right hand for some time. In 1869 Fowler's 18-year-old son drowned in the English Channel after falling overboard from a ship bound for Equatorial Guinea.
The St Helens licensing sessions were held on the 29th in which those pubs and beerhouses on the so-called blacklist applied for a renewal of their licence. These were licensees who had been convicted in court of offences, such as serving beer out of hours. The magistrates were told that William Collins of the Red, White and Blue beerhouse in Westfield Street had only been granted his licence in January but by June he had been convicted of serving drinks on a Sunday morning and fined 10 shillings.
The licensing hearing was told that consequently Greenall's brewery had given Collins notice to quit. But he had refused to leave and became "obstinate and stupid" and so Greenall's needed to take further court proceedings to get the man out. The brewery now applied to the court to transfer the licence to a man called Noah Lee and permission was granted.
Although the Prescot Board of Guardians who met fortnightly at Whiston Workhouse were unpaid, there was criticism that they were rather liberal with their expenses. And at every meeting they would indulge in a meal at the ratepayers' expense, despite being men of means themselves.
The Prescot Guardians ran Whiston Workhouse and also administered the outdoor relief to the extreme poor living in the community. The elected members reported to the Local Government Board and when the Guardians met on the 30th, they heard that the Board had written them a letter.
They had been informed of the Guardians' practice of having refreshments on the rates and stated that they could not condone it. The supply of water to the workhouse had been very irregular of late and the Guardians also decided to sink a well on the workhouse premises at a cost of £800.
Also on the 30th, Thomas Tatlock of Glover Street was killed at the Ravenhead Glass Works. The incident had taken place in the works' polishing room in which the man had been struck on the head by a falling rod that killed him almost instantaneously.
The Newspaper described how the annual cricket match had taken place between the married and single members of Sutton Cricket Club, adding: "We ought, however, to say that the sides were 15 Single against 12 of the “Old uns.”" The fifteen unmarried members won by 8 runs and then they all trooped to the Prince of Wales Inn for a dinner.
There it was stated that of the ten matches they had played last season, Sutton had won 7, lost 2 and drawn 1. They had been so successful one committee member hoped the day would come when the All England Eleven would come to Sutton to play the team.
But the big story in the Newspaper was how "one of the severest storms which has visited St. Helens and district for many years" had taken place. The paper wrote how the gale had begun about 9 o’clock on the previous Sunday night and had gradually got more intense, "the violent squalls of wind being accompanied by heavy showers of rain, the houses in the neighbourhood being shaken to their foundations, so much so that many persons were afraid to go to bed, the roaring of the wind and pelting of the rain against the doors and windows being terrific."
Much damage was done with the streets said to have been literally covered with bricks, slates, and chimney pots. Two walls in the new glass works being erected at Pocket Nook were blown down flat; a portion of the cornice work in the tower of the new Town Hall was dislodged and its roof was also damaged in two places. The Newspaper wrote that at Cowley Hill, which they said was better known as "Windy Harbour", the whole of the skittle alley belonging to the Cowley Hill Tavern was blown down.
And in Bickerstaffe Street, a large portion of the 14-inch thick boundary wall of Greenall's brewery was knocked down. In Rainford a large elm tree in front of the police station was torn up by its roots and blown across the road, which was blocked for some time, and in Factory Row in Ravenhead, a bedroom window of one of the houses was completely blown in. Considerable havoc was also made with the telegraph poles and wires on the railway, with one long length extending from Crank Station to Moss Bank being blown by the wind right across the line.
Men were not only required to make maintenance payments to their separated wives, they also had to contribute to the maintenance of their sons in reformatories. And repeated failure to pay had the same ultimate penalty of a prison sentence.
This week Richard Baines was summoned to St Helens Petty Sessions for neglecting to contribute towards the maintenance of his son who had been sent to a reformatory. The man did not turn up to the hearing but in his absence was ordered to pay the full amount due for his son's maintenance or go to prison for a month.
On the 4th the Band and Boys of the Refuge from St Anne Street in Liverpool returned to St Helens to perform a concert in the Volunteer Hall. Whether Father James Nugent – the pioneering child welfare reformer who had founded the refuge and which the Nugent Care charity is named after – was with his boys was not stated. But the advert for the event was headlined "Nobody's Children".
There were two court cases heard on the 4th involving indecent exposure. But that could have different meanings and not necessarily mean a male "flashing" at a woman. Nude bathing in the canal or even running a race wearing skimpy shorts could be deemed indecent exposure. As usual, the Newspaper report contained minimal details of both cases.
But in one, Richard Fishwick, who was described as an elderly man – but censuses suggest he was only in his late 50s – was charged with exposing himself on two occasions to Frances Pennington in Dunriding Lane. However, Fishwick had hired a solicitor who persuaded the magistrates that the evidence was not conclusive and the charge was dismissed.
In the other case Thomas Spencer was charged with assaulting Mary Forrest and he pleaded guilty. However, the woman told the magistrates that she did not wish to press the case. When that occurred, it was usually because the complainant and defendant were related and pressure had been placed on the former to drop the case. Or, that the person making the complaint had been paid to withdraw the charge.
The magistrates were wise to that happening and, as in this case, often insisted upon hearing the evidence. Mrs Forrest then told her story somewhat reluctantly, stating that Spencer had come to her house in a drunken state and asked her for 3d or 6d. She said she told him she had no money and Spencer then made use of obscene language, took her by the waist and exposed himself to her.
Mrs Forrest's husband was also called to give evidence but all he did was give the defendant a good character. The Bench, clearly believing that an attempt had been made to compromise the case, said they were not disposed to overlook what had occurred and fined Spencer £2 and costs.
St Helens Newspaper courtesy St Helens Archive Service at Eccleston Library
Next Week's stories will include criticism of the drunkenness prevalent in St Helens, Hospital Saturday takes place, the malicious acts committed against the Lorne Hotel and the policeman that had his trousers torn to pieces.
This week's many stories include the St Helens licensing blacklist, the violent storm that struck St Helens, Sutton Cricket Club play an unusual game, the indecent exposure in Dunriding Lane and the Prescot Guardians are told to stop claiming free meals when holding meetings.
Superintendent James Fowler was in charge of Prescot Police but he was retiring and on the 29th his officers and men presented him with a silver cup and a gold pencil case.
Fowler had been in the police force for 35 years and in charge of the Prescot division for the last twenty. He was 62 but said he would have liked to have continued in his job for many more years.
But prior to taking over at Prescot, Fowler had been violently assaulted on 5 or 6 occasions and said he was still suffering badly from the injuries. In one attack in a riot in Garstang in 1840, he had lost the use of his right hand for some time.
In 1869 Fowler's 18-year-old son drowned in the English Channel after falling overboard from a ship bound for Equatorial Guinea.
The St Helens licensing sessions were held on the 29th in which those pubs and beerhouses on the so-called blacklist applied for a renewal of their licence.
These were licensees who had been convicted in court of offences, such as serving beer out of hours.
The magistrates were told that William Collins of the Red, White and Blue beerhouse in Westfield Street had only been granted his licence in January but by June he had been convicted of serving drinks on a Sunday morning and fined 10 shillings.
The licensing hearing was told that consequently Greenall's brewery had given Collins notice to quit.
But he had refused to leave and became "obstinate and stupid" and so Greenall's needed to take further court proceedings to get the man out.
The brewery now applied to the court to transfer the licence to a man called Noah Lee and permission was granted.
Although the Prescot Board of Guardians who met fortnightly at Whiston Workhouse were unpaid, there was criticism that they were rather liberal with their expenses.
And at every meeting they would indulge in a meal at the ratepayers' expense, despite being men of means themselves.
The Prescot Guardians ran Whiston Workhouse and also administered the outdoor relief to the extreme poor living in the community.
The elected members reported to the Local Government Board and when the Guardians met on the 30th, they heard that the Board had written them a letter.
They had been informed of the Guardians' practice of having refreshments on the rates and stated that they could not condone it.
The supply of water to the workhouse had been very irregular of late and the Guardians also decided to sink a well on the workhouse premises at a cost of £800.
Also on the 30th, Thomas Tatlock of Glover Street was killed at the Ravenhead Glass Works.
The incident had taken place in the works' polishing room in which the man had been struck on the head by a falling rod that killed him almost instantaneously.
John Bold had an advert in the St Helens Newspaper on October 2nd offering "good dolly tubs, five shillings each".
Based at the old workhouse in Baldwin Street (pictured above), Bold said he also sold churns and stable buckets with many items "made to order on the shortest notice".
The Newspaper described how the annual cricket match had taken place between the married and single members of Sutton Cricket Club, adding:
"We ought, however, to say that the sides were 15 Single against 12 of the “Old uns.”"
The fifteen unmarried members won by 8 runs and then they all trooped to the Prince of Wales Inn for a dinner.
There it was stated that of the ten matches they had played last season, Sutton had won 7, lost 2 and drawn 1.
They had been so successful one committee member hoped the day would come when the All England Eleven would come to Sutton to play the team.
But the big story in the Newspaper was how "one of the severest storms which has visited St. Helens and district for many years" had taken place.
The paper wrote how the gale had begun about 9 o’clock on the previous Sunday night and had gradually got more intense, "the violent squalls of wind being accompanied by heavy showers of rain, the houses in the neighbourhood being shaken to their foundations, so much so that many persons were afraid to go to bed, the roaring of the wind and pelting of the rain against the doors and windows being terrific."
Much damage was done with the streets said to have been literally covered with bricks, slates, and chimney pots.
Two walls in the new glass works being erected at Pocket Nook were blown down flat; a portion of the cornice work in the tower of the new Town Hall was dislodged and its roof was also damaged in two places.
The Newspaper wrote that at Cowley Hill, which they said was better known as "Windy Harbour", the whole of the skittle alley belonging to the Cowley Hill Tavern was blown down.
And in Bickerstaffe Street, a large portion of the 14-inch thick boundary wall of Greenall's brewery was knocked down.
In Rainford a large elm tree in front of the police station was torn up by its roots and blown across the road, which was blocked for some time, and in Factory Row in Ravenhead, a bedroom window of one of the houses was completely blown in.
Considerable havoc was also made with the telegraph poles and wires on the railway, with one long length extending from Crank Station to Moss Bank being blown by the wind right across the line.
Men were not only required to make maintenance payments to their separated wives, they also had to contribute to the maintenance of their sons in reformatories.
And repeated failure to pay had the same ultimate penalty of a prison sentence.
This week Richard Baines was summoned to St Helens Petty Sessions for neglecting to contribute towards the maintenance of his son who had been sent to a reformatory.
The man did not turn up to the hearing but in his absence was ordered to pay the full amount due for his son's maintenance or go to prison for a month.
On the 4th the Band and Boys of the Refuge from St Anne Street in Liverpool returned to St Helens to perform a concert in the Volunteer Hall.
Whether Father James Nugent – the pioneering child welfare reformer who had founded the refuge and which the Nugent Care charity is named after – was with his boys was not stated.
But the advert for the event was headlined "Nobody's Children".
There were two court cases heard on the 4th involving indecent exposure.
But that could have different meanings and not necessarily mean a male "flashing" at a woman.
Nude bathing in the canal or even running a race wearing skimpy shorts could be deemed indecent exposure.
As usual, the Newspaper report contained minimal details of both cases.
But in one, Richard Fishwick, who was described as an elderly man – but censuses suggest he was only in his late 50s – was charged with exposing himself on two occasions to Frances Pennington in Dunriding Lane.
However, Fishwick had hired a solicitor who persuaded the magistrates that the evidence was not conclusive and the charge was dismissed.
In the other case Thomas Spencer was charged with assaulting Mary Forrest and he pleaded guilty.
However, the woman told the magistrates that she did not wish to press the case.
When that occurred, it was usually because the complainant and defendant were related and pressure had been placed on the former to drop the case.
Or, that the person making the complaint had been paid to withdraw the charge.
The magistrates were wise to that happening and, as in this case, often insisted upon hearing the evidence.
Mrs Forrest then told her story somewhat reluctantly, stating that Spencer had come to her house in a drunken state and asked her for 3d or 6d.
She said she told him she had no money and Spencer then made use of obscene language, took her by the waist and exposed himself to her.
Mrs Forrest's husband was also called to give evidence but all he did was give the defendant a good character.
The Bench, clearly believing that an attempt had been made to compromise the case, said they were not disposed to overlook what had occurred and fined Spencer £2 and costs.
St Helens Newspaper courtesy St Helens Archive Service at Eccleston Library
Next Week's stories will include criticism of the drunkenness prevalent in St Helens, Hospital Saturday takes place, the malicious acts committed against the Lorne Hotel and the policeman that had his trousers torn to pieces.
Superintendent James Fowler was in charge of Prescot Police but he was retiring and on the 29th his officers and men presented him with a silver cup and a gold pencil case.
Fowler had been in the police force for 35 years and in charge of the Prescot division for the last twenty. He was 62 but said he would have liked to have continued in his job for many more years.
But prior to taking over at Prescot, Fowler had been violently assaulted on 5 or 6 occasions and said he was still suffering badly from the injuries. In one attack in a riot in Garstang in 1840, he had lost the use of his right hand for some time.
In 1869 Fowler's 18-year-old son drowned in the English Channel after falling overboard from a ship bound for Equatorial Guinea.
The St Helens licensing sessions were held on the 29th in which those pubs and beerhouses on the so-called blacklist applied for a renewal of their licence.
These were licensees who had been convicted in court of offences, such as serving beer out of hours.
The magistrates were told that William Collins of the Red, White and Blue beerhouse in Westfield Street had only been granted his licence in January but by June he had been convicted of serving drinks on a Sunday morning and fined 10 shillings.
The licensing hearing was told that consequently Greenall's brewery had given Collins notice to quit.
But he had refused to leave and became "obstinate and stupid" and so Greenall's needed to take further court proceedings to get the man out.
The brewery now applied to the court to transfer the licence to a man called Noah Lee and permission was granted.
Although the Prescot Board of Guardians who met fortnightly at Whiston Workhouse were unpaid, there was criticism that they were rather liberal with their expenses.
And at every meeting they would indulge in a meal at the ratepayers' expense, despite being men of means themselves.
The Prescot Guardians ran Whiston Workhouse and also administered the outdoor relief to the extreme poor living in the community.
The elected members reported to the Local Government Board and when the Guardians met on the 30th, they heard that the Board had written them a letter.
They had been informed of the Guardians' practice of having refreshments on the rates and stated that they could not condone it.
The supply of water to the workhouse had been very irregular of late and the Guardians also decided to sink a well on the workhouse premises at a cost of £800.
Also on the 30th, Thomas Tatlock of Glover Street was killed at the Ravenhead Glass Works.
The incident had taken place in the works' polishing room in which the man had been struck on the head by a falling rod that killed him almost instantaneously.
John Bold had an advert in the St Helens Newspaper on October 2nd offering "good dolly tubs, five shillings each".
The Newspaper described how the annual cricket match had taken place between the married and single members of Sutton Cricket Club, adding:
"We ought, however, to say that the sides were 15 Single against 12 of the “Old uns.”"
The fifteen unmarried members won by 8 runs and then they all trooped to the Prince of Wales Inn for a dinner.
There it was stated that of the ten matches they had played last season, Sutton had won 7, lost 2 and drawn 1.
They had been so successful one committee member hoped the day would come when the All England Eleven would come to Sutton to play the team.
But the big story in the Newspaper was how "one of the severest storms which has visited St. Helens and district for many years" had taken place.
The paper wrote how the gale had begun about 9 o’clock on the previous Sunday night and had gradually got more intense, "the violent squalls of wind being accompanied by heavy showers of rain, the houses in the neighbourhood being shaken to their foundations, so much so that many persons were afraid to go to bed, the roaring of the wind and pelting of the rain against the doors and windows being terrific."
Much damage was done with the streets said to have been literally covered with bricks, slates, and chimney pots.
Two walls in the new glass works being erected at Pocket Nook were blown down flat; a portion of the cornice work in the tower of the new Town Hall was dislodged and its roof was also damaged in two places.
The Newspaper wrote that at Cowley Hill, which they said was better known as "Windy Harbour", the whole of the skittle alley belonging to the Cowley Hill Tavern was blown down.
And in Bickerstaffe Street, a large portion of the 14-inch thick boundary wall of Greenall's brewery was knocked down.
In Rainford a large elm tree in front of the police station was torn up by its roots and blown across the road, which was blocked for some time, and in Factory Row in Ravenhead, a bedroom window of one of the houses was completely blown in.
Considerable havoc was also made with the telegraph poles and wires on the railway, with one long length extending from Crank Station to Moss Bank being blown by the wind right across the line.
Men were not only required to make maintenance payments to their separated wives, they also had to contribute to the maintenance of their sons in reformatories.
And repeated failure to pay had the same ultimate penalty of a prison sentence.
This week Richard Baines was summoned to St Helens Petty Sessions for neglecting to contribute towards the maintenance of his son who had been sent to a reformatory.
The man did not turn up to the hearing but in his absence was ordered to pay the full amount due for his son's maintenance or go to prison for a month.
On the 4th the Band and Boys of the Refuge from St Anne Street in Liverpool returned to St Helens to perform a concert in the Volunteer Hall.
Whether Father James Nugent – the pioneering child welfare reformer who had founded the refuge and which the Nugent Care charity is named after – was with his boys was not stated.
But the advert for the event was headlined "Nobody's Children".
There were two court cases heard on the 4th involving indecent exposure.
But that could have different meanings and not necessarily mean a male "flashing" at a woman.
Nude bathing in the canal or even running a race wearing skimpy shorts could be deemed indecent exposure.
As usual, the Newspaper report contained minimal details of both cases.
But in one, Richard Fishwick, who was described as an elderly man – but censuses suggest he was only in his late 50s – was charged with exposing himself on two occasions to Frances Pennington in Dunriding Lane.
However, Fishwick had hired a solicitor who persuaded the magistrates that the evidence was not conclusive and the charge was dismissed.
In the other case Thomas Spencer was charged with assaulting Mary Forrest and he pleaded guilty.
However, the woman told the magistrates that she did not wish to press the case.
When that occurred, it was usually because the complainant and defendant were related and pressure had been placed on the former to drop the case.
Or, that the person making the complaint had been paid to withdraw the charge.
The magistrates were wise to that happening and, as in this case, often insisted upon hearing the evidence.
Mrs Forrest then told her story somewhat reluctantly, stating that Spencer had come to her house in a drunken state and asked her for 3d or 6d.
She said she told him she had no money and Spencer then made use of obscene language, took her by the waist and exposed himself to her.
Mrs Forrest's husband was also called to give evidence but all he did was give the defendant a good character.
The Bench, clearly believing that an attempt had been made to compromise the case, said they were not disposed to overlook what had occurred and fined Spencer £2 and costs.
St Helens Newspaper courtesy St Helens Archive Service at Eccleston Library
Next Week's stories will include criticism of the drunkenness prevalent in St Helens, Hospital Saturday takes place, the malicious acts committed against the Lorne Hotel and the policeman that had his trousers torn to pieces.