The Northern Daily Times.
Liverpool, Merseyside, England, 1857-03-31 00:00:00

TRAVELLING ON A RAILWAY WITHOUT

A TICKET.

At the New'on Petty Sessions, on Salurday, Mr. William
Stocks, of Crow lane, Newton-in-Makerfield, glass manufac-
turer, appeared in answer to three informations on the part of
the London and North Western Railway Company, laid before
Benjamin Pierpoint, Esq. ; first, for having, on the 13th of
February last, travelled in a certain railway carriage of the
above railway company, from Warrington Junction to the
Warrington station without having previously paid his fare,
and with the intent to avoid payment thereof. The second
was for having, on the 20th day of February last, travelled, or
attempted to travel, in a certain carriage of the said raiiway
company from Warrington Junction to the Edgehill station, on
their said line of railway, without having previously paid his
fare, and with intent to avoid payment thereof. The defendant
pleaded guilty to all the three charges. Mr. Blenkinsop, of
Liverpool, appeared for the prosecution. He said he felt it a
very unpleasant duty to appear against a gentleman like Mr.
Stocks. [Here he was interrupted by Mr. Stocks, who said
there was no occasion for Mr. Blenkinsop to proceed, as he
did not deny that he had travelled in the company's carriages
without having paid, but he intended to take a contract ticket.]
Mr. Blenkinsop, however, continued : and said he felt it his
duty—and the directors also felt it their duty--that if they
were to prosecute a poor man for riding on their railway
without paying his fare, they were bound to prosecute a
respectable man for the like offence. Mr. Stocks had
previously held a contract ticket under the London and North
Western Railway Company, but that contract had expired in
Juiy, 1855. How often he had travelled on the line since then
without paying his fare Ile could not tell, but he (4r. Stocks) hrtl
been caught in the art these three times ;and they were t reviled
to prove them; and by a clause in the act of parliament they (the
magistrates) were empowered to ialict a penalty up ;n him of
40s. and costs for each offence. Mr. Stock, said Le formerly
held a contract ticket under the Railway Comp my, and he
could assure the court that it was his perfect intention to have
procured another. He told an officer of the Railway Company
the same, hut he was not there to corroborate him. He quite
forgot to renew his contract. He had been out of business
two years, but he had now built works near Wigan and it was
necessary, from an increase of business there, that ho should
take—and it was his intentioa to take—a contract ticket. The
chairman observed that he could not have been ignorant
of not having a contract ticket for such a length of time.
Mr. Blenkinsop said the cases now before them were
recent ones. He was bound to select some particular cases
against the defendant in order to prosecute. After the com-
pany had issued a contract ticket, they did not require the
holder to produce it every time he travelled on the line ; but
only once or twice ; or until he became familiar with the
collector. The ticket collector at Edge hill, having suspicion
that Mr. Stocks was defrauding the co-npany by travelling
without a ticket, asked him to lot him see his ticket, bnt Mr.
Stock could not produce one, and slid he had left it at home.
The officials of the Railway Company, we understand,
got intimation that Mr. Stocks had been in the habit of
travelling on the railway from July, 1855—the time his con-
tract expired—without a ticket, through a discharged clerk of
his. Consequently they watched the movements of Mr.
Stocks, and he was first detected on the 13th February, at
the Warrington Station, by Mr. Blake, of the Managers
Office, Liverpool. On being then interrogated, he said he
had left his ticket at home, he was subsequently detected at
Edge Hill, and made a similar statement, but said he would
produce it on the next occasion. The magistrates, after a short
consultation, decided on inflicting the full penalty, viz , 40s
land costs on each of the charges, with the full expenses of the
witnesses.

SPORTING INTELLIGENCE

TATTERSALL'S.-YESTERDAY.