Northern Times.
Liverpool, Merseyside, England, 1859-04-26 00:00:00

LIVERPOOL POLICE INTELLIGENCE.—YESTERDAY.
BEFORE MR. PRESTON.
" Currmo " A BARBER.— Henry Scott, a provision
dealer, living in Mill-lane, was charged for having assaulted
a barber and hair dresser, named Joseph Spencer, who lives
in the same street. The complainant said : lam a barber
and hair dresser (by the way, he seemed to have much
neglected his own person in both lines), and I was going out
to dress a family's hair. Mr. Preston : Never mind that;
t3ll what this man did to you. The Barber : I must tell you
how it happened. I was going out to cut a family's hair,
for which I expected half-a-crown. Mr. Preston : Don't
mind where you were going, or what you expected ; tell
what he did to you. The Barber : Well, sir, as I was going
out to cut the hair of a family, I saw that man pummelling
a woman up against awall, in a most furious manner, and,
says "Oh, shame, shame, shame !" I said "shame"
fine times, sir, in order to show— Mr. Preston: Never
mind that; what did he do to you ? The Barber : Well,
sir, he was beating the woman most materially (laughter), and
says I, " Shame, shame, shame !" Mr. Preston : You told
RS that already ; what did he do to you, man ? The
Barber : When I said " Shame, shame, shame !" three
times, the prisoner ran at me, and, says, he to
me,' I'll shame you, and at the same time knocked me
sprawling in the street, as flat as a floithder,_ and that was
too hod in a Christian country. The defendant went on
to tell some story without "head or tail," and whilst he
was going on with this " oration," the complainant made
several efforts to address the bench, but was desired to
desist. At last Inspector Horn, in a very emphatic man-
ner said to an officer, " Why don't you keep that barber
from talking ?" The officer told Mr. Horn that he (Mr.
Horn) must not be well read in barber-ous philosophy—
he might make an effort to stop the tide out with a pitch-
fork, but to stop a barber from talking, would be more
difficult than to invent a wind that would navigate a
balloon to Australia! The defendant was fined £1 and
costs. Here the barber made another effort to address the
bench, but was " swept" out by a big policeman.
A WELSII Row. - Daniel Owens, and Betsey Clegg, his
daughter, were charged by a police-officer with having
assaulted him. Mr. Cobb defended. The officer said he
heard shouts of murder and police, in Westmoreland-
street, and on going there he found there was a
precious Welsh row, amongst about one hundred of the
natives of the Principality ; they were flinging bricks and
pokers, and pans and kettles, at each other. Pokers and
tongs, and plates flew about like balls at Sebastopol.
Seeing the likelihood of getting his head in his fist, if he
ventured in amongst, those modern ancient Britons, he
telegraphed to one of his comrades, by playing a tune on
his whistle, to the air of " Oh Nancy Dawson, kiss me
quick," being a quotation from a recent farce performed
with great eclat at St. George's Hall. Two or three additional
officers came up,"and made a charge on the combatants,
but the complainant came off second best, for he got a
blow of a brickbat that knocked him down, and on getting
up the male prisoner gave him a kick, and the girl gave
him a cuff, and after a good strong fight, they were cap-
tured. Mr. Cobb tried to put over the blame on some other
persons, but could not, and the man was fined £2 and the
girl 10s.
ASSAIILTS ON WOMEN. —Thomas Shepell, and John.
Donnollon, two shoemakers, who live in Hornby-
street, were charged with having violently assaulted
Mary Connor, and her daughter, Jane Connor.
It appeared that, the previous night, the younger
complainant was going into a court off the street, when one
of the prisoners caught hold of her, and she repelled his
frecsiom and called out for her mother, who, on coming to
her assistance, the prisoners fell on them, and beat them
with a poker on the heads, inflicting. serious wounds on
them. !k^he prisoners were remanded in order to ascertain
how the wounds would terminate.
John met:uinness, a loafer, was charged with having
violently asset'. 'ted Mary Mooney, and James Livesey was
charged with. h, wing assisted him. Mr. Cobb was for the
Ffsoners. It app. eared that the woman was a servant in a
cellar in Banistre-st, "eet, where bread, meat, and beer are
sold. On ,Saturday n. ight hell prisoners and another man,
not in custody, went to the ar and had three glasses of
ale, which they refused to pay for. The third man ran
away, and the prisoners a -ere following him up the cellar
steps, when M'Guinness tur., led round and gave the woman
a kick in the neck, injuring h. nrvery much, and causing her
to throw up blood. On cross-ex amination, Mr. Cobb elicited
that the other prisoner did not do anything, and he was
discharged, and then Mr. Cobb pi •oduced him as a witness,
ind he swore that it was the thircim an, and not M‘Guinness,
kicked the woman. His Worsh. ;Pt however, came to
ie conclusion that the prisoner was th, e man, and fined him
5, or to be imprisoned for two mouths.
-pocket,„ named
POOKET.PICICING.— A " professional pie.
Jatherine Russell, very well dressed, was charged by Mrs.
her pocket of
Richmond, of a Chir rch-street, for picking '
Nh
um-, Church-strea t, on Saturday. Mr. Vora ip, (for
Mr. Black) appeared for the prisoner. The t., emplainant
was in Church-stre& on Saturday, looking into a window,
when she felt a "ce Lolent pull at her pocket, and turning
round, she saw the prisoner running away ; officer Gray 645,
followed and tares ted her, but it was supposed she passed
the purse to two -men, to whom she spoke for a second or
two. Mr. Worship cross examined the lady at some length,
but the evidence was not shaken, and the prisoner was I
remanded to Thursday,

LIVERPOOL, CORONER'S COURT.—YESTERDAY.
BEFORE W. P. CURRIE, ESQ.
Suspierous CASE.—The Coroner held an inquest on the
body of Elizabeth Brattle, aged 24, wife of John George
Brattle, a porter-on the Lancashire and Yorkshire railway.,
who lived at Nis. 11, Everton-terrace. The death was said
to have taken place under strong suspicion of foul play. The
husband was in custody on a charge of having caused her
death. Mr. Campbell appeared for the prisoner. The
deceased was described as a very handsome person. The
first witness was Elizabeth Clark, who stated that her hus-
band is a bootmaker, residing at No. 11, Everton-terrace,
The husband and deceased took apartments at her house
shout the end of August. The deceased was confined of a
son-on the 10th of January. She was attended by Dr.
Rowlands. Ou the night of the 15th of January, the wit-
ness said she heard the deceased scream, and subsequently
she found a large lamp on the _forehead of deceased, and
she told witness that her husband had struck her with his
clenched fist and stunned her, and she was in great terror of
him coming in. She cried from the pain of her head, and
often complained of it after that. About three weeks after
she complained that her husband struck her across the back
with a stick. She complained after that, and some time
since had a fit, and complained of her eye and temple. She
died on Good Friday morning. The witness said the
deceased always appeared to be in great fear of her
husband. In reply to Mr. Campbell, the witness said
she believed it was an apoplectic fit she had. sever heard
her say that she hurt her head with the bedpost. She
never saw him strike her. Elizabeth Overall, the nurse to
the deceased, was examined at some length, and her evidence
went to corroborate the evidence of the previous witness.
Mr. William Rowlands, surgeon, said : I attended the de-
ceased, and she was confined on he 10th of January. There
was nothing* remarkable in the case, not that I heard her
speak of. I attended her for five days after. I don't
recollect seeing him (the prisoner) except the night he came
for me. I was next sent for on the 16th March, but had
not seen her in the meantime. I found her then labouring
under oppression of the brain ; she complained of symptoms
that were paralysis of right eyelidweakness and coldness of
the right side. Asked her if she had received any injury to
the head, and she replied that she had fallen against a bed-
post. I saw her on the following day, and there were two
females in the room, and they said she had deceived me, as
it was not a fall against a bedpost, .but that she had been
struck by her husband, to which she assented that she had
deceived me. I asked, had she deceived me, and she said she
had, and that it was her husband who struck her. She was
not in a dying state when she said that. She recovered
in about ten days, and was able to go about
bet; " ordinary duties of the house. I found (on
a post mortem examination), the chest and abdomen
perfectly healthy. I found in the head about 4 oz. of
coagulated blood at the base of the brain, extending
upwards to the top. It was caused by a rupture of a small
vessel, and that must have been done by external violence.
I could not say if that injury could have been received in
January, but it is possible. To Mr. Campbell: The wit-
ness made some explanation about the blood, and said it
was neces.;ary to have atmospheric air to make the blood
tainted. Did not hear she was subject to fits. Ido not
know if she had a fall on the night before Good Friday.
I do's called at five in the morning, and the husband was in
the room, and doing all he could. Effusion is a conse-
quence of a fit. I heard from her that she had a shivering
fit. and I attributed it to blood being diffused making more
pressure on the brain. From the 19th March she gradually
improved ; if she had fallen in a fit, it might produce the
rupture of the vessel. To the COrimer • Ile said he dis-
covered au old fracture about an inch long on the frontal
bone. It was perfectly healed. Mr. Campbell then offered
a few words to the jury, and said it was a painful duty he
ebtiofuwied wife,tlo down
and he with
had to perform. He said his clientis bwartsn
eare-and sorrow, by the loss of his
had been brought there to give evidence, and was
now before them on a charge of having caused her
death. He went over the evidence, and said the man denied
ever having raised his hand in his life to his wife. It would
*pear, he said. that the poor woman laboured under fits,
in stne of which she must have fdlen and received the injury.
The Coroner then addressed the jury, summing up in his
usual lucid manner, and the jury found that death was
caused by external violence, but by whom inflicted there was
no -evidence to show. The Coroner then discharged the
prisoner, but he was taken into custody by officer Carlisle,
of the detective police, who said he would bring him before
the magistrates. [Query, on what charge ?]
The Coroner also held an inquest on the body of John