Northern Times.
Liverpool, Merseyside, England, 1859-02-24 00:00:00

LIVERPOOL BOROUGH SESSIONS

The General Quarter Sessions of the Peace for the
borough of Liverpeol was opened in the Crown Court,
St. George's Hall, yesterday forenoon. In the unavoid-
able absence of Gilbert Henderson, Esq., Recorder, J. B.
Aspinall, Esq., the Deputy-recorder, commenced the
business of the sessions. The usual proclamation against
vice and immorality having been read by the Clerk of
the Peace, the following gentlemen were sworn upon the
GRAND JURY.
. _ _

Win. Charles Fosbery, merchant, Tithebarn-street (foreman).
James Beazley, merchant, Rcdeross-street.
James Blake, soap manufacturer, Kitchen-street.
John Gordon Brown, merchant, Sweeting-street.
Win. Baker, corn merchant, Brunswick-street.
James Cunningham, baker, Oldhall-atreet.
Henry Curry, broker, Rumford-street.
Denis Daly, merchant, Brunswick-street.
John Gerrard Geller, merchant, Slater-court.
Alexander Gillespie, merchant, Brunswick-street.
Edward Lawrence, merchant, Cook-street.
John Lynch, merchant, James-street.
Wm. Makin, corn merchant, Brunswick-street.
John Newby Moore, wine merchant, Batchelor-street.
Win. Thompson Mann, ironfounder, Bedford-street South.
Thomas Paton, merchant, Brunswick-street.
Frederick Hillman Powell, shipbroker, South John-street.
Joseph Taylor, merchant, Launcelot's-hey.
Joseph Hill Worthington, commission merchant, Tower-garden.
Richard Alison Watson, timber merchant, Great Crosshall-street.
The Deputy-Recorder, in charging the grand jury,
said he did not think, under the circumstances, that he
should detain them with any observations except such
as might be made necessary by the cases to come before
them. Before doing that, however, he would draw
their attention to one matter of some congratulation
which appears on the face of the calendar, and that
was the considerable diminution which had taken place
in the stabbing cases in which the knife was used, of
which they formerly had very many at these sessions.
There were undoubtedly a few to come before them on
this occasion: but still the number was so dispropor-
tionate with what it had been, that it was impossible
not to congratulate themselves upon a result which he
believed had followed from the wise severity used in
that court, and by the magistrates. He had looked
over the depositions, and he -did not find any case which
called for any special direction with the exception per-
haps of one, and that was an indictment which would
be preferred before them against a person of the
name of Ellis Wharton. The evidence would direct
itself to show them that the person was alleged to
have been guilty of keeping a brothel; but the class of
the evidence would be, not that the person actually kept
the brothel himself, but was in the habit of farming out
a number of brothels from the owner, and letting them
to persons who afterwards made use of them for the
purpose of that disgusting occupation. There might be
some question of law which might arise upon the case ;
but if they should be satisfied by the evidence brought
before them that that was the case, and that this person
did take those brothels from the andlord for any such
purpose, and did afterwards, knowing they were to be
so used, let them to different parties in order to make a
profit for himself, it would be their duty to find a true
bill and put the case into due course of investigation.
There was no other case among the depositions on which
he should make an observation ; but it had been inti-
mated to him, and he believed it would be the case, that
there wonld be several bills presented to them in eases
which did not go before the magistrates. It was in
some degree more important that the grand jury should
take some care in investigating cases which had not been
before the magistrates. , Those bills, he understood,
would relate to a class of houses and establishments
where persons were allowed to congregate, it would be
said for immoral purposes, in a certain public thorough-
fare in this town. He understood that several bills of
that class would be preferred before them. The grand
jury would be the best judges whether they ought to
find those bills or not ; but he would point out the class
of evidence which he thought they ought to require, to
put the matter into a course of investigation. If they
should find, in any case of this description, that it was
proved the place—whether kept nominally for the pur-
pose of refreshment, or for the purpose of dancing, or
any other amusement—was solely frequented by per-
sons of immoral character, and if they should be led
to believe by the evidence, that those persons were
brought there for an immoral purpose, although that
immoral purpose might not be carried out upon the
premises—if the place in fact amounted to a disorderly
house, he should recommend them upon that ground to
find the bills, without pledging himself to any opinion as
to what the result of that finding might be. There was
another point of view in which also they might be justi-
fied in finding bills against those 'parties. They would
not be treated merely as disorderly houses ; but there
would be evidence offered to show that they were a
grievous nuisance to the public passing the streets. At
the recent assizes an indictment was actually preferred
of a similar description, and in that case the learned
judge laid down what appeared to be a common sense
view

—that if a house, which might he perfectly innocent
in itself, so far as what went on inside was concerned,
was frequented by characters who habitually conducted
themselves so as to be a nuisance in the public streets,
it might be indicted as a nuisance. Unless there was
a case of considerable gravity, he did not think these
were inquiries which should proceed further than the
comparatively private inquiry held before the grand
jury. It was, however, a question of considerable
importance. There had been other attempts to deal
with these houses in other ways; people might have
different opinions as to the value of such proceedings, but
the simple question for them would be to consider whether
there was a prima facie case made out of offence against
the law. They would also have before them a heavy case
of robbery, which took place by a prostitute, in the very
street in which these establishments existed He did not
mean to say it followed they had any connection ; but if
they found a number of robberies committed in that
neighbourhood, it might throw some light on the ques-
tion as to the importance of undertaking these proceed-
ings. He did not think they would have any difficulty
, .

on the subject.
The Grand Jury then retired to consider the various
indictments laid before them..
The followin7., cases were then proceeded with, and dis-
posed of as under :
Catherine Marlow, for stealing a purse containing two
pounds, the property of Thomas Welsh ; ten months.
Alexander Bond, for stealing a purse and two sovereigns,
from the person of Margaret Hodgson ; three years.
Margaret Hunt, for stealing from the person of Alice
Erickson the sum of 4s 10d ; discharged.
Mary Jones, for stealing a purse containing £4O, from
the person of Isaac Schwersensky ; four years.
Frederick Williams, for stealing from David Morgan
twenty-one yards of flannel ; three months.
Robert Kerwick, for stealing six feet of lead piping
the property of John Ladd; six months.
Thomas Sniff, for embezzling the sum of 7s 2d, from
his employers John Lawrence and Co. ; one month.
William Brown, for stealing a casket from John Dixon ;
two months.

aerine Bond, for stealing from the person of Eliza

sum Of

0
Benjamin Cross, for stealing a packet-book from Wm.
Thompson, and a pair of scissors from Will. Redmond,
four months
Ma

Anne Bright, for stealing a pair of blankets, two
and a pair of trousers, from Michael Tierney,

x months
Jane Phillips, for stealing a double blanket from

Sarah Markham, for stealing a coat from Robert
Rotherv, six months.

Rowland Williams, for stealing four pictures from
hn Parks, two months.

torgurz 11.L11, iillU ruury duce 1,0 wan, tor stealing a
watch and cham from William Newell, four months

iC Cou:

idjourned till ten o'clock this morninz.

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