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

THE LIVERPOOL STANDARD.

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'Carroll, a labourer. About twelve o'clock M-Carroll and
.his wife, 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 be protected from
the violence of her husband. 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, imtnediately 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 decimsed had been a
lodger in her house for the last six or seven years. He was a
shoemaker. On Saturday night about 12 o'clock the deceased,
together with witness' husband, and an old woman, another
lodger, were ad herne. About a quarter past twelve, Mary
Ryan, who lives in same street with witness; came running.
into the house, and begged the husband of witness to cone 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 down.
Witness's husband stood up betwixt them, and got them to sit
down. At this tithe the deceased was standing in the middleof
the floor. Ryan struck a second blow at his wife, and cut her
in the right arm, which she put up to ward off the blow. Wit-
ness did not see any knife or anything else in his hand. Wit-
ness's husband caught hold of Ryan, and said he should 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 had one band 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 till next morning. She did not see Ryan strike the de-
ceased, nor did she see the deceased iu any way interfere be-
tween Ryan and his wife. The deceased was years of age.
He was in the habit of taking liquor, but was perfectly sober on
Saturday night. Ryan was very. tipsey. He and the deceased
were great friends.
Catherine Cain was in the List 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 when
he interfered to save Ryan's wife from his blows. At that time
the deceased was standing on the floor. Witness heard him say
to Ryan that it was a shame for him. On this Ryan turned
round and struck the deceased somewhere about the head or
neck. Blood immediately gushed out of the deceased's neck
" 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 run out, and called fora doctor. He
was brought in dead soon afterwards.
Feargus 111-Carroll, the husband of the first witness, deposed
that after the struggle betwixt him and Ryan mentioned by the
former witnesses, both of them got up and walked towards the
table.. The deceased was standing near the table. He said
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, anti the next thing witness saw was the blood
gushing out from deceased's neck. Deceased did not fall with
the blow, hut called out, "lam a done man." Witness said to
Ryan, " You villain, you see what you have done now ;"• noon
which he answered, " Save you life." The deceased went out
of the house, and Ryan utter him. Witness did not see a knife
or anything else in Ryan's hand, when he stuck 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 m Thomas's-street. Lie went
down, and found the deceased sitting 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 teen stabbed, the blood running over his 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, but found
that the man was dead. He got assistance, and had the body
taken into M'Carroll's house.

James Hamilton Kelly, physician and surgeon, saw the body
of the deceased on Monday, and on examination found a wound
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 hearing 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 beea
offered for his apprehension.

MEETING OF THE STRANGERS' FRIEND
SOCIET Y. •

On Wednesday the annual meeting of the Strangers' Friend
Society was held at 1 o'clock, at the Charitable'lnstitution House
in Slater-street, for the past year The meeting was very thinly
attended.
Mr. WM. COMER was moved into the chair.

Mr. MICHAEL ASHTON then proceeded to read a statement of
the accounts from which it appeared that there was an increase
in the 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. Bd.

Mr. RADCLIFFE the secretary then proceeded to read the fol-
lowing report :
REPORT.

The Committee of the Strangers' Friend Society in presenting,
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 in the arduous task allotted to their
visitors, instances may have occurred where they have erred
through the impossibility of detecting imposition ; they have in
the distribution of relief ever been actuated by the desire to
carry into effect, so far as circumstances permitted, the inten-
tion of the founders and friends of the society, namely:—First,
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 unfrequently, conflicting
conditions of administering assistance. It must be obvious that
in apportioning relief to the many thousands of distressed ob-
jects annually coining under the society's notice, the scantiness
of the amount placed at its disposal for this purpose, seldom
amounting to more than £5OO per year, must frequently place
the committee and the visitors in circumstances in which their
feelings and their 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 embar-
rassments, the visitors have it in their power only to grant such
assistance as served either to alleviate present destitution, or
prevent actual slat vation. 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; thecommittee have empowered the
visitors to grant extended assistance accordingly, such cases
having been first authenticated and scrutinised by one or more
of the officers of the society. Wbile the committee cannot but
ardently wish that the society's resources were so ample as to
afford the visitors the luxury ilisf being able, in addition to alle-
viating. of completely surmounting distress, they still account it
well deserving all the cost and pains bestowed on the society to
have it in their power 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 appendix 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 not 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 English and Welsh; 800 Irish; 100 Scotch,
and
_lOO destitute sailors and foreigners.

ThiS relief, it is scarcely necessary for the committee again.to
state, has been afforded to all in distress, iriespective 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 df 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. EGERTON SMITH proposed a plan of doing away with
street-begging. He would give to every applicant as much dry
bread as he could eat, providing be eat. it there and then. If
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. AsirroN was of opinion, that for one applicant for soup
there would be two for bread. _

Mr. SMITH said, he would not allow the bread to be taken
away; they must eat it on the spot, else all the millers iu the
country would 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 for 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.

•
Ttiiz R tt,wA TIMES.—We have received ti. Copy of this
newspaper, which is exclusively devoted to the dissemination of
every species of, information respecting railways. Weoppr“ve
of its plan and principles, and hope that it will meet with
sUccesiii