The Birkenhead News and Wirral General Advertiser. — 1886-03-20 (Birkenhead, Merseyside, England)

MURDEROUS ASSAULT.  At the Wallasey Petty Sessions, on Wednesday, before Messrs. Lowry Mann and Jas. Smith, Samuel J. Finnigan, a labourer, was summoned for having assaulted Patrick Kingsley, his brother-in-law, an elderly man, who appeared in the witness box with his head covered with bandages. The complainant, in answer to the magistrates, said the defendant had struck him on the head with a spade. The Magistrates' Clerk said that as the cage appeared to be a very serious one it would perhaps be better to enforce the defendant's attendance by warrant. The Chairman: We can adjourn it and warn him to attend. Inspector Walker: I should prefer a warrant, your Worships. If this man is not apprehended I fear a murder will be committed. The Chairman: We will grant a warrant in that case. A warrant was then issued, and at a later period of the day Finnigan was apprehended and brought before the magistrates. The prosecutor said he resided at 64, Poplar-cottages, Demesne-street, Seacombe. The prisoner was his brother-in-law. He had been living at witness's house about four years and a half. On the 12th March, about half-past eleven o'clock at night, the prisoner came into the house. Witness was in bed, but got up when he heard the prisoner. He did not go out of the room, but Boon after getting up the prisoner came into the bedroom, which was on the ground floor. He had a navvy's spade in his hand. He commenced to curse and swear, and threatened that he would use the spade to him, as he had long threatened to do something. He raised the spade and made a blow at witness, who put up his left arm to protect his head, but received a violent blow on the forehead, and his arm was badly hurt. Witness bled very much from the wound on his forehead, and he went to Dr. Bake to have the wound stitched up, and the prisoner went into the kitchen. After the prisoner went into the kitchen he endeavoured to come back into witness's bedroom. but he put his shoulder against the door and witness's wife kept him back. He went to P.C. 171 (Noden) in Victoria-road, told him what had happened, and asked him to come down to the house, and he said he would follow him down to the house, but he did not do so. The prisoner was neither drunk nor Bober. During the time he had lived with witness he had only paid for one year out of the four and a half, and witness had frequently ordered him out of the house. They had sometimes quarrelled and witness had not been on speaking terms with him since 26th September, when he broke a chair over his head and witness gave him into custody and brought him before the inspector. A few weeks before he threatened that if the door was not left open for him when he came home he would " behead" witness. On Sunday night, about half-past ten o'clock, the prisoner came into witness's bedroom with a pair of tongs in one hand and a lamp in the other, but he went out again as he did not see witness. The Chairman said the magistrates had decided to adjourn the case for the attendance of the doctor and other witnesses. The Prisoner: I can explain how it occurred. Th. Chairman You will have an opportunity of doing that later on. You are remanded until to-morrow morning. The prisoner was then removed.  The prisoner was again brought op on Thursday morning, when the charge was altered from one of assault to "unlawfully wounding " Patrick Kingsley. The prosecutor was recalled and stated that the spade produced was the one which the prisoner struck him with. He did not sleep at home on either Monday or Tuesday nights, because he was afraid °tithe prisoner, wile again threatened to kill him on Sunday  Mr. Alfred Bake, surgeon, practising in Church-road, Seacombe, stated that on the 12th inst. the prosecutor came to his house about midnight. He was suffering from a severe incised wound upon the skull, extending down to the bone, from about two to three inches long. The spade produced was just the sort of weapon he should think the wound would be produced by. The prosecutor had lost a considerable quantity of ' blood. Witness stitched up the wound, and the prosecutor afterwards went to the Cottage Hospital. The Chairman: Was the wound a serious