150 YEARS AGO THIS WEEK 14 - 20 OCTOBER 1874
This week's many stories include the balloon flight in Prescot that was carrying a living freight, the revival of an old Catholic chapel at Portico, the cheeky copper theft from the Ring O’ Bells in Westfield Street, the stone-throwing at St Helens police in Greenbank and the badly beaten woman who was said to have been the real villain of the piece.
We begin on the 17th when the Prescot Reporter described how "for the first time within the memory of the oldest inhabitants of Prescot, a balloon carrying a living freight, [had] ascended from this town." The living freight was John Youens who went up in a balloon called the Prince Arthur from the grounds of the Plough Inn in Warrington Road.
Most of the inhabitants of Prescot turned out of their houses to watch the unusual sight and the balloon drifted towards St Helens and beyond, before finally descending near Carr Mill Dam. Two days later the balloon went up again, this time coming down near Eccleston Church.
The pilot John Youens had been engaged by the proprietor of the Plough Inn for what we might call a publicity stunt and it drew a large number of people to his pub, particularly on the second day when the weather was better. The Reporter wrote that the landlord "appears to be satisfied with his speculation, which proved very gratifying to the people of Prescot."
Thomas Henty of Hamer Street was advertising his pianofortes and harmoniums in the St Helens Newspaper on the 17th, which were available to purchase on the "three years system" from 21 shillings per month.
The Newspaper also wrote: "As the first of November approaches, those who are desirous of municipal honours, and their friends, are beginning to bestir themselves." In other words, candidates for the forthcoming St Helens council elections were getting their act together.
When there were few churches in St Helens, worshippers could walk for miles to attend a service. For example, many Protestants in Sutton used to walk to Prescot or Farnworth before their own parish church was built in New Street. And prior to the building of St Anne's in Sutton, Roman Catholics might traipse to Blackbrook or Portico.
But as more places of worship opened their doors, so churches such as at Portico became less popular. And with less income from offertory collections they were in danger of becoming completely run down. However, the Newspaper described how the situation at Portico had now been addressed:
"At one time its Sunday services were crowded by a congregation gathered from the country for miles around. But since the erection of churches at Prescot, Rainhill, and Sutton, the Catholics in those districts have naturally found accommodation nearer their homes. These circumstances caused the little chapel at Portico to be nearly deserted; and the organ which had been used in the solemn services of the chapel had become dilapidated.
"Things have taken a turn for the better, and a considerable congregation having again gathered round the old mission house, a choir has been formed, and the organ, which is a very fair instrument, having been thoroughly over-hauled and repaired, its restoration was celebrated on Sunday last by two opening services."
Robert Prophet ran the Ring O’ Bells Inn in Westfield Street and this week he prosecuted a labourer called William Pearson accusing him of theft. The man had entered the inn just before closing time and helped himself to 4 shillings 11d from behind the bar. It was all in coppers and as Pearson walked out of the pub he dropped some of it on the floor. But he was seen by the landlord's wife and despite him pleading guilty and expressing contrition for his conduct – which he blamed on drunkenness – he was still sent to prison for a month.
Pearson would have been better off if he'd beaten up a women – as the next case shows. That concerned a miner called William Anders who appeared in court accused of assaulting Mary Marsh by kicking her and dragging her by the hair of her head. PC Sheriff told how he had seen the man badly abusing the woman with his hand tightly fastened on her hair and he was only able to loosen the man's grip with great difficulty. And even then Anders gave Mary what was described as a parting kick in front of the officer.
Anders' defence was that the woman had provoked the assault by pushing him and, as it was reported, "abusing him with her tongue". However, the magistrates said there was no doubt about the kicking and they were determined to put such things down as they fined William Anders £2 and 12s 6d costs.
In another case a watchmaker called Thomas May was charged with assaulting Ann Hewitt in Edward Street in St Helens, which used to be near Liverpool Street. The Newspaper wrote: "The complainant's eyes were both swollen and black, and bore evidence of having received fearful abuse."
Mrs Hewitt described how on Monday afternoon she had found her husband at the bottom of the entry where they lived bleeding from his mouth and with two black eyes. She saw May nearby and he admitted responsibility and said he was prepared to do just the same to her. That, she said, he did by giving her a violent blow between the eyes, which had knocked her down and she said he had beaten her "with great cruelty".
But in a remarkable turnaround the Bench dismissed the case against Thomas May and Mrs Hewitt was the one who was convicted and bound over! That was after two witnesses gave evidence that the Hewitts – the wife, husband and daughter – were, in fact, the main protagonists in the affair. A stone was produced in court that Ann Hewitt had supposedly used as a weapon and Thomas May was said to have only used violence against the woman as a last resort.
There was also another case where a man's arrest in Greenbank and escort to the police station had prompted a violent response from his neighbours. Thomas Ellison was in the dock charged with having assaulted PC Doig. The latter told the court that he and other officers had needed to make an arrest in Greenbank at 12:50 am on Tuesday morning.
As soon as the arrest was made, he said a crowd in Bath Street (near Liverpool Road) had set upon the police with stones and he had been struck. PC Doig also insisted that Thomas Ellison had been one of those involved. PC Cooney then described how a shower of stones had come at them from Bath Street as they journeyed to the station with their prisoner.
He said he chased the men who threw the missiles and captured Ellison who had a stone in his possession and had resisted his arrest strongly. However, the man denied the offence and he had a witness called Edward Halsall who claimed to have been with Ellison as they arrived in St Helens after coming in from Prescot.
He said when they entered Liverpool Road they saw a crowd near the Derby Arms and signs of a row. They went up to see what was going on and the crowd began to run away and they did likewise. The police then collared Ellison but Halsall claimed he had done nothing to warrant being arrested. But the Chairman said the case was clearly proved and he inflicted a fine of 40 shillings and costs on Thomas Ellison.
When a father summoned his son for assault you knew that in all likelihood it was the dad who was the real offender. It was common for sons in their late teens or early twenties who were still living at home to protect their mothers from a violent or drunken husband.
In this week's Petty Sessions, Patrick Brophy summoned his son John alleging assault. He claimed that he had been sat in his house after doing his day's work when his son entered the room and began hitting him. His wife then joined in the assault and between the pair he said he had received "brutal usage".
The magistrates knew that such an assault by a wife and her son would not have been for nothing and they asked the police what they knew of the family. In reply Inspector Whiteside said Patrick Brophy was a drunkard but his wife was a very hard-working, steady woman and her son also bore a good character. That was enough for the Bench who dismissed the case.
St Helens Newspaper courtesy St Helens Archive Service at Eccleston Library
Next Week's stories will include the purring attack in Duke Street, the fatal accident at a Pocket Nook glassworks, Foottit's Circus comes to St Helens, the hare killing in Rainford and the highly ignorant Parr woman that fought with a man.
We begin on the 17th when the Prescot Reporter described how "for the first time within the memory of the oldest inhabitants of Prescot, a balloon carrying a living freight, [had] ascended from this town." The living freight was John Youens who went up in a balloon called the Prince Arthur from the grounds of the Plough Inn in Warrington Road.
Most of the inhabitants of Prescot turned out of their houses to watch the unusual sight and the balloon drifted towards St Helens and beyond, before finally descending near Carr Mill Dam. Two days later the balloon went up again, this time coming down near Eccleston Church.
The pilot John Youens had been engaged by the proprietor of the Plough Inn for what we might call a publicity stunt and it drew a large number of people to his pub, particularly on the second day when the weather was better. The Reporter wrote that the landlord "appears to be satisfied with his speculation, which proved very gratifying to the people of Prescot."
Thomas Henty of Hamer Street was advertising his pianofortes and harmoniums in the St Helens Newspaper on the 17th, which were available to purchase on the "three years system" from 21 shillings per month.
The Newspaper also wrote: "As the first of November approaches, those who are desirous of municipal honours, and their friends, are beginning to bestir themselves." In other words, candidates for the forthcoming St Helens council elections were getting their act together.
When there were few churches in St Helens, worshippers could walk for miles to attend a service. For example, many Protestants in Sutton used to walk to Prescot or Farnworth before their own parish church was built in New Street. And prior to the building of St Anne's in Sutton, Roman Catholics might traipse to Blackbrook or Portico.
But as more places of worship opened their doors, so churches such as at Portico became less popular. And with less income from offertory collections they were in danger of becoming completely run down. However, the Newspaper described how the situation at Portico had now been addressed:
"At one time its Sunday services were crowded by a congregation gathered from the country for miles around. But since the erection of churches at Prescot, Rainhill, and Sutton, the Catholics in those districts have naturally found accommodation nearer their homes. These circumstances caused the little chapel at Portico to be nearly deserted; and the organ which had been used in the solemn services of the chapel had become dilapidated.
"Things have taken a turn for the better, and a considerable congregation having again gathered round the old mission house, a choir has been formed, and the organ, which is a very fair instrument, having been thoroughly over-hauled and repaired, its restoration was celebrated on Sunday last by two opening services."
Robert Prophet ran the Ring O’ Bells Inn in Westfield Street and this week he prosecuted a labourer called William Pearson accusing him of theft. The man had entered the inn just before closing time and helped himself to 4 shillings 11d from behind the bar. It was all in coppers and as Pearson walked out of the pub he dropped some of it on the floor. But he was seen by the landlord's wife and despite him pleading guilty and expressing contrition for his conduct – which he blamed on drunkenness – he was still sent to prison for a month.
Pearson would have been better off if he'd beaten up a women – as the next case shows. That concerned a miner called William Anders who appeared in court accused of assaulting Mary Marsh by kicking her and dragging her by the hair of her head. PC Sheriff told how he had seen the man badly abusing the woman with his hand tightly fastened on her hair and he was only able to loosen the man's grip with great difficulty. And even then Anders gave Mary what was described as a parting kick in front of the officer.
Anders' defence was that the woman had provoked the assault by pushing him and, as it was reported, "abusing him with her tongue". However, the magistrates said there was no doubt about the kicking and they were determined to put such things down as they fined William Anders £2 and 12s 6d costs.
Mrs Hewitt described how on Monday afternoon she had found her husband at the bottom of the entry where they lived bleeding from his mouth and with two black eyes. She saw May nearby and he admitted responsibility and said he was prepared to do just the same to her. That, she said, he did by giving her a violent blow between the eyes, which had knocked her down and she said he had beaten her "with great cruelty".
But in a remarkable turnaround the Bench dismissed the case against Thomas May and Mrs Hewitt was the one who was convicted and bound over! That was after two witnesses gave evidence that the Hewitts – the wife, husband and daughter – were, in fact, the main protagonists in the affair. A stone was produced in court that Ann Hewitt had supposedly used as a weapon and Thomas May was said to have only used violence against the woman as a last resort.
There was also another case where a man's arrest in Greenbank and escort to the police station had prompted a violent response from his neighbours. Thomas Ellison was in the dock charged with having assaulted PC Doig. The latter told the court that he and other officers had needed to make an arrest in Greenbank at 12:50 am on Tuesday morning.
As soon as the arrest was made, he said a crowd in Bath Street (near Liverpool Road) had set upon the police with stones and he had been struck. PC Doig also insisted that Thomas Ellison had been one of those involved. PC Cooney then described how a shower of stones had come at them from Bath Street as they journeyed to the station with their prisoner.
He said he chased the men who threw the missiles and captured Ellison who had a stone in his possession and had resisted his arrest strongly. However, the man denied the offence and he had a witness called Edward Halsall who claimed to have been with Ellison as they arrived in St Helens after coming in from Prescot.
He said when they entered Liverpool Road they saw a crowd near the Derby Arms and signs of a row. They went up to see what was going on and the crowd began to run away and they did likewise. The police then collared Ellison but Halsall claimed he had done nothing to warrant being arrested. But the Chairman said the case was clearly proved and he inflicted a fine of 40 shillings and costs on Thomas Ellison.
When a father summoned his son for assault you knew that in all likelihood it was the dad who was the real offender. It was common for sons in their late teens or early twenties who were still living at home to protect their mothers from a violent or drunken husband.
In this week's Petty Sessions, Patrick Brophy summoned his son John alleging assault. He claimed that he had been sat in his house after doing his day's work when his son entered the room and began hitting him. His wife then joined in the assault and between the pair he said he had received "brutal usage".
The magistrates knew that such an assault by a wife and her son would not have been for nothing and they asked the police what they knew of the family. In reply Inspector Whiteside said Patrick Brophy was a drunkard but his wife was a very hard-working, steady woman and her son also bore a good character. That was enough for the Bench who dismissed the case.
St Helens Newspaper courtesy St Helens Archive Service at Eccleston Library
Next Week's stories will include the purring attack in Duke Street, the fatal accident at a Pocket Nook glassworks, Foottit's Circus comes to St Helens, the hare killing in Rainford and the highly ignorant Parr woman that fought with a man.
This week's many stories include the balloon flight in Prescot that was carrying a living freight, the revival of an old Catholic chapel at Portico, the cheeky copper theft from the Ring O’ Bells in Westfield Street, the stone-throwing at St Helens police in Greenbank and the badly beaten woman who was said to have been the real villain of the piece.
We begin on the 17th when the Prescot Reporter described how "for the first time within the memory of the oldest inhabitants of Prescot, a balloon carrying a living freight, [had] ascended from this town."
The living freight was John Youens who went up in a balloon called the Prince Arthur from the grounds of the Plough Inn in Warrington Road.
Most of the inhabitants of Prescot turned out of their houses to watch the unusual sight and the balloon drifted towards St Helens and beyond, before finally descending near Carr Mill Dam.
Two days later the balloon went up again, this time coming down near Eccleston Church.
The pilot John Youens had been engaged by the proprietor of the Plough Inn for what we might call a publicity stunt and it drew a large number of people to his pub, particularly on the second day when the weather was better.
The Reporter wrote that the landlord "appears to be satisfied with his speculation, which proved very gratifying to the people of Prescot."
Thomas Henty of Hamer Street was advertising his pianofortes and harmoniums in the St Helens Newspaper on the 17th, which were available to purchase on the "three years system" from 21 shillings per month.
The Newspaper also wrote: "As the first of November approaches, those who are desirous of municipal honours, and their friends, are beginning to bestir themselves."
In other words, candidates for the forthcoming St Helens council elections were getting their act together.
When there were few churches in St Helens, worshippers could walk for miles to attend a service.
For example, many Protestants in Sutton used to walk to Prescot or Farnworth before their own parish church was built in New Street.
And prior to the building of St Anne's in Sutton, Roman Catholics might traipse to Blackbrook or Portico.
But as more places of worship opened their doors, so churches such as at Portico became less popular.
And with less income from offertory collections they were in danger of becoming completely run down.
However, the Newspaper described how the situation at Portico had now been addressed:
"At one time its Sunday services were crowded by a congregation gathered from the country for miles around.
"But since the erection of churches at Prescot, Rainhill, and Sutton, the Catholics in those districts have naturally found accommodation nearer their homes.
"These circumstances caused the little chapel at Portico to be nearly deserted; and the organ which had been used in the solemn services of the chapel had become dilapidated.
"Things have taken a turn for the better, and a considerable congregation having again gathered round the old mission house, a choir has been formed, and the organ, which is a very fair instrument, having been thoroughly over-hauled and repaired, its restoration was celebrated on Sunday last by two opening services."
Robert Prophet ran the Ring O’ Bells Inn in Westfield Street and this week he prosecuted a labourer called William Pearson accusing him of theft.
The man had entered the inn just before closing time and helped himself to 4 shillings 11d from behind the bar.
It was all in coppers and as Pearson walked out of the pub he dropped some of it on the floor.
But he was seen by the landlord's wife and despite him pleading guilty and expressing contrition for his conduct – which he blamed on drunkenness – he was still sent to prison for a month.
Pearson would have been better off if he'd beaten up a women – as the next case shows.
That concerned a miner called William Anders who appeared in court accused of assaulting Mary Marsh by kicking her and dragging her by the hair of her head.
PC Sheriff told how he had seen the man badly abusing the woman with his hand tightly fastened on her hair and he was only able to loosen the man's grip with great difficulty.
And even then Anders gave Mary what was described as a parting kick in front of the officer.
Anders' defence was that the woman had provoked the assault by pushing him and, as it was reported, "abusing him with her tongue".
However, the magistrates said there was no doubt about the kicking and they were determined to put such things down as they fined William Anders £2 and 12s 6d costs.
In another case a watchmaker called Thomas May was charged with assaulting Ann Hewitt in Edward Street in St Helens, which used to be near Liverpool Street. The Newspaper wrote:
"The complainant's eyes were both swollen and black, and bore evidence of having received fearful abuse."
Mrs Hewitt described how on Monday afternoon she had found her husband at the bottom of the entry where they lived bleeding from his mouth and with two black eyes.
She saw May nearby and he admitted responsibility and said he was prepared to do just the same to her.
That, she said, he did by giving her a violent blow between the eyes, which had knocked her down and she said he had beaten her "with great cruelty".
But in a remarkable turnaround the Bench dismissed the case against Thomas May and Mrs Hewitt was the one who was convicted and bound over!
That was after two witnesses gave evidence that the Hewitts – the wife, husband and daughter – were, in fact, the main protagonists in the affair.
A stone was produced in court that Ann Hewitt had supposedly used as a weapon and Thomas May was said to have only used violence against the woman as a last resort.
There was also another case where a man's arrest in Greenbank and escort to the police station had prompted a violent response from his neighbours.
Thomas Ellison was in the dock charged with having assaulted PC Doig. The latter told the court that he and other officers had needed to make an arrest in Greenbank at 12:50 am on Tuesday morning.
As soon as the arrest was made, he said a crowd in Bath Street (near Liverpool Road) had set upon the police with stones and he had been struck. PC Doig also insisted that Thomas Ellison had been one of those involved.
PC Cooney then described how a shower of stones had come at them from Bath Street as they journeyed to the station with their prisoner.
He said he chased the men who threw the missiles and captured Ellison who had a stone in his possession and had resisted his arrest strongly.
However, the man denied the offence and he had a witness called Edward Halsall who claimed to have been with Ellison as they arrived in St Helens after coming in from Prescot.
He said when they entered Liverpool Road they saw a crowd near the Derby Arms and signs of a row.
They went up to see what was going on and the crowd began to run away and they did likewise.
The police then collared Ellison but Halsall claimed he had done nothing to warrant being arrested.
But the Chairman said the case was clearly proved and he inflicted a fine of 40 shillings and costs on Thomas Ellison.
When a father summoned his son for assault you knew that in all likelihood it was the dad who was the real offender.
It was common for sons in their late teens or early twenties who were still living at home to protect their mothers from a violent or drunken husband.
In this week's Petty Sessions, Patrick Brophy summoned his son John alleging assault.
He claimed that he had been sat in his house after doing his day's work when his son entered the room and began hitting him.
His wife then joined in the assault and between the pair he said he had received "brutal usage".
The magistrates knew that such an assault by a wife and her son would not have been for nothing and they asked the police what they knew of the family.
In reply Inspector Whiteside said Patrick Brophy was a drunkard but his wife was a very hard-working, steady woman and her son also bore a good character. That was enough for the Bench who dismissed the case.
St Helens Newspaper courtesy St Helens Archive Service at Eccleston Library
Next Week's stories will include the purring attack in Duke Street, the fatal accident at a Pocket Nook glassworks, Foottit's Circus comes to St Helens, the hare killing in Rainford and the highly ignorant Parr woman that fought with a man.
We begin on the 17th when the Prescot Reporter described how "for the first time within the memory of the oldest inhabitants of Prescot, a balloon carrying a living freight, [had] ascended from this town."
The living freight was John Youens who went up in a balloon called the Prince Arthur from the grounds of the Plough Inn in Warrington Road.
Most of the inhabitants of Prescot turned out of their houses to watch the unusual sight and the balloon drifted towards St Helens and beyond, before finally descending near Carr Mill Dam.
Two days later the balloon went up again, this time coming down near Eccleston Church.
The pilot John Youens had been engaged by the proprietor of the Plough Inn for what we might call a publicity stunt and it drew a large number of people to his pub, particularly on the second day when the weather was better.
The Reporter wrote that the landlord "appears to be satisfied with his speculation, which proved very gratifying to the people of Prescot."
Thomas Henty of Hamer Street was advertising his pianofortes and harmoniums in the St Helens Newspaper on the 17th, which were available to purchase on the "three years system" from 21 shillings per month.
The Newspaper also wrote: "As the first of November approaches, those who are desirous of municipal honours, and their friends, are beginning to bestir themselves."
In other words, candidates for the forthcoming St Helens council elections were getting their act together.
When there were few churches in St Helens, worshippers could walk for miles to attend a service.
For example, many Protestants in Sutton used to walk to Prescot or Farnworth before their own parish church was built in New Street.
And prior to the building of St Anne's in Sutton, Roman Catholics might traipse to Blackbrook or Portico.
But as more places of worship opened their doors, so churches such as at Portico became less popular.
And with less income from offertory collections they were in danger of becoming completely run down.
However, the Newspaper described how the situation at Portico had now been addressed:
"At one time its Sunday services were crowded by a congregation gathered from the country for miles around.
"But since the erection of churches at Prescot, Rainhill, and Sutton, the Catholics in those districts have naturally found accommodation nearer their homes.
"These circumstances caused the little chapel at Portico to be nearly deserted; and the organ which had been used in the solemn services of the chapel had become dilapidated.
"Things have taken a turn for the better, and a considerable congregation having again gathered round the old mission house, a choir has been formed, and the organ, which is a very fair instrument, having been thoroughly over-hauled and repaired, its restoration was celebrated on Sunday last by two opening services."
Robert Prophet ran the Ring O’ Bells Inn in Westfield Street and this week he prosecuted a labourer called William Pearson accusing him of theft.
The man had entered the inn just before closing time and helped himself to 4 shillings 11d from behind the bar.
It was all in coppers and as Pearson walked out of the pub he dropped some of it on the floor.
But he was seen by the landlord's wife and despite him pleading guilty and expressing contrition for his conduct – which he blamed on drunkenness – he was still sent to prison for a month.
Pearson would have been better off if he'd beaten up a women – as the next case shows.
That concerned a miner called William Anders who appeared in court accused of assaulting Mary Marsh by kicking her and dragging her by the hair of her head.
PC Sheriff told how he had seen the man badly abusing the woman with his hand tightly fastened on her hair and he was only able to loosen the man's grip with great difficulty.
And even then Anders gave Mary what was described as a parting kick in front of the officer.
Anders' defence was that the woman had provoked the assault by pushing him and, as it was reported, "abusing him with her tongue".
However, the magistrates said there was no doubt about the kicking and they were determined to put such things down as they fined William Anders £2 and 12s 6d costs.
"The complainant's eyes were both swollen and black, and bore evidence of having received fearful abuse."
Mrs Hewitt described how on Monday afternoon she had found her husband at the bottom of the entry where they lived bleeding from his mouth and with two black eyes.
She saw May nearby and he admitted responsibility and said he was prepared to do just the same to her.
That, she said, he did by giving her a violent blow between the eyes, which had knocked her down and she said he had beaten her "with great cruelty".
But in a remarkable turnaround the Bench dismissed the case against Thomas May and Mrs Hewitt was the one who was convicted and bound over!
That was after two witnesses gave evidence that the Hewitts – the wife, husband and daughter – were, in fact, the main protagonists in the affair.
A stone was produced in court that Ann Hewitt had supposedly used as a weapon and Thomas May was said to have only used violence against the woman as a last resort.
There was also another case where a man's arrest in Greenbank and escort to the police station had prompted a violent response from his neighbours.
Thomas Ellison was in the dock charged with having assaulted PC Doig. The latter told the court that he and other officers had needed to make an arrest in Greenbank at 12:50 am on Tuesday morning.
As soon as the arrest was made, he said a crowd in Bath Street (near Liverpool Road) had set upon the police with stones and he had been struck. PC Doig also insisted that Thomas Ellison had been one of those involved.
PC Cooney then described how a shower of stones had come at them from Bath Street as they journeyed to the station with their prisoner.
He said he chased the men who threw the missiles and captured Ellison who had a stone in his possession and had resisted his arrest strongly.
However, the man denied the offence and he had a witness called Edward Halsall who claimed to have been with Ellison as they arrived in St Helens after coming in from Prescot.
He said when they entered Liverpool Road they saw a crowd near the Derby Arms and signs of a row.
They went up to see what was going on and the crowd began to run away and they did likewise.
The police then collared Ellison but Halsall claimed he had done nothing to warrant being arrested.
But the Chairman said the case was clearly proved and he inflicted a fine of 40 shillings and costs on Thomas Ellison.
When a father summoned his son for assault you knew that in all likelihood it was the dad who was the real offender.
It was common for sons in their late teens or early twenties who were still living at home to protect their mothers from a violent or drunken husband.
In this week's Petty Sessions, Patrick Brophy summoned his son John alleging assault.
He claimed that he had been sat in his house after doing his day's work when his son entered the room and began hitting him.
His wife then joined in the assault and between the pair he said he had received "brutal usage".
The magistrates knew that such an assault by a wife and her son would not have been for nothing and they asked the police what they knew of the family.
In reply Inspector Whiteside said Patrick Brophy was a drunkard but his wife was a very hard-working, steady woman and her son also bore a good character. That was enough for the Bench who dismissed the case.
St Helens Newspaper courtesy St Helens Archive Service at Eccleston Library
Next Week's stories will include the purring attack in Duke Street, the fatal accident at a Pocket Nook glassworks, Foottit's Circus comes to St Helens, the hare killing in Rainford and the highly ignorant Parr woman that fought with a man.