The Birkenhead News and Wirral General Advertiser. — 1883-04-28 (Birkenhead, Merseyside, England)

STORNIIN,; THE CITADEL—AN EXTRAORDINARY LOVE STORY.—Ann Rivett was summoned for using abrsive language] to Samuel Kirby.—Complainaut said that on Saturday afternoon defendant challenged him or any of his companions to tight, called him an old thief, and accused him of having murdered her child. She rolled up her sleeves, put herself in pugilistic attitude, and pelted him with gravel--SamuelKirby,the above complainant, and his son, Charles Kirby, were summoned for assaulting Ann Hurst, a- married woman, residing at 2, Darlington-street. —The Bench decided to hear the cases together.—Mrs. Hurst said that defendati4i lodged with her, and owed about f:2 for me, t. Acting OR the advice of her lawyer, she ,L tained,their boxes. On the day in ,t ion defendants came to the house aceemea ~,.veral other men, doorand and announced that sonh.one was about to be murdered.butshepa r two atxs th et downstairs,s said that she Intl 110 one to protect her, and would not more until she Was killed. They knocked Ilea down, and samitel Kirby proclaimed that he would take her life with a putty knife which be held in his hand. The elder defendant chased a woman who was in the house into the yard with the knife and  shut the door on her. Charles Kirby also hit complainant on the shoulder.—A witness, named Mrs. Caldecott, said that defendants and a number of other men got over the back wall, and,bursting open the back door, entered the house. Samuel Kirby, as he entered the house, said to the three Seacombe roughs by whom he was accompanied, "Come on, my brave men."—Mrs. Rivett, the defendant in the first case, spoke to the violent behaviour of the male defendants.—Police-officer Reece said that he heard Charles Kirby using the most abusive language. He had to tell him that if he would not be quiet he would take him to the Bridewell. He saw the boxes, which were taken sway in a cab to Seacombe.—The male defendants said that the officer was perjuring himself.—A man, who helped to carry away the boxes, deposed that he did not hear Charles Kirby say a bad word, and another of the men who was employed to carry away the 1 boxes gave corroborative evidence. Both men .wore that they got into the house by the front door, and that the bad language was used by the woman Rivett.—Lincoln Kirby stated that the Thrbys, his father and brother, employed no violence whatever.—Samuel Kirby said that Mrs. Hurst's story was a tissue of falsehoods from beginning to end, the most scandalous thing he had ever heard in his life, and had been concocted to injure him and his son, because she wanted to marry the son and the son did not want to marry her. He did not owe her anything! and she had pawned a carpet at Seacombe for which she had charged him.—Charles Kirby, who is about 21 years of age, declared that the woman was forty years old and had four children, and that she had threatened to mark him and to bring an action for breach of promise against him if he would not marry her. Because he had told her that he would not have her she had scratched his face on which there were still marks.—Samuel Kirby handed in a certificate of character from Mr Charles Inman, observing that be had never done a bad thing in his life.—The case against the female defendant was dismissed. The Bench were of opinion that the male defendants had been guilty of a gross I assault, and fined them 10s. and costs each.