The Liverpool Standard and General Commercial Advertiser.
Liverpool, Merseyside, England, 1852-11-30 00:00:00

lIIRKENHEAD PETTY SESSIONS

S.l elle sessions were held on Thursday, at the Town-
410iirkenhead, before the Rev. R. M. Fielding, Rev.
kiFeleo, John Jackson, Esq., John Deane Case, Esq.,
L'lt Edward Cust, Bart.
%Ip":"TING THE DOCKS.—Mary Ann O'Brien was
tiler,' with infesting that portion of the Birkenhead
Lappropriated to emigrants, and being abusive when
S'l,_ to leave. It appeared that much inconvenience
ildiePerienced from such characters, and several things
Ilieeeeti missed. The woman was discharged at the
af the court.
‘,:attirreeN.—A labouring man, of decent exterior, was
%Q(1,1 with having deserted his children, and leaving
„Coargeable to the parish. He has no wife, and left
Pith,seoildren in a cellar, from Saturday to Wednesday,
etit
xpenses
y one in charge
d ofor them. To.fa He
ult, t waso
)e adjudgedoomitt
committed.
tylipPoesnTsoesiti.Lcußriroebard
'Price was charged with va-
, CY, and obtaining alms under false pretences. He
,tqa the habit of coming about once a year to Birken-
, liteend feigning fits, in order to excite compassion.
1641:Villain Stewart, .overseer of Tranmere, said that,
11e4,111 a crowd, he went up and saw the'prisoner ap-
; in a dying state, and had him removed by the
Vag-officer. The assistant-overseer said that, on
, Ihtt the prisoner in the state deseribed by the previous
VIT. he suspected him to be an impostor. Another
"'officer stated that, within a few minutes afterwards,
Ilitlsoner offered to walk to Chester, and appeared able
LI. He was evidently in drink, and had 45. 51d.
tk","ri• The bench seemed to he in doubt whether
offence had been proved, and adjourned the
At,°l' consideration.
cekttero Wiernows.—Thomas Edwards was charged
15aasaniting and breaking the windows of Mr. John
of Eastham. The complainant kept a public-house,
ihe,"°Prisoner came in and drank some ale belonging to
mner. On being remonstrated with, he took off his
fight, when the complainant put him out, upon
he struck at him with his stick and broke the win-
e Sb,°f the door. The constable said the prisoner was
ben he was sober, hut he bore a bad character in
tkkelthbourhood. The bench adjudged him to pay the
Irekge and costs, and find securities to keep the pence
et Nike Month in default, he was committed to gaol.
1 Zll ON THE FERRY STEAM-BOATS.—John Co-
Vas charged with having plied as a porter on the
le lip 8 Ferry steamer without being duly licensed. A
of leilas stated that he heard the defendant, on board the
Ne'boat, ask a passenger if he had any luggage. The
iTtAnnt had been previously convicted of a similar
58,1 tit:, and was fined £l. and costs.
OF ADMlRALTY.—JohnJones,ofTranmere, was
rZleti to show cause why he retained possession of a
lt h ;ell was castashore. For the defendant, it was pleaded
°, tOok possession of the boat as an officer of the
itertakty, it being abandoned and cast en the rocks at
6;114 here. Mr. Thomas Gibbs, of Liverpool, the owner
o_7,;lett"°at, said the boat was dry on the beach and was
be securely fastened, when the defendant and
isti took away the boat, which they had no right to do.
° esalWay said that, when the boat was missed, he
ite-' Search and found it within the Tranmere Dock-
ttitoil,lt man named Goulson was in charge of it, and
e -"rem not to report it, as it belonged to Capt. Gibbs.
P.l74l,t_t_l said that he found the boat high and dry, about
e' p44,7t. six in the morning. He got a rope from Jones
Ditleit secure, and the next tide Jones claimed it as a
.4:1 Admiralty. It had no owner's name on it.
cletidant said he was the first to make the boat se.
Ittrt it
was then dry, but floated in about two hours
i
.01ard and
4 s, he took it to Tranmere. The bench said
r,'70,,r ident that the boat had been made secure, and
iooe4e_r might hove been. found ; but the defendant had
oesre_eway to deliver it up as a droit of Admiralty,
,nr to claim salvage. As, however, he had so cur-
° ilterled. it, the charge of retaining possession fell to, the
the only question was—as to salvage, as to
cle"ile,`, and who yras entitled to itwhich might be
11Y
i° m h
„Nt% the plaint Iff with the officer of
the Admiralty.
jistetest the
AT THE DOCKS.—The case of riot arising
u' Mi'ae dispute between the railway company and the
mocks
the Birkenhead Docks, as to crossing a portion
IPY el mocks by a drawbridge, came before the bench under
!or %,Ntlo‘eesses, the one being by summonses for assault ;
eld 'iNcilions were also laid, and by arrangement were
• !Ito first. The railway company were represented
; and Mr. Bramah, the law clerk to the
o, appeared in support of the information, and
erg Ot b.l..nt 0. an explanation of the several acts of earlia-
-00 0,, Which the trustees were empowered. By one
,e ~..‘rwas enacted that if any person should open or
;01 (o,q, drawbridge, without permission of the dock
rile efle should forfeit a sum not exceeding £2O. He
0 'Zip
on to describe the circumstances which gave
-Zio A° offences. On the election of the present trus-
ii, ee,:ingiest last, they found that a bridge which was
e.Sei'Tructed across a gut between the Morpeth and
oth, Docks, about seventy feet wide, was not of a
,011% lc"/ kind, and application was made to Chancery
11010,1liti0alictign to retrace the defendants' proceeding.
01, •
licneantime the works were suspended, and the
It'A„dere2,ras still before Chancery. While in this state
rapts, contrary to the authority of the dock
, placed the bridge in question across the
°PeiblY
ete the proceedings were of so violent a character
?3,;Ye interference of the police was rendered necessary.
tf:k Ple more remarks, in which Mr. Bramah asked
'efoNkli4strates to vindicate the authority of the trustees,
LOPon William Gurd, a police-officer, who deposed
)o,:icierrmad received orders from the harbour-master not
0-11,40e1,4°Y person to put the bridge across between the
8; At six o'clock in the evening he saw a number Collecteddie at the place, among whom was a man
t" terowning. Witness told Downing that he had
InttOtilets from Captain Hookey to allow no person
ejo d,,e bridge across, or do anything without. the orders
utZic trust. Downing told him he did not " care a
13,t0i;,1 first man that would interfere with him be
Oie-7nts arm off." Witness then went to
'Ol teenookey, the harbour-master, and accompanied
[;.O c‘t 'eMan to the Commissioners' rooms. On return-
,le o'clock the bridge was across the passage.
ie _
te Swiss there.—Captain James Hookey, harbour-
IttNhe the Birkenhead docks, said that on the 18th of
110, 1117 it thr h, e gave orders to the preceding witness not to
r Vt toe °ridge to be removed, and if any person did so
oat ebo acquaint him of the fact. Gurd came to his
tt4e. Six o'clock. and he accompanied him to the
°,30 )t. LeFitness found Downing and a number of men
,Ptt ten;,.e told Downing that he was instructed by the
b, that if he, or any other person, moved the
0 %Seidler that notice, they would do so at their peril.
10 ‘4,,„ vp Was then parallel with the dock on the Cheshire
Vitesittric9B then went to th office of the Shrewsbury
lelAft..set Railway Company; afterwards he saw Mr.
tlt te!tod Mr. Brown, engineer, whom he accompanied
.
rooms. On their return, between
le and eight o'clock, the bridge was thrown
Ito Kt 4,,f1e saw Downing and Mr. Stevens there. The
et Oh, a lantern in his hand, and was calling out voci-
cel e to being `1414. ',lng the engine on. • Mr. Stevens was taking
of'; 1/4,kkjaele train of waggons came down with the engine,
.10; '‘ P. pf them were taken across the bridge by manual
'4O .tlitegt;Ahe witness was cross-examined by Mr. Hull,
otA 14,0%4 to the plans of the dock works, as intended in
,„.h, ,47, with the view of showing, that it was origi-
01`4 lON 'ad to have certain passages across the docks.
,51174 er.a‘abmitted that the question comprised two
tivo orlittLwfhr the plaintiffs to show that the bridge was
elite ti.te,hlia elullY, without the authority of the trustees
P 1 ito,ivas elookey. He was going to show that the
0 \it:l4o,l'la across by the authority of the trustees, and
tit A„"ecohstituted the offence of putting it across
Vitt ket,i‘..ilority did not exist.—Captain. Hookey.again
it prlecross-examination, in the course of which he
stptifans fro!" to the Monday in question he had in-
tklke,,e the dock trustees to give every facility to
horn
general. The order emanated from the
ter ,tilio:; °rll he held to be the mouthpiece of the dock
Ile4ttltb recollected Mr. Bramah, on the night of
Olf, ioaa,!l_ce, accusing Mr. Stevens of behaving in an
tY Manner, and he called him a "d— monkey
te ‘lalleudent puppy."—The Rev. R. M. Fielding,
'(111 tto ti,WO of the other magistrates, expressed them-
-04
tttivasuee effect that the evidence was that the
,tst, „,?I,,ened, and, as required by act of par-
e \
not the authority of the harbour-
. i tttrig Air Hull said he should negative the evidence
at the • Stevens, he could show was in
time of the occurrence. With regard
!?t• ne would show that the bridge was not the
, ,c.t%buute_ trustees, but the property of Downing.—
Vd °l3 next took place about the ownership of the
° own rameh contending that the dock trustees
lltitas e,r!----Mr. Hull raised several points of law,
be _,oitimately agreed that the further hearing
gu.l urned until Thursday next.