The Liverpool Standard and General Commercial Advertiser.
Liverpool, Merseyside, England, 1838-01-19 00:00:00

MANSLAUGHTER IN THOMAS'S-STREET.

On Saturday night, another of those foul occurrences, arising
from unbridled passion, and of which there have been seve-
ral instances lately in this town, took place in Thomas's-court,
Thomas-street. The unfortunate victim was a shoemaker,
named Denis Doherty, who lodged with a person named Fergus
M•Cai roll, a labourer. About twelve o'clock M Carroll and
his wile, together with the deceased and another lodger, were
sitting quietly in the house, when Mary Ryan, a woman who
lived in the street, rushed in, and begged to he protected from
the violence of her husliand. Ryan followed her immediately,
and after M 'Carroll had interfered to prevent him from striking
his wife, Dogherty remonstrated with him on the indecency of
his conduct. Ryan, in his. fury, immediately struck Dogherty
a violent blow upon the neck, by which the carotid artery was
cut in two, and death ensued in a few minutes afterwards. An
inquest was held on the body on Tuesday, when the following
evidence was laid before the jury :
Catherine M'Carroll stated that the deceased had been a
lodger in her house for the last six or seven years. He was a
shoemaker. On Saitirday night about 12 o'clock the deceased,
together with witness' husband, and an old woman, another
lodger; were at home. About a quarter past twelve, Mary
Ryan, who lives in the same street with witness, came running
into the house, and begged the husband of witness to come up
to her house, as her husband was going to heat her. When he
was about to leave the house to accompany the woman, Ryan
came in and made a run at his wife, and knocked her driven,
Witness's husband stood up betwixt them, and got them to sat
down. At this time the deceased was standing in the middle of
the floor. Ryan struck a second blow at his wife, and cut her
in the right arm, which she put up to wand off the blow. Wit-
ness did not see any knife or anything else in his hand.
ness's husband caught hold of Ryan, and said he. shodld not
beat his wife in that manner, but Ryan threw him down. Wit-
ness then pushed Ryan's wife into the street, and when she was
returning she met the deceased in the middle of the street with
the blood gushing down his neck. He bad one.hand to his neck.
Witness shouted out murder. Witness was then taken into
custody by an officer. She did not hear that the deceased was
dead tol next morning. She did not see Ryan strike the de-
ceased, nor did she see the deceased in any way interfere be-
tween Ryan and his wife. The deceased was years of age.
lie was in the habit of taking liquor, but was perfectly sober tin
Saturday night. Ryan was very tipsey. He and the deceased
were great friends.
Catherine Cain was in the last witness's house on Saturday
night, and confirmed her evidence as far as related to Ryan's
coming, into the house and knocking her husband down ahen
he interfered to save Ryan's wife from his blows. At that time
the deceased was standing on the floor. Witness heard bin: say
to Ryan that it was a shame for him. On this Ryan turned
mini.' mid struck the deceased somewhere about the head or
neck. Blood immediately gushed out of the deceased's neck 1
" just as if they had been killing a sheep." Witness did not
see any knife in Ryan's hand when he struck the blow. The
deceased cried out, " I am a done man." Ryan cried out,
" Save the man," and then ran out, and witness had never seen '
him since. The deceased ran out, and called for a doctor. lie
was brought in dead soon afterwards.
Feargus M 'Carroll, the husband of the first witness, deposed
that after the struggle betwixt him and Ryan mentioned by the
former
table wTihtneedseseces, baseodth
w%fsthsetam got walked
tvih•ealktaetbliet.owanrdesstahe
id
something to Ryan like this—" that it was a shame for a man
like him not to have better sense." Ryan then made a blow at,
the deceased, and the next thing witness saw was the blood.
gushing out from deceased's neck. Deceased did not fall with
the blow, but called out, " I tam a done man." Witness said to
Ryan, " You villain, you see what you have done now;" rapan
which he answered, " Save you life." The deceased went out
of the house, and Ryan after him. 'Witness did not see a knife
or anything else in Ryan's hand, when he shuck the deceased-.
There might or might not have been time for Ryan to have
taken a knife out of his pocket between the time of their getting
off the stairs, where they struggled, and the blow was struck.
Ambrose Lynch Berry is an inspector of police. On Saturday
night he heard screams of murder in Thomas's-street. He went
down, and found the deceased bitting in the middle of the street
with his hand against his jaw. Witness thought he was drunk, -
and asked where the row was. He then discovered that the
deceased had been stabbed, the blood running oierhiS'stick and
boots. A woman came up, and witness left the deceased in her -
care, and ran up the entry to secure whatever persons were
there. He came back again in two or three minutes,,hut found
that the truth was dead. He got assistance, and had the body
taken into M'Carroll's house.
Jameslthe
deceasedll a
ot onn
AK,
oendaya,
yphysician a
andof ctu examination urgn eo
foundsaw the body
woundb()d y
on the left side of the neck, a punctured wound, very narrow •
and deep. Witness passed his linger into the wound, and found
it proceeded downwards in the direction of the carotid artery.
It was very deep into the throat, and had severed the carotid.
artery, which was quite sufficient to cause death. It must have,;
been inflicted by some sharp-pointed instrument. The blade of,
a large pocket knife might have caused it.
After healing the evidence, the jury returned a verdict of
manslaughter against Ryan, and the coroner issued his warrant
to take him into custody.—Fifty pounds reward have been
offered for his apprehension.

MEETING OF THE STRANGERS' FRIEND
SOCI D'l' Y.

On NlTtdnesday the annual meeting of the Strangers' Friend
Society was held at 1 o'clock, at the Charitable institution House
in Slater-stree►, for the past year The meeting was very thinly
attended.
Mr. Wm. ComEn was moved into the chair.
Mr. Mu:HAIM Astyrom then pr,ceeded to read a statement of
the accounts from which it appeared that there was an increase
in Ihe years receipts of£9. The society had distributed in various
ways £458 4s. 10d. They had paid £45 to the soup society for
19,000 quarts of soup at a half-penny a quart. The balance on
hand was £227 6s. Rd.

Mr. RA nef.lF FE the secretary then proceeded to read the fol
lowing report :
REPORT.

The Committee of the St augers' Friend Society iropresenting
to its subscribers a report of the manner in which their contri-
butions have been applied during the past year, beg to state their
conviction that, although to the arduous task abutted to their
visitors, instances may have occurred where they have erred
through the impossibility of detecting imposition ; they have in o
the uitribution of relief ever been actuated by the desire to
carry into effect, so far as circumstances permitted, the liven-
lion of the founders and friends of the society, namely •—r irst,
to seek out objects of distress, whether stranger or resident, and'
to become thoroughly acquainted with their real circumstances;
and secondly, to apportion to each such relief as their cases re-
quired, and the resources of the society warranted them to
afford. The main difficulty of the visitors has arisen in the
endeavour to reconcile these two, not [infrequently, conflicting
conditions of administering assistance. It must be obvious that
in apportioning relief to the many thousands of distressed (ib.
jects annually coining under the society's notice, the scantiness
of the amount placed at its disposal for this purpose, seldron
amounting to more than £501) per year, must frequently place
the committee and the visitors in circumstances ua'whirli their
feelings and tbeir judgment come into collision, and where
instead of being able to afford a quantum of relief sufficient to
enable a destitute individual or family to surmount their mbar-
rassinents, the visitors have it in their power only to grant such
assistance as served either to alleviate present destitution, or
prey) nt actual stat vatiou. But, notwithstanding this difficulty,
and it is one which the committee deeply regret, they have, in
special cases, not confined themselves to such limited relief.
Where cases have been found to possess peculiar features of
aggravated distress, or where the bestowment of a greater
amount of relief promises at once to extricate an individual or'
family from embarrassment; the committee have empowered the
visitors to grant extended assistance accordingly, such cases
having been'first authenticated and scrutinised. by one or morel,
of the officers of the society. While the committee cannot but '
ardently wish that the society's resources were so ample as to
afford the visitors the luxury of listing able, in additiou to alle-
viating, of completely aurmounting distress, they still account it
well deserving all the-cost and pains bestowed on the society to
have it to theitlrwr4 to accomplish an amount of good, which,
in numberless cases, has tended to prevent utter starvation—
dried up the tears,of the mourner, and caused the widow's heart
to sing for joy. Several instances of such timely interposition
will be given in the apoeudix from many similar instances
re-
ported by the visitors.
Were the permanent income of the society arising from sub-
scriptions, instead of £270 per annum, its present amount, in
creased to twice that sum,' (and surely in a town of such opu-
lence and public spirit as Liverpool, this would nut be too much
to expect on behalf of the destitute stranger and foreigner from
all parts of the world, compelled by various causes to seek a
temporary sojourn within its precincts,) its conductors would
be able to present much more cheering results than they have
at present to exhibit.
During the past year, relief has been administered to about
1800 cases, a great proportion of whom have been families, and
consisting of probably 7000 or 8000 individuals. Of these about,
800 cases have been knglish and Welsh; 800 Irish; 100 Scotch,
and 100 destitute sailors and foreigners.
This relief, it is scarcely necessary for the committee again to
state, has been afforded to all in distress, irrespective of party,
or creed, or country. The committee, in accordance with the
design of the society, as expressed in its original prospectus,
published upwards of forty years ago, feel that to be in actual
distress is the only recommendation needed on the part of the
applicants for its bounty. On this principle they have always
acted, and still purpose to proceed, desiring humbly to act in
accordance with the benign purposes of the Divine source of
all blessedness, "who maketh his sun to rise on the evil and on
the good, and sendeth his rain on the just and on the unjust."
Mr. EG OTN SMITH proposed a plan of doing away with
street-begging. He would give to every applicant as much dry
bread as he coz:ld eat, providing he eat it there and then. it'
they gave soup, they would have thousands applying for it. and
the funds of the society would never bear it; but a man who
would eat a lump of dry bread must be really hungry to do so.
Mr. A strroN was of opinion, that for one applicant for soup
there would be two for bread. .

.....
Mr. Swill said, he would not allow the bread to. be taken
away; they must eat it on the spot, else all the millers in the
country vroulo hardly supply them, if the applicants were allow.
ed to pocket the bread.
It was determined, that this plan should be adopted in build-
ings suited for the purpose.
It was then moved and carried, that the report be adopted,
and be printed and circulated; and that the thanks of the meet-
ing be given to the officers and committee for the past year.
The officers fur the ensuing year were then appointed. A reso-
lution Was also passed, calling for increased subscriptions to
ameliorate the severe privations of the poor at this season of the
year.
The meeting then broke up.

THE RAILWAY TtstEs.—We have received a copy of this
newspaper, which is exclusively devoted to the dissemination of
every species of information respecting railways, We approve
of its plan and principles, and boys that it will meet with
success.