The Daily Times.
Liverpool, Merseyside, England, 1860-05-23 00:00:00

CURIOUS OMNIBUS CASE AT THE POLICE

COURT.

The court was crowded by gentlemen who reside in
Edge-lane, Edge-hill, and the localities, who tattle to
hear the details of a charge made by Mr. T.
Wil-
liams, Chemist, &c.; Lord-street, against
the driver of oiie Of Mr. bilsby's oinnibtises,
for tarrying a patseriger more than lieensed to do. Mi.
Cobb was for the defendant. Mr. Williams said : On
Wednesday morning last, the 16th instant, I Was a pas-
senger inside the 'bus; there were eighteen persons in
it, and that is two more than it is licensed to carry,, and
this was the offence eOinplained of. 'creis-eiaznined by
Cobb.—Will fisti aiveir that Viiiit'eeti phisOgers
were MOH than the ilumberl—Withesa : It is painted
up ; that
,the bus is licensed to carry 'seventeen pas-
sengers, but the measurement is only for sixteen.
Inspector Byres (of .'the carriages) said such was the
case; but he had measured the 'bus, and found
it ought to . carry sixteen passengers only. Mr.
Cobb (to Mr. Williams, the prosecutor) : Who told
you that the 'bas was only capable of carrying sixteen.
passengers?-=I ascertained that when the inspector
measured it. That Morning was very wet, I believe ?--,s
Witness : Yes, it *as very *et. to you ride in the
'bus in fine weather ?—Very seldom. Mr. Cobb : Did you
not send a stranger to take a seat for you ?—Yes. And he
gotta when the 'bus came to your place, for you to get
into it ?—Yes. And did you pay double fare for that?
—I did not. Whom did you send?---My servant. Mr.
Cobb : You sent your servant, who occupied a place in
the 'has for a long way, and then he gets out; and you
get in, and rode to town for a single fare did.
Mr. Cobb : Do you think, sir, that is h.ellai er dis-
honest on your part•?—i . 'thin t it perfectly honest.
Mr. Cobb: Don't :yet't 'think, sir, you are a mere
comrkOn InfeYiner ?—I think I acted quite right.
Mr. Cobb : What are you, sir, besides a common.
informer?—You know what I am very well. Mr.
Cobb : I do not, sir, but I must ; what are you, sir ?
A chemist_ and druggist. Mr. Cobb : And an informer
also ?—I don't think that observation is called for. Mr.
Cobb : I think it is ; and . I Will repeat, you are a
common informer in this case. tt *lit a very wet thorn-
'ing, you say?-4 say tO, Mr. Cobb : Don't you know
the extra pEshenger ran into the vehicle out Of the wet,
a the 'time the conductor was on the top, collecting.
the fires ?—I don't know. Was it not the conductor '
-who pilled the additional manont of the That
was after I Complained. • A. getYtthiLin said, rather than
have'the eonditetot ammoned he would get out, and he
did `so. twould say the extra passenger rode thirty
yards.—Mr. Cobb : Were you very much incommoded ?
Very.—Mr. Cobb And had you that white waiscoat on:
you too ? (Laughter.) Witness : I think year remarks"
are very ludicrous.—Mr. Cobb I think Ya-, are very'
ludicrous, and I will make, you More so before I have,
done with you. hiliiPose your white waistcoat was
incommoded? (Laughter.) Was Mr. Godfrey, the
attorney, in the 'bus ? I think he was.—And did you
hear him say to an old gentleman win wanted to get in,
'Age before honesty ?" I think so.—And do you think
it very proper to lay this information ? I think it quite
proper to do so.—Mr. Cobb : It is only skichn .ere:on as
you would do so. You only ridb on a wet day ?
Generally 50..--Did net the 'boy stop the 'bus and say
there was she iiioih 'than the number, and did not Mr.
Bales Heil girt out at once ? Yes.—lnspector Byres
said he measured the 'bus, and at sixteen inches to each
person it would carry sixteen persons, but, there
was a notice up that it was licensed to carry seventeen
inside, and it has carried seventeen up to this time, and
I heard no complaint before this, but I dill iitSt kIA
carried seventeen persons nnAl Yia.—Mr. Cobb then
addressed the conxt, ithald it was a most contemptible
proceeding on the part of Mr.' Williams, the chemist
at& druggist, of Lord-street, and who now has turned
common informer against an omnibus, out of the most
vindictive feelings. (Mr. Williams denied this.) He
contended that to send a servant to take a seat in the
'bus, and then to get out to let in the complainant,
without paying a second fare, was a downright fraud on
the Messrs. Busby, and he said so advisedly as a
lawyer, and yet in the face of this robbery he barns
common informer; because the, dignity of his White
waistcoat waa infringed on. (Laughter.) He ,said
the additional passenger got in whilst the conclncters
ail the top of the vehicle collecting the fhre, indiWe 'bits
had not gone twenty yards wheA the Passenger was
taken out by the boy hiagtif. lie said such a case' as
the present tte*l- contemplated 'by the act; but he
would pia Minesses in the box, who would put a dif-
fettlit Construction on the whole affair. He called Mr.
Bales, wholesale biscuit-baker, who lives in Edge-lane,
and who stated that there appeared to him to be. some
fourteen or fifteen persons in the 'bus; there was no
complaint made, and two or three more got in at Edge-
hill, where the 'bus stopped. The con.dtr;tor was at the
top collecting at the time when the persons got in, and
certainly the vehicle did not go more than eight or nine
yards when the lad said there was one over the number in,
and be (Mr. Bales) at once got out. Mr. T. Cook, Mr.
John Godfrey, attorney, and. Mr. Carter,_who travelled
'in the "bus; gave similar evidence. A long discussion
followed on the-law of the age, and Mr_ Cobb certainly
&Veit- with great severity on the conduct of Mr.
Williams, 'and said it was contemptible in the extreme,
and quite beneath the 'dignity of all gentlemen who
travelled by that 'bus. Several gentlemen who
present seemed to agree in this, and spoke in favour of
the Thus," the driver, and tandattor. Inspector Byres
said. there were eight inebes in the 'bus over the room
for sixteen pertens, and he never heard a complaint
before. tt was the excise that licensed the vehicles,
but a 'bus carrying twelve paid the same as one carry-
ing seventeen. At length it was found that the magis-
trates could not avoid inflicting a fine, but Mr. Stewart
thought the infraction of the law was very small, and
imposed a penalty of only 255,, being the lowest the act
allowed.

The suspension .of Messrs. J. Foot and Sons, of
Spital-squate, engaged in the silk trade, is announced.

ACCIDENTS.--Richard Ross, a sailor, residing in
Blundell-street, was knocked down in Oldhall-street,
yesterday, and sustained a severe wound on the lip and
contusions of the body.—Patrick Malone, a labottret,
residing in Cabery-place, Saltney-street, fell off a yard
of the ship Middlesex, in Beathley-Moore Dock, and
sustained a fractured M'Combe, labourer,
residing at 17, Regent-street, received a severe scalp
wound on board the same ship at the same time.
SERIOUS CASE OF STABBING.—At five o'clock on
Monday evening a man named Joseph Lee, landlord of
the Plasterers' Arms beerhouse, Stafford-street, Wolver,.
hampton, while playing at skittles in. the Vine public-
house, St. Johnstreet, in that town, was assaulted and
stabbed with a pitchfork by a man named Edward
White, of St. John-street, who was immediately
arrested. Dr. Pope was called, and said that he might
get better, but there would be great danger that inflam-
mation might arise.
LIVERPOOL COUNTY COURT.—(Before J. K. Blair,
Esq.)—A Wine and Refreshment Bill.—Catherine Var-
nogen,_late "upper servant " at the Saddle Hotel
appeared on a claim against her late mistress, Mary
Orme, for the sum of 19s. 4d. The plaintiff Mitered
into the defendant's service on the 19th of March, in the
present year. After remaining with her about four
weeks she gave notice to leave. At the expiration of
the week, defendant refused to pay plaintiff her salary
for the five weeks, amounting to 195. 4d., alleging as a
reason that the plaintiff had stolen wines and spirits to
a much greater extent than would be covered by her
salary. In consequence of the defendant's persisting in
this statement, the present action had been brought.
Mr. Tyndall, who appeared for Miss Orme, called a
number of witnesses, who stated that on the Sunday
before plaintiff left, a bottle of brandy was missed from
a cupboard of which she had the keys. Plaintiff ap-
peared very excited during the day, and at night was
quite intoxicated. It was also stated that a quantity of
wine had been stolen by the plaintiff from the cellar of
the house. The judge decided for the defendant.

CORONER'S INQUESTS.—Yesterday, Mr. John •Wy-
bergh, the deputy coroner, held inquests in the follow-
ing cases, the details of which appeared in our paper of
yesterday :—On the body of a man unknown, who was
tchifoundreeum bodyisnt
atonhfcee
jsroiahvlnerrel;a,ol' "Found
rdhpidas r
pot
ehwrr noo eandt, .'
under'
two— O
occa-
sions; hh eedayrr verdictsetlla Farrell,
stated
verdict, " Cut his throat whilst labouring under
temporary insanity."—On the body of a man, name un-
known, that was found drowned in the canal-locks ;
verdict, "Found drowned."—On the body of William
Smith, a carter in the London and North-Western
Railway, who died in the Royal Infirmary, under the
circumstances detailed in yesterday's paper ; verdict,
" Accidentally killed."—On the body of Thomas Law,-
iev, of 68, Seel-street, who was found dead on the floor
of his room ; verdict, " Died from natural causes."—On
the body of Joseph Dickson, of Greenland-street, who
was a confirmed drunkard ; and the jury found a verdict
that "Death was accelerated by drink."—On the body
of Ellen Jones, of 3 Court, Denison-street, 78 years of
age, who fell down stairs, and who died in catsequence
of the injuries received ; verdict, "Accidental death."
The Grand Trunk Railway Company of Canada's
traffic for the week ending 28th April last amounted to
£13.716 14s. Id., being an increase of £428 17s. Id. as
compared with the corresponding week of last ya".
THE DISTURBANCES IN ST. GEORGE'S-IN-THE-EAST.
—These unseemly proceedings seem to be now drawing
to a close, the Bishop of London having on Saturday-
last issued a monition against the practice of alloming
the choristers to have seats within the altar rails. 31r.
Thompson, the churchwarden, at once set to work and
removed the seats from within the communion raili rigs;
and on Sunday morning, previous to the commencer nent
of the service, he informed the Rev. Mr. Dove of the
effect and import of that monition, and told him dis-
tinctly that if any procession of these "singing men and

singing boys" into the church was attempted he we ,uld
most assuredly prevent it. The choristers, to the nun tber
of fourteen, were huddled into the rector's pew, w'aich
the churchwarden told them he had no objection to their
occupying. The morning services accordingly passed
off without anything calling for rcniaric,