The Atherstone, Nuneaton, and Warwickshire Times. — 1883-10-06 (Atherstone, Warwickshire, England)

FOLESII ILL.- -A Iffeel Li,samaa, watchmaker, Foleshill, was summoned by Lucy Quinney Brower,of Foleshill, for having unlawfully , assaulted her on the 24th Septembe.r.—Mr. Homer appeared for the defendant, who pleaded not guilty.—The complainant stated that on Monday night a little boy, who was kept by her mother,was struck by another boy named Taylor. , She took a barrow from Taylor, and told him to go and fetch his father, and she would tell him what had happened. Taylor went and fetched his "big brother, who is married," and he threatened to hit the complainant. Complainant's husband told Taylor he must not strike her, and the two men had some words, and some blows were struck. A lot of people assembled, and the defendant Lissaman was there, and was also striking. her husband. She went between them to part them, and the defendant struck her on the eye twice.—ln cross-examination by Mr. Homer, who produced a broken pair of scissors, the complainant stated she broke the scissors while taking them from her husband, who picked them up to frighten the men who were beating him. She hurt her hand in doing this, and went to the hospital. Her husband did not have a knife in his hand. The scissors were broken after she was assaulted.—The complainant's husband corroborated his wife's testimony, and stated that although he had the scissors in his hand he did not intend to do anything with them. He had five men fighting him at once, and when another man struck his wife,he said, "I can't fight you all at once, I will fetch something that will settle you," and then he fetched the scissors, but he did not intend to use them against anybody.— Caroline Quinney, mother of the complainant, gave similar evidence.—For the defence Mr. Homer called John Worthington, who said that he went with Lissaman to Brower's house,and saw Brower and Taylor fighting. They were on the ground together, and Brower was trying to strangle Taylor. Lissaman appealed for fair play, and the complainant used bad language and struck him. Brower got up from the ground,and then he and the complainant commenced on Lissaman, who told the complainant that if she did not desist from fighting and scratching him he would strike her. She would not desist, and he did strike her. Complainant shouted to her husband, "Go and get something that will finish them, "and Brower went into the holm and fetched out a pair of scissors and a knife. Taylor and Lissaman ran away, and Brower started after them, but a man named Lowe took hold of him and held him. Brower commenced to strike with the knife and scissors, and his wife, in attempting to stop him, received a blow on the hand, which cut her, and had the effect of breaking the scissors. Brower,when he saw what he had done, put the knife into his pocket.—Mr. Lowe, baker, gave similar evidence, and said that both Brower and his wife were very violent Mrs. Brower told her husband to "bite Taylor's nose off and show it him." and "ten times worse than that." The defendant asked for fair play, and Mrs. Brower went up to him, and fought at him, striking him repeatedly- in the face, and at length the defendant struck her in self-defence. When Brower fetched the scissors he followed Taylor and Lissaman up the enty. The people all ran into the houses, calling out "murder," and expecting that murder would be done. Brower said, "I will finish you now, you --," but he (Lowe) held him, and prevented him from doing mischief. —By the Clerk: The complainant did fight the defendant, and she can fight too—(laughter). She struck him a dozen times, and I could not have stood so much.—The Bench: But she could not have struck him hard, there are no marks on his face.—Witness: "Oh, I saw her hit him well— (laughter).—George Taylor aLso gave evidence.— The Bench considered that the assault was proved, and fined the defendant £l, and costs 41. They told the defendant that although he might have interfered in the quarrel from good motives, he had no right to strike a woman. It was a cowardly action, and the Bench had deliberated as to whether the penalty ought not to have been heavier.