The Liverpool Standard and General Commercial Advertiser.
Liverpool, Merseyside, England, 1844-05-28 00:00:00

LOCAL NEWS,

SERIOUS ACCIDENT AT BIRKENHEAD.—On Tuesday
evening last, considerable alarm prevailed in the neigh-
bourhood of Albion-s'reet, Birkenhead, arising from the
report that a woman, named Hopley, the wife of a jour-
neyman baker, had been thrown through the window of
the second flour of their residence by her husdand. A.
great many persons were assembled in the street, and, on
inquiry it appeared that the unfortunate woman, being in
liquor, and as it was stated, actuated also by jealousy,
deliberately threw hers,lf out at the window, when her
head came in contact with the pavement, and she was
much bruised. On being removed to Mr. Harwood's
public-house, Dr. Jennett was sent for, and her wounds
were dressed, atter which she was when sufficiently reco-
vered, removed to her own residence, and is now in a fair
way of recovery. The husband was taken into custody,
and on Wednesday underwent an examination before the
magistrates.

FRAUD UPON THE LIVERPOOL PAWNBROKERS. —A.
shabby-genteel fellow of the name of Richard Parry, about
the middle age, was brought before Mr. Rushton, at the
Police-court, on Tuesday, on a charge of having obtained.
a considerable sum of money by false pretences, and under
the following singular circumstances :—lt appeared that
he had pledged, at about twenty different pawn-offices in
the town within the last month, a number of rings and.
crosses, which he represented to be composed of Maltese
gold, and that although the bulk of them was made of
platina, slightly coated with gold, yet so ingeniously were
they wrought, that they withstood the usual tests, and
the pawnbrokers, believing them to be genuine, ad-
vanced 20s. and 30s. readily upon each. At one pawn-
office, where he had offered a cross in pledge, he said it
had been previously pawned in Manchester for 455., and
that it had cost him £5. Mr. Jones, a silversmith, va-
lued the articles at between 4s. and ss. each ; and the
prisoner was fully committed for trial.
HALL OF SCIENCE CO-OPERATIVE BUILDING SOCI-
ETY.— A meeting of the members of this society was held
on Monday evening last, at their rooms, Lord Nelson-
street, when a statement of the accounts, and other par-
ticulars were read. It appeared from the report that in
consequence of circumstances not entered into, there was
a considerable sum of money owing by members to the
society, nearly £3OOO, and that their liabilities were also
considerable, It also appeared that arrangements had
been made with the Odd•fellows for the purchase of the
11 all and dwelling-house for the sum of £4,600. A me-
morandum of agreement hod been signed, and £5O depo-
sit paid, the remainder of the. money to be forthcoming on
the 4th of June. With this sum it was intended to pay*
off the debts, and close the society as soon as possible.
Auditors were appointed, and the meeting was adjourned.
till Monday the 10th of June, when the members again
meet for a final arrangement. The loss to the share-
holders of this grossly mismanaged society will be about
15s. a share.

USING TIIREATENING LANGUAGE.—On Thursday
Mr. John Maitland, senior, collecting clerk for the Old
Company of Carters, appeared before Mr. Rushton to
substantiate an information against Duncan Campbell,
cart-owner, for using threatening language towards him.
It appeared that on the morning of the 15th instant com-
plainant was sent to the office of Messrs. Gladstone and
Serjeantson, with a letter which Mr. Pownall, the agent for
the Old Company, had previously received from Robert-
son Gladstone, Esq., concerning the cartage of teas be-
longing to Messrs. Gladstone and Co., on which occasion
Campbell came forward, and with clenched fists, and a
furious attitude, called Mr. Maitland opprobrious names,
and said if he did not walk eff he would throw him down

the stairs. The next morning defendant repeated the
insult at the same office whilst Mr. M. was going down
the stairs. Mr. Rushton spoke in strong terms of de-
fendant's conduct ; said Mr. Maitland must be protected
in the discharge of his duty, and therefore Campbell must
find bail, himself in £5O, and two sureties of £25 each.
The defendant procured the necessary sureties. _
INFORMATIONS AGAINST PAWNBRORERS.—OD Wed-
nesday Mr. Robinson, of the firm of Lowndes, Robinson,
and Bateson, appeared, on behalf of the churchwardens
and overieers of the parish, to substantiate four informa-
tions against pawnbrokers for charging more than the
legal interest upon money lent upon pledges. The first
was against Anna Hiatns, of Dickenson-street. The evi-
dence proved that a piece of gingham had been pledged by
Jane Brady, in the name of Jane Johnson, for three shil-
lings, and that when the article was released considerably
more interest was charged than by the pawnbrokers' act
the lender was entitled to. The defendant was convicted
by Mr. Rushton in the full penalty of £lO and costs.
The second information was against Edward Byford, of
Dale-street, who had charged more than the legal interest
for money lent to Sarah Fitzgerald on a pair of sheets.
He was also convicted in the full penalty of £lO and costs.
There was another information against Mr. By ford, but
as he stated that he had, since Mr. Rushton gave notice
of his intention to deal with all these cases, acted in strict
conformity to law, and promised never to be guilty of an
overcharge again, the second information was allowed to
be withdrawn.—The fourth information was against
Thomas Holland, Hotham-street. The offence was of a
similar nature, and he was also mulcted in the sum of £lO
and costs. Mr.i Rushton hoped there would be an end of
such cases. At all events, as far as he was concerned, he
would carry out the law to the utmost.
DOCK COMMITTEE, TIIURSDAY.—Present, Messrs.
Nicol, Barclay, Holt, Middleton, Smith, Trotmaa Roy-
den, Tobin, Shand, Sandbach, Ripley, Kendal, Holmes,
Aikin, and Evans. The Finance Sub-committee were
requested to confer with the Watch Committee as to the
Central Police Station at the bottom of James'-street, it
being intimated that the whole building was required for
police purposes—Mr. Ripley asked what ptogress was
making with the Dock Bill. The Chairman said the bill
was reported, and since Mr. Moore had been at the Dock
Committee, the only progress made was the arrangement
with the conservancy as to the clauses connected with the
depositing of the mud. These were arranged generally in
this way :—t e mud is to be taken out and deposited in
the river, in mid-channel, not higher than Seacombe nor
lower than Egremont, during the first quarter of the ebb,
That is to continue for seven years, and at the end of that
time, if the conservancy find that injury has been done,
they are to give notice to the Dock Committee, and the
matter is then to be laid before Parliament. It was pro-
vided that not more than one flat should be emptied at the
same moment, so that as the tide carried the flat along, all
tile mud should not be deposited in one place. The pro-
bable additional expense is estimated at £2OOO. Lord
Granville Somerset had stated to him (the chairman) that
after the second clause had been settled he would do all
he could to forward the bill through the Commons, and he
would mention it to Lord Harrington, in order to get it
through the Lords as quick as possible. Some little con-
versation took place upon the subject, and then the com-
mittee proceeded to matters of finance.
DISTRICT PROVIDENT SOCIETY.—The annual meeting
of this society was held at the Savings' Bank, Bold-street,
on Tuesday. The report stated that the committee had to
present a most gratifying account of the finances. The
total receipts of the past year bad exceeded those of the
preceding by £553. The subscriptions in 1843 had been
£945, in 1844 £975, being an increase of £3O. The dona-
tions in 1813 had been £553, in 1814 £864, being an in-
crease of £214. In both years the sale of tickets had
been nearly the same, amounting to £2l in each. Owing
to Mr. Richard Rathbone, who had guaranteed the so-
ciety and appointed a collector, the sum of £126 had
been added to the funds ; and £2OO had been obtained by
the grand fancy ball. The alteration in the price of the
relief tickets last year had not augmented the sale to any
very considerable extent, £lOO3 tickets having been sold
at 3d., and 2,122 at Id. In 1843, the debt of the society
had amounted to £302, but this had now been en-
tirely cancelled, and a balance of £l7 was placed
to the credit of the society. In consequence of the
mildness of the winter, and the revival of trade, there
was au improvement in the number of applications; for
they had amounted to 17,849, of which 342 had been re-
fused, making the total of those actually relieved within
the year, 17.472, at a cost of £BB5. Of those, 9,346 were
Irish ; ,720 English ; 921 Welsh ; 340 Scotch ; and 150
of none of these countries. There was a decrease of
1,400 in the numbers relieved. In the deposit depart-
ment, the number of visiters had dwindled down to 269,
and amount of deposits had fallen short by £B4B. The
deposits returned during the year had amounted to £9,000;
and 3,757 depositors were the largest in any one month.
—From the treasurer's account, it appeared that there
was a balance of £4O in Moss's bank.
NOVEL CASE OF OBTAINING MONEY UNDER FALSE
PRETENCES.—On Thursday a prisoner, who first gave
her name as Ellen Hughes, but afterwards said it was
Phillips, and that she was the wife of W. S. Phillips, was
brought up. The Rev. Fielding Ould said, that on Sun-
day evening last the prisoner sat in his pew, in Christ
Church. There was a charity sermon preached by the
Rev. H. M'Neile. After the service was over, the pri-
soner came into the vestry, and after speaking to Mr.
M'Neile, stating that she was a member of his congrega-
tion, she said that she had put half a sovereign into the
box, during the collection. Mr. M'Neile said he did not
know her, and as he (Mr. 0.) did not know her, he told
her to call in the morning, and he would give her the
money. The prisoner seemed satisfied with this, and left
the vestry ; but returned in about two minutes, and said
her father, an old man, was extremely angry, and bad
scolded her for making the mistake, and insisted upon
having the money back then. The nine shillings were
then given to her; but after she had gone, it occurred to
the parties present that they had been imposed upon.
The ladies who sat in the next pew, and he himself,
thought—although he would not act upon such a suppo-
sition—that she was slightly intoxicated. One of the
ladies thought that, instead of putting anything into the
poor-box, she appeared to take something out of it. As
she had gone, however, they had determined to take no
further notice of the matter • but she returned on Wed-
nesday night, and said that ;he had put a sovereign and
not half a sovereign into the box; she therefore wished
10s. more to be returned to her. She was then given into
custody. Peter Dalton, the sexton, said, that as he was
taking the prisoner to Bridewell, she acknowledged that
she had neither put half a sovereign nor a sovereign into
the box, and offered to pay the money back on Saturday
night if she were allowed to go away. When she came
back on the Wednesday evening she brought a book with
her, which she had taken from the seat, and said she had
left her own one. No such book as she described could,
however, be found. Mr. Rushton.—She has no father
living,—he was a respectable man. Prisoner.—lt was
my father-in-law. The prisoner, when asked what she
had to say, replied, " I had nothing but gold and silver
in my pocket, and I gave the sovereign in mistake—l did,
indeed ; I would not tell such a falsehood was it ever so.
They put me in a cold damp room all last night." Mr.
Rushton.—ln a cold damp room,—why, you have been
here time after time, brought by your husband, for
drunkenness. I told you what it would come to. I have
no doubt you committed this under the influence of
drink. I will not pass this, you must go to trial. The
prisoner was then committed to take her trial at the next
Sessions, for obtaining money under false pretences.