Northern Times.
Liverpool, Merseyside, England, 1857-08-25 00:00:00

CROWN COURT.

Mr. Baron Watson entered the Court at nine o'clock
this morning.
THIC L131&-STREET A SeE3tBLY Rooms. —William Dom-
Tulle, proprietor of the Assembly-rooms, Lime-street,
was indicted for a misdemeanour, and pleaded not
guilty. Mr. ir emple, Q C., and Mr. Aspinall appeared
tor the presecution, and Mr. Monck, Q.C., with Mr.
Brett for the defence. Mr. Temple, said the prosecution
was instituted for the purpose of endeavouring to pat
down an establishment which hal for the last three or
four years existed in a very populous part of the street. a
street cal'ed Lime-street, leading from St. George's
Hall to the top of Ranelagh-street. The defendant was
indicted for keeping a disorderly house. It was one of
those places which were contemplated by an Act passed
in the twenty-fifth year of the reign of Geo. 11., three or
four lines of the recital of which he would read to the
jury, because it did very distinctly point out some of the
mischiefs which resulted from establishments cf the kind.
The words were :—" And whereas the multitude of places
Of entertainment for the lower sort of people is another
great cause of thef's and robberies, as they are thereby
tempted to spend their small substance in these riotous
places, and in consequence are put to unlawful
methods of supplying their wants and renewing their
pleasures." The establishment in question profeesed to be
an assembly-room, a place where persons of bcth sexes
met together somewhere about nine or 'ten o'clock in the
evening, and the scenes which took place there continued
to be transacted up to twelve o'clock at night. A small
sum was charged for admission, one shilling for men, and,
he believed, sixpence for women. There was an orchestra
and a band of music, and, he believed, Mr. Doraville
himself conducted the orchestra. and had therefore before
his eyes everything which was going on, and he (the
learned counsel) was told, and should leave it to the
witnesses to describe the fact to the jury, that scenes of
greater debauchery could scarcely be witnessed than those
which took place there nightly under the eyes of Mr.
Doraville and under his supe intendence. The atten-
dance at this place had increased so much within the
last eighteen months, that the nuisance became so great
that several of the respectable inhabitants of the neigh-
bourhood deemed it their duty, in concurrence with many
other inhabitants of the town of Liverpool, to endeavour
:to put it down. Of course the jury were aware, that in
cases of this kind policemen were the persons generally
to whom parties were obliged to have recourse for the pur•
pose of obtaining informa ion and evidence. He in ould call
before the jury several police offieers,, who would tell them
what went on in that place. They would tell the jury
that every night, almost, there were assembled there from
90 to 100 women, who were well known to the police as
common prostitutes. A great number of young men, who
were led to resort to the place, were thereby exposed to
the temptations which were contemplated in the lines of
the statute he had read ; and, indeed, he believed it had

recurred once, at least, that a persen who had defrauded
his employer was traced to that very place, where he had
taken the profits of hie plunder for the purpose of rewarding
some of the companions of his iniquity. If the matter
had remained there, it still would have been the duty of
all right-minded persons to endeavour to remove a nuisance
of that description, 60 nroductive of evil, so conducive to
the destruction of the well-being of youeg men. But the
nuisance did not end there, because the jury might wel
suppose that where such numbers as he had described were
congregated together, and remained? :here up to one o'clock
in the morning, they would come out together in great num-
bers and thereby preduce the greatest possi Lie inconvenience
—the grew es.time ginable nuisance, to all well-conducted per-
sons either residing in, or passing through th© locality. He
believed he should be able to prove to the jury, that several
inhabitants of the neighbourhood had had their
reel disturbed. Frain 12 o'clock until 2,2, or
4 in themerring there were going en in the
street ehoutings, yellings, and screams, until it
became quite impossible that any persona decently and
well conducted could reside in comfort in their own
homes. He believed he should be able to show that a
large and respectable establishment, the Adelphi Hotel,
had been ccantantly beset by persons coming from that
place and crowding about the door, and the annoyance
tad arrived at Oat pitch that no respectable family almost
could reside in Mr. Ranley's hotel for the season, or could
go to any concert or ball in the evening without the cer-
tainty, almost, of being insulted by the numbers of
persons of such character who were brought together ley
the establishment he lied described. He did not deem it
necessary to say any more to the jary than he had now
dote. If he proved the facts he had related to them,
they: would constitute an indictable offence. It was
a misdemeanour wi' bin the definition of a nui-
sance at common law, and if he proved the fact
he was entitled to ask the jury to find a
verdict of guilty against Mr. Dcmcille, and in that case he
hoped they would be able to come to some arrangement
which might prevent the nuiiance from being any further
con inned. Dective officer Murphy was examined by
Mr. Aspinall, and deposed that he knew the place
tailed Donaville's Assembly Rooms," at the corner of
Lime street and Rand. igh street, near the County Court;
he vieited the place frequently within the lest two years ;
-the pace is u.ei as a dancing saloon ; there is a shilling
paid at the door for men, and witness believes half price for
w,men ; on an average, every time he went there there were
from GO to 80 and 100 prostitutes and about as m my men,
captains, mates, sailors, foreigners, and all sorts of people ;
some bl,ck women and some black men ; (lane* was
going on; there was an orchestra, and about 15 to 20111114f-
cians ; 3lr. Doraville is the leader of the band : the name
of the dance on each occaeion is put up in front, and then
the women and men commence dancing ; has seen the
women throw up their legs in a very indecent manner;
when the dance was over bag seen the women take hold of
the men very indecently, and the men do the same to the
wcmen ; acme of them smoked cigars—women as well as
men ; has seen thieves there with their w ,men ; witness
has been on special duty there in einsequence of instruc-
tions h 3 received ; it begins about N or 10 o'clock, and
goes on until 12, when the band general). plays
God save the geeere" as a finale; on leaviez
the people come into Lima Street and stand about the
door, women and men together, c eating a great cbstruc-
tion in the street ; they remain there sometimes anti t about
three or four in the mo, ning. To Mr. Monek : Has been
there about fifty or sixty times ; was not himself shocked.
(Laughter) Mr Munch : Not even by this throwing up
of the womener legs? (Laughter.) Now, tell me, what
was the indecency you have spoken of ? Winces : Well,
I can show you. (Great laughter.) Suppose you to be
my partner —(laugh'er ) Mr. Monek: Well, I should rather
not suppose that, thank you. (Laughter.) The witness
here, amid immense laughter, stood forward in the witness
box, and threw up one leg in a style a long way after that
of Signora Peres Nena. Mr. Monck : I suppose they had
drawers on ? Witness : Well, they certainly h id.
(Laughter.) Cross examination continued: Has seen
persons of respectable position there—males, not females.