The Birkenhead News and Wirral General Advertiser. — 1896-05-23 (Birkenhead, Merseyside, England)

WIFE.  TELROWING ALIGHTED LAMP AT A  HUSBAND. At the Borough Polioe Court yesterday, Itydermia C. T. Hostenhofer and Dr. Harris on the Bench, a respectably attired woman named Mem Everies, Clayton-street, was summoned for having assaid,d Charles Eyeless, her husband, on the 24th of April, There was also a summons against Charles Eyens • for having assaulted his wife on the 16th instant. Mr. A. F. Moore appeared for Mrs. &arias in each case. In the first case it appeared that on the 24th of April complainant's wife had been using threats towards him before his arrival home from work. He had been working late and arrived home at &kat eleven o'clock. He asked for his supper and while he was eating this he and hie wife had a few words about a coat he had bought. Shortly before twelve he was going upstairs to bed and asked his wife not to long., He then proceeded to open the kitchen door, when she picked up a lighted lamp from my the dresser, and aimed it at her hualoand, , struck upon the back of his head. The lamp, a glass one with a metal stand, siaa smashed, and the burner and wick stuck in his head and the light set fire to his hair. The blood streamed from the wound down the back of his neck, and he submitted to the Bench a pocket handkerchief which had originally been white in colour but was now red with blood. The handkerchief, he explained, his brother had used to stop the blood from flowing down his neck. The carpet and the floor were set alight by the breaking of the lamp. After the wife realised the effect of her temper she ',rushed out of the back door,, and on.her way threw the iron stand and °thee remains of the lamp, whioh she had picked up from the floor, into the ashpit. Complainant's brother, who was in bed at the time of the occurrence, came downstairs when he heard cries of " Fire" and "Murder, state '_' and seeing the ste in which his brother was, picked the burner out of his head and otherwite assisted him. The brother afterwards assisted him to the hospital to get the wounds dressed. Complainant alleged that his wife was a woman of intemperate habits.  —a-o7n-plainant's sister gave corroborative evidence, and his brother spoke to having assisted him to atop the bleeding, eta. The wife denied the assault and said the wound% were caused by her husband knocking his head against the lamp, while she was holding it in her hand.  _ In her case she said that her husband came into the house where she was lodging on the 13th May, kicked and struck her in the face, andalso threw a box of siatches at her little child. She oonsidered that he was drunk at the time, while his language was disgusting.. Defendant admitted having struck his wife once in the face, and then he thought she had something in her hand to throw at him, but denied having kicked her. As for having been drunk on that night, he had always been a sober and steady man, and he had never lost his temper towards his wife. He had never been out of work for ten "solid" years, and gave the magistrates a character from Messrs. Laird Brothers in verification of this statement. The magistrates retired to consider their deoision, and upon again taking their seats upon the Bench stated that they had decided to fine the wife 60a. and 6s. 6d. costa, for the assault upon her husband, with the alternative, in default of payment, of going to prison for a month with hard labour. Charles Evernis they fined 10s. nnd 6s. 6d. costs for having assaulted his wife.