150 YEARS AGO THIS WEEK (31 JULY - 6 AUGUST 1873)
This week's many stories include the Bold engine drive who gave his mother-in-law two black eyes, a claim of dog poisoning in Sutton, the no-show magistrates causing chaos, the game of dominoes in a Parr pub that led to a free fight and the battle over a pigeon between a tall, strong man and a little fellow.
There was another example this week of the chaos created by the amateur nature of the criminal justice system in St Helens. The civil County Court met every Tuesday in East Street in St Helens before a professional judge. Apart from the sheer volume of cases that the court had to wade through there were no complaints, with the hearings routinely starting on time. But the daily criminal courts in St Helens before magistrates could be a joke.
Those who wanted the honour of serving on the Bench were busy businessmen who were often late arriving at the courthouse – or simply didn't show up at all. That caused great inconvenience to the defendants, police, solicitors, reporters and members of the public that needed or wanted to attend. There were not usually many cases on Wednesday mornings and either William Pilkington or Thomas Pilkington would deal with them, depending on their availability. On the Wednesday of this week there were just three cases to be heard but neither of the two magistrates turned up.
A messenger was sent to Pilkington's glassworks to say a magistrate was needed. But neither of the men nor any other members of the firm that were JPs were available. The Newspaper wrote: "In courts carried on with regularity this would have caused an adjournment or a search for some other justices of the peace; and it is an evidence of our free and easy system that those interested contented themselves to wait and hope.
"Well, they waited and hoped all through the forenoon, and to a somewhat advanced period of the afternoon, before they gave way to despair. It is only after good, steady practice that officials can pass hours in waiting, and be cheerful still. We have arrived at that state of things here. When hope was utterly dead, killed by the lateness of the hour, the conclusion was arrived at that there would be no sessions until next day."
The 'Old House At Home' is one of my favourite names of a St Helens pub and was located in Bridge Street (pictured above). This week William Hewitt appeared in court charged with wilfully damaging a vest, watch, shirt and a window, the property of Thomas Lyon, the licensee of the Old House At Home. The latter told the court that on the previous Saturday night his daughter had told him that a man was sleeping in their taproom and upon entering he found Hewitt asleep on a form.
The landlord said he got hold of the man and started shaking him to wake him up, when a friend of Hewitt entered the room and hit him. The sleeping man awoke and joined in the assault on the landlord, grabbing hold of Thomas Lyon by his coat and neck. During the ensuing scuffle his vest, shirtfront and watch, as well as a window, were damaged. However, William Hewitt had hired solicitor Thomas Swift who was red hot on checking that summonses were properly made out.
His client had been brought up on a charge of wilful damage and Mr Swift told the Bench that there was not the slightest evidence as to any wilfulness on the part of Hewitt. He said: "The defendant was roughly aroused out of his sleep, and naturally enough got hold of the man." And so on a technicality with the charge not being accurately made out, the magistrates decided to dismiss the case.
John Rennie was an engine driver living in Warrington Road in Bold and was in court this week charged with assaulting his mother-in-law. The 79-year-old woman told the court that her son-in-law had approached her and without a word of provocation, had struck her several heavy blows in the face, which blackened both her eyes and covered her with blood. Rennie claimed that it was simply a family matter and offered to plead guilty and pay his mother-in-law's expenses – but the magistrates fined him 20 shillings and costs.
Robert Johnson summoned Thomas Kilshaw to court alleging assault in an unnamed Parr pub. A quarrel had arisen over the playing of a game of dominoes for money and the St Helens Newspaper wrote: "…some of the players began to punch each other in a very earnest manner."
Robert Johnson had only been a spectator of the gambling and of the fight but had got drawn in when Kilshaw started bashing him. Solicitor Thomas Swift, representing Kilshaw, said that it was "manifestly a free fight, arising out of an unlawful game, and the case ought not to have been brought". The magistrates agreed and dismissed it.
However, there was another charge resulting from the same punch up in which James Hill was accused of assaulting Thomas Cruise. It was alleged that Hill had cheated at dominoes and it was that claim which had led to the quarrel and the fight. The Newspaper wrote: "Hill attacked the complainant and gave him the customary Parr usage – a kicking from head to heels."
However, Thomas Cruise had often been in trouble himself and under cross-examination admitted having recently been to the "boarding school" in the suburbs of Liverpool – as he put it – and he said he had found it "very comfortable country." Cruise was referring to Kirkdale Prison and his comments did not appear to go down well with the Bench, who said they were all a "thoroughly blackguard lot" and dismissed that case as well.
Taylors Row was sandwiched between Peckers Hill Road, Hoghton Road and Elizabeth Street in Sutton and was demolished in the late 1930s. Bryan Conroy lived in Taylors Row and he appeared in court this week accused of poisoning a neighbour's dog. Witness Margaret Quinn told the court that she saw Conroy approach the dog's kennel, take something out of his pocket and throw it towards the animal.
The dog's owner was William Middleton and Mrs Quinn told the man's daughter what she had seen and a piece of beef was found that supposedly had poison on it. The dog had eaten most of the meat and eight days later it died after refusing any further food. However, it would have cost the family money to have the meat analysed to prove that it had been poisoned and that had not happened. And so as the case against Conroy was purely circumstantial, the magistrates dismissed that as well.
Also in court were two St Helens market stallholders that had fallen out. James Conlon was accused of punching Margaret Hannigan after she had remonstrated with him about cabbage leaves being thrown at her stall. The woman's defence solicitor made what was described as a rather long speech and called several witnesses who stated that the defendant had received a great deal of provocation and had simply retaliated with a light slap on the girl's cheek. After hearing that evidence, the Bench imposed a fine of just one penny and costs.
A fight between what was described by the St Helens Newspaper as a "tall and strong looking man" and "a little fellow" over a pigeon was also described in court this week. The little fellow came out on top – but only because he bashed his tall opponent over the head with a piece of flat iron – allegedly!
Henry Leadbetter (the tall man) summoned John Thompson (the little fellow) charging him with assault. He claimed being beaten over his head had knocked him unconscious for almost half-an-hour and since then he'd not been fit to work. A witness supported his claim but what Henry Leadbetter had failed to mention was that he had cast the first blow.
The tall man had knocked down John Thompson after finding his missing pigeon in the little fellow's possession. It was also claimed that the weapon used by Thompson in retaliation was not an iron bar but part of the handle of a brush. Several witnesses corroborated this but a fine of 20 shillings and costs was still imposed.
St Helens Newspaper courtesy St Helens Archive Service at Eccleston Library
Next Week's stories will include the violent outrage at Rainford, the curious Parr row between an octogenarian and a blind woman, the first annual meeting of St Helens Cottage Hospital and the fight inside Gamble's chemical works.
There was another example this week of the chaos created by the amateur nature of the criminal justice system in St Helens. The civil County Court met every Tuesday in East Street in St Helens before a professional judge. Apart from the sheer volume of cases that the court had to wade through there were no complaints, with the hearings routinely starting on time. But the daily criminal courts in St Helens before magistrates could be a joke.
Those who wanted the honour of serving on the Bench were busy businessmen who were often late arriving at the courthouse – or simply didn't show up at all. That caused great inconvenience to the defendants, police, solicitors, reporters and members of the public that needed or wanted to attend. There were not usually many cases on Wednesday mornings and either William Pilkington or Thomas Pilkington would deal with them, depending on their availability. On the Wednesday of this week there were just three cases to be heard but neither of the two magistrates turned up.
A messenger was sent to Pilkington's glassworks to say a magistrate was needed. But neither of the men nor any other members of the firm that were JPs were available. The Newspaper wrote: "In courts carried on with regularity this would have caused an adjournment or a search for some other justices of the peace; and it is an evidence of our free and easy system that those interested contented themselves to wait and hope.
"Well, they waited and hoped all through the forenoon, and to a somewhat advanced period of the afternoon, before they gave way to despair. It is only after good, steady practice that officials can pass hours in waiting, and be cheerful still. We have arrived at that state of things here. When hope was utterly dead, killed by the lateness of the hour, the conclusion was arrived at that there would be no sessions until next day."
The landlord said he got hold of the man and started shaking him to wake him up, when a friend of Hewitt entered the room and hit him. The sleeping man awoke and joined in the assault on the landlord, grabbing hold of Thomas Lyon by his coat and neck. During the ensuing scuffle his vest, shirtfront and watch, as well as a window, were damaged. However, William Hewitt had hired solicitor Thomas Swift who was red hot on checking that summonses were properly made out.
His client had been brought up on a charge of wilful damage and Mr Swift told the Bench that there was not the slightest evidence as to any wilfulness on the part of Hewitt. He said: "The defendant was roughly aroused out of his sleep, and naturally enough got hold of the man." And so on a technicality with the charge not being accurately made out, the magistrates decided to dismiss the case.
John Rennie was an engine driver living in Warrington Road in Bold and was in court this week charged with assaulting his mother-in-law. The 79-year-old woman told the court that her son-in-law had approached her and without a word of provocation, had struck her several heavy blows in the face, which blackened both her eyes and covered her with blood. Rennie claimed that it was simply a family matter and offered to plead guilty and pay his mother-in-law's expenses – but the magistrates fined him 20 shillings and costs.
Robert Johnson summoned Thomas Kilshaw to court alleging assault in an unnamed Parr pub. A quarrel had arisen over the playing of a game of dominoes for money and the St Helens Newspaper wrote: "…some of the players began to punch each other in a very earnest manner."
Robert Johnson had only been a spectator of the gambling and of the fight but had got drawn in when Kilshaw started bashing him. Solicitor Thomas Swift, representing Kilshaw, said that it was "manifestly a free fight, arising out of an unlawful game, and the case ought not to have been brought". The magistrates agreed and dismissed it.
However, there was another charge resulting from the same punch up in which James Hill was accused of assaulting Thomas Cruise. It was alleged that Hill had cheated at dominoes and it was that claim which had led to the quarrel and the fight. The Newspaper wrote: "Hill attacked the complainant and gave him the customary Parr usage – a kicking from head to heels."
However, Thomas Cruise had often been in trouble himself and under cross-examination admitted having recently been to the "boarding school" in the suburbs of Liverpool – as he put it – and he said he had found it "very comfortable country." Cruise was referring to Kirkdale Prison and his comments did not appear to go down well with the Bench, who said they were all a "thoroughly blackguard lot" and dismissed that case as well.
Taylors Row was sandwiched between Peckers Hill Road, Hoghton Road and Elizabeth Street in Sutton and was demolished in the late 1930s. Bryan Conroy lived in Taylors Row and he appeared in court this week accused of poisoning a neighbour's dog. Witness Margaret Quinn told the court that she saw Conroy approach the dog's kennel, take something out of his pocket and throw it towards the animal.
The dog's owner was William Middleton and Mrs Quinn told the man's daughter what she had seen and a piece of beef was found that supposedly had poison on it. The dog had eaten most of the meat and eight days later it died after refusing any further food. However, it would have cost the family money to have the meat analysed to prove that it had been poisoned and that had not happened. And so as the case against Conroy was purely circumstantial, the magistrates dismissed that as well.
Also in court were two St Helens market stallholders that had fallen out. James Conlon was accused of punching Margaret Hannigan after she had remonstrated with him about cabbage leaves being thrown at her stall. The woman's defence solicitor made what was described as a rather long speech and called several witnesses who stated that the defendant had received a great deal of provocation and had simply retaliated with a light slap on the girl's cheek. After hearing that evidence, the Bench imposed a fine of just one penny and costs.
A fight between what was described by the St Helens Newspaper as a "tall and strong looking man" and "a little fellow" over a pigeon was also described in court this week. The little fellow came out on top – but only because he bashed his tall opponent over the head with a piece of flat iron – allegedly!
Henry Leadbetter (the tall man) summoned John Thompson (the little fellow) charging him with assault. He claimed being beaten over his head had knocked him unconscious for almost half-an-hour and since then he'd not been fit to work. A witness supported his claim but what Henry Leadbetter had failed to mention was that he had cast the first blow.
The tall man had knocked down John Thompson after finding his missing pigeon in the little fellow's possession. It was also claimed that the weapon used by Thompson in retaliation was not an iron bar but part of the handle of a brush. Several witnesses corroborated this but a fine of 20 shillings and costs was still imposed.
St Helens Newspaper courtesy St Helens Archive Service at Eccleston Library
Next Week's stories will include the violent outrage at Rainford, the curious Parr row between an octogenarian and a blind woman, the first annual meeting of St Helens Cottage Hospital and the fight inside Gamble's chemical works.
This week's many stories include the Bold engine drive who gave his mother-in-law two black eyes, a claim of dog poisoning in Sutton, the no-show magistrates causing chaos, the game of dominoes in a Parr pub that led to a free fight and the battle over a pigeon between a tall, strong man and a little fellow.
There was another example this week of the chaos created by the amateur nature of the criminal justice system in St Helens.
The civil County Court met every Tuesday in East Street in St Helens before a professional judge.
Apart from the sheer volume of cases that the court had to wade through there were no complaints, with the hearings routinely starting on time.
But the daily criminal courts in St Helens before magistrates could be a joke.
Those who wanted the honour of serving on the Bench were busy businessmen who were often late arriving at the courthouse – or simply didn't show up at all.
That caused great inconvenience to the defendants, police, solicitors, reporters and members of the public that needed or wanted to attend.
There were not usually many cases on Wednesday mornings and either William Pilkington or Thomas Pilkington would deal with them, depending on their availability.
On the Wednesday of this week there were just three cases to be heard but neither of the two magistrates turned up.
A messenger was sent to Pilkington's glassworks to say a magistrate was needed. But neither of the men nor any other members of the firm that were JPs were available. The Newspaper wrote:
"In courts carried on with regularity this would have caused an adjournment or a search for some other justices of the peace; and it is an evidence of our free and easy system that those interested contented themselves to wait and hope.
"Well, they waited and hoped all through the forenoon, and to a somewhat advanced period of the afternoon, before they gave way to despair.
"It is only after good, steady practice that officials can pass hours in waiting, and be cheerful still.
"We have arrived at that state of things here. When hope was utterly dead, killed by the lateness of the hour, the conclusion was arrived at that there would be no sessions until next day."
The 'Old House At Home' is one of my favourite names of a St Helens pub and was located in Bridge Street (pictured above).
This week William Hewitt appeared in court charged with wilfully damaging a vest, watch, shirt and a window, the property of Thomas Lyon, the licensee of the Old House At Home.
The latter told the court that on the previous Saturday night his daughter had told him that a man was sleeping in their taproom and upon entering he found Hewitt asleep on a form.
The landlord said he got hold of the man and started shaking him to wake him up, when a friend of Hewitt entered the room and hit him.
The sleeping man awoke and joined in the assault on the landlord, grabbing hold of Thomas Lyon by his coat and neck.
During the ensuing scuffle his vest, shirtfront and watch, as well as a window, were damaged.
However, William Hewitt had hired solicitor Thomas Swift who was red hot on checking that summonses were properly made out.
His client had been brought up on a charge of wilful damage and Mr Swift told the Bench that there was not the slightest evidence as to any wilfulness on the part of Hewitt. He said:
"The defendant was roughly aroused out of his sleep, and naturally enough got hold of the man."
And so on a technicality with the charge not being accurately made out, the magistrates decided to dismiss the case.
John Rennie was an engine driver living in Warrington Road in Bold and was in court this week charged with assaulting his mother-in-law.
The 79-year-old woman told the court that her son-in-law had approached her and without a word of provocation, had struck her several heavy blows in the face, which blackened both her eyes and covered her with blood.
Rennie claimed that it was simply a family matter and offered to plead guilty and pay his mother-in-law's expenses – but the magistrates fined him 20 shillings and costs.
Robert Johnson summoned Thomas Kilshaw to court alleging assault in an unnamed Parr pub.
A quarrel had arisen over the playing of a game of dominoes for money and the St Helens Newspaper wrote: "…some of the players began to punch each other in a very earnest manner."
Robert Johnson had only been a spectator of the gambling and of the fight but had got drawn in when Kilshaw started bashing him.
Solicitor Thomas Swift, representing Kilshaw, said that it was "manifestly a free fight, arising out of an unlawful game, and the case ought not to have been brought". The magistrates agreed and dismissed it.
However, there was another charge resulting from the same punch up in which James Hill was accused of assaulting Thomas Cruise.
It was alleged that Hill had cheated at dominoes and it was that claim which had led to the quarrel and the fight. The Newspaper wrote:
"Hill attacked the complainant and gave him the customary Parr usage – a kicking from head to heels."
However, Thomas Cruise had often been in trouble himself and under cross-examination admitted having recently been to the "boarding school" in the suburbs of Liverpool – as he put it – and he said he had found it "very comfortable country."
Cruise was referring to Kirkdale Prison and his comments did not appear to go down well with the Bench, who said they were all a "thoroughly blackguard lot" and dismissed that case as well.
Taylors Row was sandwiched between Peckers Hill Road, Hoghton Road and Elizabeth Street in Sutton and was demolished in the late 1930s.
Bryan Conroy lived in Taylors Row and he appeared in court this week accused of poisoning a neighbour's dog.
Witness Margaret Quinn told the court that she saw Conroy approach the dog's kennel, take something out of his pocket and throw it towards the animal.
The dog's owner was William Middleton and Mrs Quinn told the man's daughter what she had seen and a piece of beef was found that supposedly had poison on it.
The dog had eaten most of the meat and eight days later it died after refusing any further food.
However, it would have cost the family money to have the meat analysed to prove that it had been poisoned and that had not happened.
And so as the case against Conroy was purely circumstantial, the magistrates dismissed that as well.
Also in court were two St Helens market stallholders that had fallen out. James Conlon was accused of punching Margaret Hannigan after she had remonstrated with him about cabbage leaves being thrown at her stall.
The woman's defence solicitor made what was described as a rather long speech and called several witnesses who stated that the defendant had received a great deal of provocation and had simply retaliated with a light slap on the girl's cheek.
After hearing that evidence, the Bench imposed a fine of just one penny and costs.
A fight between what was described by the St Helens Newspaper as a "tall and strong looking man" and "a little fellow" over a pigeon was also described in court this week.
The little fellow came out on top – but only because he bashed his tall opponent over the head with a piece of flat iron – allegedly!
Henry Leadbetter (the tall man) summoned John Thompson (the little fellow) charging him with assault.
He claimed being beaten over his head had knocked him unconscious for almost half-an-hour and since then he'd not been fit to work.
A witness supported his claim but what Henry Leadbetter had failed to mention was that he had cast the first blow.
The tall man had knocked down John Thompson after finding his missing pigeon in the little fellow's possession.
It was also claimed that the weapon used by Thompson in retaliation was not an iron bar but part of the handle of a brush.
Several witnesses corroborated this but a fine of 20 shillings and costs was still imposed.
St Helens Newspaper courtesy St Helens Archive Service at Eccleston Library
Next Week's stories will include the violent outrage at Rainford, the curious Parr row between an octogenarian and a blind woman, the first annual meeting of St Helens Cottage Hospital and the fight inside Gamble's chemical works.
There was another example this week of the chaos created by the amateur nature of the criminal justice system in St Helens.
The civil County Court met every Tuesday in East Street in St Helens before a professional judge.
Apart from the sheer volume of cases that the court had to wade through there were no complaints, with the hearings routinely starting on time.
But the daily criminal courts in St Helens before magistrates could be a joke.
Those who wanted the honour of serving on the Bench were busy businessmen who were often late arriving at the courthouse – or simply didn't show up at all.
That caused great inconvenience to the defendants, police, solicitors, reporters and members of the public that needed or wanted to attend.
There were not usually many cases on Wednesday mornings and either William Pilkington or Thomas Pilkington would deal with them, depending on their availability.
On the Wednesday of this week there were just three cases to be heard but neither of the two magistrates turned up.
A messenger was sent to Pilkington's glassworks to say a magistrate was needed. But neither of the men nor any other members of the firm that were JPs were available. The Newspaper wrote:
"In courts carried on with regularity this would have caused an adjournment or a search for some other justices of the peace; and it is an evidence of our free and easy system that those interested contented themselves to wait and hope.
"Well, they waited and hoped all through the forenoon, and to a somewhat advanced period of the afternoon, before they gave way to despair.
"It is only after good, steady practice that officials can pass hours in waiting, and be cheerful still.
"We have arrived at that state of things here. When hope was utterly dead, killed by the lateness of the hour, the conclusion was arrived at that there would be no sessions until next day."
This week William Hewitt appeared in court charged with wilfully damaging a vest, watch, shirt and a window, the property of Thomas Lyon, the licensee of the Old House At Home.
The latter told the court that on the previous Saturday night his daughter had told him that a man was sleeping in their taproom and upon entering he found Hewitt asleep on a form.
The landlord said he got hold of the man and started shaking him to wake him up, when a friend of Hewitt entered the room and hit him.
The sleeping man awoke and joined in the assault on the landlord, grabbing hold of Thomas Lyon by his coat and neck.
During the ensuing scuffle his vest, shirtfront and watch, as well as a window, were damaged.
However, William Hewitt had hired solicitor Thomas Swift who was red hot on checking that summonses were properly made out.
His client had been brought up on a charge of wilful damage and Mr Swift told the Bench that there was not the slightest evidence as to any wilfulness on the part of Hewitt. He said:
"The defendant was roughly aroused out of his sleep, and naturally enough got hold of the man."
And so on a technicality with the charge not being accurately made out, the magistrates decided to dismiss the case.
John Rennie was an engine driver living in Warrington Road in Bold and was in court this week charged with assaulting his mother-in-law.
The 79-year-old woman told the court that her son-in-law had approached her and without a word of provocation, had struck her several heavy blows in the face, which blackened both her eyes and covered her with blood.
Rennie claimed that it was simply a family matter and offered to plead guilty and pay his mother-in-law's expenses – but the magistrates fined him 20 shillings and costs.
Robert Johnson summoned Thomas Kilshaw to court alleging assault in an unnamed Parr pub.
A quarrel had arisen over the playing of a game of dominoes for money and the St Helens Newspaper wrote: "…some of the players began to punch each other in a very earnest manner."
Robert Johnson had only been a spectator of the gambling and of the fight but had got drawn in when Kilshaw started bashing him.
Solicitor Thomas Swift, representing Kilshaw, said that it was "manifestly a free fight, arising out of an unlawful game, and the case ought not to have been brought". The magistrates agreed and dismissed it.
However, there was another charge resulting from the same punch up in which James Hill was accused of assaulting Thomas Cruise.
It was alleged that Hill had cheated at dominoes and it was that claim which had led to the quarrel and the fight. The Newspaper wrote:
"Hill attacked the complainant and gave him the customary Parr usage – a kicking from head to heels."
However, Thomas Cruise had often been in trouble himself and under cross-examination admitted having recently been to the "boarding school" in the suburbs of Liverpool – as he put it – and he said he had found it "very comfortable country."
Cruise was referring to Kirkdale Prison and his comments did not appear to go down well with the Bench, who said they were all a "thoroughly blackguard lot" and dismissed that case as well.
Taylors Row was sandwiched between Peckers Hill Road, Hoghton Road and Elizabeth Street in Sutton and was demolished in the late 1930s.
Bryan Conroy lived in Taylors Row and he appeared in court this week accused of poisoning a neighbour's dog.
Witness Margaret Quinn told the court that she saw Conroy approach the dog's kennel, take something out of his pocket and throw it towards the animal.
The dog's owner was William Middleton and Mrs Quinn told the man's daughter what she had seen and a piece of beef was found that supposedly had poison on it.
The dog had eaten most of the meat and eight days later it died after refusing any further food.
However, it would have cost the family money to have the meat analysed to prove that it had been poisoned and that had not happened.
And so as the case against Conroy was purely circumstantial, the magistrates dismissed that as well.
Also in court were two St Helens market stallholders that had fallen out. James Conlon was accused of punching Margaret Hannigan after she had remonstrated with him about cabbage leaves being thrown at her stall.
The woman's defence solicitor made what was described as a rather long speech and called several witnesses who stated that the defendant had received a great deal of provocation and had simply retaliated with a light slap on the girl's cheek.
After hearing that evidence, the Bench imposed a fine of just one penny and costs.
A fight between what was described by the St Helens Newspaper as a "tall and strong looking man" and "a little fellow" over a pigeon was also described in court this week.
The little fellow came out on top – but only because he bashed his tall opponent over the head with a piece of flat iron – allegedly!
Henry Leadbetter (the tall man) summoned John Thompson (the little fellow) charging him with assault.
He claimed being beaten over his head had knocked him unconscious for almost half-an-hour and since then he'd not been fit to work.
A witness supported his claim but what Henry Leadbetter had failed to mention was that he had cast the first blow.
The tall man had knocked down John Thompson after finding his missing pigeon in the little fellow's possession.
It was also claimed that the weapon used by Thompson in retaliation was not an iron bar but part of the handle of a brush.
Several witnesses corroborated this but a fine of 20 shillings and costs was still imposed.
St Helens Newspaper courtesy St Helens Archive Service at Eccleston Library
Next Week's stories will include the violent outrage at Rainford, the curious Parr row between an octogenarian and a blind woman, the first annual meeting of St Helens Cottage Hospital and the fight inside Gamble's chemical works.