Middlesbrough & Stockton Gazette and General Advertiser. — 1875-05-13 (Stockton-on-Tees, Cleveland, England)

RIGHTEOUS SENTENCE.—At the Guishorongh Police Court, on Tuesday la!, Mark Grading, labourer, summoned Henry Cross, lodging-house keeper, for assaulting him at Guisborongh, on the 6th May. Mr Addenbrooke appeared fin the defence. Complainant said that he lodged with the defendant. On the day in question he was about to leave Guisborough, and wished to settle up with the defendant for lodgings. As it was only part of a weak, he refused to pay 614 d for " Tcmmy," but offered him ss. Defendant then said, "I will pay for your lodgings," and felled him %yip a blow from a hammer on the top of the head, which caused him to fall insensible, and he remembered nothing more until coming to his senses in a neighbour's house, where a doctor was cutting the hair from the head to dress the wound. It was not true that any provocation had been given to the defendant, or that any blow was struck at him. The blood upon the hat and coat had flowed from the wound. A girl named Smith said that she lived next door to the defendant, and heard a noise. She saw complainant lying on the floor, which was all over blood. Defendant was laid on the top of him, and had a hammer shaft in his band. Complainant did not speak, and Mrs Cross tried to lift him up. She heard the disturbance at the beginning, but did not see the start. Mrs Cross was at the door, and asked her to go in, hiving remarked there was murder doing in the house.—Mrs Brown said that she was also standing at her door, and went into the defendant's house, where he was found on the top of complainant. Defendant told her that the man wanted to kick up a row, whilst he was getting his tea, and that he had knocked him down with a poker. She saw the wound on the man's head. She heard Mrs Cross call out" There is murder doing here." Complainant asked her to send for a doctor or to get him to a hospital. She could not say whether the complaintant was drunk. Cross was sober.—ln answer to the charge, Mr Addenbrooke said that Cross went home at s:x o'clock, and had some altercation with the comphtinant, who was laid on a settle, regarding the 63 41 he claimed for a week's lodging. Complainant got up and knocked defendant across the fluor, and being a violent man, the defendant then struck complainant dowel with the poker entirely in self-defence. The wound on the complainant's head was caused before Cross went home, by complainant accidentally falling off the settle on to the floor.—Mary Ann Cartwright, • girl six or seven years old,was called for the defence, and said that the defendant was in the house all the afternoon, reading a newspaper. Defendant sent her for a policeman, because complainant would not pay for his lodging.—A constable said that he went down to the house about seven o'clock. Complainant was sitting at the door, bleeding from the head. He said that Cross had done' it with a hammer, and some 'one else said that it was with a poker. Cross said that he had knocked complainant down in self-defence.—The Bench said that Mr Addenbrooke had two defences. One that the wound on the head was caused by a fall on the fender before Cross went home, and the other that he had been knocked down by a blow on the head with the poker. They were inoonsistent.—Mr Addenbrooke said that he pleaded a justification.— After a brief consultation, Mr Ayrton said that the Bench had not the least doubt but that the story told by prosecutor was the truth, and they were extremely sorry to see that he should have brought the little 'girl there to make the false statements she had done. They considered it a most brutal assault, and were determined to put down the acts of brutality in this district. The extreme penalty was two months' hard labour, and they sentenced him to that period of imprisonment. (Cris' of " Hear, hear," and appease.)