Northern Times.
Liverpool, Merseyside, England, 1859-01-15 00:00:00

LIVERPOOL BANKRUPTCY COURT

In Re WiLcox.—ln the case of this bankrupt, a ship-
chandler at Liverpool, who came up to pass his last exami-
nation, his Honour delivered the following judgment :
The bankrupt Wilcox having attended to pass his last
examination, was represented by Mr. Aspivall, his connsel,
and Mr. Deighton appeared as counsel for the assignees,
in opposition to the bankrupt. The opposition rested
mainly upon the want of sufficient evidence in support of
the statement in the bankrupt's balance sheet that he was
indebted, at the time of his bankruptcy, to his father,
Daniel Wilcox, who, it is said, has absconded, in the sum
of £2,736 Bs. 2d. That sum is made up in great part of
sums said to be due for rent of a ropery, which began at
£3OO a year, and was successively increased to £5OO,
£547, and £l,OOO. This ropery having cost the bankrupt
£3,766 9s. 4d., was sold to his father in 1854 for £2,000,
and on the 19th of December, 1857, two patents which
the bankrupt held, together with all the plant and
machinery, which had cost him £8,392 2s. 10d., were
also sold to his father for £3,000. The bankrupt did
not keep his own books ; but he says the whole of the
£3,000 was paid by his father to him, and that he paid
his debts with it. It is not easy to trace this money,
because the payments aro entered as made on general
account. An account, however, has been furnished, from
which it appears that between September and December,
1857, payments to this amount, and something more'
were made in discharge of a portion of the bank!
rupt's debts. Mr. Deighton objects to the bankrupt's
passing his examination, as well by reason of certain un-
explained items in the accounts, as because the time when
the increased rent of the ropery commenced is not satis-
factorily shown. By the letter book, which has been
produced, at page 93, the ropery appears to have been
let by the father at £3OO a-year, the rent to be paid
half-yearly, in advance. The first increase to £5OO a-
year, also payable in advance takes place on the 19th
of December, 1855, and the bankrupt, when called upon
to show an agreement for this increase, referred to a
letter copied into his letter book of that date. That
letter appears to have been copied after letters of the
date of February, 1857, and is at page 511 of the
letter book. The bankrupt, endeavouring to account
for this)
says "there may havei been a blank page left."

This is obviously no reason whatever for a letter pro-
fessing to have been written in December, 1855, being
placed among copies of letters written more than a year
after. The real state of the case is disclosed .by Mr
Mr. Horbery, who was his clerk at this time, and who
said that the letter was written in 1857, and that he most
have been requested by the bankrupt so to date it. Now,
the object of making this request, if it took place at a
time when the bankrupt was in difficulties, must be
taken to have been fraudulent ; but this is denied by
Mr. Aspinall, the bankrupt's counsel, and the present is
not the fitting time for discussing this question. What
portion of the large debt due to the Borough Bank, who
have proved for the sum of £20,000 upon the estate, was
then owing, and what were the bankrupt's means of
paying it, will better be shewn at a future stage of the
proceedings. I observe upon it now mainly for the
purpose of shelving to the bankrupt himself the possible
consequences of such irregular dealing with a book which
ought to be a faithful transcript of his business matters,
so far as they are entered in the book. Ido not think,
however, it is a reason for refusing to allow the bankrupt
to pass his examination, but as I am by no means satisfied
of the correctness of the accounts between the bankrupt
and his father, and as he has failed to give a satisfactory
explanation of other items, all questions upon the
the accounts will be left open for observation on the day
to be appointed for the consideration of the allowance of
the bankrupt's certificate.
In re CHARLES LEWIS WRENSHALL.—The bankrupt,
a music-seller at Birkenhead, came up on application for
his certificate, supported by Mr. Cross. Mr. Dearden
appeared for a creditor, who had not given the required
notice of his intention to oppose, and applied for an
adjournment foe that purpose, which His Honour, after
hearing Mr. Pemberton, declined to grant. His Honour,
after referring to the proceedings, said the bankrupt
might take a second class certificate.

In re CECILY ECCLES.—This bankrupt, who carried on
business as a draper, at St. Helens, also applied for a
certificate. Mr. Evans, who appeared for the assignees,
offered no opposition, and His Honour awarded her a cer-
tificate of the second class.

LIVERPOOL POLICE INTELLIGENCI

BEFORE MR. MANSFIELD

INHUMAN' PARENTS.-Stephen and Nary Dowling,
husband and wife, were charged with having caused a
Creet annoyance at the shop of Mr. Nodder, hatter, 75,
hurch-street, and also with having most brutally as-
saulted their own son, a lad about 17 years' of age.
Police-constable Gray stated that, on Tuesday afternoon
the female prisoner was creating an annoyance in front of
Mr. NocTder's shop, and on the same evening he appre-
hended her, and since her husband, for a most violent as-
sault upon their son. He said, from information he
received from Mr. Nodder, he'_ went to the prisoners'
house in Eldon-street, where he found the lad, evidently in
want of food, with scarcely a rag to cover him; and
suffering from ill treatment. He asked him where his
clothes were, when he stated that he did not know,- as
his mother had taken them out, which was really the
fact, for he subsequently found ;them in the charge of a
Mrs. Johnson. The lad," Thomas Dowling, was then
called, and, with some degree of reluctance, related the
various cruelties he had been subcted to from his
parents, from which it would appear that he had been in
the employ of Mr. Nodder, of Church-street, for three
months, and had had occasionally to wait until seven or
eight o'clock at night for his food, because his mother
would not send it to him. On Friday evening last his
food did not come until after six in the evening, when
Mr. Nodder said what a shame it was, and his
brother went home and told his mother what had been
said, the result of which was that she went and annoyed Mr.
Nodder, and was given into custody, but the charge was
not pressed. When he went home, his father (to him)
accused Mr. Nodder of knocking over a can of coffee,-
which he had not done, and which the boy denied.
When he did so, the father rushed at him with a knife,
saying, " You'll go for a policeman, will you ? " when he
(the lad) made his escape from the house, his mother
ran after him, shouting Stop thief." He did not.go
home any more, but got lodgings ; but his mother came
to the shop and asked him to go home again, which he
refused to do. But on Tuesday morning she caught hold
of his neck and dragged him through the streets to his
home, and when there, the father and the mother stripped
him of his clothes, and beat him most unmercifully with a
rope,- and then kept him locked up without food until the
policeman went and released him. He said, also, that
his parents ill-used him before, particularly on Christmas
Day, when he was shamefully beaten without any cause,
and had had his jaw injured. Mr., Nodder, who gave the
boy a-most excellent character, said that he had frequently
noticed that he had been kept without his food until late
hours, and had often given him money to go and get food
with. Mr. M'Caul, a surgeon at the North Dispensary,
said that he had examined the lad, and on various parts
of his body there were severe contusions, which, he. had
no doubt, had been inflicted with a rope. The prisoners
made an attempt to justify their conduct, the former
by saying that her affection led her to take him home,
fearing that he might get into bad company ; and the
latter, by saying that he had corrected him for staying
out on the Friday night. Mr. Mansfield said, the conduct
of the prisoners was most disgraceful and abominable ;
for they had most brutally assaulted their own son (who
fortunately had found a kind friend in Mr. Nodder), who
was much better than they were themselves. He then
said he had received two letters from the lad's former
masters, who gave him an excellent character, which he
believed he deserved ; and, after again reprobating the
conduct of the. prisoners, ordered them to pay a fine of
£5 each, or be imprisoned for two months. The lad then
left the court with Mr. Nodder, who promised to do the
best he could for him, as he was a very good and in-
dustrious bay.

STEALING A WATCH.—AII elderly man, named Jt
Long; was charged with stealing a watch from the person
of John Stretch, on the previous evening. The prosecutor
stated, he was going up the London Road, when the
prisoner asked him the way to Brownlow-hill, and he said
he would show him, and after walking a short distance he
was telling him which way to go, when the prisoner
snatched at'his watch and ran away; but, before he had
proceeded far, he knocked over an oyster stall, and was
captured. Mr. Bluck endeavoured to show that it must
have been some other person who -had committed the
robbery, but failed, and the prisoner was committed
for trial.

rhomas M‘Gill,
a

SUPPOSED ROBBERY BY A. SOLDIEI
a soldier in tho 91st Regiment, was apprehended at .-
pawnshop in Tithbarn-street, on suspicion of having
stolen a silver snuff box, on which was the following
inscription :—" Presented to John G. Gramrie, N.P., as
a token of respect and esteem, by a few friends, on his
leaving Liverpool for New York, 15th Feb., 1857." The
soldier was offering it in pawn, when, not being able to
give an account of it, or even of his own name, he was
given into custody. A little girl, living at an eating-
house, stated that she had seen the soldier take it out of
an old man's pocket on the previous day, and, conse-
quently, the case was remanded, with a view of finding
an owner.

BEERHOUSE CASES.
BEFORE MESSRS. CIIALLONER AND RANKIN

James Syred, beerhouse-keeper, Clement-street, was
aiid
charged for selling ale at prohibitedhours. Dismissed.
John Edwards, beerhouse-keeper, Carlton-street, was
charged for selling ale at illegal hours.
costs.

William Brown, beerhouse-keeper, Great Homer-street,
was charged for Sunday trading. Fined ss. and costs.
John Clue,- of Prince Edwin-street, was charged with
selling ale at mid-day, on Sunday. Dismissed.
Catherine McCabe, beerhouse-keeper, Edmar-street,
was charmed for doin* business on Sunday. kr. Cobb
appeared for the defence, and produced witnesses, who
proved that the persons found in the house were lodzers.

Acquitted. •
Margaret Walsh, Bond-street, was charged with
selling ale on Sunday morning. The defence the ale was given as a marriage was that
box." Dismissed.
Samuel Lyons beerhouse-keeper, Fairclough-lane, was
charged with Sunday trading. Fined 2s 6d and costs.
Thomas Charles Toulman, . Egypt-street, t
keeper, was charged With doinebusstirneces; 'at illegal
hours. Fined ss. beerhouse-
Catherine limn
lane, w-
defev•

it" and " Christmas-

Ina costs

beerhouse-keeper, Smithaown-

clti summoned for Sunday trading. The
was that the persons in the house were friends of
Dismissed.

Lae owner.
Sophia Thompson, Stanhope-street, Park, was charged
-o informations, one for doing business at illegal
Aoup, and the other for allowing a'drunken man on her
premises. Fined os. and costs.

on tw

Inspector O'Brien summoned William Baxter, of Lime-
street, for having ten men and twelve prostitutes drink-
ing wine in his house at illegal hours. Dismissed.

Although it is the month of 'January, 1859, most
people admit we are living in hard times, hence
it should be the study of every one to ask themselves the
question, " How can I save my money ?" We reply,
without hesitation, buy your steel pens, and other sta-
tionery, at E. T. Hall's wholesale steel pen warehouse,
23, South John-street. Joseph Gillett's, Thomas Lowe's,
G. W. Hughes, and other maker's pens at is per gross.
Good Pen Holders 2d per dozen.
IRISH LEGAL CIIANGES.—SUUnders of Friday morning,
announces that the Right llon. Judge Compton, second
justice of the Court of Queen's Bench, has tendered his
resignation to the Government, and that he will be
succeeded in that court by the Solicitor-General. The
vacant seat on the bench in the Court of Exchequer will
be filled up by the appointment of Mr. F. Fitzgerald,
Q.C., or Mr. Brewster, Q.C.