The Warrington Examiner. — 1870-12-17 (Warrington, Cheshire, England)

MURDEROUS ASSAULT AT RUNCORN. COMMITTAL OF THE PRISONER.  A most brutal and savage assault was committed at Runcorn, on Wednesday evening, December 7th, upon a woman named Bridget Walton, living in Nclsonstreet, by Peter Crougan, a man of about middle age. He was apprehended OR Thursday by Sergeant Buckley and locked up. Prisoner was brought up at the Town B:all, on Monday last, before P. Whiteway, J. Johnson, and W. W. Brundritt, Esqs., and charged with having feloniously assaulted Bridget Walton, with intent to do her some grievous bodily harm, to which hi pleaded net guilty. Prosecutrix was in court, but appeared to be in a very weak state, resultant upon the- attack which had been made upon her. The following evidence was adduced : Bridget Walton said: I am the wife of James Walton, and live in Nelson-street, Runcorn. On Wednesday night last my daughter was going out with a can, when I heard the prisoner call her foul names. I went to the door and asked him what he was doing that for. He made no reply, bnt gave me a violent blow over the eye, and knocked me against my daughter. I told my daughter to go for the police, and then ran into the house. Prisoner followed me in, and pulled me out by the hair of my head and threw me into the channel. He then kicked me three times—over the shoulder, thigh, and right side. He was drunk. I became insensible. Prisoner: Did you not throw some water into my house ?—Witness: No.—Prisoner: Did your daughter not come and throw some mugs into the house ? Witness: No.  Ann Walton corroborated her mother's statement, and said she saw prisoner come out of Letter's beerhouse, and he used very bad language. She heard him say that he would have no sleep that night till he had had his revenge. She saw him hit her mother, whose face was covered with blood. Her mother fell against her, or she would have gone to the ground. She then went for the police. Eliza Russell, a girl about twelve years of age, said she heard prisoner making a noise, and saw him run into Walton's house, drag Mrs. Walton out by the hair, and kick her three times. He then left her lying in the street, and walked into his own house..  Mr. MQDougall, surgeon, said he examined prosecutrix on Thusday morning, and found her suffering from a fractured collar bone, which was broken very badly, together with small bones in the shoulder joint. She had a black eye, and an abrasion on the right temple. The right lower jaw was bruised, and also the right thigh, and very much discoloured. She was suffering from a severe shock to the system, and was still under his care.  Sergt. Buckley said he apprehended prisoner at noon on Thursday, and charged him with having committed a serious assault on Bridget Walton, at Runcorn, by fracturing her shoulder, and kicking her on various parts of her body. To this he replied, "I am not guilty of that. She came into my house, and threw a can of water and some mugs. I pushed her out again, but I don't know whether she fell or not." Prisoner, after being cautioned in the usual manner, said, "I am not guilty of kicking her. She came and threw some water into my house, and then her daughter threw some mugs. I pushed her out, but I don't know whether she fell or not." He then ' called a witness named Julia Quinn, who did not alter the complexion of the case.  Mr. Whiteway said he had never heard of a more brutal and gross assault. Such things could not be tolerated in a country like this, and he felt it their duty to commit him to take his trial at the next Knutsford sessions.  Prisoner applied for bail, and the magistrates signified their willingness to accept respectable bail for his appearance, himself in £2O, and two sureties of £lO each.