The Daily Times.
Liverpool, Merseyside, England, 1860-12-19 00:00:00

ACTION FOR SLANDER,

RAMSDDN AND WIPE V. SHAW.—This was an action
for the recovery of damages for slander. Mr. Torr, in
opening the pleadings, stated that Richard Ramsden,
and Nancy, his wife, were the plaintiff's in the case, and
Mary Anne Shaw, the defendant. The declaration said
that :the defendant had lost a purse, containing some
money; and in speaking of this circumstance to a
person named Mrs. Rogers, she observed " that no one
but that infernal thief Nancy (meaning the plaintiff)
took it : she is a big thief, and a noted one in Open-
shaw." Dr. Wheeler stated the particulars of the case.
He said that the jury would observe that this was an
action for slander, almost similar 'to the one that en-
gaged their attention in the previous case, only that the
facts and circumstances of it were somewhat different.
His client, Richard Ramsden, who had occupied a
responsible position in the same service for many years
was a very respectable man, and was highly esteemed
by his employers. He was a married man, and it was
in respect of his wife that the slanderous words com-
plained of had been used. The defendant, Miss
Shaw, was a lady living upon her own means in Man-
chester; and he believed that for some time prior to
the occurrence the plaintiffs and defendant had known
each other. On the 7th of October, which happened
to be a Sunday, a person named Mrs. Rogers was sent
for by the defendant; and when she Caine Miss Shaw
complained of being in great trouble, as she had lost
her pocket, containing £4 10s. in money, and she then
accused the female plaintiff of having stolen it, at the
same time making use of very disreputable
language
regazding the honesty and general character of
the plaintiff and his wife. This was the reason that
the present action was brought. After evidence at con-
siderable length had been adduced Mr. Mooch addressed
the court in behalf of the defendant. The learned judge
summed up the evidence, after which the jury returned
a verdict for the plaintiff, awarding £5 damages.
AN INTERPLEADER ACTION.
iIICKES V. SIBBERING.—In this case George Hickes
was the plaintiff, and John Sibbering the defendant. It
was an interpleader action sent for trial by Mr, Justice

, .
Weightman. On the' Bth of November, us the present
year, by means of a fierifaciai,. the Sheriftof Cheshire
seized certain goods under -an exeeution.“ On the 7th of
November,- Mr. James: Hickeg, the plaintiff, who was a
manufacturer at,Stoekpori, bought for £180; Horn his pre-
sent manager,, Mr,, Sowerbutts West,- 53 looms and
all the correspdticllng mathinery rrhi,eb wo at the time at
work in a room in the cotton-mill of Mr. keriPy Marsden;
Stockport, upon condition that he should become tenant to
Marsden, which was accordingly done. He then em-
ployed Sowerbutts West to manage the loom for him.
On the Bth of November the Sheriff of Cheshire, in
pursuance of an eitecation put a seizure on the pro-
perty, oft behalf of Mr. Sibbetibg, who as a coal
0410 ip Mdnehesteti tilid lied 5.1 ClaitAftir debt
9gainst,,John West,, the fathLi; ef.oiVer.biitts West: The
questiou, now
~resolved rtsel fi intik this point, whether
the property iliielitthis *cation had been so
levied was reaily;the properly of Mr. Hickes;; Or whether
it 'belonged to John, West, or whether it originall±
belonged:to J. S.; West, the son; from whom Mr.- Hickes
had, purchased it, .Or ,to ;the father, John West, with
•whoni, Mr. rHickes had no. transactions whatever.- In
the stiMnier .of last year :,; 8,, West determined to
buy some looms himself, and to stet Mid toffy On
a business similar to that which he had disposed
of to Mr. James Hickes, and on that occasion
a Mr. M'Gregor, a commission agent in Manchester,
called on him, and offered to suppl.y him with money,
for the purpose of paying wages and buying mate-
rials, such as
,yarni emidact his business) and in
iettirdheatreed with M.i...g.'dcegof tilake Corlsign-
inent of goods' tq that gentieni4. Accordingly
be Mas so determined,, being, Manager of 'Sir, Hi4es's
loom at the time,.and,pot Ming able to give.his,personal
superintendence to the Ipeins ifhich helougefl to himself,
to employ his father (John West) to mankge.. his own
looms for him, the father having had considerable expe-
rience in the business, although he had been formerly a
schoolmaster. The son, no doubt, was actuated by a
praiseworthy motive in this respect, thinking that he
might as well' help his father at the same time that he
was earning money , ~„
Mr. Ovens appeared for the plaintiff, and fir. Wheeier;
Q.C., for the defendant.

A verdict was returned for the plaintiff, Dr. Wheeler
not offering any evidence on behalf of his client.
The court then rose at six o'clock, and adjourned till
half-past nine o'clock this morning.

LIVERPOOL POLICE COURT,-YESTERDAY.

, ore .'" !{A L• -
„,. • •••
,Fdritins dtib rig. tin; ynr, appears, to he fasinopabl9
rule amongst all classes,, and.CoiBnd'a ifitleiti are the
consequence. Transportation is the only thing that
appears likely to put a stop to this dangerous, and in
many saseis latal.,practice; and a few examples of this
69/12i no doubt, will have• a :salutary effect, Anthony
Bareld.t; a tab!dtitekft elifeged officer,242,
for being drunk and fi:rions dfc.,sitlg; dad dlsd, tot
assaulting him. The officer said,—l saw this man list
night, in Scotland-road, driving a cab most furiously.
He was running a race with a man who was in a gig.
I called on him to stop, but he would not, and I then
caught hold of the rein, when he jumped down and hit
me in the mouth with his left hand, and blackened my
eye With his tight, and kicked me hi the legs. He was
driink At.. the Aline. end ,going at a furious rate; to the
danger of the People: , The,. pciedrter 04 he was
.going
very quietly when the policeman came 143; p4ll4.hini
off the seat, and broke his mouth with a box. Police
officer 870 said he came up and saw the prisoner
running a furious race with a gentleman who was in a
gig; both vehicles were on a line, and he saw the pri-
soner strike the officer on the eye. Witness caught the
gentleman, whom he charged with furious driving, and
endangering the lives of the people. The prisoner
called the first officer, and asked him if lie did not pull
him off the box and strike him in the mouth ? The
officer replied No i but you struck me in the mouth the
Moment you jumped down i I never touched You at all,
The prisdner called John Brbwd, *as driving the
gig, akhis witness, lint he seemed to trio* Very little Of
the affair. Mr. Reifies, sdid the Cage was quite clear,
dnd fined the iitismiet fin. the Eissaillt; and ordered
the officer to report hiM to the Cd.i. Onmilie6 jefei-
to his badge.—Police-officer 870 then mit John Bre*ii
(the witness in the last case) into the dock, charged with
being drunk and for furious driving in Scotland-road.
The prisoner was described as a cotton-broker, living in
Saint Domingo-road. He had nearly £lOO in cash on
his person when searched at the station. The officer
said the prisoner was racing his gig against the last pri-
soner's cab, to the greatdanger of the public. Mr. Raffles :
'What rate was he going at ? Officer : Twelve or thir-
teen miles at least. When I caught hold of the reins
he continued to whip the horse, and the latter got his
foot into my coat and threw me down between his legs,
but I held on and got, up. The prisoner denied this
statement altogether. Police-officer 242; howeVer, fully
bore out he other constable's statement. Mr. Raffles
asked if Mr. Brown was drunk ? And the officer said
he was. Mr: Raffles : 1 canna nor never will take the
*dtd of a drunken mAn in preference to the evidence of
two sober persons ; haVe you any Witness Prisoner :
Yes. Here he called d man into the box who swore
that Mr. Brown was not going more than ten or eleven
miles an hour at most, but this was all he kne* elldlit
it. Mr. Raffles : I will, as far as I can, put an end to
this outrageous conduct. If you were driving out on a
country road, where there would he no one to endanger,
ten or eleven miles an hour would not be too fast, but
in the crowded thoroughfares of Liverpool it is not to
be tolerated. Two gentlemen were kilted a short time
ago, and a day or two since a lady died from the effects
of furious driving. It must not be tolerated in the
streets of Liverpool, dnd in etery case that comes before
the, I will inflict the full penalty. tour out witness
proves the case. You are fined 40s. and costs. The
fine was at once paid.
The next charge was against a spring-cart driver,
named Thomas Ferrety. It appeared that this prisoner
was lashing his horse through the street in the most
furious manner, and but for two police-officers there
was no doubt he would have killed some one. He was
fined 40s. or two months' imprisonment.

THE DAILY TIMES, WEDNESDAY, DECEMBER 19, 180.

except by means gach as ihese? Mr. Buihell concluded
by movie .; the adoption of there-pre: ,
1 The Rev. C.,W. Warr seconded,the motuM.

Mr. illENity CLARKE, before the motion was put,
W'4B,/led make. q few-remarks,. on the exclusive
character ef mu, shurp accommodation, Which he
thought one of the greate'st, ffrievart,ElT that the Church
endured. He was prepared to show ft! .the working
. classes, according to our present system of churetlecdinif-
modation, neither did, nor could, nor would, avail them-
sebYesiot4t, Holy Trinity Church was specially built
for ti'le' ilailling classes., There were 525 sittings in that
church, but cf til'A't nuinlAfpytly 'AO were let, and of
those 280 but Of ifere attepto,d, tip. th iyof fof ‘7lloni
they had been set apart. Ldolt around at ,„4 ottr
churches, and he wanted to know in What thilell'es;
under the pew system, were the working classes rept e-
eignted ? They were not there, Mr. Clarke referred
, id the ficrating and migratory character of our labouring
ficpillationi au4 said such were their uncertain spheres
of labiiiinHsabitictif tiffeertain tenure of employment--
that to rea'sonable Man eokild apt/. them to be guilty
of The eN4vaganp e, ot„taking: isiYelf for' three; much less
six mo'nth's,, ~ofii,d4urpho4,ll4o:hQii,o4' gilfiii)o i lit
'. there was a feeiini-ibift the nia9, who sat
,iii' a flee .shat
was a pauper—("No, u6',l,—anq o'6' ies'Peliabre aif flans
refused, to be considered as, such., Those we're' ikki liis
" ciwuopiiiions ;merely, but, were supported by thn views
df. Lord, Shaftesbury, and oonfi.r,med by Lord Derby in
his spec& in LiVerpodi 10 . Aucrast last., The' evil,
indeed, was one acktie'vttedged
14y all impartial men,
whether ecclesiastical or lay. wt e'dmirAleps the
report was—much good as the society was doing, he
regretted that a schoolroom had been subsidised mid
i reeognised by the society, five-sixths of the accommoda-
!, Odd lit Which had been set apart to be let out for sums
of ifilqof„id tiqpio'of. yedple.• That society was not for
the benefit of tile tegrilar catiffeltzgrer, to allow him the
luxury o a pew, but he cOn'teo'con'ten'ds?flat ref_t service of
' their ,e,hurcli 9ght, tizbe, aapecial: sprig6'.ia'fire *Miring
ciassct. It. might he id ialL,e, .thee, w ere Wils'. i.lie .fli-
cumbent's income id ecroe..frOM. ! , ,he , aiisnTr„,wis,
,41
from the offertory. Mr. Clarke dd.4-eced a number of
instances to show that if this system 'ere Pgligy
followed, a very large revenue from a weekly collection
of the sort in every church could easily be attained.
''he' Chairman then put the resolution, which was
Mianininitsly carried:
Mr.; o,:retpli in'orecf94'secOnd feedlution, which was
Co Change one if the,fligda'pf9atar lasts of ale soriety, by
which the ma3imum salary of tlie,nicssionarY curates is
fixed at £l2O. The proposal as thit- thilt ShOdd ,
start at that, but that the committee slidind have a'.(1,14,
cretionary power gradually to increase the amonni 01 -'
it should reach £l7O.

Mr, Clarke seconded the motion, which was also
carried.
Mr. Ai:U:O Htlthf*lON moved the re-election of the
cohisal. lines; vdiflr the addition of the name of Mr. Percy
111.• said tliere It'ad neVer been a society estab-
lished tilde
,eacess Melt headcolisitleted so proble-
mtibal, froa the diffletilti fend, delicaey of the &range=
ments ;'.and be was thankTul,. under Web dirctom'startecs,
that, the , success of, the society had heen sh:giestr,a
result, no doubt, largely owing to the ludibibuS abtinti
of,thp,ecommittee who had conducted the *rations of
the soei4y. f
The Re 4. Mr. Po'v;ell seconded the iesolutiOn, which
was passed nem. con.
The Rev. Dr. M'NEILE proposed -"Th'a't th`e opeTa-
tions of the Liverpool Church Aid Society during the
present year have been blessed with such a measure of
success as calls for the expression of heartfelt gratitude
to Almighty God, and ought also to commend the society
to the general support of all who desire to improve tfie
moral and religious condition of the worst districts of
the town," It was not encouraging, he said, that the
ittio:rtance of the question had not called together a
giegtef tittnther than the twenty-two or twenty-three
gentlenien occupied that room. He did not think
the matter brought before them by Mr. Clarke was prac-
ticable. If all Christians Wete like Mr. Clarke, the
offertory would answer ; but they fottrld that their
Dissenting brethren could not do without Vet tents,
although their whole system was based upon the volun-
tary principle. The Roman Catholics, although they
had no pew rents, found it necessary to charge for
admission to their chapels, so that in the case of Dissen-
ters and Catholics, the offertory, so called, had proved
itself a failure. He believed that in their case it would
prone a failure also ; and this invited a little considera-
tionof their position at the present time. They were
talking of small things in the society, considering they
were engaged in a great battle, or rather were
Atistaining a great siege. Those of her Majesty's
subjects in this kingdom who thought that the
moral and religions interests of the people would be
greatly consulted by the abolition of all ecclesias-
tical establishments had proclaimed without hesitation,
and were carrying on with system, with arrangement,
with determination, with perseverance, a deliberate
siege against our ecclesiastical citadel, with all its appur-
tenances and all its supports. (Hear, hear.) At the
present moment (to continue his figure) their parallels
and zig-zags were against church-rates. In some places
they had succeeded in abolishing the rate, in others they
had not succeeded, but they were carrying on their work
systematically; and they had fairly apprised us, when
they had proceeded so far, that instead of raising their
siege they will advance their parallels, and assail the
tithes. (Hear, hear.) Now, if all the parishes in the
kingdom were reduced to the condition of the poor
parishes in Liverpool, and instead of a Church Aid
Society they had to establish a Church Society, with
nothing to aid, he should like to ask to what condition
our poor would be reduced, not only in large and popu-
lous towns, but in rural districts. (Hear, hear.) Then
what should be done in this matter? At this moment an
appeal was made to them ; they were invited to respond.
The leader of "her Majesty's opposition," as some one
used to call it, had spoken upon the subject of church-
rates. He had taken the Dissenting assailants at their
word, and joined issue with them upon the subject of an
established church. He said that was the question at
issue, and some of them had frankly avowed it was.so.
He was aware this was not the immediate subject of
their meeting, but he thought it was not a discursive
flight, to consiner whether, at this juncture, before the
meeting of Parliament, something should not be said,
in a combined and comprehensive way, in a town like
this on the coming battle in the House of Commons
upon the subject of church-rates. He was very much
mortified himself a few years ago to find that the rector
and their friends had been forsaken on the question of a
church-rate in Liverpool ; but he had ever held it as his
opinion that it might be regained, and he thought so still.
(Applause.) He should not venture to say more than that
he thought they should not sit down quietly and allow
the present session to pass without attempting to
regain their position as an Established Chuch and to
retain what remains,—for he was well persuaded if
through timidity or a false love of peace they yielded
now, and the Liberation Society, as it was called, suc-
ceeded in abolishing church-rates, they should be re-
duced to a similar position for the defence of tithes and
the whole system of the Established Church of the land.
(Hear, hear.) Reverting to the society, Dr. M'Neile
said he thought it had succeeded beyond reasonable
expectations, and he concluded by a strong exhortation
to the wealthy to give it an enlarged support.
The Rev. Dr. Hume seconded the motion in a prac-
tical speech ; and after a few stirring remarks from Mr.
Bushell, the motion was put and carried.
The interesting proceedings closed with the usual and
complimentary vote of thanks to the chairman.