The Daily Times.
Liverpool, Merseyside, England, 1861-01-11 00:00:00

LIVERPOOL POLICE COURT.-YESTERDAY.

(Before Mr. RAFFLES.)

MR, M'KENZIE'S VISIT TO LIVERPOOL, AND HOW

IT ENDED.

A tall and powerful young man named William
M'Kcnzie, who said he came from Belfast about a fort-
night ago on a visit to an uncle of his here, was charged
by police-officer 721, under the following circumstances.
The officer said, last night I was on duty in Saltney-
street, when I saw the prisoner knocking furiously at
a door for a long time. I asked him what he wanted—
he was standing on some steps at the time—when he
jumped down and gave me a blow in the mouth, and
then jumped away again. I followed and caught hold
of him, when he again struck me, and we both fell.
We got up again and then he tried to get away from
me, but I held him and tried to pull out my whistle.
Ile then eatght hold of the little finger of my left hand
in his mouth, and neatly bit it off. I struggled with
him, but it was a good while before I could get
it ont df stirs rrionth. Re then pat one of his hands
inside my stock and twisted me round until be
nearly strangled rile. I, tried to get the Whistle out,
when he caught the fore finger and thumb of my
right hand into his mouth, and bit them most
' severely. He knocked me down, and kicked me most
severely over my stomach, but I held on to him, and at
last I managed to get out my whistle, and blew it for
assistance. An officer came, and after a terrible struggle
we got him to the station. Mr. Raffies—Well, prisoner,
what hate you to say to this serious charge ? Prisoner—
Nothing at all, I came over here to spend a Christmas
fortnight with my uncle, and he (the officer) had no
right to interfere isltii Me. Mr: Itaffies (to the officer)
--Are you Intich hitrt P I am, •ery much hurt, and
I can hardly do anything with my hands, particularly
the left, and feel great pain about the neck and stomach.
Mr. Raffles—l will not decide this case now. Let the
• be remanded up,a it can be se.-
prison% „.:
uvw quo
injuries may terminate. The prisoner was remanded
for a week.
A DAINTY DISH FOR TWO YOUNG GENTLEMEN.
If four and twenty blackbirds, baked in a pie, was a
dainty dish to lay before a king, what sort of potentates
must Francis Smedley and Joseph Stanton be, before
whom Mr. James Shaw, eatin,ghouse-keeper, at the
corner of Finch and Falkland-streets, laid such dainty
dishts as the fUllowing—lThe two young gentlemen
above named, *ere iint to Ike bar, They seemed to
come under that class of genius Called sl oat= 11:night
gents." Beds did not appear to be any partienliti
trouble to them, and they certainly did not appear to
have troubled any shake-down for 'the last fortnight.
The complainant stated that after one o'clock in the
morning the prisoners entered his refreshment
cellar, and called for two bowls of soup of
the best materials and most approved flavour.
The order Was coedited With alacrity, Arid the Boyer-
ilke. 4 dahttok ptirl-#Or dilly landed by the patrons.
Giblet pie followed, and it ;lin; veri, ken made to leave
that ; potatoes and something else edrilb rip then; e.tl
one would imagine that paynient would folio* All:
" Base is the slave that pays," saith some one, and art
the two gentlemen in question did not wish to come
under such a ban of serfdom, they utterly, totally,
and absolutely abjured and repudiated such vulgarity
as reimbursement fat the good things that they had
partaken or, They told Mr.. Bhaili that their patronage
was quite enough without their moneY, and ilierefere he
Should hot have any of the latter. Mr. Shaif
unreasonable would not take the patronage, but insisted
Oh the tin, *hereon Mr. Smedley gave him a blow on
the thotith, by way of instalment ; and the other 'priso-
ner, when a police-officer Made his appearance, tendered
threepence for the repast, declaring it was fifty per cent.
too much. Smedley was fined £1 and costs for the
assault, or one month's imprisonment; the other priso-
ner was discharged.
[ln the case of Mrs. Cotterell, reported in yesterday's
' paper, there was a slight mistake. Mr. Raffles was
reported to have said he would in the first instance send
ber for trial, whereas it should have been that he would
remand her for a 'week, Which was the request of the
prosecuting party.]

THE BREAD ALARM IN THE TOWN.-
PUNISHMENT OF RUFFIANS WHO
CREATED THE PANIC,

Yesterday morning, at the Police-Conti, before Mt
Raffles, the following cases that arose out of the pallid
of 'Wednesday were heard and decided. The iirat

prisoner put forward was a fellow named Pat. Kentty4
who was charged by Mr. David Gordon, baker, of
Canterbury-street, with having threatened him, and also
threatening to break into his shop. Police-officer 733
said—l was on duty in Canterbury-street, when I saw a
crowd, and the prisoner was the ringleader of it. Ed
was given into ray charge for having threatened tb
break into Mr. Gordon's shop to get bread. On starch-
ing him at the station I found Zs. 4d. in money, fedr
soup tickets and a begging letter on •him. Two wit,
nesses stated that they heard the prisoner swear an
awful oath that he would come with a mob, and smash
in the house before night, and have bread enough.
Mr. Gordon said about haff-past two yesterday the
prisoner came into my shop and produced a paper (a
begging letter), and asked me to read it. I declined to
read it, and then he said I 'Could not ascertain what he
wanted unless I read it. Mr. Raffles : Did he ask yon
for bread ? Yes, he said he must have bread. I told

him if he were in distress he must go to the parish
authorities for relief, when he said it would be worse
for me if I refused. I did not hear him make use of
the threats, but the two gentlemen who are witnesses

heard him. Mr. Raffles : What have you to say
to this charge ? Prisoner : I know no more about
it than the child unborn, and I never was in the likes
of it before. Mr. Raffles : Where did you get the
tickets that you have for soup ? Prisoner I got them
from a minister at Edge-hill. Mr. Raffles : I think this
a very bad case indeed. Here you are going about with
a begging letter, soliciting charity, and you with 3s. 4d.
in money and tickets for relief in your pocket ; you are
a person evidently not in want, and you go about the
streets collecting a crowd of disorderly idle persons.
There is no necessity for any one to want in Liverpool ;
and although work may be scarce at present—although
I am told it is not—there is no necessity for any one to
want, there being ample provision made for persons who
are really in distress. I will not allow persons like you
to go about exciting mobs and crowds in the streets,
and threatening to break into shops after this manner.
I consider your case a bad one, and I now commit you
to jail for a month as a rogue and a vagabond.
The next charge was preferred against two young
fellows named Joseph Kingsbury and Patrick M`Hale,
who were charged with creating a disturbance and steal-
ing 16s. worth of bread from a cart belonging to Evan
Martin. hnkar. Burlington-street. Police-officer 395
said, I saw the prisoner liingsuury
Kiln-lane with two loaves of bread under his arm, anu
as I had heard that a cart of Mr. Martin's had been
robbed, I ran after and arrested him, when he said he
had not taken the bread. Police-officer 738 said, I
arrested the other prisoner, he was known at the station
as the first person who attacked Mr. Martin's cart in
Burlington-street. A man named Dumville said—l am
employed by Mr. Martin, baker, of Burlington-street
(who is only a very struggling man), and was putting
four dozen bread into a cart at the door, when the pri-
soner came up at the head of a crowd of three or four
hundred persons. One of them flourished a stick over
my head, and rushed at the cart, swearing they must
have bread, and they then ran off with the bread, worth
16s. This and another witness fully identified the pri-
soners as the ring leaders of the crowd, and as the first
persons who laid hands on the bread. Mr. Superinten-
dant Kehoe, after examining the hands of the prisoners,
said one of them might have worked occasionally, but
the other had not. In such cases as the present, vaga-
bonds like the prisoners took advantage of any excite-
ment for the purpose of robbing and plundering all they
could. It was not poor people who were really distressed
who went about the town creating alarm, but idle
blackguards and thieves. He trusted his Worship would
make an example in this case, so as to be a warning to
others in future.

Mr. Superintendent Ride begged to remark that the
prisoners did not appear to be in distress, for their
friends came to the station-house with an ample quan-
tity of the best provisions for them.
Mr. Legg, the bridewell-keeper, said there were as
much provisions brought to the prisoners as would
suffice him for a week at least.

Mr. Raffles—l have no hesitation whatever, at
to what is my duty in this case. I will not
allow people like you to go about in this way and
take advantage of excitement to create a riot in the
town, and break into bakers' shops. Besides, it clearly
appears you are not necessitated in any way. As I have
just said in the other case, there is ample provision made
for the poor—even where the public recognised charities
are not resorted to, there is ample means made by
private charities to relieve such as are really in want.

I don't think, as I said before, that there is any great
scarcity of work, but it appears you do not work at all.
I will inflict the highest punishment in my power on
you, and trust it will be a warning to others—l sentence
you to three months' hard labour each as rogues and
vagabonds,