The Birkenhead News and Wirral General Advertiser. — 1908-12-26 (Birkenhead, Merseyside, England)

STOKEHOLE OUTRAGE. VIOLENT ATTACK QN A FELLOW FIREMAN.  At the Borough Police Court yesterday, William Malone, a fireman of the as. Margaret Jones, now lying in 'Birkenhead Docks, was charged with feloniously wounding Edward Dennis, another fireman of the Margaret Jones."  Dennis, whose head was bandaged, and who had been in the Borough Hospital, stated that when off Holyhead on Sunday morning lest he was in the stoke hole, and about 1145 the prisoner. acting as trimmer. came down to clear the fire. The fire was not to prisoner's satisfaction, and when he threw 0131111 the furnace door he said, What do you call this, you Cockney —? Do you call this fire burnt down?' and he used other offensive language. Witness told him he ought to be ashamed of himself using such language, and prisoner then rushed at him, pinioned him, forced him over the guard of the donkey boiler, , and pummelled him for a good bit. When witness got, away from him, be went to wash himself at a bucket, when be received a blow on the head from behind. He +-i,-ried and saw the ' nor with a rake . 117190 (a long, heavy boiler rake), and prisoner struck him a second blow on the head with I it. Afterwards prisoner picked up a ,hovel and struck at him with it, but he managed to ward off the blows. Prisoner said to Ism, "I'll murder you, you —." Eventually prisoner threw the shovel down and ran up the ladder. They were both sober. The master of the ship deposed to dressing two cuts on the prisoner's heed. He produced his entries of the statements made to him by the two men, and, in answer to the Magistrates' Clerk, he said the prisoner had assaulted another fireman on the same voyage. P.C. Crabtree (6D), who took the prisoner into custody at the docks on the arival.of the vessel, said that when prosecutor madehis accusation, prisoner said "I wish I had finished him." Witness took prosecutor to the Borough Hospital. Dr. D. Johnson, senior house surgeon at the Borough Hospital. said the prosecutor had two wounds on the bead—one on the side, and the other in, front. Each was about an inch long and not quite down to the bone; and each required one stitch. He did not think the rake had caused the cuts, as there was no contusion. They might have been done by falls in the struggle, or by the shovel. Proseeator had several abraaions about the face ruid body. Prisoner's defence was that he went down to clean the fire, and said to the prosecutor, "This fire is not in a condition to be cleaned." Prosecutor made an °flew,e reply, and hit him in the face.'lie (prisoner) had the rake in his hand nt the time. Prosecutor then canylbt up a hucket and hit at him, and he (Priaoner) hit at the bucket with the rake to defend himself, and the rake hit the bucket down on prosecutor's head. Then they fought together for five minutes, and thee fell over several things. The Chairman (Alderman E. G. Mason) told prisoner there was no doubt b. bad committed a very violent assault. They found he had a yecord for similar assaults, and he must 10 to prison for two wontbs with hasd labour.  Woods Great Peppermint Cure. 1/I}. iltit For Chromic Chest Complaints.