The Birkenhead News and Wirral General Advertiser. — 1886-04-10 (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. Burns, who lived in the same house as Mackin, and on Saturday she went to repay the moncy. She went between seven and eight o'clock in the evening, and as 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 drunk nor sober. Not too drunk; oh, no; not too drank at all, sir!" Catharine Burns, the woman to whom the last witness owed the money, said the prisoner lived in apartments in her house. Mrs. Cavanagh owed witness fourpence, 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. rile Prisoner: You were drank yourself and you were stripped "mothers naked," like 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 Dirs. Cavanagh on the head twice. The officer ran in and found it was a poker she had used. Prisoner's husband ran out, and he also was bleeding from wounds oil the head. He brought both prisoner and C,i,vanagh to the bridewell, and the latter woman was sent to the hospital. The officer said he could call two witnesses to give evidence of having seen prisoner strike her husband. Superintendent Clarke remarked that Caysnagh'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 state of Mrs. Cava.nnah's head was given. Dr. Watson said he had bound up complainant's head and stitched the wound on Saturday night. He bad again examined the wound that morning, and found it to be progressing rapidly; there was not the slightest danger from the wound. Frederick Burns stated that be was in the house at the time of the assault. Ile 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. Burns was drunk at the time. The prisoner's husband asked leave to speak, and said he could 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 Discs would be after Mrs. Cavanagh."  Printed and Published every Wednesday and Saturday, for the Proprietors, by INEDEILICY WiLtigea. 5166 and 66. Chestevstreet,