The Birkenhead News and Wirral General Advertiser. — 1886-04-07 (Birkenhead, Merseyside, England)

BRUTAL ASSAULT.  At the Borough Police Court, on Monday, before Mr. Preston, Margaret Mackin, Queens. bury-street, was charged with assaulting Alice Cavanagh, of the same street, by striking her on the head with a poker. Mrs. Cavanagh said she had borrowed some coppers from a Mrs. Barns, who lived in the same house as Mackin, and on Saturday she went to repay the money. She went between seven and eight o'clock in the evening, and a 4 she went in she heard a great row in the parlour. Mrs. Mackin rushed out into the lobby with a poker in her hand and hit witness " a couple of licks over the head" with it, but, added the witness, "she didn't give me these black eyes. My husband did that a week ago. Oh, no! She didn't give them to me, and I wouldn't say anything unfair against her.' Prosecutor said she had never had an angry word with the prisoner, nor was there any quarrel between them. At the time of the assault the prisoner was " neither drank nor sober. Not too drunk; oh, no; not too drank at all, sir !" Catharine Barns, the woman to whom the last witness owed the money, said the prisoner lived in apartments in her house. Mrs. Cavanagh owed witness fourpenee, and she believed she was going to pay it on Saturday. Witness saw Mrs. Mackin strike Mrs. Cavanagh with the poker, and previous to that she had struck her husband. Witness believed there would have been murder done if the officer had not arrived. Cavanagh was  very drunk. The Prisoner: You were drunk yourself and you were stripped "mothers naked,the day you were born. P.C. 27 (Morris) stated that he was sent for to go to Mackin's house, and as he got there, prisoner rushed out to her lobby and struck Mrs. Cavanagh on the head twice. The officer ran in and found it was a poker sbe had used. Prisoner's husband ran out, and he also was bleeding from wounds on the bead. He brought both prisoner and Cavanagh to the bridewell, and the latter woman was gent to the hospital. The officer said he could call two witnesses to give evidence of havii,g seen prisoner strike her husband. Superintendent Clarke remarked that Cavanagh's head had been stitched by the doctor, and they could not yet tell how the wound would go. The Magistrate said there was no doubt the assault had been committed, but the gravity of the offence depended upon whether the wound was a serious one or not. In order to see if the cut was getting better or not, the prisoner would be remanded till Tuesday. The prisoner was again brought up on Tuesday, and medical evidence as to the 45ate of Mrs. Cavannah's head was given. Dr. Watson said he had bound up complainant's head and stitched the wound on Saturday night. He had again examined the wound that morning, and found it to be pro. greasing rapidly; there was not the slightest danger from the wound. Frederick Burns stated that he was in the house at the time of the assault. He saw Mackin strike her husband on the head, and he also saw Cavanagh get "two licks on the head," but he didn't see who gave them. Mrs. Quin, called for the defence, said she didn't know anything about the assault, only she knew Mrs. Barns was drunk at the time. The „prisoner's husband asked leave to speck, and said he oonld tell the whole story. The magistrate sentenced the prisoner tO two months imprisonment with hard labour. The prisoner was then removed shouting that "The Tommies and the Mace would be Air Atm Cargoes."