Northern Times.
Liverpool, Merseyside, England, 1859-08-04 00:00:00

remain,

may take, Yours tru

• "If I remembc
I L'had not seen

Signed)

L-sliti B. NE/LSON.
bt

;, we were acquainted some yea:
L. so long that I had quite forg

your appearance-when you bowed to me on tlieCresk
were in conversation with two little girls I tedvaired ;
sure that cruelty to children was never a part of my cc

perfectly remembered
t when yeli

If there was any part of this person's conduct mere dis•
gusting .kliati the other, it was the feeling- he, shewed

gentleman of position, he would not. have used him in, such
a manner. After, reading another-letter addressed by,•Mr.
Neilson to air. Charles Willmer, in answer to an article
which hadappeared in his paper, ho said in conclusion that
that was the case which he had to state against the defimdant.
He charged him in the first plane, under the act of Parlia-
ment to. which he had alluded, with unlawfully and
maliciously doing grievous bodily harm. He did not charge
him with an assault, nor did he ask for a summary convie;.
tin or adjudication, and therefore he hoped theinagistrates
would' not decide it in that way, but that they. would come
to such a decision as they would if the charge had been
made against a person in another position in society. The
infliction of a penalty, and the,discharge oP the defendant on
its payment, would ho simply ridiculous, and in a person
in his position of life would cast a reflection on the adminis-.
tration of justice. If he were to be sent away on the Pay-.
meat of a penalty which would be a severe infliction on a
person in a humble position of life—it would meet with the
greatest possible reprobation from all parties.
Robert .Alexander Sleigh examined : I am the eldest son
of,Alexander. Sleigh, who is a broker in Liverpool. I live
at. Holyrood House, Edge-lane. I was fifteen last March.
Myself, my father, and family have for the last fortnight
been staying at Marine Parade, Waterloo. -Mr. Neilson is
staying there also. On the evening of Wednesday last I
was on the parade in company with my brother,' Thomas
Arthur Sleigh, George Schofield, and Robert Samuel, It
was about eight o'clock. I had some Waterloo crackers
with me. (Crackers produced.) .I was amusing myself
with. throwing them down to explode. I remember seeing
Mr. Neilson, Mrs. Neilson, and Nit.. and Miss Turner walk-
- ing on the parade. Just then I threw one of the crackers.
I threw it over the heads of the four. It. exploded. Mr.
Neilson came up to me, and said, " You d—d young whelp,
I'll teach you to throw these things at my wife ; what did
you do it for ?" I said I did it for fun. That was all I
said. Mr.- Neilson then walked away—he one way and I
the other. He did not ask me any question about my name,
or where' I lived. • I was close to him at the time. I walked
away. I did not run. Neither of the ladies said anything,
either when Ithrew the tracker or afterwards. I did not
hear them scream. One of them smiled. I went to the
other green. This would be about 500 or 600 yards
from the, place where we were before. Soon after I got
there, I saw Mr. Neilson Coming. About a quarter of
an hour had elapsed from the time I threw the cracker
to the time Mr. Nelson came up. George Schofield
was there with me. The other two boys were walking
just behind us about ten yard. 4. He passed the other
boys before.- he got to me. - When Mr. Neilson came up;
Scholfield ran away towards the. house. I stood where I
was. - I could not see anything in his hand when he
came up. when -he reached me, 'he struck me on
the head with his fist and knocked me down, without
speaking to me. He kept hitting me with a stick, ana
tried to get up. He struck me with-the stick about twenty
times, and twice with hiS fists. He was swearing. all the
while. It was a good-sized oak walking-stick. It had a
handle. He hit me with the handle end. Part of the
while I was on the ground. He struck me four or - five
times while I was on the ground. He struck me on the
arrn,.back,•and hips. I had a bunch of keys in the right
hand pocket of my trousers. Some of the blows struck the
ring of the keys. (Fragments of a broken ring produced
-by witness.). The ring was broken in that way by the
blows. While he was•striking me I asked him to leave off.
I said, " I have done nothing to He said nothing
in answer to that. I was standing holding onby it post at
ving what had
the edge of the area of the house when he struck me. The
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ot,77:b:rojtahmeresansdtoßekodbacirfst
depth of the area was about five feet. At last he went
oSa
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tma'
ayt
ala. and
di
dinner
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Ir
Irvine came into the house. My father and were
liankiened. I Iv. by bins and the servants.
well tfiat night. Next day I was notrat all
well. I was up a little in the afternoon. On Friday I was
better, but not well. 'I was not well on the Saturday. I
was not quite well until yesterday, . I felt very sore and
stiff, and had a bad headache. I was attended by two me-
dical gentlemen, who ordered me to remain in-bed.
Cross-examined by Mr. Deighton : I was attended by Dr
Churton and Mr. May - -

saw the
medical men. It is a very frequent occurrence atarst Waterloo
for the boys to throw crackers. I have thrown. many. I
do not generally throw them at ladies. I have done so. I
threw them at ladies to frighten them,and make them start.
There is a great deal of that going on at Waterloo among
the boys. I have never thrown them in at the windows of
people's houses. - 1 have thrown them on to people's bal-
conies. I know-Mrs. Ainsworth's house. On one occasion
I threw some crackers at Mrs. Ainsworth,when she Was sit-
ting at her balcony. She is an oid lady. I was not aware
that she was in delicate health. She was very much fright-
ened. I was not aware whether that produced convulsions
in the old lady. Ido not know Mrs. Shee's house. I know
No. 1. I have never thrown a cracker in at the window
of that house. I have never seen boys do it when I have
been with them. I knew Mrs.' Neilson by sight, but not
Miss Turner. I threw a cracker before them for the pur-
pose of frightening them. Mr. Turner was there. Ile
remonstrated with me on my conduct. While he was doing.
so, an elderly lady and gentleman passed and remonstrated
with me too. When I was asked what I did it for, I said I
did it in fun. I am not aware that I looked impudent to
him; I smiled. The explosion of the cracker took place
opposite No. 16 ; that is Mr. Neilson's house. Mr. Neil-
son went into his house directly after he had spoken to me,
and then I walked off to the" other green. I was a little
more than 200 yards from Mr. Neilson's house when I first
saw him. Young Scholfield told me he was coming, and
told me to " cut.' I said, " No, I will wait." When Mr.
Neilson came up, he did not ask me who I was ; he did not
say anything. During the beating he said something, but
he did not ask me who I was: After Mr. Neilson had gone
'into his house, I walked past our own house, to get to the
green. I did not see him coming when I passed our house.
I swear he struck me' when he came up, lust over my left
ear. I did not notice which hand the stick was in. He
held the stick in his right hand when he Pus beating me.
When the blow was given I' fell down ; I did not slip ; I
was not tripped up-by anything. The houses 'there are in
an unfinished state. They don't use a cane at our school.
(Mr. Deighton : A great pity.) There was a post there,'
and I got hold of it to help myself up. I did not continua
holding it after I had got up. The medical gentleman,
'Mr. May, who attended me, is here. lam well now, As
long as my arm was sore, I considered myself -unwell.
Re-examined.—I never knew that the crackers thrown
by boys have done harm. Ladies and gentlemen have
generally been there when we have thrown them.
Mr. Charles Willmer was here sworn, and requested to
produce the manuscript of a letter which' he had received
from Mr. Neilson and published in his paper in answer to
an article on the subject which had appeared in the paper on
Saturday. Mr. Willmer refused to.produce the manuscript,
on the ground that it was a privileged communication.
Hereupon Mr. Aspinall asked the magistrates to enforce 'its
production, but they declined to do so. At the request of
Mr. Aspinall, the clerk then made a note on the depositions
to the effect that he had called upon Mr. Willmer to pro-
duce the manuscript, which he had declined to do.
Thomas Arthur Sleigh examined : I am brother of the
last witness. lam thirteen years of age, and shall be four-
teen to-morrow, the 4th of August. I was ten or twelve
yards from my brother when Mr. Neilson struck hiz, He